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Little Tikes Lil' Ocean Explorers 3-in-1 Ocean Adventure Course: the feedback thread

Hello.

This is the feedback thread for those of you who are testing the Little Tikes Lil' Ocean Explorers 3-in-1 Ocean Adventure Course for us as part of our latest MadeForMums product test.

You should all have received your 3-in-1 Ocean Adventure Course by now, and have had a chance to test it out – and take a picture of your child playing with it.

So, please can you now give us your feedback on this thread by answering the following 4 questions:

1. What did you think of the toy when you received it?

2. Did your child enjoy playing with it? Please post up the picture(s) of your child playing with it (to upload a pic, click the little camera icon at the top right of the 'Add your reply' box)

3. What do you and your child like most about the 3-in-1 Ocean Adventure Course?

4. Would you recommend it to a friend?

Everyone who leaves quality feedback on this thread (and is part of our product test) will be put into a draw (with those who leave quality feedback on the other Little Tikes Lil' Ocean Explorers product test thread) to win a bundle of the other 7 toys in the Lil' Ocean Explorers range.

Thank you so much - and good luck!

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The Little Tikes Lil' Ocean Explorers 3-in-1 Ocean Adventure Course (6 to 36 months), pictured above, £79.99, has fun, sea-themed features designed to aid sitting, crawling and standing, as well as encourage sounds and phrases.

Replies

  • We were really looking forward to this arriving as we d seen it numerous times on the advert on tv.the little tykes 3 in one adventure course looks impressive and lots to play with.however when we were building it we thought we must have lost a bit to cover the yellow section but we havent its ment to be like that.this yellow section is quite thin plastic and i still think it looks like theres a bit missing of it as its quite flimsy.normally baby toys are thick plastic this yellow section looks like it will break easily.my baby 9 months likes the little red mirror and the twiry bit on the end of the yellow section.he likes touching the sea creatures on the fabric however he is scared by the tunnel though as he keeps trying to sit in this section and its too low for him to sit in (hes 9 months this toy is ment to last till 36 months )and the full toy has tipped as its not weighted.he has also been able to pull the orange support bar off the roof on the inside of the tunnel many times .the purple octopus is much better quality than the rest of the toy its thick plastic like you would expect from little tykes.i can see this toy will help him standing as its perfect height for that.however because its not weighted it tips over easily.my child likes the outside of the toy to the inside he favourite section is the yellow part and the little red mirror that swirls around and the texture of the fabric is very interesting.when i first seen this toy advertised i thought it looked amazing and being little tykes i trusted it would be good quality and robust.this is not the case though it tips over easily which is very worrying it should have been weighted on the support stands and feet.the tunnel should be taller in height as my baby wanted to stop halfway in tunnel and have a look around but this is how it tips over and the yellow section plastic is very thin and flimsy .it does look an impressive toy but the quality lets it down.imageimageimageimageimage

  • This little tykes toy was very easy to assemble. And once up it thankfully didn't take up as much space as I was expecting. (the promotional photo showed it in an almost empty living room) 

    My 8 month old is not yet crawling but gets about by rolling so she enjoyed sitting and playing with all the spinning attachments. She also tried to get through the tunnel with frustrating consequences for her (there is no rolling room!)

    She laughed and smiled at the octopus singing and seemed fascinated by the balls whizzing around.

    All in all a good interactive toy, but from a parent point of view difficult to store. Perhaps it would be better if each third could have been folded flat once assembled.

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  • We were really excited to test this product. Tried and tested on our 8 month old son and 3 year old daughter. When the box was revealed they were ecstatic!

    It took a little longer than anticipated to assemble the product. The parts were not as robust as the usual little tikes products. 

    Initial thoughts a lovely bright colourful toy with plenty to do!

    Our 3 year old was a little too big so just made it through. But many of her "toys" had a go! Our son watched on then attempted the tunnel. But he was especially interested in the crab on the side of the octopus. He enjoyed popping the balls in, his sister in charge of the octopus lever to release the balls. Phrases nice clear and encouraging. The volume was just right. Both children enjoyed the product.

    As someone else mentioned its downfall is storage it would be better if it could fold down.

    Good concept good product but perhaps a little on the expensive side for what it is. Also the tent could do with being a little bigger.

    Thank you for letting us test this product ximageimageimageimageimageimage 

  • We were so pleased to be chosen to test this product as we had seen it on the adverts and liked the look of it. As soon as it arrived Sofia wanted to play with it. 

    I waited till she was in bed to put it together as at first glance I thought it would be quite difficult to put together due to all the pieces. However, the instructions were very easy to follow and it took me no longer then 30 minutes to assemble with no problems. 

