LilSugar

How Far Would You Go to Get the Hottest Toys of the Season?

Rebecca M Gruber — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 11:41:36 PST

We hate to say we told you so, but we warned you that they'd be the hot toys of the season. It's beginning to look like the Zhu Zhu pet crisis of 2009 all over again as desperate parents try to get their hands on the LeapFrog LeapPad Explorer and Let's Rock Elmo. Amazon and the traditional brick and mortar toy stores are sold out of both, and parents are doing just about anything to secure them in time for the holidays.

Those with a desire to travel and an extra $780 on hand now have a new option. New York's posh Carlyle hotel (Suri Cruise has spent many nights in its luxe rooms) just introduced a special Santa’s Shopper package that guarantees the kiddos will wake up to either a Let's Rock Elmo or Leapfrog LeapPad on Christmas morning. The package includes a choice of toys, overnight accommodations, two drinks at the hotel's famous Bemelmans Bar, breakfast at the hotel restaurant, complimentary gift wrap (!), and shipping the gifts home (for an additional fee). Extreme, yes, but a mama's got to do what a mama's got to do, right?

Kiddie Tablets: Let's Compare the Leapfrog LeapPad Explorer and the VTech InnoTab

Rebecca M Gruber — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 08:32:18 PST

The iPad may be top on Mama's holiday wish list this year, but there's a good chance it's on her tot's too! Kids can't keep their hands off the tablets, leading two of the largest educational games manufacturers to create tot-friendly versions this year.

I told you about the LeapFrog LeapPad Explorer ($100) when it first hit the market this Fall, and now I just finished playing around with the VTech InnoTab ($79) and can't help but compare the two units. Similarly priced, they are both designed for kids 4 to 9 years old, both run on four AA batteries (or, better yet, burn through them), and both are designed to educate as lil ones interact with their favorite characters. Though neither device runs as fast as an iPad (and neither offers a WiFi option), gadget-oriented kids can't put them down. See how the two hot holiday gift items compare!

Screen size
Both learning tablets have five-inch color touch-screen LCD display screens, though the InnoTab's appears to be more responsive to the finger touch than the LeapPad, which worked better with the included stylus.

Gadget size

LeapPad: The gadget's screen is surrounded by one inch of casing to protect it from drops and spills.
InnoTab: The product's screen comes packaged in a case that provides a two-to-four-inch border around the gadget, giving tots more room to hold it than its competitor. It is almost the same size as the iPad.

Activities and Games

LeapPad: The tablet comes with four free apps - Art Studio, Story Studio, Pet Pad, and one of your choice - to entertain tots. Additional cartridge games are $25 with downloadable apps ranging from $5-$25.
InnoTab: The tablet's PDA-like capabilities - a calendar that allows tots to plan their days and add in stickers, a clock to help learn to tell time, a stopwatch for timing kids, a world globe, etc. - are both fun and educational. They also give kids a sense of independence, turning to their devices for information much like mom and dad. The system also comes with an Art Studio. Additional cartridge games are $25 with downloadable apps costing between $5 and $8.

Keep reading to see how the products compare in other categories.

Lil Gift Guide: Great Gifts For 4-Year-Olds!

Rebecca M Gruber — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 08:33:43 PST

By 4 years old, tots know what they like, and they're already forming their own wish lists for the holidays. Chances are that many of the items on that list are the hottest toys of the season - including the LeapFrog LeapPad and the VTech InnoTab, Lalaloopsy, and Hot Wheels Wall Tracks. If mama's looking for a few new ideas, we've got her covered. Check out our favorite finds for these preschoolers!

The Orb Factory's StoryCraft The Frog Prince ($20) allows for creative storytelling, as tots add shapes and jewels to a 10-page story book about the Frog Prince fairy tale. LeapFrog keeps expanding its popular Tag reading system to do more than just teach tots to read. The LeapFrog Solar System Adventure Pack ($14) uses the Tag stylus to teach lil ones about the solar system - exploring planets and educating tots about life beyond Earth. Exercise doesn't feel like a chore with Diggin's Wobble Deck ($45), which plays music and games while tots try to balance on the board. Mini American Idol fans will love First Act's Voice Rockrz Mic ($25) that not only changes the singer's voice, but provides drumrolls and applause. Kids will rule the neighborhood with Fisher Price's Power Wheels Stinger XT ($250), a motorized car with room for two.

