Little Touch LeapPad Reviews

• Great features, tough to use

  
  By AASGFDI9OJPUK on 2003-09-26
  We, like many of you, were REALLY excited to see a LeapPad for little ones and bought it as soon as we could, with extra books. It is an amazing little toy that will grow with our son (now 18 months old).

  That said, be warned of a few things:
  1-the effects on the pages are tough to activate by little hands--you really have to push hard to make them happen. But once you do, they're really great, easy to understand and add to the enjoyment of the story.
  2-the on/off and volume buttons--are on the front and if your little one is manic about the remote or phone or any other button intensive thing, this is too much for them to resist. I simply put my hand over it to take it out of his head as soon as we start.
  3-this is NOT a let your child play with by themselves kind of toy (as least not mine, not yet). It's meant to be an interactive experience between parent and child--in fact, there are even helpful hints on how to better use the book in the back of each book. The GO button must be pushed for each page, something I doubt most small children would grasp in order to keep the story going.
  4-the clarity of speech in the stories is fantastic--the variety of voices and sounds is really quite remarkable considering the price. But it is not your voice. And, frankly, nothing compares to you reading to your child.

  All in all, I think this is a fantastic toy to expose children to, learn with them, and then allow them to learn on their own--when they're ready.
  
  

• Needs work.

  
  By A1QW8PXY6Q95A on 2003-10-17
  I really like the leap pad products for my children. However, this one needs allot of work. The pages are really flimsy and is difficult to operate. My 18 month old toddler wanted just to push the on/off button. They need to make several adjusments to this item. It was hard even for me to push the touch system. I am hoping that they will change this item around to be more user friendly to the specified age group. It is a great
  idea but poorly made. The touch is nice and should be more sensitive or have less pages, or something to the fact that they don't have to pound on the pad to get a response. I know leap pad can do better. We took this item back to the store ASAP! The pillow in the back is a nice idea.
  
  

• Not for Active Babies

  
  By on 2003-11-07
  I bought this for my daughter (9 months old) before a big plane trip when she was 8 months thinking it would keep her entertained while we were on the plane. Bad idea on my part. She is so active and busy all the time that she hated looking at this book. She rips out the little book all the time (in my opinion it comes out way to easy) and throws it. She also couldn't push hard enough on the book to make it do anything. I found I really had to poke it hard to get anything to play. I didn't take it back thinking she might like it later but everytime I take it out she moves right on to something else. She loves books so I was really surprised she didn't like this but she didn't at all. I would save my money and buy board books that you can read with your baby.
  One good thing is that the pages really are tear resistant, she has tried many times to rip them apart and chew on them and besides for being a little bent they are still in good shape. If you are going to buy this save it for 1+ years.
  
  

• Learning is a Joy!

  
  By on 2003-09-10
  When I first tried the LittleTouch I was mesmerized with the stories and songs. So was my lttle girl. The animation is so original and the music is easy to remember. I love the positive spin the child hears when an error is made and there is every encouragement given to try and try to do better. The size is good for little hands and easy to use for a little one. This is a great introduction to music, and the best way for a child to grow up learning to love learning. It is easy to keep their interest because of the movement and the color and the sound competing for attention in such a fun filled way. I love Leap Frog and just know I'm doing to best for my children when I see them using the Leap Pad and now the LittleTouch LeapPad on their own. Thanks for making toys that challenge children's minds and let then enjoy doing so.
  
  

• Grandmother's Alert

  
  By A2Y1HVFMFXZGTE on 2003-09-05
  After reading the reviews, I am at a loss to understand how any grandparent with grandchildren 6 months to 6 years old could not appreciate this amazing product. I am always looking for ways to help my grandchildren learn while making it fun a the same time. I cannot get my 3 year old to put the LittleTouch LeapPad down. She loves the Naked Baby Blues and the Guess How Much I Love You songs and I love the whole toy. If I had had the opportunity to have toys like this when my children were little, I know they would have been the first thing I would have bought for them. The value is in the smiles on their faces when they think they're playing and I KNOW they're learning. Keep up the good work, Leap Frog, and keep new products coming!
  
