Lewis Hamilton...Move out of the way! (ELC Light & Sound Buggy Driver)

Member Name: masonsmum

Product:	ELC Light & Sound Buggy Driver
Date:	15/10/09 (44 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Easy to attach, hard wearing, appealing colours, lights and sounds.

Disadvantages: Battery powered.

I bought this for my son, at a car boot sale (what can I say, I car boot a lot) for the grand total of £1.00. So far its proved a real bargain! Let me explain why....

~ About ~

The lights and sounds buggy driver comes from the early learning centre at a cost of £20.00. It is made from tough plastic, in bright primary colours. To attach it to car seats, buggies or prams, you simply unscrew the clamps on either side of the toy, open the grips, which extend very wide, accomodating most of today's baby equipment, and screw them closed tightly. It helps your babies hand/eye coordination through having to grip, move, push and pull various features. The toy takes 4 AA sized batteries.

~ Features ~

On the dash, it has a variety of features. There are wing mirrors that you can adjust as they pivot, to allow baby to admire him or herself. There is a chunky gear stick, for baby to pull down or push up. Pulling down will produce a beeping noise, like indicators, pushing up produces the sound of a car going through its gears. In the middle of the dash is the steering wheel, moveable with a beeping horn to be pressed in its centre. To the right there is the radio, with two large buttons and the ignition with its own key to be turned, producing the sound of an engine starting. Pressing the top radio button will play pop goes the weasel, the bottom the tune about pushing your granny off a bus! As sod's law would have it, my son never fails to press this button when an elderly lady is near.

For young babies, the most they will do with this toy is admire themselves in its little mirrors. As the whole unit can actually be twisted to pivot into a more upright or sloping position, you can quite easily set it up to suit various ages. As your baby reaches the age of nine months or so, they will begin to try to grab the steering wheel and honk the horn. Around a year, they will be able to push the buttons on the radio and around 2 years old, they will be using it as intended, to pretend the buggy is really the fastest racing car on the planet...with a two year old in charge of the driving.

~ Personal Opinion ~

This toy really gets the attention of your baby and keeps it as he or she grows into a toddler. Every parent knows babies are so vain and just want to admire themselves all day long, the mirrors themselves would be all that was needed. The fact that the whole unit can be pivoted up or down and the mirrors themselves is great for getting the optimal positioning to ensure your baby is comfortable as well as stimulated by the toy. Its clamp/grip attachment means that I have been able to use the toy not just on buggy journeys, but on the car seat too, for those boring trips into town. Its also possible to just lie the unit flat on the floor for your child to play with. With such an adaptable, interactive, bright, imaginative toy, its no wonder its been such a hit.

An important thing to me, and any parent, is the safety of the toys we give our children. There is nothing on this toy that could lead to a young child injuring themselves. No small parts, no detachable parts, as long as the attachment grips are screwed in firmly it wont be pulled off. The only down side for me is that the toy needs batteries, however that's pretty unavoidable in today's day and age. The batteries do seem to last quite a while, I have only had to change them once in six months.

~ Stockists ~

As stated, The Early Learning Centre sells this toy at £20.00. Mothercare also sell at the same price, but in a choice of pink or blue, after all, girls can be racers too! If you don't mind second hand, be sure to check out ebay and amazon before paying anything out.

Summary: Just the toy you need to introduce your little darlings to the world of driving!