Fisher Price – All The Best Toys

Little People Christmas Story Nativity Playset

We bought the Little People Christmas Story Nativity Playset this year to add to our Christmas decorations. We were surprised to see that our 1 year old played with this set for almost an hour the first day that we set it up!

We had really purchase the set as a “child safe” nativity set that our young kids couldn’t break — we didn’t really consider it to be a play toy — but that is exactly what it has turned out to be.

Just like all the Fisher-Price “Little People” toys, it’s high quality and safe for toddlers and young kids. The star above the manger lights up and plays the song, “Away in a Manger”. This set is a cute and fun way to teach your young children about the story of Christmas.

Shake and Go Disney/Pixar Cars 2 World Grand Prix Speedway

The Fisher Price Shake and Go Disney/Pixar Cars 2 World Grand Prix Speedway is a fun racetrack for young kids. This toy is rated for kids 36 months up to around age 7 years old, but as you can see from the video below, even kids as young as 1 year old will get excited to see this go!

We bought this for our 5 year old boy who LOVES anything with the characters from the Disney “Cars” movie. He loved it as expected. What surprised me is how much his younger sister and our 1 year old enjoy this toy.

Older kids will play with this toy the “correct” way by shaking up the cars, hearing the engine sound effects “vroom – vroom”, and then race the cars on the track. The cars can be raced on any hard surface, not just the track, so this gives some variety in playing with the toy. Disney also sells the “shake and go” cars individually, but I found this set which includes the race track and two cars to be a great deal.

Our one year old enjoys watch the older kids race the cars around the track. Since the cars have an on/off switch on the bottom, when the cars are “off”, he enjoys just pushing the cars around with his hand and making his own “vroom – vroom” sound effects!

This is a simple race track that older kids would probably get bored with quickly, but for younger kids up to around age 7 years old, this toy is a winner!

Best Learning Toys: iXL vs Leapfrog Explorer

I’ve been comparing the Fisher Price iXL vs. Leapfrog Explorer and trying to decide which is the best learning toy for my kids? So I bought one of each for the kids this Christmas and spent some time this week setting up each device and installing games so that on Christmas day the kids can open the gift and start playing right away.

The iXL is a new device from Fisher Price. The LeapFrog Explorer is a brand new device that is really an updated version of the very popular Leapfrog2. Note that games are not cross compatible from the Leapster2 to the Explorer, so if you have an Leapster2 and update to the Explorer, you will be needing to buy new games also.

If you do buy either of these systems, I do highly suggest that you open the box ahead of time and do all the setup. Both systems were fairly easy to setup, but it is a bit time consuming. With both systems you have to install their software and possibly download some updates.

After that, you have the ability to customize the device with the child’s name and a few other customizations. On the iXL, they work in your child’s name and favorite color into things which is a nice personalization. On the Leapfrog explorer, having multiple user profiles is even more valuable. As you child progresses through the games and levels on the Explorer, the levels increase in difficulty. If you have multiple kids at different age levels who will use the device, having the ability for each of them to learn at their own pace is great.

Next it’s time to install games. On the iXL, you install the games directly onto a hard drive built into the device and there’s an option to add an SD card for more storage. The Leapfrog Explorer is “cartridge” based, so it’s just one game at a time. The caveat there is that on the Explorer, you can download and install “Leaplets”. These are simple ebooks or game apps that can be installed on the device for some additional learning options. The Explorer comes with 1 credit to download a Leaplet and of course, you can buy more credits to download additional Leaplets.

After setup, I played with each device for awhile to get a feel for how the kids will like it.

The iXL has multiple ways that it can be used. They advertise that it’s “6 in 1” and I have to agree. The iXL feels more similar to an iPod Touch that is rugged and designed just for children. The Leapfrog Explorer is more similar to a handheld gaming device. It’s even laid out with buttons similar to a gaming controller with an “A” and “B” select buttons.

The iXL 6 ways to play includes a photo viewer, ebook digital reader, game player, note pad, art studio for coloring pictures and mp3 player. You have the ability to upload your own photos to the iXL which kids will love to view and they can also then color on top of those pictures. So that’s a fun customization. Games also come with mp3 songs, but you can also load any song onto the iXL, so in that sense, it really does start to feel like an iPod for kids.

The iXL is designed for kids 3 years old up to age 7. While the Leapfrog Explorer is designed for kids age 4 year old up to age 9.

THE BOTTOM LINE
Both of these systems are great. So it just really depends what type of experience you are looking to provide for your kids. The iXL does many things (very much like an iPod for kids with book reader, games, coloring, music player and more). It is very easy to navigate, even for children as young as 3 years old. So for younger kids, the iXL will be the way to go.

The Explorer is a bit more complex and is really a “hand held gaming device”. If your kids aren’t ready to jump up to a Nintendo DSi or similar handheld gaming device and you prefer that the games they play have educational value that Leapfrog is known for, then the Leapfrog Explorer is the way to go. It will be more interesting to older children who want more challenging learning games than the iXL can provide.

We bought the iXL for our 3 year old and the Explorer for our 4 year old, but I’ve setup profiles for both kids on each device and expect that both devices will be a hit for each of them.

So which one would you pick and why?

Lil’ Zoomers Spinnin’ Sounds Speedway by Fisher Price

The Fisher Price Lil’ Zoomers Spinnin’ Sounds Speedway is one of the best toys for babies and toddlers who will love watching toy cars race and spin around.

Babies and Toddlers will love watching the “race cars” roll down the ramp and spin around with all the excitement of music, sound effects, flashing lights and of course, crazy spinning cars.

Suggested for babies 6 months old up to kids around 3 years old, this will be best once baby is able to sit up and really see what is going on.

I can’t really find much educational value here, but the toy is very fun and entertaining for kids in this age range.

Fisher Price Toy Story 3 Imaginext Landfill Playset

If your child loved Toy Story 3 then this toy is sure to be a favorite of his. Your child can relive the fun and adventure of Toy Story 3 with his or her favorite characters at the Imaginext Disney/Pixar Toy Story 3 Tri-County Landfill. Open the furnace, spin the sorter and pick up figures and drop them to safety with the crane arm. The conveyor belt even carries junk to the furnace. It’s a whole new adventure every time you play.

This playset comes with 3 figurines: Lotso, Buzz, and Three Little Green Aliens. If you want to learn about even more toys from the movie, check out out list of the Best Toy Story 3 Movie Toys.

Recommended toy for kids 3 year old and up.

Dance Star Mickey

The Dance Star Mickey by Fisher Price may end up being one of the “hard to find Hot Toys of 2010”. As if Mickey Mouse isn’t cute enough already, Fisher Price has turned up the cuteness even more with the new Dance Star Mickey. He walks, he talks, he dances! Mickey has multiple songs and each song has it’s own unique dance.

Dance Star Mickey is perfect for kids 18 months old up to around 6 years old.

We did a little “in store testing” with one of our favorite 3 year olds. Watch the video and see for yourself as her face lights up as she dances along with Mickey!