  
• Not for my baby:-(
  By A9U7PXU3KB94D on 2004-03-13
  Hello,
  For my baby's first birthday, my aunt got her a cartridge for the Little Leap Pad thinking that she already had one, but she didn't. So I thought "what a perfect reason to go shopping and get one!"
  I ran out to the store and got the leap pad, and another cartridge. I was so excited that as soon as I got home, I took it out of the box, and threw the box away (Hey - it's Leap Frog, its going to be awesome! so I thought).
  First of all, I agree with everyone here that says that the things are very hard to press on the pages. I had a hard time doing it, so I couldn't imagine Maddie doing it as hard as you have to before she is 3!
  Also, the speaker sounds like the speakers in my car when they are blown. I didn't think that this is high quality sound like the packaging says!
  My last complaint is that you have to press go everytime that you turn the page. What under 3 year old is going to understand this? Oh wait - I lied, I have one more thing to say. I was confused when I was playing with it. There are so many activities on each page, and I didn't know when to go on to the next page!
  I am not at all happy with this toy. The day after I bought this, I decided to return it - but wait - I threw the box away! Luckely we have a dumpster, so I made my husband go dumpster diving and get the box back. (The dumpster was pretty empty. Thank Goodness!) So back to the store it went along with the games. I am going to wait until she is 3 and get the first leap pad. I think that that is a better one to start with.
  I think that reading to your child will have a better effect than this will. I don't believe that this toy adds anything nor can it beat reading to your child.
  Thanks for reading this;-).
  
  
• Difficult for the kids and parents
  By on 2003-10-09
  We were very excited about this product, but due to following things returned it.

  1. The touch does not work, you have to push the finger for it to work

  2. The ON-OFF button is in front and "fun" for the kids, so they tend to press that more often.

  3. To start on the next page the kid has to tap on "Go", not intutive for 15 month old.

  4. The paper book is easy to tear-off.

  May be we will wait for LeapFrog to fix some of these problems, or better wait for our son to grow and use "My First LeapPad" instead of this product.
  
  

• Great effort for a toddler LeapPad, but...
  By on 2003-08-17
  I bought this for my 19 month old son and was soooooo excited that they had developed one for his age group. Unfortunately, I'll be returning it tomorrow. The main problem for us comes from the fact the on and off button and volume button are right on the front of the toy! How is a toddler to know the difference between touching the book or the button? It's a button just dying to pushed to my son. He turns it on and off, on and off. And before we can continue with an actual activity, he has turned it off again! I let him push it to his heart's content thinking maybe he would get it out of his system, but he hasn't. In addition, the activity cards (not the book) have a hard time staying in the pad when he touches them. He got excited with the music and pounded them, and everytime they fell out. The pages for the book are very thin, and although they are durable, they turn way too easily for a toddler, and then we are are on the wrong page for the activity! All in all, I'm really bummed we won't be keeping this. Maybe if he was older and had a little more motor control and the power button was on back it would work for us, but at that point I would have just bought the next pad in line!
  
  
• So Far So Good
  By ANIR0LQQA6QWM on 2004-07-15
  I'd read a few reviews about this toy and the Fisher Price Power Touch toy (which is for older kids) and had just about decided to buy the Fisher Price one because of all the bad reviews this one had received here, when I saw this toy in a store. It didn't seem all that bad and, most importantly for me, it had a volume control button (my 9-month old daughter is easily frightened by loud noises).

  I must say that I have to agree with all those people who said that this toy is GREAT! Firstly, I think people need to remember that the toy is for 6 to 36-month old babies / toddlers. So I believe the whole intention is for you to play the toy with your child and not leave them to try and figure out the instructions themselves or even push the pad themselves. Of course once they get closer to 3 years of age, they may be able to do it - all the better for them. Secondly, I don't think this is intended to replace reading of regular books to your child. On the other hand, not all parents have a natural knack for making story-reading a fun experience (e.g. making different voices or sounds, singing etc.) and so for those parents, this could be a God-send.

  In fact, I would recommend that this toy be bought sooner rather than later (i.e. when the child is closer to 6 months old than 36 months old). This is so that you can begin playing this toy with your child before they reach their active stage. By the time they do reach that stage, they will have learnt that for this particular toy, they are required to sit still. (I regret that I did not get this toy for my daughter much earlier.)

