Children Product Reviews – Page 3

The First Years Compass B570 Pathway Booster Car Seat {Review}

October 11, 2012
Children Product Reviews, Reviews

When you become a Mom, keeping your kids safe becomes a priority. With three little ones, I am constantly having to child-proof cabinets and drawers, move things out of their reach, and buy the latest safety products. When it comes to car safety, we have been on the hunt for a new booster seat for our three year old. He is outgrowing his convertible car seat and we wanted a booster seat that would last for long time. After weeks of searching with no luck, I was introduced to the Compass B570 Booster Car Seat by The First Years.

After the box arrived, my husband installed the seat into our vehicle immediately (he’s very impatient) while I finished reading up on all the features and settings. When my husband returned inside quickly, I thought something was wrong. There was no way he installed it already. He always has a difficult time securing car seats (shhh, don’t tell him I said that). Nope, I was wrong. He was finished installing it! The booster seat installation was easy with the lower latch anchor attachments. The back is also self-adjusting, creating the perfect fit for any type of seat. I am still in shock it was that easy.

Time to test it out. When Ethan saw his new car seat, he was thrilled. It was something new and it was more of a ‘big boy’ seat to set him apart from his two year old brother. When I buckled him up, I could easily adjust the shoulder belt (up to 1.5″) and the lap belt to fit him comfortably. The first thing he did was play with the arm rests, moving them up and down and up and down. As he was doing that, he noticed the cup holders on each side. I think besides the comfort, this is his favorite feature. They are removable, which is good for me because I can easily take them out and clean them by running them through the dishwasher. He loves them because he can have his cup in one, and he removes the other one and holds snacks in it.

Some other features I love:

Five-star “Ease of Use” government rating from NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)

Deeper headrest for impact safety

Six-position adjustable “no gap” back, so it can grow as your child grows

Patented easy, one-hand fold

Easy to move to another vehicle with the built-in carry handle

Soft Fabric and well cushioned

Side-impact tested to international standards

Narrow bottom rails for better installation in smaller cars

Long lasting because it fits children 30-100 lbs. (3-10 years old) (and it is very durable)

Weighs just 9 lbs

I know next year when my two year old turns three, I will definitely be purchasing another one. He already tries sitting in it, but his brother makes sure that doesn’t happen. Ethan and I are very happy with the First Years booster seat and I highly recommend it.

Purchase the Compass B570 Pathway Booster Car Seat for just $99.99 at local retailers (find a location near you) or on Amazon.com (currently on sale for just $85).

Learn more about The First Years products at thefirstyears.com. For the latest information and updates, follow them on Twitter, become a fan on Facebook, and subscribe to their YouTube Channel.

Disclosure – I received the named product at no cost to conduct this review and was in no other way compensated. All opinions expressed are 100% mine.

VTech Switch & Go Dinos – Hot New Toys for Kids Ages 3-8 {Review}

September 28, 2012
Children Product Reviews, Holiday Gift Guides, Reviews

Cars and dinosaurs. Those are my sons’ two favorite things. They always want to play with cars, dinosaur toys, or watch either on TV. When it comes to toys, my sons tend to get bored with them quick and it is hard to find ones that capture and keep their attention. So what kind of toy could really make them go crazy (in a good way)? How about one that is a dinosaur and a vehicle in one. That’s what VTech has created with their new Switch & Go Dinos.

I received two (of the seven) Switch & Go Dinos for the boys to play with and they exceeded my expectations. I have seen the commercials advertising them, as my 3 year old always makes sure to get my attention to tell me to ‘buy that’ every time it is on. I didn’t realize how big they are and how many features they actually have. Within a few simple steps, each one can transform from a vehicle to a dinosaur, and vise versa. They each have a screen in the front that is animated with the vehicle drivers or the dinos eyes. There are so many features to the dinos, I probably still don’t know them all.

We first played with the Attila the Ankylosaurus Dinosaur. This heavy construction vehicle comes with a wrecking ball, tow hook, and a trailer. The tow hook can be used to tow around other Switch & Go Dinos. There are over 70 sayings and sound effects that it makes. My sons loved towing around the trailer and playing with the wrecking ball. When the Attila is switched into a dino, the wrecking ball is now a powerful tail and with the push of a button, the tail moves. I really love that there were two parts to the toys so my sons could each play with a different part as they played together with it.

Next, we got out Brok the Brachiosaurus Dinosaur. This is the king of the Switch & Go Dinos. It comes with a smaller race car and a Pterodactyl. When it in the car mode, it can carried a car, including the race car. With just the pull of the spoiler, the race car launches down for front of the car and the Pterodactyl launches out of the car. They had so much fun launching the car. This was one of my two year old’s favorite features. When switched to the dino, Brok towers high and can move his neck and head all around. This Switch & Go has over 80 different sounds effects and sayings from real-life sounds, fun facts, and cool phrases.

