Product Reviews

Does your toddler love Chuck? Then consider this toy. The Helpful Dad says ‘be sure to compare the Playskool version to the Tonka version” to see which one you like best. We believe the Playskool version is the better buy – for 1/2 the price you get similar features.

Here’s an official description:
“Your toddler will have loads of dump-truck fun with Playskool’s Chuck My Talking Truck. Not only does Chuck have over 40 spoken phrases and sounds, he also drives to you when called and shakes his bumper and dump bed while chatting and “working.” Designed for children ages two and up, Chuck My Talking Truck offers your child interactive fun and role-playing opportunities.”

Has your toddler outgrown their high chair but you don’t want to get them one of those ugly plastic booster seats? Then consider the Cooshie – The Helpful Dad owns this seat and my son loves it. I give it 4 of 5 stars – the only negative is it’s a bit pricey. Try to pick it up around $30-40 and you’ll be in good shape.

Here’s an official description:
“The SMART Cooshee Booster Seat is the perfect solution for the toddler who is ready to sit at the “grown-up” table. With its non-tip base and soft molded foam, the SMART Cooshee Booster Seat from Baby – Smart offers comfort for all kids. Not only easy use, the Cooshee doesn’t have seams to trap crumbs and its tiny suctions at the bottom stick securely to any hard surface. – Smart SMART Booster Seat is 100% waterproof, bacteria resistant, non-allergenic and made for both indoor and outdoor use. On the go? Take it with you! Dimensions: 15″ x 14″ x “6.” For Ages: 2 ½ yrs+. Features & Benefits: Unique molded foam stays put with weight of child – Soft, ribbed seat pattern is skid-resistant – For indoor & outdoor use100% Waterproof, Bacteria resistant, Non-allergenic, No Latex — No Phthalates – Sleek, low back cozy design for comfort and stability – For Ages: 2½ years old and up”

Looking for a good HIGH CHAIR for your baby? Consider the Chico Polly High Chair – it’s good, BUT just know you’ll be trading your child’s comfort (a positive) for a bit of a pain in cleaning (a negative). Overall The Helpful Dad gives this 4 of 5 starts – we’ve personlly owned this chair and used it for over a year. I believe its a great buy for $115-130 and a good buy for $130-150. Check out this video to see more.

Here’s the official description/notes:
“The Polly Highchair’s seven height positions, three reclining positions, and one-hand tray removal make the Polly the most convenient highchair to maneuver. Its highlighted and clearly visible buttons won’t leave you searching for how to adjust the highchair to make your child most comfortable.

The Polly also makes cleaning easy with its dishwasher-safe, tray insert and two cushioned, seat pads that are easy to clean. All vinyl seat pads are Phthalate free.

The Chicco Polly puts safety first by including a five-point safety harness and brakes on all wheels.

Seven height positions and three reclining positions for increased comfort
Most convenient maneuvering with one-hand seat recline and tray removal
Two cushioned seat pads that are easy to clean
Phthalate free vinyl seat pads
Adjustable footrest to accommodate growing children
Safety comes first with the five-point safety harness
Slimmest fold in its class
For children up to 37 lbs”

Protect your child’s playroom floors with these flexible foam mats from Imaginarium. As you know from our other vids, the Helpful Dad is a fan of Imaginarium toys and this is no exception. It’s a MUST HAVE for your playroom.

Is your toddler always playing on your computer? Why not get them their own starter computer? Check out this Leaptop from Leapfrog. The Helpful Dad gives it 3.5 of 5 stars – a solid buy for your 1 1/2 to 3 yr old.

You can also customize it with your child’s name too – quite a bonus!

Help your toddler learn their letters with this quality toy from Leapfrog. With multiple options to learn, the Helpful Dad gives this a solid 3 of 5 stars. You may also want to consider the Leaptop from Leapfrog for even more features.

Want to find out the fastest car you have? Then this toy is definitely for you. The Helpful Dad gives it 5 of 5 stars for hours of fun!

Product Description:
“Line up your Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars and race em down the 4-Lane Raceway! The fair start gate and winner’s flag shows the clear victor in every race! Connects to other Hot Wheels sets for crazy racing action. Case has a fold out handle for you to take your racing action to go.”

Product Details:
Product Dimensions: 3.2 x 10.1 x 18.9 inches ; 2.5 pounds
Shipping Weight: 2.6 pound

Charlie Coal the Talking Grill – should you buy him or will you just get burned?

The Helpful Dad says “I was suprised at how cool this little grill is. It’s a decent buy for about $25-35, but not at a higher price point. Be sure to shop around.”

Product Features:
Friendly, smart-talking buddy for grilling play
Electronic pretend grill says more than 50 phrases – and makes realistic grilling sounds too
Grill comes with 2 legs, mustard bottle, ketchup bottle, fork, spatula, 2 plastic burger buns
3 Modes Switch: Choose between Play, Off and Demo mode
Builds fine motor skills and allows for little helpers to grill just like mom and dad!
Grill automatically shuts off after a period of inactivity plastic burger, plastic hot dog bun, plastic hot dog and instructions

Fisher Price’s Giggle Medical Kit is a GREAT BUY according to The Helpful Dad. Here’s why…

The Sesame Street Medical Kit comes with 5 medical tools that all fit inside of the Elmo Medical case for easy storage. The Cookie Monster stethoscope is loaded with fun sound effects like heart beats, giggles and more. Push down on the Bert Thermometer and the temperature will change. Squeeze Ernie’s head and the rubber ducky dial will spin. Look through the Big Bird Otoscope. The Sesame bandages snap onto your wrist. The Sesame Street Medical Kit comes with 5 medical tools that all fit inside of the Elmo Medical case for easy storage The Cookie Monster stethoscope is loaded with fun sound effects like heart beats, giggles and more Push down on the Bert Thermometer and the temperature will change Squeeze Ernie’s head and the rubber ducky dial will spin Look through the Big Bird Otoscope.