  The toy is good for various reasons :

  - it's durable - although my daughter will sit with me to play this toy, she has also climbed all over it (and has in that way managed to activate the sounds), crushed, yanked and drooled on the pages of the books and they still manage to flatten out some how on their own;

  - there's volume control (important for keeping everyone else sane and for not frightening a timid child) and the sound quality is actually quite good. I have definitely heard worse at higher prices;

  - there are good tips given on how to encourage your child - e.g. the "Guess How Much I Love You" book suggests that you ask your child to point out the butterfly that appears on every page. It took my daughter less than two minutes to learn this game. She points it out to me and I press the butterfly for her and the Touch Pad rewards her with a tune. She loves this and gets really pleased with herself. I have done this with the "GO" button too and she is also getting the hang of it. Having done this with the Touch Pad, she now points out recurring objects in regular books (sometimes without being asked)even without a tune as a reward;

  - there are lots of things to press / do on each page. I cannot understand how anyone can be confused as to when to turn the page! There is no need to do all the activities on a page before you turn it. That's the beauty of such a toy - every time you and your child come back to it, you get to discover something new or rediscover something you enjoyed last time!

  - it reinforces other things the child learns elsewhere - for example, my daughter learnt to wave and say "bye bye" by 7 and a half months and generally we have little doubt that she knows what it means. But I was amazed when the first time I turned the Touch Pad off, it said "bye bye" and she replied in kind and waved to it. She does this each time and she knows that it means it's time to move on to another activity.

  With regards to the problems other people have had :

  - my daughter also took great interest in the on/off button (she touched it but didn't press it). However, after a couple of times of telling her not to do that, she has stopped doing it.

  I completely agree with Melanie Gamble from Oklahoma and also the "Toy Enthusiast" from PA who said that parents should give their kids a chance and not set an example of "giving up" when things are a little tough.

  The only complaint I have is that the Leap Frog website does not sell online to customers outside the US, which means I will have to hunt down the other books and cartridges I want for my daughter. (In case anyone wonders, Amazon doesn't sell / ship these "toys" to this part of the world either.)
  
  

• Not a Toy of Babies
  By A1FI032CRK3EKX on 2003-09-04
  I love leap frog and was so very excited when they came out with a leap pad for the younger children however THIS IS NOT A TOY FOR 6 MONTHS +. It is an expensive disappointment. It is just bad marketing. It is a toy for 18 months +. My daughter is 10 months old and she cannot use the toy. The book pages do not tear but they are able to be crinckled they are a paper with a fabric weaver in them. Why they did not make these a type of board book pages I will never understand. The activite boards you used instead of the book are also paper and my daughter can pull them right out. There is no real secure way to keep them attached to the board since only the top two corners slide in. This is a wonderful toy but I cannot even imagine a 10 month old using it let alone a 6 month old as stated on the box. Also an adult has to press the go sign on each book page so a child cannot play with this alone. If you child is 18 months + it may be great but if they are younget than that I say pass it by and buy the activity table.
  
  
• so far so good
  By on 2003-09-13
  After reading the reviews, I think one's satisfaction with the toy depends on your child. We love this toy so far and haven't encountered any problems that people have stated. My 20 month old daughter is very into it and seems to enjoy the first book that came with it. I agree that the power and volume should go on the back of the toy but my daughter hasn't pushed those buttons, so i'm not annoyed at the toy for that :) She does like to flip the pages more frequently, so I am pushing the "go" button quite a bit. But I don't mind... to me this is a toy that I will sit and play with her. At her age, I did not plan on sitting her in front of this toy to play alone. She has plenty of other toys to do that with. By using it together, I hope that the novelty of the toy won't wear off and it won't become lost amongst the others in the toybox ;)
  
  
• Little Touch is not so bad--our 16 month old enjoys it!
  By on 2003-11-27
  We purchased the Little Touch for our 16-month-old son for Christmas, but gave it to him early to see if he could operate it and liked it, considering some of the poor reviews I had read. We wanted to make sure we were going to keep it before purchasing additional cartridges for the system. We have had it about one week now, and my son really enjoys the book that came with the system, as well as the additional cards (especially the animal alphabet and tappin' tunes). Although he is a book lover, he enjoys pressing the items on the pages and hearing the sound effects and music more than having me read the story with him. I don't doubt that he is learning, though; he presses the purple shoe, hears the tune, and points at his own shoe. He doesn't have much of a problem with the touch; however, he doesn't understand that he has to press the green "go" circle each time he turns the page, which I think further reinforces that this is an interactive toy for parent and child, rather than a toy for independent play. Hopefully, as he gets older, he will understand how to do this. I also agree with the reviews stating that the "on-off" button is a problem--the first several times we used the leappad, he constantly turned the system off and on. However, he seems to be figuring out that the system will not work unless it is "on" and isn't as fixated on that anymore. All in all, I don't think the Little Touch deserves quite the bad rap it is getting, although I do agree that some improvements could be made.
  