The dinos are heavy duty and I know my boys will test their durability (they aren’t really gentle with their toys). I really love all the different sound effects and sayings that each one has. Normally with new toys, it takes about ten minutes to memorize its sayings and I get annoyed hearing the same thing over and over again. Not with the dinos. I still notice something new every time they are playing with them. The sounds effects are also very realistic. I can’t tell you what my sons’ favorite things are about the toys, because they get so excited just seeing them and the excitement doesn’t die down as they continuously play with them. I can see the dinos being in our household for a very long time.

I would definitely be purchasing more of the collection for my boys. You can purchase the Switch & Go Dinos at national retailers near you, or on Amazon.com.

VTech is holding a Show & Tell Contest on their Facebook page! To enter the contest your child can DRAW or BUILD their own Dino, and no purchase is necessary! Submit your entry by October 1st, for your chance to win a lifetime supply of VTech toys, one of 25 Dino toy sets and more!

“I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for VTech. I received VTech Switch & Go Dinos product samples to facilitate my review.”

Rock ‘N Learn ‘Preschool – Ready for School’ DVD {Review}

September 16, 2012
Children Product Reviews, Reviews

My sons (3 & 2) can’t seem to get enough of the Rock ‘N Learn DVDs. I love how educational and entertaining they are. When I learned about their Preschool DVDs they offer, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on one. We have been talking about getting my three year old into a preschool so I thought the DVD would be great to help teach him some of the essential skills when preparing to go to preschool.

In thirty minutes, ‘Ready for School’ highlights:

Getting Dressed
Tying Shoes
Cleaning Your Room
Listening Skills
Printing Letters

While I was putting the DVD to play it for the first time, I was unsure if my sons would like it as much as their other Rock ‘N Learn DVDs because it is a different series, with different characters. Surprisingly, I am pretty sure they enjoyed this one even more than the other ones. The animations are bright and easily caught the attention of my sons. The songs are captivating and my three year old was excitedly shouting out answers to questions about letters, shapes, and numbers. After it ended, he wanted to watch it again. The next time we played it, he grabbed the remote and replayed the Getting Dressed song over and over again until I took the remote from him. That is definitely his favorite part right now. One section covers printing letters and my son got out his magnetic doodle pad to try to write some of the letters as the characters did on the DVD. I was very impressed!

Yet again, Rock ‘N Learn didn’t let me down! ‘Ready for School’ has been a huge hit in this household.

Some other ‘Preschool’ DVD titles include ‘Phonics for Beginners’, ‘Colors’, ‘Shapes & Numbers’, and ‘First Sight Words’. Do you want to buy it? Good News! They are offering a series of value-priced ‘Preschool’ DVDs at Sam’s Club locations nationwide. Purchase one for just $7.98 (retail $14.99) for a limited time through September while supplies last.

For the latest updates and information, follow Rock N Learn on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.

I received the named product at no cost to conduct this review and was in no other way compensated. All opinions expressed are 100% mine. This review is brought to you by Karma Media.

Leap Frog’s New Touch Magic Toys and Our ‘Rock N Learn’ Party

September 12, 2012
Children Product Reviews, Reviews

Leap Frog Logo With three little guys, we have our fair share of toys and a good number of those toys are LeapFrog. I recently learned about their new Touch Magic products and had the opportunity to host a Touch Magic ‘Rock N Learn’ Party with some family and friends. To host the party, I received two Touch Magic Rockin’ Guitars, a Touch Magic Learning Bus, coupons, activity & coloring sheets, and party planning tips. I couldn’t wait to start planning my party!

A couple weeks ago I invited some friends and family over with their kids (ages 2-6) for a lunch ‘Rock N Learn’ play date. Even thought a few kids were extremely shy for most of the time (and only two would let me take pictures of them without their hands over their faces), all the kids had a chance to play the guitars and bus. One of the Moms even said, “Those are awesome, I want to play the guitar!”

The Touch Magic toys bring the touch screen technology to preschool toys for the first time ever. They recognize every tap, slide, and touch to create a great new learning experience for children. The surface of the toys are completely flat, making them easy to clean and sanitize. There are no buttons or small crevasses for dirt and germs to hide in. Since there are no buttons, the toys are very lightweight and slim. Some parents initially questioned their durability (notice how slim they are in the pictures below). I think they are questioning it because it is something new, different, and most parents are use to big bulky toys. I assumed them, my sons are pretty rough with toys and I can tell these ones are going to last.

