Toy Reviews...

I don't know about you, but I LOVE checking out reviews & doing some heavy Internet research before purchasing new things. They (usually) are pretty helpful in pointing out some pros or cons you may not have noticed just by looking at the product.

Well, recently some new toys made their permanent residence at our house thanks to some wonderful friends & family & I just thought it would be fun if I gave some feedback to my fellow parents out there.

Kid Kraft Majestic Mansion (For Barbies):
http://www.walmart.com/ip/KidKraft-Majestic-Mansion-Dollhouse/15522243
This has got to be the BEST purchase we made this holiday season. I know when I was growing up, receiving my first Barbie house was 1 of the highlights of my life, so I took the selection process of finding the lil' ladies' their own very seriously. I started off looking at actual Barbie houses. They had some decent ones out there but they were made out of cheap plastic & the rooms were quite small on everything I saw. I then moved on to looking at dollhouses made out of wood. KidKraft definitely had the largest variety of styles & sizes to choose from. I was very excited when I read they were Barbie doll compatible. I eventually decided on the Kid Kraft Majestic Mansion. I ordered it through Walmart because they had the best price & they delivered it extremely fast! I loved how much furniture the house came with & how durable it all was. It definitely took a few hours to assemble, but this house turned out WAY larger than I expected (My oldest has to use a step stool to reach the top floor of the mansion), but it is the perfect size for multiple kids playing at the same time. I also bought a Barbie car for the garage, but it is slightly too large to let you close the garage doors properly (no biggie). I definitely recommend this dollhouse or at least going with this brand of dollhouse when it is time to buy your princess their first Barbie house. Sometimes you can catch them at Costco during Christmas time. Another great addition to this dollhouse is if you catch the Barbie group packs. After Christmas, I found great prices on the holiday themed Barbie set & bridal themed Barbie set.Sets are good because they come with a lot of accessories & Barbies of different ages (more bang for your buck!). The bridal had the bride, grown, bridesmaid, & flower girl. The Christmas pack had presents, a Barbie, 2 teens, & a lil' Kelly. The girls' adored them!

Kid Kraft Pink Vintage Play Kitchen:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/KidKraft-Value-Bundle-Kitchen-and-Tasty-Treats-125-Piece-Play-Set/17656339
My lil' ladies absolutely loved this kitchen. It was a lot shorter than I expected & took a good 2-3 hrs to assemble, but the final product was adorable! My oldest even loves it!!! The quality is wonderful & if you purchase the other matching kitchen products by Kid Kraft like the blender, mixer, coffee maker, & toaster it makes it even more fun. There is not a lot of counter space, but my kids just use their pink IKEA table to hold the kitchen accessories that do not quite fit. I also purchased the pastel Kid Kraft dishes, metal cooking pans from Step 2, & some wooden food by Melissa & Doug. All of it was wonderful quality, meshed well together, & it was delivered quickly by Walmart. I do not usually shop with them, but when it comes to what they have to offer online & their prices you just cannot complain! If you have enough room, I definitely recommend also purchasing the Tiffany Bow highchair, crib, & ironing board by Kid Kraft as well. Wonderful details & a great addition to the pink kitchen.

Fisher Price Loving Family Dream Dollhouse:
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=12925211
I adore this dollhouse. The girls were blessed with the house that included a lot of furniture & people already. I definitely think this is the way to go, but they do offer a lot of additional accessory packs that you can buy separately. Everything from laundry rooms to camping gear. There is a lil' something for everyone. The sounds & lights the house & furniture makes are a big bonus to this toy. Even the vehicles make sound effects!!!
 
Fisher Price Serving Surprises Kitchen:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Fisher-Price-Servin-Surprises-Kitchen-and-Table/21805569
This small kitchen table is actually pretty cool. I think it is best for the 2-3 year old range. It sings & makes sounds effects & the table height can be adjusted. The best part about this kitchen are the additional Servin' Surprise sets that are sold separately. My girls especially love the baby feeding & tea Fisher Price sets, but there is also a birthday cake & grilling accessory set as well. When you add them to the kitchen, new sounds are unlocked.

Hello Kitty Acoustic Guitar:
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3532898&prodFindSrc=search
Aidann loves playing on her daddy's guitar, so this Christmas we knew that getting Aidy her very own would be a sure win! The quality is nice for being a toddler guitar & if your kid is into Hello Kitty it will be a sure win!

