Oscar the Greedy Crab - The Toadstool Review
We are official toy tested for The Toadstool which means we get sent toys to try out and share with you. We love reviewing toys and mainly it is Bud who helps me to put them through their paces but the first toy that I received as Toadstool toy tester is just for Little Miss. We received Oscar the Greedy Crab from the Lilliputiens range sold by The Toadstool.Lilliputiens is a Belgian brand who make high quality soft children's toys, from rattles up to soft furnishings and exquisite playmats. Little Miss was sent Oscar the Greedy Crab
Oscar is a lovely little fellow. His body is about the size of an adult's palm, which makes him a good size for little hands to grasp. His main body is made up of a pocket, in which his little friend (Romeo the greedy toad) sits although he can be pulled out and left to hang from Oscar's mouth. There is not a single piece of plastic on the outside of this toy, which sets it apart from brands like Lamaze. Every piece of the toy that your child's hands or mouth come into contact with is soft fabric (apart from the bumpy texture on the front). The legs and hanging loop for the toy are all stitched ribbon and the body is a mixture of different fabrics including corduroy, cotton, velvet and the bumpy fabric. The toy has a strong colour palette of orange, red and greens which makes it very striking and attractive to look at. You can see all of the different textures and colours in these photos.
Inside the crab there is a bell, the crab's belly has a crinkly paper texture and the toad has a squeaker inside. The combination of sounds and different textures makes it very interesting for a young baby, especially one who is sitting up and has improving gross motor skills as Little Miss does. She loves to sit with this toy, shaking or tapping it to make the bell ring. She also lifts it to her mouth and pulls at the toad, the crab's pincers and the legs. I've looked really closely at the toy and pulled on all the different attachments to the crab's body and have no concerns about their safety. The stitching quality is excellent, I couldn't find a loose stitch anywhere.
Oscar the Greedy Crab is a great toy for early sensory play, the wide range of textures and different sounds mean that every baby would be able to find a favourite element to this toy. It is clear that Lilliputiens have thought through the design well in that the tiniest babies will just enjoy looking at the toy and then will interact more closely with it as they get bigger. I can imagine Little Miss will start to find being able to put the toad in and out of the crab's mouth very interesting as she grows bigger and her fine motor skills improve. You an see how Little Miss plays with the crab at the moment in this short video.
I would really recommend this toy. I think it would make an excellent present for a newborn, or for an older baby. The one small negative I can find is that the loop to fix the toy on to a pram or car seat ties instead of being a full loop and we did drop it on one occasion as it had come undone. Purchasers just need to make sure that they tie the knot properly to avoid this happening. This, of course, means that they can avoid the plastic rings which other companies use to connect their toys to prams and car seats and means that children don't chew the plastic..
Oscar the Greedy Crab currently retails for £12:50 which I think is an excellent price for a toy of this quality. He is a real favourite of Little Miss' and we've very much enjoyed having him to review.
Disclaimer: We received this toy for the purpose of this review, all thoughts and opinions are open and honest.
