The set and all the parts are plastic, so while this makes for safer and lighter equipment, this work bench and its pieces are a little on the flimsy side. The bench is best used against a wall for support.

On the cool side, the bench and pieces look real to little kids. In no time at all, my three year old handyman was moving about - tools in hand - and “fixing” everything from the couch to the coffee table.

And the tool sounds for the saw, drill press, and jigsaw are impressive, though a bit loud (plan on wanting to remove the batteries from time to time). Included are pieces that look like wood that fit together with velcro and screws to make a bird house - a fun project for kids.

The neatest thing about this toy set is that the parts work together and really are quite similar to the way real tools work. The screws really fit in other pieces, and the screwdriver is really used to screw them tight. I think the materials could be sturdier on this set (especially for the price) but it is a great tool for learning and pretending.

Buy Black and Decker Junior Power Tool Workshop Online:

• at Amazon.com

Now, I really try to present a balanced view when I review a toy. Even if I hate it, I try to find something redeeming about it. Not so here. This toy is CRAP. Total and utter crap. There are no other words for it.

When Small Person #1 got this for his birthday in December, I was excited to put it together. I love putting stuff together! Then I looked up the reviews on Amazon and changed my tune. They are, with few exceptions, terrible. So, I managed to put off assembling it until I finally couldn’t stand the nagging anymore and pulled it out. Guess what? It sucks.

First off, the pictures aren’t even correct - there’s no way to position the legs in the same way that’s shown on the pictures. Second, the stupid pieces just don’t go together. AT ALL. I think I managed to get the upper leg bones in (forget the toes), then couldn’t get the pelvis to stay together in any meaningful way. I mean, all the holes were there, and you could see where they should go, but there was just no way to get them to go in. They don’t line up! It was ridiculous. I finally told the boys they could be archaeologists and find the bones, but there’s no way I’m putting the stupid thing together. No freaking way.

As I was finding the picture for this article, I saw that one of the better reviews mentioned using a razor to shave off bits in order to get them to fit. That’s actually a good idea, but not feasible if you have a 5 year old, 4 year old and 8 month old trying to help you, unless you want someone to lose chunks of flesh or fingers.

I absolutely DO NOT recommend this. And if you have one, return it. Or burn it.

Here’s another durable toy from Soopsori made with all natural materials. This is a cute little bear with detachable arms and legs. The internal magnets allow a child to remove and replace the bear’s arms and legs. This makes a fun “table” toy for children, or used to adorn a bookshelf, and is not a bad tool for working on speech skills such as body parts, and vocabulary (left, right).

This little bear is marketed for ages 1+, but the arms and legs could be swallowed by young children. While it’s fun for kids to play around with removing and replacing the body parts, this toy is probably best for children preschool age or over.

Editor’s Note: I really like the idea of wood toys, especially for kids who might be prone to allergies; unlike plush, these can be easily cleaned and won’t gather as much dust. If you have a child with allergies or asthma, consider these types of toys!

• Soopsori Website

The fishing set works by attracting the fish to the magnet at the end of the pole. All magnets are internal (built inside of each piece), so there’s no risk of swallowing. And I love that the magnets are strong: no weak connections between “bait” and fish.

At just over 10 1/2 inches, the pole is pretty short. It could be double that size and would be a lot more effective and easier to help the child “catch” the fish. The string used to reel in the fish could also be twice as long, as it only hangs down a few inches from the top of the pole. The knob a child grabs onto to reel in the fish needs to be a little larger in order for little hands to get a decent grasp.

My three year old basically holds the fishing pole magnet piece over the fish and works on catching one and moving it over to another location without being able to reel it in by turning the knob. But he does enjoy pulling out the game and working diligently on transferring the fish from here to there via fishing pole. This fishing set is certainly good for fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination, as well as for developing patience and perseverance.

Something every good fisherman needs.

• Soopsori Website

The Doodle Pro has an attached “pen” that kids can use to write and draw on a screen. Whether your child is in the scribbling stage, or already showing signs of becoming the next Picasso, markings are but temporary and easily whisked away with the slide of the lever at the bottom, creating a clean slate for the child to begin again.

Kudos for the little carrying handle, and a string just long enough to allow ease of writing and drawing, along with an easy space to clip the pen back in place.

Nothing to lose, no batteries to replace, no noise to deal with, and plenty of practice for little hands.

There are different sizes of the Doodle Pro, but I like this smaller travel version. It is the perfect size for little ones to use in their lap, and the ideal size to toss in a large purse or diaper bag, and travel with in the car.

• Doodle Pro Travel at the Fisher Price Website

Buy Doodle Pro Travel Online:

• at Amazon.com

A couple of months ago the kids’ mom made the mistake of bringing into the house a catalog from Playmobil, a German-based toy manufacturer. Well, that catalog quickly became the preferred bathroom reading material of Small Person #2. With his birthday coming up, he started begging for many of the toys, including the water zoo sets, which included a caiman exhibit, a penguin exhibit, and a larger (and more expensive) dolphin exhibit. After listening to him beg and beg and beg and beg and beg and beg and beg, I finally decided to get him the penguin one for his birthday.

