At a glance:
Meet a cast of six hungry characters by inserting activity cards to explore colours, counting, flavours and numbers and play a creativity and stacking game. Your little one can follow the animals' instructions and test sequencing, memory and matching skills to build their orders. They can press the bell when the order is ready and pay at the magic till.
Would you recommend this to other mums?
Aimee: I would recommend this to a friend because it is safe for children to play with and keeps them entertained for quite some time. I think it's great value for money. Not only is it a great toy for the children to play with, it is also a great tool for learning colours and numbers The colours are really bright and engaging too.
Kelly: The cart sings as you push it, which my little one loves. It has a volume control which is nice for parents. The design is clever as the scoop recognises the flavour and will say the colour or the flavour. My two-year-old repeats some of the colours back, helping him learn. It has a lot of different features and the cards read out different challenges. They are too complex for my little one but it will continue to challenge him as he grows. It has two storage compartments meaning it can be packed away easily.
Danielle: Both of my children were thrilled with this toy. It is brightly coloured and is very interactive. If the batteries run out, you can still use all the features. Being busy mum, battery changing is low on my list of priorities. The design of the cart is sturdy. The ice cream scoop is attached which is a massive positive as we are always losing things. Having two volume settings means the repetitive noises are less annoying. My son loves the bell and watching the lit up face which speaks. The parts are easy to clean.
How did this product make your life easier?
Catherine: My son can play with this independently for short periods as well as with others. This has been very useful as it allows me to empty the dishwasher, put the washing machine or tumble dryer on while he plays with it in the same room. It also allows me to have the occasional hot cup of tea while he plays and makes me different ice cream flavours!
Toni: The product was good fun and encouraged my two-year-old to start using his imagination. However, we found that he was too young to be interested in following the instructions on the prompt cards, even with our encouragement. He was more interested in making his own ice creams and tipping the cart over, giving us something else to clean up.
Gemma: The toy is very interactive and has lots of different features for little ones to play with. I like how it helps with colours and that it encourages sharing. It is quite unique and I haven’t seen another toy like this.
Would you choose this product to win?
Joanne: Children just love it! That has to be one of the most important criteria for a toy! For the parents, there is the learning side of it. Although very simple it does have memory elements. The price is the main negative - I wouldn't say it's worth £49.99. I'd actually expect it to do more for this price! It's a shame it is so expensive as I've had friends who love it but once they hear the retail price they agree it's too much.
Katharine: I would choose this item as it’s good value for money. It has quite a range of functions and educational aspects. My children aged two, three and five all enjoyed playing with it. It’s different to other toys on the market as it encourages imagination as well as teaching them concepts around numbers.
Amy: I think the Scoop and Learn Ice Cream Cart is a really fun toy as it is very interactive. It is quite educational in terms of supporting counting and colour recognition. I think it is a great tool for practising listening skills which isn’t something every toy can do. It is good fun and has kept my children entertained for long periods of time, both together, with a group of friends and as individuals. Overall, I would definitely recommend it as an amusing toy that will aid learning.
What changes would you make to this product?
Clare: We do really like this ice cream cart in our house. Both of our children aged two and five have happily played independently or together with it. If we had to choose one thing to improve I would suggest making it for more ages groups. Like a ‘grow’ with me type toy. It does have a more expensive price tag, so if this toy could have features added to make it last a little longer it would be better. You could add a walker to start with or more complex activities. This would make it a very good toy to invest in.
Aimee: If I could change anything about the product I would change the size. I would make it a little bit bigger so more than one child could easily play with it at the same time. Other than that, I really wouldn't change anything about it as I think it is great as it is. The children play with it on a daily basis and haven't got bored of it yet.
Kelly: The way it moves. It has wheels at one end and a stand at the other end (to look like an ice cream cart). So to move it, you should lift one end up slightly with the handle and tip the cart. When you do this, all of the accessories on top tend to fall off. This means my little one ends up pulling it around with the stand on the floor which is wearing our hardwood floors a little. It would be better if it had wheels at both ends.