I’m all for durable toys, yes Aidan has enough McDonalds toys to start a play franchise, but when it comes to spending my own coin (he buys happy meals with “his own money” ) on things, I look for durability. Especially since Aidan’s toys inevitably become, Caleb’s toys then Liam’s.
When it comes to durable toys one brand has stood out for us: Little Tikes. Read on to see why I think that and which new Little Tikes had joined our collection.
So why do I think Little Tikes get the durable toys award? well because I received a little car in a goodie bag in 2014 and it is still in awesome condition. Aidan gifted it to a friend so I could not take a picture of it, but the last time I saw the little car it did not show a hint of having been chewed on, stepped on or being thrown across the room – because it was stepped on.
This is why, when Little Tikes sent us the Little Tikes Slammin’ Racer and the Dirt Diggers Plow and Wrecking Ball for review, I knew that the quality would be good. It’s not cheap, the Digger is R360ish and the Racer R800ish, but this isn’t a discount toy where the box has instructions in broken English and Superman is more pink than red.
These are durable toys and I can say this with confidence because Aidan, Caleb and Liam put it through it’s paces. I mean they tried to ride the digger and it lives to tell the tale, also they routinely crash the racer into walls and not so much as a scratch.
So what did we think of the durable toys now in our collection
Little Tikes Slammin’ Racer
Slamming the top of the car will have it speeding off across the room. It has real lights and sounds (seriously I accidentally stepped on our fire truck themed one one evening and thought a car crash happened outside). They can go 100mph and come in four variations. Off-Road SUV, Police Car, Pick-Up Truck, Fire Engine.
It is super sturdy, and chunky, no small pieces to break off and get lost. It’s slam down on the big button and there it goes. It goes over wood floors (no scratches) over my long pile carpet, over cobblestones – seriously the only thing that can stop it is a wall. Or me putting it away because I need some peace and quiet.
Dirt Diggers Plow and Wrecking Ball
This construction vehicle is a toy bulldozer, plow and wrecker all in one. It’s built for the sand and dirt – kind of like the boys are- but to date I’ve had them build building with blocks and then knock them down. I am totally taking it to the beach though, just to watch them build the biggest sand castle and then have fun knocking it down.
The plow moves in all four directions while the crane moves up and down. The crane can also be pulled out to raise the wrecking ball and the wrecking ball can be moved up and down with a cute little lever. Meanwhile the whole cabin rotates 360 degrees. It’s super rugged and chunky and the best part is it makes no sounds and needs no batteries to work.
Final thoughts
I think the toys are pretty neat, the boys have been playing with it since it arrived, which is saying a lot with the attention span of little kids. Check out my instaTV and Facebook for a video on what the boys thought…