Now, keep in mind that, for a short period of time, Small Person #2 was absolutely convinced that these were life-size sets. He truly thought he could get in and swim with the dolphins (which he also thought were alive). You have to admit that the pictures in the catalog were very well done and looked very lifelike. After much explaining, I finally convinced him that they were small sets, the same as his other toys, and that he might be disappointed. Well, he was still adamant that he wanted them, so his mom went ahead and ordered other sets. (Look for those reviews soon!)

Yesterday was his birthday, and he finally got the chance to see his brand-spanking-new penguin zoo. In fact, it was a bit of a revelation for all of us. Turns out, it’s not assembled. In any way. So after opening it, he had to go away so I could assemble it and get it ready for him. Now, keep in mind, I actually LIKE assembling things, so this wasn’t a minus for me.

(more…)

The Around Town Baby Driver is a fun dashboard with some pretty cute bells and whistles. It turns on with an attached ignition key and has a soft steering wheel that spins around and around with the simple bat of a hand.

A singing voice goes through abc’s, a little counting, and what each of the lights on a stoplight means (”Red means stop,” “Green means go,” “Yellow means slow down”). The voice can get a little annoying after a while, but my baby’s big brother literally learned the function of the various traffic light colors by listening to this.

There are buttons to push, a horn to honk, and a gear shift that moves up and down. The traffic lights flash in beat to the various tunes - great motivation for an infant to scoot or crawl close. My baby boy enjoys watching the lights and touching the buttons and steering wheel while on his tummy.

Other phrases recorded on this toy include “Fasten your seat belts!” and “Let’s go for a drive!” Good features include an automatic shutoff and slight volume control.

I recommend this toy for its ability to capture the interest of both infants and toddlers and the multiple fine motor challenges.

• VTech Kids Website

Buy Around Town Baby Driver Online:

• at Amazon.com

When I first started researching to write this review, I naturally headed over to Amazon to see if they had this toy and how much it would cost there. Imagine my surprise, nay, SHOCK when I saw that someone was trying to sell it for over $35! I quickly realized that a) people are incredibly greedy and b) I should have bought more of them for only $10 at Toys R Us.

Anyway, on to the toy. It’s your basic toy gun that makes noises and lights up. Nothing special there. It’s themed off the upcoming movie Monsters Vs. Aliens and looks a lot like a 1950’s scifi ray gun. Pulling the trigger makes the interior spin around and creates ray gun blaster sound effects. The good news is that it’s fairly quiet (comparatively) and doesn’t have a lot of bells and whistles to get broken. The bad news is that the batteries died after only a day of use; while they were crappy batteries that were included with the toy, there’s no telling how long the fresh set will last either.

In the grand scheme of things, I suppose you could do a lot worse if you have kids who like to play with guns. At least nothing is projectile, and while the sound is annoying, it won’t deafen you. Note that this is NOT worth $35, though. It’s a cheap molded plastic and nothing more. Go look at Toys R Us and get it for $10.

Unfortunately, the Air Foam Disc Shot by Ja-Ru only works about two out of ten times. Such odds elicit nothing but impatience and frustration from a three year old looking to have endless fun.

The disc shot is simple to load; the small foam discs are to be stacked inside the loader cartridge. One by one, they can be shot out the end of this gun-like contraption. The dexterity required to load the discs and pull the trigger isn’t bad practice for a young child’s fine motor skills. When it works, this little gun-like contraption sends small foam disks out through the air with just the right amount of weight to really make those little babies soar.

But way more often than not, the discs get stuck in transition from the cartridge to being shot out the end.

I’m no engineer, but something about the design on this baby just isn’t right. I suspect the light weight of the discs - as well as the flexibility that makes them so great in the air - contributes to the jamming that results while pulling the Disc Shot’s trigger.

Because of its high rate of malfunction, I’m afraid I’m going to have to shoot this toy down. Not recommended.

Buy Ja-Ru Toys Online:

• at Amazon.com

Now, normally I don’t get overly excited about toy recalls. I mean, they happen all the time, and sometimes it seems like it’s nearly impossible to keep up with all of them. Well, last week I heard about Infantino’s recall of some of their toys that had blue metallic fabric. Thinking it was just another overreaction, I halfheartedly grabbed Small Person #3’s Lil Chef Set pan out of the diaper bag… and discovered that she nearly died.

Ok, not really. The fact is, though, the fabric was indeed detaching from the toy. If I hadn’t been looking for it, I might not have noticed it, and she could have theoretically suffocated. Granted, the odds of that happening are pretty slim, but it suddenly became a much more real thought when I saw that our product actually suffered from the feared malfunction.

Of course, she still loves the other piece in the set, the plastic measuring spoons (we lost the shaker a while ago). When she starts swinging those around, watch out! Hopefully our replacement pan will arrive soon so she’ll be able to play cooking with her brother… or at least have something to gnaw on while he happily spills water all over the floor.

• Infantino Recalls from the CPSC