Recently Miss E got to reap the benefits of being a blogger’s daughter: new toys!

LeapFrog sent over some products to review and we gave them a thorough workout.  First up is the LeapFrog Touch Magic Learning Bus.

It’s an alphabet learning toy but also has some game and music features.  There are the 26 letters of the alphabet, colored piano keys, and the wheels on the bus act as drums in music mode.

And can I just say that I am SO glad that LeapFrog put thought into the items representing each letter?

We once had an alphabet talkie toy that had the most asinine items.  They had an eye for “e” (do you hear the /e/ sound in the word eye? No, you do not.)  An owl for “o” (is there an /o/ sound in “owl”? Nope.)  And for “p” they had a picture of balloons, which was supposed to stand for “party”. Because it’s not like little kids ever get B (balloons) and P (party) mixed up. (Sure do wish I had a sarcasm font!)  It was worthless at best, confusing at worst and I ended up throwing it away (bestill my frugal heart, but I tossed that thing in the dumpster, oh yes I did!)
Life is too short for cheap “educational” toys that muddy the literacy waters.

Anyway, these pictures make sense and for the most part are items kids will readily recognize.  Camera for “C”.   Robot for “R”.  Well, since we live in The Land of Sauna Weather (aka Houston) I’m not sure my kids will know what an igloo is.  Some of them have never even seen snow!

It has two volume settings, so you don’t have to hear it at full blast.  I’m very careful about what kind of talkie toys we have around the house because let’s face it, the background noise around here is usually a dull roar BEFORE electronics get added to the mix.  This one isn’t too loud, even on the high setting.

The first feature I noticed was how light the bus is.  The battery compartment is so unobtrusive and the flat touch panel is so sleek at first it looks like a model- you know, how they put fake styrofoam TVs on display at the furniture store?  Like that.  Very strange when you are used to children’s toys that require four pounds of D batteries.  But, it’s an awesome feature because the little ones can lift it and use it no problem.  It’s light enough for the baby to hold in one hand.

Also?  Totally passes the lick test.  TMI? Sorry. That’s life with preschoolers who never let a smear of jelly go to waste!

One feature I love about the new Touch Magic products is that there are no actual, physical buttons to press.

Because let’s face it: nooks and crannies + preschoolers = grossness

Gag me with a spoon.

But the surface is smooth, making it easy to wipe clean.  You can also easily disinfect it so it’s a great lap toy for sick kids.

And that’s exactly how we used it this week.  This week Baby J was running a fever.  She had no other symptoms except a desire to nurse – constantly- and fever.  I took her to the doctor and we grabbed the LeapFrog Touch Magic  Learning Bus on the way out the door.

I was so glad we did.  First, we were in the sick child waiting and the poor little girl sitting across from us was sick.  Drippy sick.  Weepy eyes, runny nose, drooly because she was plugged up… but she was also very active and playing happily.  With all the waiting room toys.

I “quarantined” Baby J with the toys we brought from home- we always seem to catch something at the doctor’s!

Later, we found out that Baby J had strep throat.  I was glad I kept her away from the books and bead mazes in the waiting room so that she didn’t infect some other poor baby!

She’s only 18 months but it entertains her, especially the music part although the toy is geared for the 3-5 set.

Blogging with Integrity: I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and was given free product by LeapFrog.  The content and opinions expressed here are all my own.  But really, we just added these products to our LeapFrog collection because their toys are awesome.