I hope you're experiencing copious amounts thereof this afternoon.
We have been playing with a new toy here in Castle Namastè, and it is so much fun. Baby Namastè received the Love2Learn Elmo character plush, and he is so enamored with it. I've been battling a cold and some exhaustion, so Elmo has proven quite valuable.
NOTE: This isn't really a review post. More like a recommendation. I just wanted to tell you about it because it's so awesome. The holiday season is here and I'll be sharing my favorite toys and gadgets because A) I'm a big kid at heart and B) I love writing about things I love!
Anyway...Brass tacks.
Sesame Street is a big thing in Castle Namastè. We watch it with Baby Namastè in the mornings. He loves when we clap and sing along. Elmo is his favorite character besides Cookie Monster and Big Bird.
See specs here.
This toy is very well-designed. It can be programmed with one of 10,000 names! Baby Namastè's name isn't common at all (unless you are Indian--then it might be ) so we were beyond chuffed to see three of his monikers there, correctly pronounced!
Now...babies and toys are hit and miss generally. Baby Namastè likes music and sounds, but we weren't sure how he'd take to the very lifelike Elmo. We decided it'd be best to get him set up forst, then kinda put him in the play space and let Baby Namastè decide how to approach.
Elmo is Bluetooth enabled. He connects to your smartphone or tablet. (We went through the setup and customization on my phone, a Galaxy Note 5, and my tablet, a Galaxy Tab 4.) There's no USB or computer needed, and the app is available on both Apple and Android devices. The instructions and menu are very straightforward. It took about 3 minutes to complete.
The instructions:
The Bluetooth screen:
The app!
The toy is legitimately designed to be like your kid's friend. You can set Elmo to give cues and prompts for things like brushing teeth, potty time, manners. It even has prompts for military parents, holidays, and special occasions like welcoming a new sibling. (Ain't gonna need that one around here. Touch wood, I think we are #namasDONE!)
After seeing Elmo on his show every morning, Baby Namastè is quite familiar with the little red dude. He claps his hands when he sees him, so we felt like he could appreciate having his very own Elmo to play with and talk to. Their first meeting...
He wasn't too impressed right off, but he wasn't afraid. When he realized Elmo could talk, his eyes lit up and he flashed a huge grin. He was immediately curious about him, especially when we watched Sesame Street the following morning and Elmo was on TV and beside the baby in his Boppy!
I like early education. I work with Baby Namastè on simple sign language, as well as do simple counting and color recognition. We talk about everything we see, from letters to numbers. I believe in losing the groundwork for academic success early, and having fun as we do so. Elmo fits my agenda because he boasts 3 levels of learning games--from very rudimentary to preschool level.
This app! I love it. I can have Elmo introduce a specific subject (for instance, we talked today about vegetables--Elmo could join in because he is programmed with my baby's favorite veggies) or sing a song relevant to a covered topic. Elmo's content level can be adjusted or customized via the app, as well as his volume. He even has a sleepy time setting. When he is engaged in night-night mode, he plays a soft lullaby and snores. Mom or Dad can wake him via the app, or he wakes automatically after 10 hours.
There are counting games and an animal find puzzle type game. Here they are doing letter cards on the tab.
I like the versatility of this one, y'all. Elmo goes from learning time to play time to nap time (snee time around here--nap is a dirty word) without boring the baby or annoying the parents.
This toy makes it into the HoliTAYÈ Showcase on cuteness alone, but it cements its spot by being a solid entertainment source. Besides, any toy that can go from learning to snee time and still have my baby's interest is golden.
I look forward to seeing if and how he interacts with his Elmo as he gets older.
Stay tuned here and be sure to scoot on over to our Facebook, because that's where the videos and giveaways happen. *wink* Join in the conversations, let me know what you're thinking about!
☞ Facebook.com/NamasteWithTayeK
Namastè!
-- Tayè K. ♡
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