Lil Gift Guide: Great Gifts For 3-Year-Olds!

Rebecca M Gruber — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 08:32:37 PST

An expressive 3-year-old? That sounds about right. Once tots reach their preschool years, they're full of opinions. So this holiday season give them some toys and games that will have them jumping for joy!

If your lil one loves Disney's princesses, but they look a bit old for her, she'll love the new Disney Animators’ Collection ($25). The 16-inch dolls have softer, younger faces created by the mouse house's famed animators (and they're selling out fast!). Learning to write your letters and numbers is a lot more fun with Leapfrog's Count and Draw ($20). Bendable, wooden animals? The Animalz line of toys ($13) are not only made from sustainable wood, but they come with codes that can be used in an online community (with mom's help of course!). Grown-up Star Wars fans will love Playskool's line of preschool products designed so lil ones can get in on the fun, but not be scared by some of the more violent aspects of the line. The Playskool Heroes Star Wars Jedi Force Millennium Falcon Playset ($40) is the perfect point of entry to the galaxy far, far away! Miller Goodman's Playshapes ($158) comes with 74 pieces that can be mixed, matched, and paired up in endless combinations to create goofy-looking characters and sights.

Lil Gift Guide: Great Gifts For 1-Year-Olds!

Rebecca M Gruber — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 08:32:56 PST

One-year-olds are a curious bunch, so it's important to find a toy that will satisfy their quest to explore the world around them. Look for gifts that show cause and effect - noises as a result of movement, changes in color, etc. - if you really want to keep them entertained!

An activity cube, like the Maxim Garden Activity Cube ($100) will ensure that lil ones stay entertained with seven sides of play to help teach colors, shapes, and colors. Best of all, it's made from eco-friendly wood and dyes. Leapfrog's Peek-a-Shoe Octopus ($25) is a great way to start introducing numbers and colors to tots. As the underwater charmer calls out a number, kids look under that shoe to find a ball. Eric Carle's Hungry Caterpillar is a favorite for this age set. The Pull Toy ($18) will encourage new walkers to get up and move with their favorite character. Kids will join the band with B. Toys' B. Parum Pum Pum Drum ($23). And for the hipster in the house, Playsam's Saab Roadster ($600) will ensure that your tot has the coolest ride in town the next time he hits up the playground races.

LeapFrog LeapPad Puts Tots in Control of Their Own Learning Tablets

Rebecca M Gruber — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 08:15:40 PDT

Moms may soon regain control of their iPads. The tech toy from Apple that is filled with mama's cooking, organizing, and entertaining apps somehow worked its way into lots of lil ones' hands, and many moms are having a hard time prying it away.

That should all change next week when LeapFrog starts shipping out its new LeapPad Explorer Learning Tablet ($100). A tablet engineered just for kids, the LeapPad takes all of the technology introduced on last year's Leapster Explorer (including an ereader that adjusts to tots' learning levels, letter and number writing skills, and a high-resolution touchscreen) and adds exciting new functions like a tilt-sensor (just like the iPad), an enhanced ereader with a visual dictionary and games embedded within the books, a larger (five-inch) screen, and a built-in camera. The company sent us a tablet to try out, see what we thought below.

Who is this product designed for? The manufacturer suggests that the tablet is for tots ages 4 to 9 years old (and it can be customized for up to three kids), but a preschooler could navigate his way around it, too.