  
• Fantastic - touch pad needs to be broken in
  By A37Q4GYU3XPXU2 on 2004-09-01
  I purchased the LittleTouch LeapPad for my daughter when she was 7 months old, and at the time I thought it was great, but I was soon dissappointed because of some of the drawbacks other reviewers have commented on.
  
  However, now at 17 months, she uses it ALL THE TIME. It is durable, and the books and activity cards never seem to get old. She loves to pick it up, carry it over to me and sit in my lap for 15 minutes or more playing with it. Anything that holds my toddler's interest that long is simply amazing. She is able to identify several letters and many animals, in part because she LOVES the activity card with the 'Animal Alphabet'.
  
  The reason I am writing this review is to address a concern that so many others have mentioned. It is true that it is hard for little fingers to push on the pad and get it to respond - but only at first. With use, the pad has softened and it has become much easier for her to press on the pages herself. The toy simply needs to be 'broken in' a bit before it can be enjoyed to the fullest.
  
  There are a few design flaws that Leap Frong could improve on:
  
  1. The on/off button needs to be hidden.
  
  2. There should be a setting memory. My daughter gets upset when she turns it off and on and can't get her favorite things to make the sounds or say the words she wants them to.
  
  3. The activity cards are too easy to remove. My daughter loves them, but she spends half the time taking them out and flipping them over to see what's on the other side.
  
  4. Navigation could be easier. Until recently, my daughter didn't understand that you have to hit the GO circle to activate each page.
  
  5. The velcro that holds the stuffed pillow onto the toy wears out quickly. This is annoying but worth the trouble of fixing.
  
  In spite of these flaws I am still giving the LittleTouch LeapPad a 5-star rating because of the endless enjoyment my daughter continues to get out of the toy. We are going to be flying this weekend, and along with a new LeapPad book, it will be the main toy I plan to bring on board.
  
  
• Not Impressed
  By A2XDDJS9XUFBMI on 2004-08-02
  My daughter received this as a 1 yr old birthday gift. At the time I thought - "this will be great - she seems to enjoy stories like Mr Brown Can Moo - and it would be fun to hear other voices make the animals sounds ocassionally, in addition to reading the other fun stories with music and sounds. Well, I was somewhat disappointed. Please keep in mind that my daughter absolutely LOVES books and would rather read than play with other toys.
  
  PROS:
  - It offers an alternative to mom/dad always reading a story the same way.
  - Helps the child create memories and use imagination when hearing sounds.
  - Pages seem to hold up pretty well to the rigours of a small child.
  - Sounds/words are very clear and audible
  
  CONS:
  - On/off button and volume button is on the front of the toy. It screams "touch me" I usually can't get thru 2 pages of a story w/out dd turning the toy off 5 times.
  - In order to make the sounds/ words go, you must push pretty hard. My daughter was gentle with her touch and it was nearly impossible for her to have enough force to push the "sounds".
  - Dd gets bored quickly because mom & dad have to do all the pushing (see comment above).
  - Books/ cartridges seem to get separated unless you keep them in a large container or in their original boxes (of which the company doesn't not include one with the toy - - so where do you put the original cartridge/book that comes with the toy?).
  - Not many "add-on" books/ cartridges
  
  We've resorted to just letting her turn the pages by herself and push the on/off button as many times as she wants. We don't even try to read the stories to her.
  Don't waste your money on this one. Stick to old-fashioned books (book boards) and work on your singing/ sounds voice.
  
  DD IS NOW 2 YEARS OLD AND SHE HAS OVER THE LAST FEW MONTHS STARTED TO USE THIS TOY AS IT WAS INTENDED. SHE STILL PUSHES THE ON/OFF BUTTON AND VOLUMEN BUTTONS A LOT, HOWEVER SHE NOW UNDERSTANDS ABOUT PUSHING THE GREEN "GO" BUTTON BEFORE THE PICTURES WILL MAKE THE CORRECT SOUNDS AND HAS ENOUGH FORCE TO DO SO. ALSO, IT'S NICE TO SEE THAT THEY'VE COME OUT WITH MORE THAN 4 CARTRIDGES/BOOKS.
  