The guitar is recommended for kids 3 and up. It plays 10 different songs and kids can customize the songs by playing along adding drums, guitar riffs, and funny noises. The most popular feature at our party seemed to be the strumming. If you strum the guitar really fast, it speeds up the song really fast and sounds like the Chipmunks are singing. The kids loved doing it and thought it was the funniest thing. Out of the ten songs, ‘If You’re Happy and You Know It’ and the ‘ABCs’ were the most popular songs.

Recommended for ages 2 to 4, the Learning Bus brings lots of learning with the alphabet. My two year old loves this toy so much, he didn’t want to share at first. There are three modes: learning, letter exploration and music. The kids loved the piano keys at bottom of the bus and I think we had to listen to ‘The Wheels on The Bus’ about 50 times throughout the afternoon. I also caught a few of the kids trying to drive the bus around the house while they were playing with it.

After all the playing, we relaxed with some Leap Frog coloring and activities. For their lunch I made drum sandwiches with cheese ‘drum’ sticks and fruit with music note cantaloupe. We also made some cookies shaped as music notes and guitars, but after they baked, it wasn’t so easy to tell what they were. It was still a great ending to a fun and energetic afternoon.

You can enter the Touch Magic Rockin’ Guitar Contest by sharing how your child rocks to learn! Five winners will win a $500 Gift Card plus weekly drawings for $100 in toys! Here’s how to get in your entry:

1. Submit a Video:

2. Share Video:

3. Grand Prize:

Visit http://touchmagic.leapfrog.com for more detailed contest information, contest rules, and to submit your entry by November 30th. GOOD LUCK!

Each toy retails for $24.99 and can be purchases on LeapFrog’s site, at Target and other retailers, and on Amazon.com.

*I received a party kit including the named toys from Mom Select and LeapFrog to host my Rock N Learn party. I received no monetary compensation and all opinions stated are 100% mine.

Boon Whale Pod – Drain and Storage Bath Toy Scoop {Review}

September 7, 2012
Baby Product Reviews, Children Product Reviews, Reviews

Normally if you would walk into our upstairs hall bathroom, you’d see foam bath letters and a few bath toys scattered in the bathtub. My two year old and three year old are really the only ones that use that bathroom, so I have been procrastinating in purchasing a toy storage for their bath toys. I have wanted one and know I need one. I have shopped around, but never found one that I thought was worth it. I receive a Boon Whale Pod that ended up working perfectly for my sons’ bathroom.

The installation of the Whale Pod was extremely simple with the easy-to-follow instructions. The whale is actually three pieces: the scoop, the head/top with built-in shelf, and the wall attachment piece. It comes with two options for mounting: hardware to screw it into the wall, or adhesive strips. I used the adhesive strips and had the wall piece up within minutes. As instructed, I waited 24 hours before attached the rest. The best part? I didn’t have to bother my husband to help me with it!

My sons were excited to have a new bath ‘toy’ to play with. Even though they were anxious, I had them wait until the end of bath time to use it and clean up all the bath letters. My three year old kept getting all the letters in the scoop, dumping them out, then repeating the cycle. He loved it. He also found it very entertaining to watching the water drain out of the scoop. My two year old found the most fun out of just moving it through the water. I have to say, it is a huge hit with the boys! Just seeing it hanging up get them excited.

There are many features I love about the Whale Pod. It keeps the toys from just sitting in the bathtub and as it hangs on the wall, it has a sleek clean look. The slits on the bottom sides let the water drain out, which reduces of chance of mold and mildew on the bath toys. Another great benefit is that my sons learn to clean up their toys at the end of bath time and actually enjoy it. It is very durable and I know will last a long time through all three of my little guys.

Purchase the Whale Pod for just $34.99 on their site here or on Amazon.com.

Learn more about Boon, Inc products at Booninc.com. For the latest information and updates, follow Boon on Twitter, become a fan on Facebook, and follow their boards on Pinterest.

Follow @booninc

Disclosure – I received the named product at no cost to conduct this review and was in no other way compensated. All opinions expressed are 100% mine.

Rock ‘N Learn ‘Sight Words Level 2’ DVD {Review}

August 25, 2012
Children Product Reviews, Reviews

Rock ‘N Learn DVDs have become a favorite in my household. My sons are constantly asking to watch the Sight Words and Letter Sounds DVDs to sing and dance along with the characters. The first few times we watched them, I couldn’t believe the difference I saw in their vocabulary and how they remember some of the songs from the DVDs.

Rock ‘N Learn just released ‘Sight Words Level 2’, which picks up where the first one ends. It is targeted for children Kindergarten to 1st grade who are starting to read. Even though my son just turned 3 and not reading yet, he has received great benefit from the DVD and is he is expanding his vocabulary and speech. I know he will grow into this DVD in the next couple of years as he starts to read.

