If only I could be born again...
Written: Jan 11 '04 (Updated Jan 11 '04)
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Pros: He lights, he sings, he plays and he teaches... great little toy
Cons: Six songs only and eats batteries like Tic Tacs.
The Bottom Line: A great toy that restores my confidence children's toys and makes me wish I had something this keen when I was a baby.
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| rader6795's Full Review: Leap Frog Hug and Learn Baby Tad |
Since coming back from Korea, I've been living with my brother and his family. The family's small and just now starting to grow with their daughter just turning one and a son due, of all days, today.
Now that I'm older and about to get married, I'm looking forward to having children. As such, I'm scouting all the cool little toys my niece has been playing with relentlessly.
Outside of the Tigger Plush for 18 month olds I bought her, the toy she sports most is Hug and Learn Baby Tad by Leap Frog.
Weighing in at around two pounds, Baby Tad is covered in a thick layer of plush and has no sharp parts. He has ten points of sensitivity that each activate a different function. Press the kissy lips on his cheek and he'll make a smooching sound. Press one of the six sensitive spots on his stomach and it'll light up as he tells you what shape and color the symbol is. Press the next symbol that lights up and he'll tell you that shape and color and go on to sing. After he's done singing, another symbol will light up and so on, and so forth.
On his right foot, there's the on/off button. There's no need to turn him on, but turning him off just means that he won't wait around to turn off the lights (saving a little bit of battery power), and he'll part with a "bye bye." His left foot, for reasons unclear to me, has no buttons.
Up on Baby Tad's left hand is the daytime button. Press that button once and you'll hear, "Hi, I'm Baby Tad! Let's sing!" Then, of course, Tad does as he says and sings you a song. Press the button again and he'll change his song. Baby Tad knows six songs and sings them well.
One of the best functions, however, is the Nighttime button on his right hand. Press the button once and he'll proclaim "One minute till nite-nite." Press the button multiple times and he'll raise the count all the way to six. Press it a seventh time and he'll start the lullaby music for six minutes. Press the button an eighth time and he'll reset the count back at one minute.
When ignored after being turned on, Baby Tad will say two or three phrases to try to regain your child's attention before falling back into his narcolepic slumber. The cutest thing I've heard Baby Tad say is "Let's Snuggle" in his high-pitched, childlike voice.
Baby Tad is very child-friendly and parent-friendly, too. While his short songlist is slightly annoying, making me wish the Itsy-Bitsy Spider would have been the one to die instead of Charlotte, my niece seems to love it. I've often caught her trying to feed Baby Tad some of her bottle and sneaking him kisses when we're not looking.
Also, while Baby Tad seems to need a regular diet of batteries (completely understandable all things considered), they're hidden well courtesy of some pretty strong velcro on his back. When placed properly, younger children have trouble when trying to open it. Should they get his back exposed, there's little threat due to the well placed philips-head screw. Of course, when you need to replace the batteries, it means you'll also need a philips-head screwdriver handy.
The only problem I have with Hug and Learn Baby Tad is that his eyes are hard plastic. While the base of the plastic is sewn under the cloth, I could still see a determined child ripping his eye out with a little help from newly-formed, and thus extremely sharp, teeth. Since the eye is, roughly, two and a half inches high, I could see a slight choking hazard. However, it's highly doubtful and an overly protective uncle thinking far too deeply out of worry. I also worry that she may hit herself with Tad and the hard plastic would hurt her head, but that's another example of me worrying far too much.
Overall, Baby Tad is a fun, relatively low-risk, toy that children really love. While slightly annoying to parents, it's a great toy to teach your children colors, shapes and songs. I've got my one year-old niece clapping along to "If You're Happy and You Know It" now. Watching her learn something has me looking forward to being a parent and playing with my child.
Knowing that there are toys like Hug and Learn Baby Tad instead of all the [insert annoying activity] Elmo products has given me hope.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 24.99
Type of Toy: Stuffed Toy
Age Range of Child: 12 to 36 Months
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Epinions.com ID:
rader6795
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Member: Terry Rader
Location: noun - a point or extent in space
Reviews written: 107
Trusted by: 120 members
About Me:
If you can't beat them, join them. Look for game reviews on the horizon.
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