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ELC HappyLand Fairy Castle
by daisy_jean
My daughter has had this Castle now for almost 15months - she received it at Christmas 2011, when she was aged 18 months (the start of the recommended age for the Castle).
Initially, it proved to be of little interest to her. Despite it's bright appealing colour and lovely little figures, she simply didn't care for it, preferring ... to play with cars and trains instead. So it was put away, as we simply thought she was a little young for it.
A couple of months later though, her interest peeked (she had started to attend Toddler sessions, which provided a range of Happyland to explore) - she became interested in it, and that interest has continued ever since. Yes, it wanes every now and again when a new toy appears, but generally it is something that she always goes back too. She enjoys role-playing the little figures, along with the chairs and bed that came with it.
I have a couple of gripes with it however - whilst the castle is generally very sturdy and well made, the doors continuously come off with the slightest touch. At first, I wondered if my daughter was being heavy-handed (which wouldn't be that unusual), but no, they simply aren't very well fitted. They attach again very easily, but the problem reoccurs frequently. Another, is when the castle is clipped closed, my daughter has difficulty opening it - that can sometimes be a little stiff - maybe ELC can get a happy medium between that and the useless falling-off door problem?
Overall however - it is a lovely toy. It comes with 4 figures - a King, Queen, Princess and Jester. Ours also came with two throne chairs and a bed. Later on, we added the Queen's Jubilee set, and the Fairy Godmother carriage to it, for further role-play development. It is (generally) built to last, and at £25 is reasonably good value - but keep a look out for ELC offers - Happyland is often on sale for 20% off or sometimes even 50% off, making them an absolute bargain.
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Disney Doc McStuffins Doctor's Bag
by xmum2threex
The Set
My little girl loves the program Doc McStuffins on Disney Junior. As it was a fairly new series at Christmas there was limited stock on most of the items available at the Disney store. I did manage to pick up this set and knew my daughter would be delighted with it. I have to say I was that excited I had found ... something from this brand that I never really checked what was included. I was shocked to find when it arrived it included a replica of the characters doctors bag, a syringe, a hospital bracelet, stethoscope and a temperature reader. For a doctor set this is really minimal, and especially as the Doc herself has so many other items on the program.
All of the pieces resemble those from the program perfectly. The bright purple colour of the main body of the toys and the pink glittered handles are all perfect. It feels really well made and little touches like different items from the show being engraved on the bag are a nice touch. All of the pieces feel well made and sturdy and in the time we have had it show no wear at all. One little thing for me is the way the bag opens. In the program it folds out and this has a sliding mechanism. While I didn't think it was important my daughter has pointed this out to me over and over again.
In use
This bag has a sliding top so little one can store all of their pieces inside it in between patients. I have to be honest and say when we first used this toy we were unaware it opened up at all. I even tried to pull and push at it as I was sure it was supposed to but it just did not budge. When my two year old son decided he would like to play doctor he dropped the bag on the floor. The lid then popped off and we could see it should actually slide back and forth. Once I had put the sliding compartment back on it seemed to work OK. It was still a little stiff, but my little girl was able to get in and out. The problem is even with the slightest knock this now comes off. As it needs a parent to put it back on it can be annoying for a child wanting to play independently.
There is nothing overly interactive in this set but this is great for the imagination. The syringe can be pushed up and down so my little girl can give her injections. The thermometer is just a bit of plastic but it has a dial of happiness shown in smiley faces. My daughter thinks this is great as she can tell how poorly we are by choosing a happy or a sad face. The stethoscope has a small button on it and once pressed it begins to glow. This for my daughter was one of the important parts. I lights up when the toys come to life on the program so it amazed her that hers would light up too. It is a huge boost for her imagination and every time she presses the button her patients suddenly come to see her.
The bracelet is also a great addition as it can be worn by the child, or by the patient. It is very easy to get on and off and my daughter loves it. She often gives it up to the patients to make them feel better. Even though it is too big for most of the dolls she still managed to balance it on their arms. Finally included in the set is a sheet of stickers. My little girl chose to put these over the toys, but I think they were actually intended for a picture. They fell off after a little while and ended up in the bin but it is a nice extra for a Doc Mcstuffins fan.
My daughter really enjoys this set and often brings it out to play. She has added a lot of accessories from other sets because she found there was too little with this one. She can play independently with this set other than me needing to add the lid every five minutes. The pieces all fit inside the bag fairly easily but she cannot store other bits from different sets, as there just is not enough room. Durability has been great. The bag and accessories have been dropped a number of times and do not even have a scratch. Of course the lid is fiddly but other than that we have had no problems. I was worried the glitter would come off everywhere as there is a lot of it, but only tiny amounts fall off.
Overall
This set is really lacking with just a few pieces that the character uses included in this set. We have owned much better doctors kits and this was a little disappointing. It is recommended from three plus but other than the stickers there is nothing that can harm a younger child. My daughter really did not mind there were only a few pieces she still loved that she had a bag the same as Doc Mc Stuffins. It is a great addition to her toys and it receives use each and every day. You are just paying for the character branding, and some bits could have been better made. My daughter loves it, so who am I to argue?
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ELC Pots and Pans
by jrh2
The Early Learning Centre Pots and Pans are great for all your cooking needs in the toy kitchen.
The set includes four pots and pans, a small saucepan with lid, a large saucepan with lid, a frying pan and a wok.
They are made from strong hard plastic which means they have stayed strong despite constant dropping and ... bashing from the children. Being made from plastic also makes them easy to clean.
The colours are light blue, pale green and dark blue. Each of the saucepans have a clear lid with an easy to hold handle. The handles on the pots and pans are pale green and just the right size for the small hands of children.
The lids fit on easily and children have no problems with putting them on or taking them off themselves. They don't keep falling off either which is good as I don't have to listen to them dropping on the floor all the time.
The pots and pans are the right size for young children and fit nicely in our toy kitchens shelves.
Children are always using these pots and pans for there cooking. They love to make soups in it by putting all of there toy food inside and then putting it in the oven. They don't all realise it should be used on the top and not inside.
They don't understand the pots and pans have different uses so they are all used in the same way.
Often children will use them as bowls and eat straight from the saucepans with there friends (pretend eating!).
I like how the frying pan and wok fit inside each other as this saves on storage space. I also like how the colour scheme is not aimed more at one gender because boys dont like pink all the time, girls aren't usually bothered.
Overall I think £10 for the pots and pans set is a good price. It will allow children to cook there own food, whatever it may be.
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