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Peterkin Medical Carrycase
by Praskipark
I think quite a lot of small children like pretending to be a doctor or nurse. They pick up on things when they visit the doctor's surgery with parents, come home and want to get involved in role play. My granddaughter from a very young age was always interested in medicines and creams and used to nurse her doll back to health. When she ... was 2 years old my son bought the above medical carrying case; a hard wearing plastic case filled with eleven medical items which fit tightly and neatly into a separate internal plastic casing.
My granddaughter liked the case because it was red and colourul, at first she found the clasp difficult to open. Once opened she soon removed the inside packaging which was a mistake because all the small items moved around and consequently over a period of time have ended up in another part of the room or toy box.
Out of the eleven medical items which are made from plastic, have soft edges and moveable parts, I think she preferred to play with the blood pressure monitor, stethoscope, pill container, eye drop bottle and thermometer. She used the pill container and eye drop bottle when playing with her dolls. The eye drop bottle became a pretend baby's milk bottle and the pill container was a pretend jar of baby food. She had seen her Mum use the thermometer so she knew what to do with this and the stethoscope was just something she liked to wear around her neck. I would say that this toy kept her amused for six months or more and whenever I went around to their flat it was on the sofa or on the floor so she did play with it for quite a length of time. She also used it to sit on and when she wanted to reach things off the desk she would use it as a step so the case is very durable.
Once she reached the age of three, the case was placed on the bottom shelf with other toys that she didn't use so much. Recently, the medical case has been played with a lot more as my grandson who is 18 months old likes to play with it. He can't open the case so has to ask Grandma or Mum but once opened his main mission is to take everything out of the case and to throw the items on the floor. I have noticed that the blood pressure monitor has gone missing and a couple of other items have intermingled with Lego and jigsaw pieces. He does like to put the stethoscope around his neck but then gets flustered because he can't get it off. This is probably one of the reasons the manufacturer states that the case is suitable for children aged 3 - 4 years, he doesn't have the dexterity to take the stethoscope from around his neck and has to be supervised while he plays with it. Also, I think the tongue depressor is a bit dodgy for small children as they can place it too far at the back of their mouths,causing coughing and spluttering. I think the age recommendation may be a little off as I can't see a 4 year old child finding this toy challenging. I would say it would be better if the toy recommendation is for children aged two and a half to three and a half years.
My son purchased the toy from Amazon. I am not sure how much he paid for it but I see it is selling for £8.50. I think this price could be lower as the items are only small and made from plastic and I'm not sure how long a child would continue to play with it. From my experience, observing my grandchildren, I would say no more than 6 months. It is a toy that is good for role-play, some of the the parts are chunky and easy for children to handle, others like the blood pressure monitor and stethoscope are more tricky and will need assistance from parents. I think it is a good idea to keep an eye on children who are younger than three when playing with this.
I see it is ranking No 13 in toys and games and No 1 in Doctor Playsets. Looking at other sets on the market I can see why this is top ranking, it is extremely durable, items like the thermometer work like a real one, you can see it rise and fall. The syringe plunges up and down and the pump on the blood pressure monitor works too, so all very realistic. A name badge came with the set but neither of my grandchidren were bothered about this so it vanished a long time ago. The set and items are very colourful, strong primary colours. Children always love these colours so this is a good selling point as well.
I am going to award the medical carrying case 4 stars and yes, I do recommend it.
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