    Once put together I was impressed with how bright and colourful it was and the amount of activities on it. 

    Sofia is almost 1 and I feel she is a perfect age for this, I was impressed with how she used the purple octopus to stand up as she not yet walking, and it held her weight no problem. She then realised she could play the music by pulling the lever down. I showed her how to put the balls in but rather then pull the lever she dropped them straight down the leg herself. I think this is her favourite bit, she would kiss the octopus and dance to the music. 

    She didn't quite understand the concept of the tunnel, she attempted to crawl under but came straight back out. She did however lean on it from the outside. As she gets older I'm sure it is something she will do. She enjoyed playing with the hanging jellyfish but she did manage to pull it off a few times.

    I only had to show her twice how to put the balls down the periscope and she then played for a while copying what I had done. 

    I would recommend this product as it did keep Sofia entertained, and her 5 year old Brother enjoyed showing her what to do. I would however prefer it if it could be folded down smaller for storage as it isn't something I could take apart and put away in its box at the end of the day due to the time it takes to assemble. Also, I would prefer a longer and higher tunnel, I can't see a child of 2-3 fitting through very easily. imageimageimageimageimage

  • Thank you very much for letting us to test this product Little Tikes 3 in 1 Ocean Adventure course . We wanted to buy this toy for our 13 months old son anyway so it came in a good time .When it arrived and I opened it I didn't realise it was so many little pieces to put together . It was inconvenient because my little one was already excited seeing new toy . So I had to occupy him with something else to be able to do it.My son enjoyed playing with the colourful balls , as well as little mirror and all the rotational pieces . He was intrigued by the octopus , I think it is well made , played nice music . He liked touching the eyes . However I think he would enjoy it more if there were some colour lights. He didn't know what to do with the tunnel , he liked the dangling toy however kept pulling the orange support stick and also climbed over the toy rather than under as he found it too small. This tunnel part I found very cheap and not as well made as Octobus . The sea part at the end was very colourful and bright , the bottom part could have been alongside like other parts (tunnel and Octobus) . 

    i can recommend to other parents this toy as keeps my child entertained for a bit of time . However could have been able to store it flat .

  • Forgot to add, I would recommend it to a friend but only if I knew they had the space for it! 

  • imageI was delighted to be able to test this product,I had just seen an advert for it and thought it looked amazing.

    It was surprisingly easy to set up,I thought it would be a lot harder. He seen the box when it had been delivered and was looking pretty pleased just with that but I waited until bedtime and set it up so it would be ready first thing in the morning.

    He loved playing with it,his favourite part was the octopus and the balls,he liked pushing down as hard as possible in order to fling the balls in the air,sometimes also just throwing the balls.

    The colours on it are very attractive and make you want to buy it.

    I would recommend it as it is very interactive for children.

  • First of all we would like to say thank you for allowing us to test this little tikes adventure course.  

    On receiving the toy my husband built it which did not take long, easy to assemble and good instructions to follow.  We built it when my daughter was sleeping and it would be a surprise for her on wakening.

    The adventure course is good quality, sturdy and lovely bright colours. However not easy to fold away as it says online, rather big. 

    Sophie is 8 months old and loved playing with the yellow section and likes to touch the fish on the side, loves to watch the balls going down and popping out.  At the moment she won't play in the tunnel but we have took the octopus rattle off for her to hold and shake which she loves to do.

    The main purple octopus however is rather frightening for her and she cries when she looks at it and when it talks. 

    I would recommend it to a friend if they got a discount on it.  Sophie is looking forward to inviting her friends round to play with it too. 

    Thank you madeformums!! 

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  • We were so excited to be picked as a tester and couldn't wait to receive the Little Ties Lil Ocean Adventure Course.  

    I was a little worried before it arrived as I have not got the biggest front room and thought it would take over.

    However the item arrived the day before my daughters first birthday and on opening the box was shocked to see how small the box actually was. I then thought must be loads to put together being in such a small box. 

    It was however not that difficult to do and my husband managed in within 30 minutes whilst I tried to keep my little girl entertained in the kitchen as she was dying to get a peek.

    The instructions were very clear and easy to follow and come in an array of languages. 

    Once erected we was a little disappointed at its size. My little girl is walking and has been since 9 months. The age range is 6 to 36 months however I already feel my little girl is too big for it. She struggles to crawl through the tunnel and after touching all the moving pieces she seemed to get fed up and moved on to her other toys.

    After a couple of days she is still going and playing with it but carries the individual sections around the house. 

