Makes a good blockade... kinda
Written: Jan 22 '02
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Colorful, Portable, Musical, Easy to assemble
Cons: Somewhat boring and doesn't keep babies attention, Hard to fold down, Annoying Music
The Bottom Line: I wouldn't recommend that you purchase this product. I am sure there are much better ways to spend your money!
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| AmyKlees's Full Review: Kick ?n Crawl Barn 71699 |
I bought this toy because we were traveling with my infant daughter and wanted a toy that was portable. She was only 5 months old at the time. She liked toys that dangled above her that she could bat at. I went on a trip to Toys R Us, and thought the Kick N Crawl Barn would be the perfect solution!
The Kick and Crawl Barn is a colorful mat that is decorated with barnyard animals. It has two foam-like arches that are covered in black and white patterned fabric. There are 2 long, thin red plastic pieces with circular openings for the tubes to fit in. There are four plastic toys with velcro straps, and one larger chicken that plays music when a ball is turned on its tummy. The 4 smaller toys include: A pig with a mirror, a ear of corn with colored balls inside that rattle, a cow, and a sheep with a yellow twirly gig in the middle. It can be used as either an activity gym or a "crawling barn." Assembly for either the gym or barn is easy to do. The directions provided are clear and easy to understand. When used like a gym the two foam arches straddle the mat near the babies arms and feet, and the toys dangle from these arches. When used like a barn, the arches slide into the sides of the mat, which forms the walls of the barn. The toys can dangle from the door openings of the barn. The red plastic strips provide the support for either set up that you use.
KID TEST:
When my daughter first began using the Kick N Crawl Barn at the age of 5 months, she used it as an activity gym. She showed interest in batting the toys, and the musical chicken. She would maintain interest for about 10 or 15 minutes and then become bored with it. The toys on the barn do not face downward, so it makes it difficult for an infant to see the characters. As she grew a little older, she enjoyed pulling the characters down from the velcro and chewing on them. That was more fun for her! When she learned to roll she liked to roll over onto the arches and make them go flat. I don't really think that is how it was intended to be used. She also would wiggle herself off the mat, a true sign she was bored with the toy. Now that she is a year old and it is in the "barn" form, she basically ignores the thing. She refuses to crawl through it. Occasionally if the toys just happen to be dangling from it, she will go over and pull them off. To be honest, I don't have the toys dangling from it that often anymore. Recently she did go over to it and made the chicken sing over and over for a few minutes. That is the most she has played with it in months. Her favorite toy on it was the Pig with a Mirror in its belly. She liked seeing herself in it. She does play with that now and then separate from the barn.
MOM TEST:
I would call this a "Ehh.. or So So Toy." I don't love it and I don't particularly hate it. I could have most definitely spent my money on something that was better. I did like that it was portable, and that we could take it on trips. However... it was hard to roll up properly. The arches didn't compact easily. They weren't very flexible, which made rolling it up difficult. The toys were supposed to be stored inside, and I don't think I ever got that down right. It was easy to jam in the car well, so we took it along anyway. Now to the Musical Chicken.. .it only sings one song, which is "Old MacDonald." The music is this high pitched annoying sound, which after a while would drive you to drink. It would have been nice if the music was a little less annoying and there were a variety of tunes. Right now its primary function in the household is as a blockage! Our daughter is learning to walk so we block off part of the living room, so she doesn't run around willy nilly. It is the perfect size when used with the Pack N Play, because the opening is way too large for any gate. That is about all it is used for in the house anymore. Of course she is now learning to bust through the blockage, so this toy will be history very soon.
I wouldn't recommend that you purchase this product. I am sure there are much better ways to spend your money! It was most certainly not worth the $29.99 that I paid!
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 29.99
Type of Toy: Baby Toy
Age Range of Child: 0 to 12 Months
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Epinions.com ID:
AmyKlees
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Member: Amy Klees
Location: Dayton, Ohio
Reviews written: 46
Trusted by: 33 members
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