A while ago when me and my Mum were shopping in our local Tesco we had a quick look at the toy section and noticed a cute singing teddy bear called Alfie by Vtech, at the time we actually didn't buy it but I knew that I wanted to get it for Jayden, however a few weeks later Tesco had a big toy sale and we actually ended up purchasing Little Singing Alfie for less than a third of his original price.

Packaging
Little Singing Alfie comes in a blue rectangle box, the majority of the front of the box is taken up with a large clear plastic window allowing you to see Alfie inside the box, in the top left hand corner is the Vtech logo, in the opposite corner is a picture of Alfie with a baby playing with him. Alfie's name is at the bottom along with the age group that this is suited to. The back of the box has a large picture of Alfie with arrows pointing to his different features, next to this and on the sides of the box are further information about Alfie for example what he does and the different developmental benefits he has. Inside the box Alfie comes attached to a card using plastic tags which need to be fully removed before giving this to your child, the instruction leaflet is also slotted inside the box with Alfie.

Alfie
Little Singing Alfie is basically what the name suggests, a cute teddy bear called Alfie that sings. His head, arms and legs are made from a soft light brown fabric like most teddy bears, his arms are held up in a friendly manor as though he is about to hug someone, he has black stitched on eyes and a big smiling mouth. His body is made from a hard red plastic, the top part of his body has a white patch on it with the words Vtech Little Singing Alfie, below is a yellow heard shaped button and below this three more buttons with the numbers 1, 2 and 3 on them and a picture of an apple, two smiling bears and a pillow and 3 Z's, these buttons are green, blue and orange and light up as Alfie sings.

Alfie is actually powered by 2 AA batteries (which are included) on his back is the battery compartment which needs to be opened with a small screw driver, there is also a small speaker in his back so you can clearly hear him sing. On Alfie's head is a red attachment strap which means you can attach Alfie to your babies cot, push chair or bouncer, he attaches using a strong velcro. Alfie says different phrases and sings different songs depending on which buttons your press, for example
* Yellow Heart Button - This sings Alfie's own sing a long tune, this is also the on and off button.
* Button 1 - Pressed the first time Alfie says "I'm a hungry bear"
- Pressed the second time Alfie says "one" and there is one beep sounded
- Press the third time a melody is played, if you then go through the routine again a different melody is played the second time
* Button 2 - Pressed the first time Alfie says " I'm a happy bear"
- Pressed the second time Alfie says "two" and there are two beeps sounded
- Pressed the third time a melody is played and when you go through the routine a second time a different melody is played
* Button 3 - Pressed the first time Alfie says "I'm a sleepy bear"
- Pressed the second time Alfie says "three" and there are three beeps sounded
- Pressed the third time a melody is played, when you go through the routine a second time a different melody is played
Little Singing Alfie is said to help teach your little one emotions and numbers accompanied with popular tunes, the pressing of buttons and so on are also said to have developmental benefits including

* Motor Skills - Your baby can develop their motor skills by pressing the different buttons on Alfie's tummy, this is in turn rewarded but flashing lights and sounds.
* Language Development - Alfie's friendly voice introduces your baby to different words and encourages interaction, the real singing voice encourages your baby to join in and stimulates them
* Sensory Development - The mixture of Alfie's soft and plush face, arms and legs and his hard plastic tummy promotes tactile stimulation. The flashing lights and sounds help to develop auditory and visual skills
Whilst Alfie comes across as just a singing toy he will actually help to stimulate your baby and teach them different sensory aspects and so on but in a fun manor which does not come across as learning. One thing that I particularly like about Alfie is that he has an English voice rather than an American accent.

Songs
Alfie plays seven songs in totally, there is a sing a long song which is played when you press the on off yellow heart buttons and then two melodies are played when each of the 1, 2, 3 buttons are pressed (the ones which light up) The song played when you press the heart shaped button is Alfie's own song which is sung by himself, this song is sung to the 'Here we go round the Mulberry Bush' tune and goes like this
"I'm a friendly light up bear"
"Ill teach you 1, 2, 3"
"A sleepy, hungry, happy bear"
"Hey come and hug me"
The other melodies which Alfie plays when the other buttons are pressed include
* Rock a bye baby
* Brahms Lullaby
* Skip to my Lou
* Pop goes the weasel
* Please porridge hot
* London bridge
I like the fact that there are several different songs and melodies that Alfie plays as it does mean that he is not too repetitive, the songs and melodies are clear and loud meaning they will easily capture your babies attention.

Care and Maintenance
Caring for Little Singing Alfie is simply, you can keep him clean by wiping him with a slightly damp cloth, you also need to keep him out of direct sunlight and away from any direct heat. If you are not going to be using Alfie for any period of time then his batteries should always be removed and he should not be dropped on a hard surface or be exposed to water. There are no special care instructions for this toy, it is all common sense really.

Price and Availability
We purchased our Little Singing Alfie from our local Tesco, I have not seen him available in any other shop, but he may be available from other shops which stock Vtech toys. When Alfie was full price he was being sold for £9.99, however when we purchased him he cost just £2.70 so was a real bargain. Even when sold at full price I think he was well worth the money and Jayden certainly would have got his moneys worth from him, I would definitely have paid this for him and nearly did, however I was glad I waited a week or so as I got him a lot cheaper making him excellent value for money.

My Opinion
We have had Alfie a while now and I have been pleased with him, as has Jayden For me I like the fact that firstly the buttons are quite large meaning Jayden can easily press them himself, also the fact that he has an attachable strap meaning he is portable, I tend not to take this out with us when we go shopping as I do not think other shoppers would be pleased with Alfie singing at the top of his voice, however it does mean he can have it in his play gym or I even attach it to the play bar on his bouncer where he can easily see him and reach him, when Jayden starts sleeping in his cot at nights I can also attach him to the cot so he has something in there to play with if he wakes early before us in the mornings, there are no strings or anything that can get tangled around your baby so he is safe to be left alone with your baby in their cot.

Another safety feature is that the battery compartment is screwed in place so your baby cannot remove the batteries from Alfie. When I first showed Jayden Alfie he was instantly pleased when he started singing, he sat listening and watching the lights on his tummy flash, it really caught his attention, although Jayden is only young Alfie is suited to baby's between 3 and 18 months and I find that he can easily press the buttons on his own, to start with he didn't seem to know how to make Alfie sing but he has soon picked it up. I like the fact that this toy teaches your baby basic skills subtly but is still fun for them to play with and does not come across as educational at all. For me the only problem I find with Alfie is his hard body, this does make him a bit difficult for your baby to cuddle as his middle is made from hard plastic, however this is the only way this section could be designed and it has in no way put me or Jayden off of Alfie at all it just means I do not give him Alfie to cuddle in bed at night, he is more of a teddy bear to play with rather than one to tuck in the duvet with your baby.

In my opinion Alfie is definitely well worth the money even at full price, there is plenty for your baby to see and listen to meaning he does not get too repetitive, he is also hardwearing and durable so can withstand the tough time he may have with a baby. I would highly recommend Little Singing Alfie, although you will be singing his song in your head from the moment you hear it.