To avoid V-Tech now

[Ryoko]

Got him two V-tech toys for christmas and they are pissing me off already, I've had to open up the piano one twice to clean sick out of it.

and now his touch phone thing is buggering up and that hasn't been puked on at all, the buttons have to be seriously bashed to make them work now and it keeps getting stuck on the number 7 and repeating over and over until you turn it off.

You'd think they would make the things robust enough to deal with the abuse a baby within the recommended age range can and will dish out.

I'm going to stick to Fisher Price in future, until I have the some peoblem with them, bet they all come from the same factories (probably foxconn) and I'm going to have to find the receipt for that crappy phone and try and get a refund, not fit for purpose.

oh they are all as bad tbh

i just won't buy anything that needs batteries for my babies

talking toys do my head in

We've gone through two Roll & Wiggle caterpillars cos the first one broke. I thought it had been sicked on, but now the same thing's happening with the second one. The audio track (or whatever the technical term is) keeps sticking, it just plays one note over and over. And it was annoying enough when it was working.

It is the educational claims on the boxes that bug me the most. The toys are colourful and noisy and diverting for a few weeks but that's the extent of their talents.

Educational my arse.

Ex-MIL kindly bought DD a V Tech 'My First Laptop'. The piece of shit had an annoying American accent, an ABC keyboard (wtf is the point of that when ALL real computers have QWERTY ones??), and asked unintelligible questions. One that I still remember was 'Can you indicate the position of the lion in relation to the zebra?' It was for 3-6yos ffs.

I'm alright, same as all ways (angry at the world) thanks for asking.

I was thinking of getting him the old school Fisher Price phone, purely on the basis that mine never fucked up until it got chucked down the stairs and hit my Tonka trike, but I expect it's not the same, it probably just looks the same.

maybe I should go and dig around my old toys and see if they still work I know I had one of the them little TV looking things with a handle on the top that Fisher Price used to make that wind up and play somewhere over the rainbow, last seen when I was about 17 and it was still working then.

Bugger all this light and sound crap, his fave toy is the £2 set of stacking cups I got him Asda anyway.

Hate V Tech stuff, it badly made, annoying and NOT educational!

'Can you indicate the position of the lion in relation to the zebra?' lolol

Atacking cups are great. DS still uses his all the time for various purposes and he's 3.5.

Stacking cups, sorry. Though I do think attacking cups sound intriguing as well

Ryoko my DS is 6mo and has spent most of today sat in a cardboard box chewing my older daughter's hairbrush and a wooden spoon

Dunno if you have heard abouttreasure baskets but you might find he really enjoys them.

I agree that v-tech type toys are a load of rubbish. Bought a load of vintage fisher price off eBay - very robust and well made! Also think things like stacking cups and shape sorters are far more educational!

Mine is 8 months I wouldn't give him a wooden spoon he'd have his eye out, he really likes my 360 pad and the TV remote, he's puked on both and they still work, he's also had my Sansa clip MP3 player in his gob a few times and that too is fine.

Funny how it's only the electronics "designed" for babies he breaks.

I'm not bothered about education he will have plenty of time for that later I just want him to be entertained.

trying to think what else ds likes

the kitten
the dog
paper - specially big bits of greasepoof 'cos it makes a good noise and doesn't dissolve when he chews it
safe kitchen stuff - spatulas are less poky than spoons
sitting in boxes
loud music

has he got a door bouncer? they are great entertainment value.

I don't like the look of those things,
he has loads of things

rockinghorse/zebra
Stacking cups
Stacking ring
2 cuddly tigers
2 teddies
5 soft blocks
2 balls one soft and one lattice one with rattle ball inside.
magnetic train trio from ELC
Fisher Price piggy bank he isn't interested in yet.
set of 4 different rattles
linky rings
fisher price turtle activity arch he is still interested in.
the aforementioned V-tech annoying things.

It's his birthday in May I'm just thinking ahead (now V-tech sort of things can get stuffed) about what to get him, all ready got him two other megnetic trio things from ELC in a sale.

my 8 month spent today chewing playing with a hair brush, kitchen spoon, spatula, a tin, a bit of string, the dogs tail, a small ball, in her bouncer for about 20 mins, empty a big box of blocks, my, a lemon cut in half, a small bowl of water,

then whinged a lot until I stood her up and sat her down - repeat x 100

she gets bored very quickly now - does yours?

I feel a bit insane tbh

I had to go out playgroup or would have cried. (in fact I did anyhow).

She is very cute though.

Just a bit of a baby iyswim.

For DS2 I got him a water playtable (like a sand one but I hate sand) he loved it and played with it for hours.

I always remember we bought DS1 a Thomas train that moved along playing the song and blowing bubbles out of it's funnel - suitable from 12m+. It seemed the perfect toy.....but of course DS1 just wanted to pick it up, turn it upside down therefore the bubble mix went everywhere, including inside the battery section and it stopped working. I think after he had done that twice and we had had to dry it out etc, it magically 'disappeared'

What a ridiculous idea - mixing water and batteries in a toy for 12m+??

Mine screams alot, he wants to be on the floor, he crawls around paying no attention to his stuff, attacking my consoles/remotes and anything else he can get his hands on thats not his.

he all so keeps pulling himself up at the coffee table and then standing there screaming because once he is standing he hasn't the guts/doesn't know how to get down again.

see thats why i loved the door bouncer

boing boing boing boing for ages

couldn't get at all the very dangerous stuff she liked getting her little paws on

but got to practise standing up and then got tired and went to sleep

win win

bouncer is good.