Rock-a-bye Teddy ~ Little Tikes Teddy Bear Nursery
Written: Jun 05 '06
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Pros: Realistic Sounds, Long Battery Life, Teddy Bear Included
Cons: Swing squeaks & can pop off, Cannot accommodate larger dolls
The Bottom Line: Lifelike Sounds and functional design make this a great addition to the play room.
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| brooklynsmum's Full Review: Little Tikes Teddy Bear Nursery |
To my husband’s dismay, our youngest is a very girly girl – tough as nails, but still girly through and through. This is the reason I got all excited and he rolled his eyes when I stumbled across the perfect birthday gift for her second birthday at a Sears Outlet store while on vacation. Sure her birthday was still months away. Yes, this definitely looked like a girly toy. No, we didn’t really have room to spare in the trunk. Still, the question that mattered most was “will she love it”, to which even my husband answered “yes”. And so, the Little Tikes Teddy Bear Nursery was squeezed into the car and carefully hidden until the big birthday. It has been over a year since the box was opened and it is still one of the most played with pieces of equipment in the play room.
ASSEMBLY REQUIRED
I am not sure why we haven’t yet caught on to the need to assemble gifts before the big day, but like everything else, this one waited until our daughter had pulled out and scattered all the pieces in the package. I personally think my husband actually likes the help of a toddler when attempting to assemble a million pieces all while trying desperately not to swear. To assemble, you need only a screwdriver, the instructions, and a little patience. My husband is becoming proficient at attaching plastic pieces using only a screwdriver – goodness knows he’s had enough practice in the past 5.5 years. For this reason, assembly really didn’t take very long – 15 minutes max – and our daughter began to play. Only then did we look at the package to see the dreaded warning - batteries not included.
The Teddy Bear Nursery, like most toys these days, requires batteries 3 AA batteries. Imagine our surprise to find that, despite the warning on the package, the sound monitor actually worked. Could it be? Were there really batteries inside? Included? I thought they were only there for demo purposes, but the demo seemed to go on and on and on. Of course this came with I price, or so I thought. Every time the button was pressed, we’d have to listen to a voice repeat all the benefits and features of the Nursery before rewarding our daughter with the baby sound she was waiting for. It wasn’t until more than 6 months later when I removed the battery cover and discovered that there is a switch that can be turned from demo to play mode. I turned the switch and kept the original batteries inside. It’s been 14 months since we bought this nursery, and the original batteries are only now starting to die. Since they are only AA batteries, and the first set came with the unit, I am very impressed.
Also included were a couple decals meant for the highchair tray. These disappeared under the couch and were later recovered, but for some reason they are still in the junk drawer awaiting application.
THE NURSERY
The Teddy Bear Nursery has really been around for several years, disguised in different colors and with different features. Rather than emblazoning this nursery with pink, Little Tikes decided to use pink, blue and purple set against a background of white for its color scheme. For some reason, it still comes across as more girly than anything – again much to my daughter’s delight and my husband’s dismay.
To keep with the Teddy bear theme, this one comes with a super soft stuffed bear with a yellow bow around its neck (not that we really needed another stuffed bear in our house). Unlike some previous versions, the swing and cradle do not swing automatically, eliminating the need for more expensive “C” batteries.
The Teddy Bear Nursery features three stations for play. On the left is a swing, in the middle is a cradle with storage underneath, and on the right is a high chair. Children can move from station to station easily and the nursery works well placed close to a wall. It is, however, fairly long (measuring 43.8"L x 17.5"W x 31.3"H), making it a toy that is meant to stay in one spot. This is okay, because just like a real nursery, this one comes with a portable monitor that makes different noises depending on where it is docked.
The Monitor - When the button is pressed on the monitor it lights up and plays random baby noises. The button can be difficult for little fingers to press, especially since the monitor is quite large and bulky. However, when it is placed in one of the two docks on the nursery, it adjusts the noises to go with the activity all without having to press the button. Place it into the dock on the side of the high chair tray and it will play a series of noises of baby eating, burping, and cooing. Place it on the dock between the cradle and the highchair and it will play a lullaby, as well as sounds of baby cooing. Press and hold the button for a few seconds to change the lullaby. There are three songs that play for about 20 seconds, as well as a series of baby noises. Turn the monitor around to face the swing and it will play additional songs, as well as happy baby noises (cooing, laughing, etc.). In this mode there are two songs as well as the baby noises.