  ALTHOUGH IS BEEN A YEAR LATER, MY OPINION IS STILL THE SAME. THE BOX SAYS 0-36 MONTHS. BY THE TIME THAT A CHILD IS OLD ENOUGH TO USE THE PRODUCT CORRECTLY, THEY'VE ALMOST GOTTEN TO THE POINT THAT THEY COULD JUST USE THE NEXT LEVEL UP OF LEAPFROG. I WOULD STILL SAY SKIP THIS ONE.
  
  
• Not for independent play .... Go older or stay with books
  By A3LVFN3SWL5IB0 on 2003-11-24
  We bought this for our 23 month old who loves books after seeing a friend's son play with his leappad. This is a toy that your child will probably not play with by themselves.

  Just pressing the pad requires too much force (even adults seemed to have trouble getting it to work)and understanding the "press go" concept with each page change is probably too advanced for this target age. Rather than just naming items the Little Touch gives each object a Ryming song or sound effect, Perhaps stimulating (read annoying) but actually less educational than the Leappad for the next age group. Or gives a challege but with no reward when properly answered.

  We traded our Little Touch in for My First Leappad figuring that if we were going to play with him we might as well get the older model and let him grow into it. He actually does better with the pen (because it works better) than with touching the pages. I would suggest that others do the same or stay with books. Our son loves "The First Thousand Words" by Osborn.

  For the age range they claim to be aiming for Leappad needs to make some big changes.
  
  

• Misunderstood Toy
  By A3UA76BIFMUYI4 on 2005-11-26
  My youngest son recieved this toy for his first birthday. Unfortunately, he is too little for it. I have a 2.5 year old who really is getting very much use from the LittleTouch Pad. We have no problems with the buttons, in fact he is able to turn the volume up and down and turn it on and off by himself. I really think it is a great introduction into the Leap Pad system because this particular pad is used with fingers not a pen. We have My 1st Leap Pad, and it is a little too advanced for a 2 year old to navigate in terms of learning and not just to point with the pen. The problem is that the age range is misleading, it should range from 2 and up. Another positive factor is that he understands the toy and does what the "narrarator" says to do. He now presses the "go" button to activate each page. I adgree with another reviewer, a little guidance and you have a busy toddler!
  
  P.S The pages are flimsy, but sturdy!
  
  
• Don't waste your money
  By AAPEQJ3Q0U8O3 on 2003-10-16
  This product was put together by a monkey that never had kids. If you buy the additonal books and cards you will never know what activity card goes with what cartridge. Leap Frog will offer no help with this. I called the help desk and they said good luck with that. It is to hard for a child of the 6-36 months to press the keys. Your child won't be able to push the object.
  
  
• Are you kidding me?
  By A2E0C0I8EKFFI on 2004-03-10
  I think my mouth is still open in the awe of some of these reviews. Of course it takes adult interaction - raising children takes adult interaction. But then again, they probably think it's great to sit their child in front of the tv all day too.
  The on/off switch is in a fun place to "play" with. Teach your child how it works and it won't be a problem. The pages are very sturdy to tearing, not to creasing, so teach your child care for books. The pad does take a little pressure to make some of the sounds come out, teach your child how to push with his/her pointer finger. If your child can push the lion to hear the roar, explain to me why your child can't push the green go circle to start the page - TEACH YOUR CHILD.
  Toys aren't babysitters, especially interactive educational toys. Sit with your child and explore this great toy together. There are many books out there to use on your little touch, including bilingual books, go buy them and learn WITH your child.
  It's truly ashame that some parents have returned this product b/c it took too much effort to play and learn with their child.
  
  
• dissapointed
  By ADVICUMDOKQUH on 2004-03-13
  My daughter's father bought this for her for christmas, she was about 21 months old at the time and a very active child. As with many of the other children she had problems with this toy. I sat down with her several times and tried to help her, but she's a very independent and stubborn little girl who does NOT want help from anyone. When I'd try to help her she'd get mad and throw the toy. I didn't want it to break and didn't want to give it away so have put it away in storage. May pull it out again this next christmas and see if things go any better. For any of you out there who are interested in this I'd suggest looking for it on EBay or at a yard sale where it will be lots cheaper..then if your child doesn't like it there won't be a loss for money. It's a shame they don't have this one on display in stores to try out like they do all of the other leap frog products.
  