Pillow Pets:
http://www.walmart.com/search/search-ng.do?search_query=pillow+pet&ic=16_0&Find=Find&search_constraint=4171
I always saw the commercials for these things & thought "maybe someday", but this holiday I finally decided to go for it! The reaction from my kiddos definitely made it known that this was a worth while purchase. A toy that turn into a comfy pillow, what could be better! There is definitely a difference between the generic & the real thing quality-wise, so I definitely recommend investing in the name brand ones. I got Ashy a Cars one, Aidann a pink hippo, & Austin a zebra (of course).

Vulli Sophie:
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4233184
This is by far the best teething toy I could have ever purchased. Adley loved the smooth rubber material the giraffe is made out of & the squeaky soud it makes send her over the top with excitement!!!

Kid Tough See Yourself Camera:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Fisher-Price-N-A-W1538/16923585
I don't know if it is the fact that mommy is a picture taking addict or because the toy camera happened to be purple, but as soon as Ashy opened this gift from a family member she was in complete AWE! I love this camera & the fact that you can take video or turn it to take pictures of yourself, makes it all the more wonderful for your kiddo!

Fisher Price Learn & Laugh Magical Musical Mirror:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Fisher-Price-Laugh-and-Learn-Magical-Musical-Mirror/20975730
Aldey loves this singing wonder. Your baby can pull out the accessories & they make lil' sound effects. Adley likes teething on everything personally, but to each their own. If you have a lil' lady, this is definitely a winner!

Little Tikes Activity Garden:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Little-Tikes-Activity-Garden/19409980
This garden center is adorable, I love all of the details. Now that Adley is in the early stages of crawling, she loves exploring all the lil' gadgets this center has to offer.

Disney Pixar Cars 2 Drum Pad:
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=11511192&prodFindSrc=search
My kids love music & so when we decided to get Aidann a guitar, we thought a lil' drum pad might be a cool addition for Asher. She adores Cars & so when she discovered all of the fun music & car sound effects that this pad makes, she was thrilled. We also got a Cars microphone for Asher & a Minnie microphone for Aussie & so now all 3 of them have jam sessions daily, lol.

Fisher Price Giggle Gang:
http://www.target.com/s?searchTerm=fisher+price+giggle+gang&category=0%7CAll%7Cmatchallpartial%7Call+categories
Adley absolutely fell in love with this lil' guy. I picked the blue one because I liked his laugh & I figured that she would love teething on the lil' thing on top of his head. Boy, was I right! She also enjoy shaking & hitting it to make it giggle. She gets WAY excited & starts laughing along too!

Disney Licensed Backpack Sleeping Bag:
http://www.target.com/s?searchTerm=backpack+sleeping&category=0%7CAll%7Cmatchallpartial%7Call+categories
These sleeping bags stood out from the rest because I found them with all my kids' favorite characters, but they also come in backpacks. I do not know about you, but I HATE rolling up sleeping bags & putting the band around them so they don't fly everywhere. With these backpacks, clean up is easy & taking them anywhere is a cinch. A definite MUST buy (Target). I got Hitty Kitty (Hello Kitty), Cars, & Disney princess.

Fisher Price Little People Princess Songs Palace:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Fisher-Price-Little-People-Disney-Princess-Songs-Palace-Play-Set/20550186
Austin actually got this for her birthday. I had to add this in because it is a definitely winner with lil' ladies. All 3 of the older girls love playing with it. Each princess sings their own song & has fun different phrases to say. You definitely need to invest in getting all the princesses & princes, the Cinderella carriage, & Ariel sea sleigh to get the full impact this toy can have. SO GREAT!

Leap Frog Scribble & Write:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/LeapFrog-Leapfrog-Scribble-Write-Age-3/19286610
Aidann likes this toy, but I have to say that I was a lil' let down. I read through countless reviews & it made the product seem great, but I was a definitely let down when I actually got to start messing with it. The screen the kid is supposed to write on does not work very well & it just did not live up to its' potential. Again, my kids are thrilled by it, but for being a toy that is supposed to help them improve in writing skills & letter recognition...I am sure there is better out there. I personally do not perfer electronic toys like this anway.