Let's Go For a Drive! (VTech Learn and Go Baby Driver)

Member Name: littleme96

Product:	VTech Learn and Go Baby Driver
Date:	28/02/09 (169 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Reasonable price, Eye Catching, Lots to Engage your Baby

Disadvantages: Slightly annoying voice

Whilst browsing the Early Learning Centre website last year looking for Christmas presents for my young Daughter, I came across this VTech Learn and Go Baby Driver. I thought that it looked quite good and as it had a bit of money off, I decided to buy it.

It sat in it's box for a good couple of months, until a few weeks ago I decided to get it out of it's packaging and see if my Daughter was interested in playing with it even though she wasn't 6 months old yet (the age guide stated on the packaging). I felt that the toy was safe for her to use and was interested to see if she would play with it properly - if she had difficulty in playing with it, I'd put it away and try her with it again when she was a little older...

However, I really shouldn't have worried as she loved it! She is just starting to sit independently so I sat her down on the floor with the Baby Driver in front of her and switched on the 'ignition' for her! The toy caught her attention instantly, partly due to the fact that it is very colourful (yellow being the main colour), but also as when you switch it on, by turning the purple key, there are lights and sounds to capture your interest straightaway without even having to press anything!

She was able to reach out and turn the steering wheel easily in either direction and to push the two buttons on the front, one of which goes through the sequence of the traffic lights (ie, you push it once and it says 'Red Light, Red means stop!, whilst lighting up the red light on the left of the console, if you press it again, Amber lights up etc) and the other button on the right side plays a song. She is not yet able to move the green 'gear stick', but this will come as she gets older and only really teaches 'up' and 'down'.

The toy has a number of buttons to press and the steering wheel mentioned above is very tactile and eye-catching with it's red and blue design. The Baby Driver feels sturdy and my Daughter can quite happily bash away on the plastic, without me having to worry about it breaking or bits falling off!

The Baby Driver is quite loud (it does have 2 volume settings, but is quite noisy even on the quieter of the two options) and this may get on parent's nerves, but I don't find it too bad. The girl's voice can be a bit irritating though! The toy has 5 songs that are selected at random when you press either the Melody button or the Dog button in the middle of the steering wheel. These are B.I.N.G.O, How Much is That Doggy in the Window, I've Been Working on the Railroad, Hickory, Dickory, Dock and Mulberry Bush. The Alphabet song plays whenever the steering wheel is rotated in either direction and there is also another song about driving through town (sung to the tune of London Bridge), which is the one I find most irritating!

If your Child stops playing with the toy, after about 10 seconds it will make an engine sound and a girl's voice says 'Let's go for a drive!'. If the toy is still not played with, the Alphabet song plays and if after this last ditch attempt at trying to grab your interest fails, it says 'Bye, Bye' before powering down.

The age range for this toy is stated as being between 6 and 24 months, but my little girl is 5.5 months, so it all depends on your child. I think that an older baby could get a lot out of this toy, especially as it teaches the alphabet, colour recognition and cause and effect.

The Baby Driver comes with batteries, but if these need to be replaced it takes 2 x AA batteries, which are fairly inexpensive.

This toy can be purchased from www.elc.co.uk for £13.00, although I got mine a little cheaper. I think that it's a really reasonable price for a toy which is well made and will keep your child interested for a long time.

Summary: I'm glad that I bought it!