Hello again, babynames.co.uk reader!
Today we have reviewed the VTech baby Toot-Toot Friends Helpful Hospital for you all. It is a lovely toy that is part of their Toot-Toot range and is sure to entertain your children and help stimulate their young minds. Here is the official product description from VTech:
“Doctor Doug comes with a hospital featuring three MagicPoint locations, each with their own reactions and a rolling bed. Press his light-up button and he will introduce himself, sharing things he likes and singing two songs. Experience Doctor Doug’s friendly personality, phrases, motion, lights and more with MagicPoint locations on Toot-Toot Friends accessories and playsets (sold separately). MagicPoint locations encourage imaginative play and emphasise cause and effect relationships, language development, sensory development, motor skills.”
DESIGN
The first thing that really stands out with this toy set are the colours – the are vibrant and bold, and will surely attract any child’s attention. The whole hospital set itself is quite big, measuring in at 13.3 x 45 x 29.5 cm, so it will take up quite a bit of space in your child’s room. However, don’t let the size put you off because the whole set packs quite a lot into it, and every bit of space can be used for play.
It also does a great job of looking like a hospital and will no doubt make children curious about the medical profession. There is an examination room at the top, connected to the lower with a movable lift. There are also nice details, such as the eye test poster and stickers with medicine and clipboards. This is a great way to educate your child on doctors, nurses and hospitals as well as working on their fine motor skills when they navigate each feature included in the hospital itself.
It is made up of a strong plastic that is very easy to clean. All it needs is a damp towel to clean it off completely and there is no need to specially wash it. However, like many toys, it may get dusty over time so you may need to give it a good dusting if it is not stored away. The plastic itself is very durable and resistant to scratches, but not so hard that it would hurt your child if they accidentally knocked into it. The plastic is also smooth enough that all of the small features – the moving lift, the eye exam, the heigh measure and the scales – all work well and we do not think it would wear down over time.
The whole premise of this particular hospital set is that Dr. Doug is the in house GP and this is the hospital where he helps people feel better. What is really very fun about this set (although it may also be a drawback to some), is that you can buy more characters from other sets to act as patients and Dr. Doug will be able to have a conversation with them. By pressing the button on Dr. Doug’s chest, he will say a series of friendly phrases and even sing a song or two. While this is a really nifty piece of technology, it does mean that if you do not want to invest in further VTech sets, then Dr. Doug will have no one to interact with and your child may get bored with him.
However, if this VTech set has made you want to buy more, there is also a garage, an animal farm, an airport and a construction site, all of which are compatible with one another and can be attached to create a full ‘town.’ Obviously, another drawback is that if you decide to buy all the sets and connect them to each other, it will take up a lot of space. We did not find it very difficult to dissemble any of the pieces, so we imagine that it would not take long to set up for playtime and then store it away at the end of the day to save space.
The VTech Baby Toot-Toot Friends Helpful Hospital currently retails for £14.97, which is discounted from its full price of £30, so now would be a great time to buy it if you are thinking of picking up a set for your little one. This toy is recommended for children aged 12 months to 5 years, and we imagine that it has enough appeal to last your child for several years before they grow out of it, so it is quite good value for money.
OUR VERDICT: 👏👏👏👏
In summary: A great way to educate your child while also promoting fun and play, the VTech Baby Toot-Toot Friends Helpful Hospital is a robust toy that we can see lasting your child for quite a few years to come. It is full of small details that will keep your child engaged and entertained and we think this is a great toy for any budding doctors in your family!
