Playing with the Playmobil port-a-potty

Although my mother would likely disagree on this point, I don't feel like our kids have a whole lot of toys. More than they need, certainly, but it isn't obscene.

There is one kind of toy we've purchased with some frequency, and that is Playmobil. I loved Playmobil sets as a kid, and even as an adult, I take pleasure in setting up the RV or the school house--each complete with lots of tiny, surprising details. Most kids don't take good care of their Playmobil sets, so finding a decent set at a yard sale is pretty rare. Which means we usually get our Playmobil fix from Berwyn's Toy Trains & Models. But even our local Playmobil source didn't stock the now discontinued construction worker/port-a-potty box. So Josh shelled out something like $30 to buy it online. Because we need a Playmobil port-a-potty.

Fortunately, it's been a big hit with both girls. Here's A playing with it. Shhhh...don't tell Z.

Potty Talk from almaklein on Vimeo.

Toy review: Parents Architecture ABC Blocks

It's rare that I get to review a toy for Baby A instead of my much more swag-spoiled 4 year old, but Team Mom hooked me up with these new soft building blocks from Parents, maker/licenser of some of my favorite early childhood toys.

We've gotten nearly 4 years' worth of play from our "Baby iPod" and Parents cell phone.

Will the ABC blocks enjoy such longevity? Well, blocks are a playroom staple for a reason. Each block features a letter from the alphabet and a relief image of an animal starting with that letter. Baby A couldn't care less, at least at this point. What she does care about, aside from knocking down block towers, is their soft, mouthable texture. Typically soft plastic toys send me into a panic, but since these are phalate-free, she can chew on them to her heart's content.

Back to the block towers. It's important to mention that these blocks stack up easily, so it's not too frustrating for a 16-month-old architect to build a tower. In fact, I'd rank their ease of stackability far above traditional wooden blocks, but not quite up there with the very clingy SoftBlocks from MoMA.

Here's an important note: When you're finished building and destroying your masterpieces, do not ask your child to return the Parents ABC blocks into the zipper bag in which they came. Fitting them in requires at least a semester of geometry, so dump them into a toy box tray and save yourself the headache. And if you don't have the IKEA TROFAST toy storage system, get it.

Toy review: I Can Do That!

When I was growing up, my Dad called board games "bored" games, flatly refusing to play and leaving it to my Mom to shuffle our Rack-o and CandyLand cards and play Monopoly banker.

Had it been in existence 25 years ago, Dad definitely wouldn't have played along with Cat in the Hat - I Can Do That! since physical silliness ranked far below even losing tedious games to his young children, but Josh and I are actually enjoying this game (although not nearly as much as Z, who loves it).

Quick overview. I Can Do That! comes with three decks of cards, a selection of props from The Cat in the Hat and a mini limbo setup called the "trick-a-ma-stick." Choose a card from each deck and put them together for a physical challenge along the line of "Step over the trick-a-ma-stick with the boat inside your clothes!"


Think you can do it? Say "I can do that!" and go for it. If you're in possession of an eager 4-year-old, you may find she's willing to take on challenges you'd rather skip. Like shimmying under the trick-a-ma-stick in dry clean-only pants, for example.

Game play is a totally manageable 10 minutes or so and, while the instructions encourage you to count up the stars on the task cards you've used to determine a winner at the game's end, we prefer to keep things noncompetitive.

I received a free copy of Cat in the Hat - I Can Do That!, but marked down from $19.99 to only $7.99 at Amazon, it's the perfect last-minute holiday gift or addition to your birthday party gift closet.

Product Review: Vtech V-Motion Gaming System

In general, I'm skeptical of electronic toys and playthings that purport themselves to be "educational." Still, I can be convinced of a battery-operated toy's value. Parent Bloggers Network hooked me up with a Leapfrog Tag reader and books, and I was so impressed I actually purchased additional books for Z.

So when the opportunity came to check out the Vtech V-Motion Active Learning System (aka "The Wii for preschoolers"), I was all over it like a DDR board.

Set up was pretty straightforward. The system has child-friendly buttons and the controller is appropriately chunky. Z couldn't wait to play the included Action Mania cartridge (can you say "Wii Sports"?), but she had a lot of difficulty mastering the games. So much trouble, in fact, that she'd get frustrated and tearfully beg us to take over. And trust me, this is no Wii. I didn't want to take the controls! The graphics are very Super Nintendo, and while the driving game is probably the best of the bunch, even it only involves heading down a down a road (you can't crash) and aiming for extra points.

But there's educational value, right? Um, sort of. Perhaps the challenges get more challenging with higher levels, but Z's abysmal gaming skills had her stuck matching letters and colors, something she's far beyond intellectually.

I was surprised to see an electronic gaming system that didn't come with a power cord, but because my daughter showed so little interest in playing with the system, we didn't run down the batteries.

The Vtech V-Motion system retails for $69.99 and includes one wireless controller and a V.Link plugin for accessing online games and comparing your rankings with others, something we didn't try.

Adopting internationally, Cabbage Patch style

Remember the Cabbage Patch craze? My parents weren't the type to camp out outside Toys R Us, but they did finally furnish me with the must-have doll of 1983. Her name was Johanna and she was from Finland. My dad purchased her while on a work-related trip to Scandinavia.

Johanna's "adoption papers" were in Finnish, but she was otherwise a dead ringer for the Cabbage Patch Kids all my friends had. You couldn't say the same for the handsewn "Cabbage Patch" my Great Aunt Helen gave me. I knew she wasn't quite "right," so I didn't trot her out for my friends to see. But I loved her ugly nylon face and chose her to share my bed.

