Pretend Play Vet Play Set & Adorable Plush Kittens

We have always had various types of household pets since before we ever had children, so our three children have never known what it is like not to have a pet.  Because of this, they are all animal-lovers.  That is why I knew they would love this Play Vet Combo Set from CP Toys, a leading retailer of educational toys for kids.  Wait until I show you all the things that are included in this set.  It really takes pretend play to a whole new level . . .

(Click any photo to enlarge)

Some of the items included in this playset are an 8" plush dog and cat, a veterinarian's coat with 3 pockets, a clipboard with medical forms, a vet doctor's bag, a working scale, a stethoscope, a thermometer, a clamp, a scalpel, and much more.  One of my children's favorite items is the beeper, which runs on two included watch-size batteries, that makes realistic sounds.

Other products included are everything one needs to care for a pet, such as pet food, a pretend rawhide bone, pet vitamins and medicines, a brush, and more.

Something that is perfect to accompany the Play Vet Combo is CP Toys' Peek A Boo Kitty House.  This toy comes with 5 beanie kittens in a handled plush house.  Nothing could have been more perfect than this toy in a pretend play scenario involving a new litter of kittens going to see the vet in their cat carrier.  The children just took this idea and ran with it.

Coincidentally, our twin preschoolers had a real life veterinarian visit their classroom recently.  These two playsets were the perfect tools for them to show off what they had learned.  I also took this opportunity to teach them about basic reasons why dogs and cats might need to be seen by a vet, such as fleas and worms.

You can find these and a vast assortment of fun kids toys on www.cptoy.com, including many CP Toys Exclusives.

Thank you to CP Toys for providing complimentary products samples for us to base this review upon and for providing additional product for our contest prize.

Good luck in the drawing!

Video & Photos From Our Kung Zhu Party

Earlier this summer, we were invited to throw a Kung Zhu party for my oldest son and some of his friends. When the products arrived for the party, I realized that I was in trouble. There was no way I would be able to set up the Kung Zhu arena and habitrail and still have room for 10+ children in our living room. It was also far too hot and humid to hold the party outside. Luckily, Whimsy Arts & Crafts came to my rescue. They are known for their kids birthday parties in Massachusetts. Even though this was not the usual type of party held in this building, they were nice enough to make an exception for us.

Our hour-long party started off very orderly. The children were clearly excited to start playing with the Kung Zhu playsets we had assembled on the table.

Each child was directed to choose an envelope. Inside each envelope was a number. Starting from number one, every child was able to choose a Kung Zhu hamster. Then in reverse order, starting from number 10, each child was able to choose a set of Kung Zhu armor.

Then my husband gave a quick demonstration of how to transform each hamster into a warrior by putting on their armor and how to use the tablets.

Then we let the kids loose on the Kung Zhu playsets. The arena received the most attention.

The rest of the hour was quite chaotic, but lots of fun. The children all climbed on the table because they could not reach the arena well. Thank goodness we had another parent there to help us.

When the hour was up, all the other parents came back to retrieve their children. Each guest left with a Kung Zhu hamster, a set of armor, some candy, and a balloon. I think we managed to cram as much fun into one hour's time as humanly possible.

Thank you to BSM Media for providing the toys for our party as part of a campaign for Team Mom. And thank you to Whimsy Arts & Crafts for their hospitality.

Review: New FurReal Friends Interactive Pets

Everyone in my household is an animal-lover, our three children included. If we had our way, we would turn our house into a menagerie. Since this is not possible, I am glad that Hasbro's FurReal Friends exist to save the day.

We had never experienced FurReal interactive toy animals before, so I was curious to see how they would spark my children's imaginations. Hasbro was kind enough to send us one pet for each child . . . a Lulu's Walkin' Kitty for our 3yr old daughter, a Newborn Puppy Beagle for our 3yr old son, and a Newborn Baby Bird for our 6yr old son.

The white FurReal Friends Lulu's Walkin' Kitty was a huge hit with our daughter. This toy retails for $19.99 . . . only $5 more than the FurReal Newborns. This kitty, which also comes in white and orange, can walk, meow, purr, and make a kneading motion.