The noises, to my surprise, are quite lifelike and rather cute. I am not at all a baby person, and yet there is something about the realistic belly laughs that make me smile. I am also impressed by the numbers of songs and noise choices included. The only downfall is that in order to change between noises and start different songs, the button must be pressed and held for about a second. Since the button is difficult to press, my kids would rather just lift the monitor and place it down again, repeating the same song over and over. As a result, I have heard the same lullaby/baby noise combination often enough to have it drilled permanently into my brain.
The Swing
One thing about this nursery that could use some redesigning is the swing. Because of the way it is attached to the base, the swing can be easily pulled off when trying to take the doll out, particularly if the doll is a little on the large side. The entire nursery is designed to accommodate smaller dolls and the included teddy bear. Larger dolls can get their legs squished into the swing taking the whole thing with them when it’s time to come out. With the included teddy bear, however, this is not an issue. My biggest complaint about the swing, and the entire nursery, is the noise. Not the annoying repetitive song type noise that comes from a monitor with dying batteries kind of noise. Oh no, that I can tune out. I am talking about the fingernails down the chalkboard, grating, screech that comes from plastic rubbing on plastic. When the swing is pulled too far forward (which is every time a toddler swings her baby), the resulting squeak is well beyond irritating. It is the kind of noise that sends chills down my spine – the kind of noise that I simply cannot tune out and will send me scrambling out of the room. I have no idea why this happens only with the swing and not the cradle, but it drives me crazy!
The Cradle
Unlike the noise emitted by the swing, the cradle can be rocked manually back and forth and be perfectly silent. The molded plastic pillow and heart quilt are quite cute and the storage bin underneath is wonderful for holding all the baby accessories. It’s deep enough to hold several blankets and changes of clothes as well as the feeding and diapering accessories that have accumulated in our house from other sets over the years. Like the swing, the cradle is not meant for larger dolls who may find their feet dangling over the edge. Dolls approximately 12” fit fine.
The Highchair
With our Little Tikes Kitchen the highchair seat has developed an annoying habit of popping off whenever a doll is removed. For this reason, my girls have positioned their nursery close to the kitchen so that this highchair, which is screwed into the base and stays put, can be their main play highchair. There is an indent where the spoon is supposed to rest and the included accessories fit nicely on the tray (although not with a lot else on it).
The Accessories
From our experience, the included accessories in these packages are laughable. You are not paying big bucks for the few measly pieces thrown in. You are paying for the big unit (with the hope that you’ll buy a bunch of separate Little Tikes pieces later). Proof of this lies in the fact that there are dolls shown on the package, but not included in the set. With this nursery, you will receive a plastic teddy bear shaped teething ring/toy, yellow bottle, spoon (which has a molded teddy on it and fits the indentation on the highchair perfectly), and plate. My daughter barely gave them a glance and pulled out her more exciting play baby food instead. There is a super soft and cuddly brown teddy bear included, but to properly furnish this set, you will likely want to purchase a doll.
DURABILITY
Like most Little Tikes toys, the Teddy Bear Nursery is made of an extremely durable plastic. These are the toys that you can find on garage sales seven or eight years after they were originally purchased looking just as good as the day they first came home. This unit is no exception. When it is picked up, it does seem a little flimsy, but I highly doubt that it would break. Other than the issues with the squeaky swing, this nursery has held up extremely well.
AGE RECOMMENDATION
Little Tikes recommends this toy for ages two and up, which I feel is accurate. At two, my daughter was able to understand the concept of the monitor and was also showing a lot of interest in taking care of her babies. My five year old will also join in when they play together with this toy, even though she doesn’t play with dolls as much as her younger sister. I have no doubt that the nursery will remain a part of our toy room for several more years before being passed on.
OUR RECOMMENDATION
My now three year old has played with this a lot, making it well worth the $60 we paid for it at the Sears Outlet store. My five year old, who is much less a doll girl than her sister, will even play with it from time to time. For that reason alone, I would have rated this 5 stars, but the squeaky swing grates on my nerves enough to rate it four instead. The long battery life, the cute sounds, and the storage areas for doll accessories make this a toy worth purchasing. After all, watching a little girl mother her dolly is priceless!
OTHER LITTLE TIKES REVIEWS
Little Tikes Cookin’ Around Kitchen
Little Tikes Tunes & Tales Story Lantern
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 59.99 CAD
Type of Toy: Playscene
Age Range of Child: 3 to 5 Years
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Epinions.com ID:
brooklynsmum
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Location: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
Reviews written: 75
Trusted by: 58 members
About Me:
It's birthday time at our house. Reviews to follow!
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