  
• WONDERFUL Toy! Highly reccomend! Tons of together fun!!
  By AH5CA8MFL7S9B on 2003-11-06
  This is a great toy! I usually do not like electronic toys, because I want to be the one teaching my babies, not electronic toy. But, this one is different. It's great. This is a toy that you and your baby use together. I bought this for my daughter who was 20 months old. She loves it. The best cartridge for her age is the one called Baby Words (or simular to that title) and has a picture of a baby on. It has the funniest game that is a song that goes to a popular tune and goes "find the shirt, find the shirt (then baby presses the shirt) thank-You for finding the shirt". It's so funny! My older children LOVE playing this game with their baby sister. The books are sturdy. The toy is great. It's not really a toy that baby can play much on his/her own. It provides fun for both baby and Mom/Dad together. And lots of fun for an older sibling to play with baby with. There are 3 different levels that grow with your child. Highly reccomend!!
  
  
• Great Buy So Far
  By A20U32NQ4YMMBZ on 2004-07-23
  I bought the LeapPad for my 5 month old daughter and am very glad I did. We have been sitting together while she pushes on the pages and she really seems to enjoy it! Giggling and looks of surprise when she presses and makes the sounds come on. Unlike the other reviews, she's not having a hard time pressing on the page and she's 5 months old. Granted, she's pushing all over the page with her hand rather than pressing individual items with her finger, but I haven't found it hard to press when she points to things.
  
  As other reviewers have stated, this is a toy for both parent and baby to enjoy together. I think it's also great that the LeapPad has three different stages to grow with your baby. Right now, my daughter really enjoys the first music & sounds stage. The LeapPad's durability is also amazing. My daughter grabs the pages with wet, drooly hands and they don't rip and flatten out on their own.
  
  I would definitely recommend this to other parents. (Perhaps with the cautionary comments I have read in some of the reviews, however.)
  
  
• Some design flaws but an excellent toy nonetheless
  By A2FXSHH7ZK8RFX on 2004-11-19
  My son got this for his first birthday, and it is one of the toys he remains consistently interested in. As others have mentioned, it has a couple of key design flaws: 1) placement of the on/off switch and 2) you do have to press rather hard. I have to wonder what they were thinking when the made the on/off switch a bright green button right on the front - so much easier to activate than anything else on this toy! It is immediately reinforcing, too, as it always plays a few notes and talks to you. Then again, my son could be happy just hitting the button repeatedly. It is the only toy we have with such a poorly designed switch. It was probably so the child could activate it, but, bad idea. And 6 months is a bit young for this toy, but that's no big deal at all. There are probably babies that age who would enjoy the sounds if an adult pressed all the things for the child.
  
  Other than that, though, it is a great interactive toy to sit down with my child and play with. We play with it together, and he enjoys repeating the animal noises and has learned how to activate some of the items by himself. We plan to take this on board with us when we take a cross country flight to visit grandma next month!
  
  
• Great product
  By A889IYWHJ0QNO on 2005-10-08
  We purchased this for our 13 month old son. I read some reviews and I think people are missing the concept. This product is great when you use it the same way you would as if you were reading a book to your child. Except that the Leap Pad will keep their attention a little longer because it is more interactive. Use this WITH your child, if you just place it in front of them and expect them to learn all on their own, then you will be disappointed.
  
  
• definetely not for babies
  By on 2003-10-11
  Manufacturer recommends to start using this toy from 6 months of age. We bought if for our 10-months old son because he loves books. This toy is definetely not age-appropriate for him even if an adult plays with him--the 'touch' does not work, its hard to press even for a grown-up, the pages are flimsy and he is jamming and tearing them, so there goes this toy in the closet for a long time since my baby is not able to play with it. LeapFrog should either adjust the 'touch' or the recommended age. This toy should be recommended starting approximately 18 months of age. Two thumbs down...
  
  
• Frustrating toy for kids who want to do it themselves...
  By AC6CEYWYXB2K4 on 2004-11-09
  I think pretty much all Leap Start toys are great but this one should have had a re-look before it left the test lab.
  
  I love to read to my kids and they love music and stories so we thought this would be a great option to the standard storybook. We got it for our 1-year-old and after a year she never even gives it a second glance. My 4-year-old even has difficulty pushing the "screen." Both of my girls are very hands-on and want to use interactive toys on their own. Even when I sit with my little one to listen to the story together she loses interest so quickly because it's so difficult to activate the sounds through all the layers. She also doesn't want me to help her when it comes time to turn the page, but someone has to push the "go" button and she's not ready for that but doesn't want help.
  