Melissa and Doug’s classic wooden toy “My First Bead Maze” features brightly colored, multi-shaped beads that spin and slide along red and yellow wire pathways that are anchored by a strong suction cup base.

What’s the BOTTOM LINE? The Helpful Dad says this is a NICE TO HAVE item in the toy box.

This product encourages color recognition, hand-eye coordination and fine motor development through play!

My Pal Scout is a great BEDTIME toy.

The Helpful Dad rates this as a MUST BUY!

Scout comes with 5 pre-loaded songs, or you can select and download your choice of learning tunes and lullabies from an online list of 30 songs.* Press a paw to play music, learning songs or games. Parents can connect to the online LeapFrog Learning Path for customized learning insights and ideas to expand the learning. *Internet connection required to personalize Scout with your child’s name and favorite items or to change songs.

Learning Skills: First words – Daily routines – Early number sense – Feelings and emotions – Animals

Remember this classic toy? Watch this vid to see a new take on an oldie but a goodie.

The Helpful Dad says “it’s a nice buy. certainly not a must have, but a good toy that your young kids will enjoy. So easy, even a toddler can do it!”

Do Trackmaster Thomas The Trains work on wooden tracks and vice versa? Check out this video from TheHelpfuldad to learn more…

Do you have trouble keeping your wooden train tracks together – especially over inclines or on carpet? If so, you might want to the Suretrack Locking System.

What’s the bottom line? A good buy IF you need the extra support…

Suretrack says…
Build your train track anywhere – even on carpet – with the amazing Suretrack. Compatible with both BRIO and Thomas and Friends brands, it will hold your track securely and won’t come apart during play. It eliminates the need to frequently rebuild your track during play. Provides the opportunity for new, exciting layouts. Suretrack is specifically engineered to secure all straight, curved and switching tracks along wit turntables, tunnels and other specialty pieces. Includes 14 clips.

Another product review from The Helpful Dad.

What’s the BOTTOM LINE: This is a GOOD BUY if you are in the market for a portable DVD player. It comes with a remote and a carrying case as added bonuses and features a really nice 9inch viewing screen.

Philips says…
Play your movies, music and photos on the go
DVD, DVD+/-R, DVD+/-RW, (S)VCD, CD compatible
The Philips Portable DVD player is compatible with most DVD and CD discs available in the market. DVD, DVD+/-R, DVD+/-RW, (S)VCD, and CD — all of them can play on the DVD player. DVD+/-R is a shorthand term for a DVD drive that can accept both of the common recordable DVD formats. Likewise, DVD+/-RW handles both common rewritable disc types.

MP3-CD, CD and CD-RW playback
MP3 is a revolutionary compression technology by which large digital music files can be made up to 10 times smaller without radically degrading their audio quality. A singe CD can store up to 10 hours of music.

View JPEG images from picture disc
Play JPEG photos that are saved on your disc. Relive your favorite moments with family and friends anytime you want!

DivX Certified for standard DivX video playback
With DivX® support, you are able to enjoy DivX encoded videos and movies from the Internet, including purchased Hollywood films. The DivX media format is an MPEG-4 based video compression technology that enables you to save large files like movies, trailers and music videos on media like CD-R/RW and DVD recordable discs, USB storage and other memory cards for playback on your DivX Certified® Philips device.

Enrich your AV entertainment experience
Built-in stereo speakers
The stereo speaks provide quality sound and allow you to listen freely. Enjoy music anytime, anywhere, with built-in stereo speakers that allow the convenience and enjoyment of music playback simply by unplugging the headphone.

9″ TFT color widescreen LCD display
The high resolution color LCD display brings images to life, showing off your treasured photos, favorite movies and music with the same ‘real life’ rich detail and vibrant colors as high quality prints.

Extra touches for your convenience
AC adaptor, car adaptor and AV cable included
This Philips player comes with AC adaptor, car adaptor and AV cable for your convenience.

Up to 5-hour playback with a built-in battery*
This Philips player comes with a compact built-in rechargeable battery for long-lasting power. Up to 5 hours of continuous movie, photo and music playback enjoyment can be achieved on a single charge. Just plug in the power cable to recharge the player – it’s that simple.

Car mount pouch included for easy in-car use
Mount your portable DVD player easily to your car headrest. You can enjoy DVD movies on the road.

Full Resume on Power Loss
The DVD-Video player remembers where you have finish viewing a DVD and continue playing from the exact scene where you stopped watching even after a power failure. If you did not take the disc out of the player, simply press play and it will resume play where you have stopped the movie. For other disc that you have taken out of the player, just reload the disc and press “play” followed by “resume” on the remote control. The Philips DVD-Video player makes life easy!