I haven't chased after any "hot" toys for my kids, but I finally procured a Wii for the adult members of the family!

This reminiscence was brought to you by Parent Bloggers Network and Hasbro, whose Hot Summer Toys Event is donating up to $400,000 in toys and games to needy kids.

Best. Toy. Ever.

I found the American equivalent of my favorite childhood toy, the German-made Kugelbahn at the Economy Shop today. It is basically a track you can build to race marbles down. Judging from the Marbleworks package, it appears this toy is 1980s vintage.

Five dollars very well spent.

It looks like Discovery Toys is still selling Marbleworks.

Where you can find me on Black Friday

I'll be on the Magnificent Mile on the day after Thanksgiving, but I won't be clutching an armful of shopping bags. I won't be scanning the ads for doorbuster sales or wearing out the magnetic strip on my credit card.

Instead, look for me (and perhaps some other Chicago Moms Bloggers) at 10 a.m. outside the original Water Tower (806 N. Michigan Ave). I'll be wearing my "Get the Lead Out" t-shirt and handing out stickers and coupon booklets to passersby as part of the Consumers Union Chicago rally to kick of 12 Days of Safe Shopping. We'll be encouraging shoppers to hand a "Not in My Cart" coupon to the cashier as they make their purchases, letting store managers know that consumers are demanding higher safety standards for toys and prompt compliance with recalls.

Learn more about the Consumers Union's efforts at www.notinmycart.org.

Cross-posted to Chicago Moms Blog.

Product review: Ravensburger puzzles

I played with Ravensburger board games and puzzles growing up. We lived in Berlin for a few years, so quality European toys were easy to come by.

I knew I was getting a well-constructed puzzle when I purchased this super-sized 24 piece jigsaw puzzle for Z for her third birthday. And indeed, the pieces are large, sturdy and easy to wipe clean. It's been such I hit I used the $10 birthday certificate our neighborhood toy store sent her to purchase two more puzzles (another 24 piece one for now and a surprise 36 piece puzzle for later).

Z doesn't get tired of putting them together, and each time she opens the box she needs less and less parental guidance. Which is almost too bad, because while I get sick of reciting my lines in "pretend you're the big sister and I'm the mommy," I kind of enjoy putting together puzzles!

Bah humbug!

The FBI is warning Americans that Al-Qaeda may be planning to bomb shopping malls in Chicago and LA. Fisher-Price is recalling yet another batch of toys for toddlers. And Aqua Dots, a toy on Wal-Mart's top 12 toy gifts list, are being recalled because they contain a date rape drug. It's so unbelievable you'd think it was an Onion headline.

So what's a mommy to do? I've already got a short-than-usual shopping season ahead because Chanukah is early this year. Last year I said the hell with presents and made donations to Heifer in honor of all of our adult family members, and I'm tempted to do the same this time around. As for the children on my list, I will be shopping for quality books and toys online and at local mom-and-pop shops like Geppetto's Toy Box and Berwyn's Toy Trains. I'll look to the Cool Mom Picks Safer Toys guide and the Lead Free Toys list maintained by fellow Chicago Moms Blogger Marcie Pickel.

And I just may join the Consumers Union's Get the Lead Out Advocacy campaign, which I heard about from my friends at Parent Bloggers Network. This grassroots effort is designed to let store owners and Congress know after a year of scary recalls, we need to get serious about toy safety. And food safety too, but that's a whole 'nother post!

Another massive recall

Cheap jewelry, Thomas the Tank Engine trains and now this. Mattel is recalling nearly 1 million popular toys due to lead paint. I'll bet you can guess where the dangerous toys were manufactured.

Check this list of recalled toys and make sure none of the Dora, Elmo or Cookie Monster playthings are in your home.

Can we say enough already?

Parenting from the dark side

If there's one thing I've learned about being a Mom, it is that most of the high-minded notions I had before actually getting into the trenches and raising a kid have floated right away.

No TV before age 2? Thanks, I'd like to take a shower and empty the dishwasher once in a while. And I kind of like Curious George, anyway.

Only organic dairy products for my precious one? Er, I still look for rBGH-free jugs, but I'm not about to demand my daycare provider go organic.

Only lovely wooden playthings--and no toys that makes noise? What am I, Cinderella's evil stepmother? We keep the toy clutter to a minimum and we try to buy stuff from yard sales (plastic is easily decontaminated), but there are only so many wooden puzzles and train sets a kid needs. We do draw the line at toys that talk, though. Because while those heavy talking dolls can play back plenty of inane phrases, a $9 regular baby doll can say anything Z wants it to. And it can likely take a dip in the bathtub or stand for a run through the washing machine.

Anyway, I finally broke yet another self-imposed taboo: the ban on themes and licensed characters in our daughter's room. Z is now the very proud owner of a Disney Princess bedding set.

Craving order

Maybe it's the pregnancy hormones, but my nesting impulse is on. This time around, instead of wanting to look at cribs and mobiles (been there, done that), I want to organize toys. I fantasize about all of Z's playthings hidden away in colorful cubes, bins or baskets. I've got some of her toys stashed in our living room storage ottomans and another pile in a wicker laundry basket nearby, but having 2-3 big bins of toys means all the Little People, blocks and doll accessories just filter down to the bottom of the container and don't get played with at all.

So I've been surfing around the web looking for the perfect solution. I even took a solo field trip to Target last night, only to find the kid storage aisle completely picked over. I like this unit, which is a Target.com online exclusive, but seeing as it might end up in our living room (we don't have a separate play room), I need to decide how I feel about the bright primary colors.