After we received our shoes, Dimitri, 15 months, and I took them on the road for a test drive. We put them on bright and early for a big day including play group and lunch with friends. So right off the bat Dimitri dumped the entire Cat’s water dish on his shoes, amazingly the water did not hamper them much, they wiped right off, saving me much time in my morning. The moment I walked into the room at play group several mothers were exclaiming about the cuteness of his shoes. They are very brightly colored and Dimitri tends to think of them as toys rather than clothing. Everyone seemed impressed with how sturdy they were yet they are still flexible enough for a Toddler to feel the floor. It was agreed that the universal downfall is the fact they do not come in larger sizes. Dimitri is wearing the largest size, a five. Many mothers that I talked to wanted their children in flexible sole footwear through their fifth birthday. Overall I am pleased with the shoes, a good crossover between infant and big kid shoes.

Jessamy

Dimitri is totally crazed about musical instruments. He has a veritable orchestra’s worth already, including a drum, an adult harmonica, whistles, maracas and more that I am forgetting. So I was very excited about receiving musical instruments intended for little ones from Little First Act Discovery. The Build-a-Drum is comprised of wooden blocks that you match up with colors and balance on end, with the top on, it becomes a pretty good Drum.

Dimitri has a good time with the blocks, and he and his father have been practicing colors and stacking. I enjoy toys like the Build-a-Drum because they are: a) not electronic and b) they are great toys for several age levels.
The My First Harmonica that we received was very brightly colored and appalling. Dimitri immediately wanted to play with it. Unfortunately he was not able to blow hard enough to make a noise. His adult harmonica is easy for him to use, so that was disappointing. Since Dimitri is only fifteen months and the Harmonica is recommended for eighteen months and up I thought to be fair I should let some other ages try it. Up through age two, kids seemed to have a hard time grasping the concept. The Harmonica has plastic ergonomic handles that young children want to suck on, but alas that produces no noise. Ages 3 and up, however, loved “My first Harmonica”. They spent a long time passing it around and dancing, as a matter of fact, they loved it so much that there were tears when I had to take it home. Dimitri still thinks it is a pretty great toy, he brings it to use to play for him frequently. Unfortunately, this story does have a sad ending. The harmonica has lost 3 of its 4 notes to a severe dunking in the fish tank. Apparently no one anticipated underwater use.

Jessamy

Ruth and Warren love their new adorable hand-painted shoes from Monkey-Toes! Ruth wears the ever-popular Little Lady mary janes, and Warren has the Silly Monkey tennis shoes. Ruth was more than willing to share her delight over both pairs of shoes. Warren, however, is a very private person and would not allow Kids Know Stuff to put him on the site. He assures us that he loves the curly laces and the silly faces on his shoes, but he would like to remain anonymous.

Abby