Sight Words Covered:

use • your • words
like • this • new • but • old • too
what • bear • black • brown • white
do • did • eat • ate • ran • say • four
dog • they • are • all • under • trees
who • will • be • good • at • am
he • came • by • get • her • went • ride • boat
yes • or • no • please • thank
that • pretty • was • on • she • saw • with
our • must • have • had • now
want • into • room • out
when • were • there • so • soon • well

Bonus Sections:

Word Shapes

The songs are catchy (as always) and capture my kids attention when they are watching it. Humor and fun is added throughout the DVD as well. I love that the characters are the same as the level 1 DVD because it makes it familiar for them. All the graphics and animations are fun, creative, and full of color. Yet again, Rock ‘N Learn has been able to entertain and capture my sons attention while educating them at the same time. We just can’t get enough of Rock N Learn! Here is a short sample clip of the DVD:

Rock ‘N Learn has produced over 50 educational videos and music for children of all ages creating a fun educational learning experience. You can find DVDs and CDs for Phonics, Reading, Math, Science, Social Studies, Spanish, French, and more. Some of their best selling titles include “Letter Sounds”, “Phonics”, “Colors, Shapes and Counting”, “Getting Ready for Kindergarten”, “Spanish”, “Sight Words”, and “States and Capitals Rap”.

Follow Rock N Learn on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.

Buy It – You can buy Rock N Learn products on their website and use promo code JQ7711 for 25% off!

I received the named product at no cost to conduct this review and was in no other way compensated. All opinions expressed are 100% mine. This review is brought to you by Karma Media.

Looney Tunes ClickN READ Phonics Review & Giveaway

June 7, 2012
Children Product Reviews, Giveaways, Reviews

My (almost) 3 year old loves playing learning games on his tablet. He has gotten very good at a lot of them, but at the same time, he gets bored with them quickly. I heard about Looney Tunes ClickN READ Phonics from Karma Media and was enthused to learn more and let Little E. try something new.

Looney Tunes Phonics is an online reading program for children as young as 3 years old to about 3rd grade. It uses Looney Tunes clips in between each section during the lessons to engage your child and hold their attention while they are learning. Each lesson has different zones to help them learn:

The Letter Sound Zone: Learn Phonics Letter Sounds
The Listening Zone: Learn Phonics Word Blending
The Reading Zone: Learn Word and Sentence Reading Skills
The Speed Zone: Practice Phonics Skills Learned

Setting up our account was quick and easy and very customizable. You get to pick a Looney Tunes character and what lesson level to starts at (I started him at 1 since he will just turn 3 next month). Then I got to pick how long each zone will last, how much praise/motivation and cartoons are included, etc. With the customizations, each lesson can range from 20 to 50 minutes long. The ‘instructor’ for the lessons is a robot and I have to say, I think that is my son’s favorite part. He loves the robot so much that he begs for the robot and runs to the computer.

One of my favorite parts about the lessons is in the Listening Zone. During this zone, the robot says a letter sound and my son has to find the key on the keyboard (or click it on the on-screen keyboard). I love this because all of his toy computers and laptops have the keys in alphabetical order instead of a qwerty keyboard. When he plays on those and has to find the letters, he isn’t learning where the keys are on a keyboard. He is learning where they are, but still searches all over the keyboard first.

At the end of each lesson, a progress report card is displayed. This allows you to see how your child performed and if they should complete the lesson again. I really like that they suggest repeating, because sometimes when I thought he did decent, they said to repeat the lesson. He doesn’t mind doing it again th0ugh. He really loves his letters and alphabet right now so this is an amazing learning tool for him. The Looney Tunes cartoon segments in the middle help as well. When he starts getting distracted, it always seems to grab his attention right back. I was shocked that my son is starting to recognize words during the last reading zone we completed.

I can’t wait to continue using the program for my oldest, as well as my other sons when they get older.

To learn more or complete a sample lesson, visit the Looney Tunes Phonics website. Also follow them of Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

BUY IT: Looney Tunes Phonics can only be purchased online through their online store. There are three different subscription options: Monthly – single user $9.95, additional user $7.95: 6 month – single user $49.95, additional user $29.95; Annual – single user $99.95, additional user $59.95; Lifetime/Family – $249.95 for 3 users.

WIN IT: Looney Tunes Phonics is giving away 14 LIFETIME subscriptions! That’s right – 14 winners! Entering is easy using the rafflecopter form below. Giveaway ends June 13th 11:59p EST and is open to the US only. The winners will be selected on Rafflecopter via Random.org, contacted via email and have 48 hours to reply to confirm. Failure to do so will result in a new winner to be selected

**THIS GIVEAWAY IS OVER**
—VIEW WINNERS LIST HERE—

Read more reviews (including some video reviews) from fellow Karma Media Members:

I received the named product at no cost to conduct this review and was in no other way compensated. All opinions expressed are 100% mine. This review is brought to you by Karma Media.

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