What sets it apart? With a five-inch 480-x-272 pixel (16 x 9) touchscreen, the LeapPad offers kids plenty of space to read, draw, write, or view their activities. Given the educational basis behind all of LeapFrog's products, the learning apps included with the system are brought to life on it. The new Ultra eBooks not only reads stories to kids, but should tykes select individual words, the system sounds them out. Portions of books are animated and games are built into them as well. A built-in camera and video recorder can be used on their own or in conjunction with other apps to create storybooks and videos that can be shared once the tablet is connected to a computer. And the accelerometer transforms the tablet into a gaming console, allowing for motion-based activities. Like other LeapFrog products, the Explorer connects to the online Learning Path, allowing parents to track their tots' progress and identify areas requiring additional support. When connected to the computer, artwork, photos, and videos created by kids can also be shared with family and friends through Facebook and email.

What could be better? Kids used to tooling around with their parents' gadgets will have to get used to a slower unit. The 400MHz processor doesn't allow apps to load as quickly as they may be used to. Also, with no WiFi, tots will have to forgo playing Angry Birds and the like, in favor of the more educational apps created by LeapFrog (which could be a very good thing!). The cost may set some families off as well. While the tablet costs $100 and comes with four free apps - Art Studio, Story Studio, Pet Pad, and one of your choice - the 100 additional apps that will be available later this year will cost between $5 to $20, making it a pricey investment. On the plus side, all games and cartridges parents bought for the Explorer are compatible with the LeapPad.

Keep reading to see how long the laptop entertains a youngster and for more views of the device.

LeapFrog to Introduce First iPhone App With Scout's ABC Garden

Rebecca M Gruber — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 20:01:10 PDT

There are plenty of tot-friendly apps on the market claiming to be educational. And while some have research and educators backing it up, none have the power of the LeapFrog brand behind them – until now. With Scout's ABC Garden ($4), which hits the iTunes store on Thursday, the company brings its most iconic plush characters to life in the palm of lil one's hands (or on their mama's iPhone, iPad, or iTouch).

Similar to the company's highly-praised Leapster and Explorer units, the new app features interactive exercises designed to teach lil ones about letters and sounds. Scout and Violet (players can choose which character to use) can be personalized (just like their plush counterparts) to say up to three children's names, their favorite colors, food, and animals. Tots can then explore Scout's garden, pop bubbles, sprinkle seeds, play a whac-a-mole-like game, and listen to kid-friendly songs while practicing their letter skills. Each activity is offered three times before moving on to the next, under the belief that kids must be exposed to something three times before they've mastered it.

Keep reading to see what I thought of the app experience and if it is worth downloading!

5 Toys to Add to Your Infant's Toy Box Now

Rebecca M Gruber — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 15:16:50 PDT

Sometimes it's not the lil ones who become bored with a playroom's contents, it's their mamas! Infants are too young to express their dissatisfaction with the contents of their toy chest, so it's up to mom to switch up the mix. Simply adding one new toy can shake things up enough to end the monotony of daily play time. When we visited Toy Fair last month, several toys for younger tots caught our eye, and a handful are now available. Check out these five toys that should add some spark to your next play session.

Maps and Globes For Your Worldly Tot

Leta Shy — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 04:00:19 PST

If your lil tot is an inquisitive one, chances are she'll be wondering about the ways of the world long before she can even hold pen to paper. So to help her learn, nothing is better than toys and decor that educate your cutie about our fair planet. Check out these interactive maps and whimsical decor that will make her a geography whiz kid!

Clockwise from top left: Ferm Living World Map Decals ($153); Authentic Models Globe Mobile ($70); This Land Is Your Land Bib ($8); LeapFrog Tag Maps ($20); Play & Learn Soft & Safe World Map Foam Puzzle Floor ($75); Alphabet Jigsaw USA Map ($47).

Best of 2010: Our Favorite Toys of the Year

Rebecca M Gruber — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 03:00:36 PST

Break out the forklift because this year's toy haul of new toys was bigger than ever. We traipsed the floor of the Toy Fair, spent hours scanning the toy shelves of big stores and independent retailers, and had kids test toys. The task was difficult, but in the end five items rose to the top to become our favorites of the year. Check them out and our reasons for the selections.