One of the last year's big successes was this item that we got for Thor -- it was my one concession to the "battery-operated plastic crap" category of toy.
(Although, honestly, I do NOT remember paying that much for it. I'm thinking they've jacked up the price by at least $15. Ridiculous.) This toy was very well-reviewed on Amazon -- hundreds of people gave it 4 or 5 stars. However, the 1 and 2-star reviews on the ball popper were pretty consistent; people complained about one of the following things --1) Their kids putting an arm into the toy, getting it stuck, and having to disassemble the toy.
2) Balls spewing everywhere and having to be constantly retrieved from under sofas, tables, etc.
3) The toy being too loud.
On the other hand, the positive reviewers said their kids just couldn't get enough of this toy, and that it was used regularly.
As it turns out, Thor is one of the legions of kids who love this toy. It's also one that has caught the interest of lots of kids who have visited us in the past year. He's never gotten his arm stuck in it, and even if he had, I don't think this can honestly be considered a dangerous toy. Worst case, we would smash up the toy in the process of freeing his arm. Sure, it's a little noisy and occasionally we misplace one of the balls for a few days, but it has also kept our kid running around and engaged for countless hours.
If you read enough customer reviews and take them all seriously, you can talk yourself out of buying practically anything. I am trying to bear this in mind, but so far I am letting the negative reviews get to me. I have talked myself out of every single gift I've considered for the kids and Jared, almost always on the basis of something a reviewer said. How do you get past this?
No comments:
Post a Comment