Little Tikes Slide

I have the world's best mommy and daddy!  Do you want to see what they put in my second play room the family room?

A SLIDE!!!  It is so much fun!  Mommy got it at a yard sale a couple of years ago and was storing it in the attic until almost two months ago.  Then, one day I went down for a nap and woke up to see that Mommy and Daddy put a giant slide together IN THE HOUSE!  Yes, they will both deserve "World's Best __" coffee mugs for Christmas.

Mommy helped me look on the Little Tikes website today, and we don't think they sell this model anymore.  I think lots of toy companies sell similar models, though, so I'm not necessarily reviewing this specific slide as much as I'm just reviewing the concept of having an indoor slide built for young tots.

Let me tell you about this slide!  It has three steps on the side that you climb to get to the top.  Then, you sit on your bottom and slide down.  You can also crawl underneath the slide, and it's like a little fort.  I've only done that once, though, because I'd rather just slide!

You have to be careful, though, because you will get into trouble and your grownups will threaten to remove it if you stand at the top of the slide.  You must sit on your bottom immediately.  They will also get mad if you stand at the top and try to walk down the slide.  I think I tried that once.  I kinda tumbled forward and would have done an unexpected somersault if Mommy wasn't there to catch me.  I must admit that it was fun, but Mommy did not have a happy look on her face.  I've learned and do it the right way now.

Mommy and Daddy pulled out this slide at the perfect time: I was 16 months old.  I was already getting good with climbing and enjoying going down slides at the park.  It took me a couple of days to learn how to go down the slide without my feet slowing me down.  Daddy put socks on my feet, and that helped.  Then I just learned to pick up my feet, and I went really fast down the slide!  So, tots, please tell your grownups to get you a slide and set it up inside so you can play on it anytime, day or night, rain or shine.  I guarantee it will be the biggest hit in your house!

Sesame Street Playville Play Tent

Let me just say that this toy is the best!  It's the first thing that my friends go to when they come over for playdates. 

My play tent has three parts:
1) A ball pit, as you can see in the picture.  I got this from my aunt, uncle, and cousin when I turned one.  They saw that it didn't come with enough balls, so they bought me a pack of 100 more.  I have so many balls now!  They are so much fun to sit on!  And throw...
2) A hut.  This part is completely closed in.  It has a material 'door' that closes with Velcro.  Once you climb in nobody can see you!  This is where I come to hide sometimes when I just need a little Kayla time.  Mommy and Daddy always find me, though.
3) A tunnel.  The tunnel connects the ball pit and the hut.  I'm sort of particular about things and only go from the hut, through the tunnel, to the ball pit.  Never the other direction.  Weird?  Anyway, the tunnel is definitely fun to crawl through.  I really like it when somebody is waiting for me in the ball pit so I can crawl through and giggle and think, "Peekaboo!" when I get there.

The material that the ball pit and hut are made out of is really thin, but it's held up well.  It also folds flat so you can move it out of the way when you want to play with other toys.  I think those are things that our grownups like to know.

This toy is so much fun for tots who have started crawling.  You know I'm a walker now, and I still love it!  My big cousin likes it too, and she's already three years old!  I think I'm going to like it for a very long time.  So go get this toy for your favorite tot because it's so much fun, and they'll use it forever!

Fisher-Price Little Superstar Sing-Along Stage

They did it again!  Fisher Price came up with a long name for a really cool toy.  I call it my "singing mirror."  I got this as a Christmas present from my aunt, uncle, and cousin.  The moment that Daddy set it up for me at home I knew I was going to like it so much.

I don't think there's anything I would do to make this toy any more fun.  When I was nine months old, I was a sitter, and the stage and mirror were the perfect height for me.  There's a microphone you can shake, guitar to strum, xylophone keys to hit, drum to bang, and saxophone to slide.  Doing any of these things causes the music to start up and lights to flash.  What tot wouldn't like that?

The music is great because it actually sings songs the entire way through.  My Mommy gets frustrated with other toys and some books because they only play a tiny little bit of a song or two.  Not this toy!  My favorite songs on here are "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes" and "If You're Happy and You Know It."

Now that I'm a stander (and walker and runner and jumper), I grab the microphone and stand a few feet in front of the stage.  When the music comes on, I like to shake the microphone and dance.  I like pretending I'm a superstar!

I really don't have anything bad to say about this toy; it's a winner!

Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Learning Home Playset

Sometimes I wonder how Fisher Price comes up with their toy names.  How do they expect tots like us to be able to say Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Learning Home Playset?  What about Fisher Price House?  I think that'd be a little easier, but what do I know?

Despite it's long and confusing name, this toy ranks up there with the best ones in my play room.  I don't know how the Fisher Price people do it, but they have come up with some winners!  Are you ready to find out why this toy is so amazing?

First off, this house makes lots of noise!  For some reason, I keep finding the switch on "off," so I've learned that I have to slide it to "Learning Time" or "Music Time" whenever I play.  I'm not sure why that's happening.  Once you slide the switch, though, you'll have lots of fun with it.  Here are some of the fun things to do that involve sounds:
1) Ring the doorbell (and the light even lights up inside and outside of the house!).
2) Open/close the mailbox (and put mail in).
3) Change the address.
4) Rotate the dial on top to morning or night.
5) Open/close the door.
6) Drop balls in the ball droppy area.
7) Buttons on the radio.
Mommy and Daddy say that the sounds are there to help me learn cause and effect.  I don't really know what that is, but if that's why they put sounds on toys like this, then I think it's a great thing for me to learn.

What are the best things about this toy?
*I got this toy for Christmas, when I was about nine months old.  I was army crawling back then, and I loved opening the door and crawling through.  I did that over and over.  I really liked closing the door behind me because it sounded like it was slamming!  Nowadays, I still like opening the door, crawling through, and slamming the door behind me.  I guess that's something that even big tots like me still like!
*The ball droppy thing on the side.  I never paid any attention to it until recently.  Maybe it's because I'm taller now and can stand and do this.  I don't know, but I have so much fun putting the ball in the top and watching it drop down to the bottom while making funny noises.  Mommy and Daddy say that it is helping me with eye-hand coordination.  Whatever.
*Mailbox.  I think the mailbox is something I've liked since the beginning too.  It's so much fun to open and close the mailbox!  I really like opening it from inside the house, sticking my arm through, and handing the mail to whoever is on the other side.
*Pressing the buttons on the radio.  It's just fun to press buttons.
*Opening and closing the window.  I like playing 'Peekaboo' with it.  It makes me giggle every time!

This toy has so much to it that I think I'll be playing with it for a long time.  There are a few things that I don't really play with now, but I might someday:
*Shape sorter on the door
*Address above the door
*Day/night dial

I love my house!  My friends always like to play with it too when they come over for playdates.  It's big enough that I can have lots of friends play with it at the same time.  I really think you should get this house too because it's got something fun on it for everyone!