My 2 year old son is obsessed with all things Fireman Sam, so this went on the Amazon wish list for Christmas and my parents so kindly decided to send it our way (secretly being thrilled that it was a noisy toy for here, and not one that will be living at their house!!). It's been a firm favourite ever since he opened the present, and is never silent for long!

The helmet itself is a good fit- very sturdy yellow plastic that has been stood on, thrown, bashed, and chewed... none showing any lasting damage. My son is big for his age, but a "normal" sized head and it fits him fine and I can see it doing so for a good few years yet. There's an adjustable strap inside (similar to in climbing helmets) that you can adjust at the front and the back to get the ideal fit. The strap could be better- it's plastic as well, and rather stiff, so hard for little fingers to do and undo from the buckle. The previous reviewer mentioned velcro- this must be a newer model, but I wish they'd kept the velcro! Still, once on, it stays put, which gives him the chance to hit that lovely little sound button over and over again...

The noise factor can be controlled by a little switch on the inside of the helmet. So far he hasn't spotted this, though gets mightily annoyed when I take the chance to try and turn it off every so often.... you'll need batteries at some stage, but the supplied set are still going strong and showing no signs of fading. This is with fairly heavy use as well (daily, several times usually). The sound button and speaker is on the top of the helmet at the front. It's a small button, but easy even for little fingers to find. It plays a selection of sayings, sirens, and the ever so cheerful theme tune on rotation, so at least you get variety- could be worse I guess?

I feel it's pricey for a fireman helmet, but most don't make noise, so it's understandable really. Plus from trying to get various cheaper versions to stay on his head at playgroups/nursery and failing due to a bad fit and cheaper materials, I think I'd pay for this one over others if I had to.

Overall a good buy if you can take the noise, and an especially good gift for little ones who love Fireman Sam.