I think the only phrase I can use to describe how our daughter reacted when her new kitty walked right up to her is utterly delighted. Our real cats do not do that. I think the fact that this cat has a little pink nose and fluffy white medium length fur reminds our daughter of our real cat Buffy, who would never allow anyone to cuddle with her like this.

This FurReal cat does everything a young child would look for in a toy cat. When you manually extend this cat's front legs, she makes a kneading motion when she is triggered to walk. This toy is very user-friendly for preschoolers. There is only one trigger on the cat's back, which is fairly easy to find.

The FurReal Friends Newborns retail for $14.99 . Our kindergartner chose the baby bird. I think he shares his father's fascination about exotic birds. The FurReal Newborn Baby Bird chirps and flaps its wings when hungry. Then when my son feeds the bird with the included bottle, a sensor inside the bird's mouth triggers a sucking sound.

Another cool feature about this bird is that the claws are jointed so that it can perch. With enough patience, our son was able to get the baby bird to perch on his arm while using his body to help it balance.

The FurReal Newborn Puppy Beagle is more subtle than the other two animals we received. For this reason, this particular FurReal Newborn may be better for an older child. This puppy moves his head and opens/closes his eyes to different degrees while making the corresponding puppy sounds. This puppy's body is mostly soft, as are its legs, so it is always in the laying down position.

Although this puppy also came with a bottle for feeding like the Newborn Baby Bird, he did not have an opening built into his mouth. I think this disappointed my 3yr old son a little bit. Instead, he had to pretend to give the puppy its bottle by holding it up to the puppy's mouth.

Even though this puppy does not walk or make drinking sounds, he is still very cuddly and is the perfect size for a preschooler to care for.

To view the full line of FurReal Friends products, which includes a vast variety of different types of animals, visit Hasbro.com . You can find FurReal Friends at most local and online toy retailers of Hasbro products.

Thank you to Hasbro for sending us three sample toys free of charge to base this review upon.

Review: Playskool Dino-Roars Monty Rex

The latest member of our menagerie is just as noisy and playful as the rest, except he never makes a mess and does not cost a fortune to feed. Of course we all know that dinosaurs are extinct, but this Dino-Roars Monty Rex by Playskool is the next best thing. He stands about 15" high and is programmed to interact with your child in several different ways.

The Monty Rex roars, eats, burps, sniffs, wags his tail, purrs, snorts, stomps, and even swings his tail to his own music. The majority of Monty's tricks only happen as an appropriate reaction to something your child does.



Take a minute to watch this video of our kindergartner Jake interacting with Monty Rex . . .

What my family and I thought about this interactive toy dinosaur:

1) Our nearly six year old son Jake was drawn to Monty Rex instantly. My husband and I also gave him a pretty high coolness rating. Our 2-1/2 yr old son was indifferent towards this toy and his twin sister was slightly afraid of Monty's roar and large teeth.

2) I like how the interactions have different levels. For example, if you feed Monty Rex, he chomps and makes ravenous sounds. If you feed him many times consecutively, he will burp.


3) The dinosaur's head, jaw, arms, legs, and tail all move. Although he must seem extremely realistic to a child, if his eyes moved also, it would have made him that much more realistic.

4) My kindergartner says his favorite thing about Monty is that he stomps. This toy actually walks while making stomping sounds. I think what actually appeals to my son is that the dinosaur moves without a remote control like his other R/C toys.

5) Some of Monty's actions were easier to trigger than others. For example, he roars every time someone roars at him. Also, the buttons along his back were consistent and triggered him to roar, wag his tail, and walk fairly easily. The trigger for eating inside Monty's mouth, the one for purring under his chin, and the one for snorting/sniffing on his nose were not as easy to push at times.

6) I think it would have been a nice touch to include a plastic bone rather than one made of cardboad, which does not hold up very well when played with repeatedly.

7) Even as an adult, I thing that this toy has a lot of personality. I find him to be endearing, even when he is trying to be ferocious.

I think a child who is not skiddish would love to find this toy under the tree Christmas morning. You can find Monty Rex and more animals from the Playskool Kota & Pals line on HasbroToyShop.com .


Thank you to Hasbro Playskool for providing us with a review product free of charge.