  Overall, I think Leap products are better saved for ages that can use a Leap Pad. This is too complicated for independent toddlers and would only be useful for parents whose children want to sit and listen to the story while mom or dad pushes the buttons. (The available books ARE great, though...)
  
  
• great toy
  By A1SKRCW8Y2ZFYN on 2003-09-16
  I have purchased this for my 4 month old and 2 year old for Christmas. After hearing some of the problems that other Leap Frog products have had, my husband and I played with this toy and were pleased. One review said it is not good for babies 6+, well, a young baby could not operate it alone. It was designed for a parent to sit and play with baby. I think a 2 year old would have very little trouble operating this toy.
  
  
• Taking it Back
  By A1TJ62IYVTVH68 on 2003-11-30
  We have a three year old son with special needs, and we asked my mom to buy this for his birthday. We are taking it back, however, because it is VERY hard to push and get a response. I thought it would be great because he would get a musical/verbal response from pushing on the right object, etc. But, instead I even got frustrated playing with it. I, too, love Leap Frog and can't believe they produced such a poorly made toy. I called Leap Frog, and they said to exchange it because it shouldn't be that hard to push, and there must be something wrong with ours. After reading the reviews, though, we are getting our money back because it sounds like everyone is having the same problem. Thanks!
  
  
• so far so good
  By A966J3TNY1BJT on 2003-08-31
  We were so excited to see a leap pad for a baby. My one-year-old loves his big brother's leap pad but rarely gets to play with it because he pulls on the stylus. The little touch is nice. There is a cute pillow on the bottom to make it soft on your knees while playing. There are different voices and music in the stories and plenty of advanced activities for older toddlers. The pages are thick special paper but not as wrinkle resistant as I would like. After playing with the free book that comes with the leap pad for less than 5 minutes the pages were already wrinkled and warped. I wish they were board book pages so they could look brand new for a bit longer. However, the pages are very easy for my 15 month old to turn and they have not torn. I was disappointed to learn the adult has to touch the go circle on every page, which makes it impossible for a toddler to flip through and interact with the proper sounds for each page. If your child wants to play for little bits on each page, you have to hit the go circle and wait a few seconds for it to load. It can be a bit too long for my toddler to wait with out his attention waning. They do include 2 double sided sheets for the baby to use alone (with out an adult) but someone has to turn the machine off then on again and touch the go circle on the sheet for the sounds to work. This means there is no touch sensitive on/off mode for a child to play alone with out adult help. In spite of this, I am still excited to have a baby leap pad and I think it is a good overall product.
  
  
• Okay, but not great...
  By A3NYVNS6RGR254 on 2003-10-10
  Like the rest of you, we were very excited to find that Leap Frog had come out with something for the under three age group. We got the Little Touch for our 2 year old and were anxious for her to try it. I played with it before she did and thought "WOW this is great". She plays with it and gets bored. She loves to turn the pages, but won't let me interact with her (she is very independant) long enough for me to hit the GO button and get the computer on the right page with her. (you must hit the go button on every page or it doesn't correspond). And then there is that pesky ON/OFF switch. Leap Frog is going to have to modify this! It never should have been put on the front where it is so easily found by a small child. Half the time this is all she does-turn it on and off and tell it bye bye.

  I really liked the thought of her learning with the Little Touch but will probably return it since she doesn't seem to be that interested in it.
  
  

• My 20 month old loves to "read" with this
  By on 2003-11-25
  My little girl loves looking at the books with mommy. We read Guess How Much I Love You? every night. This is definitely meant to be an interactive toy (not just used in the backseat of a car), and is best used with a parent. The touch is a little hard to use, although she figured out how much pressure is needed after a few tries. The pages are indestructible (even through teething). The pillow on the back makes in comfortable to use. This toy is really a new idea, and helps make reading fun!
  
  

• LeapFrog Hug & Learn Baby Tad Plush
• LeapFrog LittleTouch LeapPad Educational Book: Guess How Much I Love You
• BOOK: The Animal Dance
• LeapFrog LittleTouch LeapPad Educational Book: If I Were?
• Little Leaps SW: Backyardigans

• LeapFrog LittleTouch LeapPad Educational Book: A to Z Adventure!
• LeapFrog LittleTouch LeapPad Educational Book: Let's Get Busy, Baby
• LeapFrog LittleTouch LeapPad Educational Book: Guess How Much I Love You
• BOOK: Winnie the Pooh
• BOOK: Animal World