    Her favourite bit which is ours too is the octopus at the front. My little girl likes to point to the eyes and push the bar down to play the music. She likes to drop the balls in and collect them. I feel this piece could have been more challenging maybe having the balls run the length of the course. 

    All in all its a good toy not worth the hefty nearly £80 price tag and I think it should be aimed at younger children those sitting and just crawling maybe. I think there needs to be a way to fold down the course as my living room is now full and I'm thinking where can I store it.

    I would recommend it to a friend who had a younger child once iit's price had reduced. 

    Thank you for letting us try out the product.

    Mummy (Mary) Daddy (Stephen) and little Evie xxximageimageimageimage

  • Upon receiving this product we were very excited to get it out of the box and get the toy set up. The box was very eye catching with a colourful and fun design. 

    As with the majority of children's toys it wasn't the easiest of things to remove the packaging, however the assembly of the toy wasn't too bad taking between 30-45 minutes. The majority of this time was removing the packaging, and finding a small enough screwdriver. 

    Once the product was assembled I'd say although not the most robust of toys the product appeared fun and colourful, very eye catching and appealing to small children. 

    One point we did note was in the instructions it stated that the child must be able to sit up. At 6 months old our twins do not fall into that category and it is not clearly stated on the outer packaging. 

    Overall I'd give this product a 7 / 10. This is mainly due to the price, which I feel is on the high side. We have let the twins have a play but this is something we will be putting away and getting out in a few months. The most appealing part to my children was the octopus 

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  • I reviewed this product last week when it first arrived but after having it for a week I would like to add to my comments. We have left the toy out in the living room and let Sofia play with it as she pleases. It has soon become a firm favourite, she has not stopped playing it with and with the help of her big brother is now able to go under the tunnel.

    Sofia seemed to like to stand Inbetween the submarine section, and would walk through it holding onto the sides. Yesterday she actually walked unaided for the first time and we think this is due to her gaining more confidence with her standing. 

    Thanks again for giving us the opportunity to review this toy. Gemma and Sofia. image

  • The toy was relatively straightforward to put together, although we started with our 2 year old assisting, which with hindsight wasn't the greatest idea. We completed the build while he was asleep, which was far more efficient.  There were a couple of issues with a few of the screw alignments in the octopus head, but these eventually lined up and all was well.

    When he first encountered the toy, it was obvious from the outset that he was going to be too large to make the best use of it.  In fact, we'd be surprised if the toy worked for many children over the 18 month mark - our boy is an average size for 2 and it was clearly too small for him.

    He was excited to try it though (new toy = initial excitement; whatever the toy), and he loved the 'submarine' section (essentially treating it as a driving simulator).  He spent a little time with the octopus and the balls with the sound effects holding his attention for a short period.  The tunnel however (as you'll see from the pictures) was clearly designed for the lower end of the age range and wasn't touched again after the first attempt.  

    Unfortunately, he's quickly lost interest (again, the level of interaction and stimulation is clearly more geared towards the lower end of the applicable age range) and hasn't really touched the toy in the last few days, despite having to navigate around it in his play area.  

    Build quality is OK, but we'd have to agree with other reviews that pointed out some flimsiness in certain areas (connectors between sections; tunnel supports).  It is also cumbersome to manoeuvre if you don't want to leave it permanently in place - you can't easily lift and shift it without separating the 3 sections; and as mentioned previously, there's no real way to collapse any of the components for easy storage.

    Would we recommend it to a friend? For a 6-12 month old, who was learning to stand and/or move then it's probably a good fit (caveats of size; manoeuvrability; etc taken into account). Any older than that and it's not really practical and unlikely to hold their attention span for any extended period, so would make it difficult to justify given the price range in which it falls.

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  • So after using this for a few days,I would say that it is more aimed at the 6 month age range,I feel at 15 months my son may be a little too old for this. 

    The underwater tunnel could of done with having the fish inside as well as outside so the kids can have something to look up to.

    A few more balls would of been good.

    It might of been better if the octopus and underwater tunnel could be raised in height as child gets older as I cannot see how a 36 month old would be able to fit under it.

  • Thanks so much for all your very detailed feedback, everyone. And for the wonderful pictures of your lovely children!

    Now that all the feedback for both Little Tikes product tests is in, we've put all the names of all the testers – so that you lot and the others on the Crawl n Pop Turtle testing thread – into a hat to draw the winner of the amazing bundle of all the other 7 toys in the Lil' Ocean Explorers range.

    And (drum roll), the winner is... 3054. Congrats! We'll be in touch to arrange delivery of your prize.

    Sorry that you can't all win but please do look out for our next product tests. We really do value all your testing and feedback!

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