Chicco Animal Cottage Shape Sorter

Comments about Chicco Animal Cottage Shape Sorter:

thought it was for a younger baby, but good for older baby

Comments about Chicco Animal Cottage Shape Sorter:

I work with children, ages 3-4 years. While initially they were attracted to the Animal Cottage, they found the keys were too difficult for little hands to manage. The keys only insert about 1/8" and the children couldn't be steady enough to hold them in place. Didn't matter much, because the kids quickly figured out that a slight tug on the doors would open them without using the keys. Locking mechanism was very flimsy, I think it would break soon. The shapes will fit into other holes, too, rather defeating the purpose of a shape sorter. I wrote to Chicco with suggestions for improvement and returned the toy. I DO NOT recommend the Animal Cottage Shape Sorter.

Comments about Chicco Animal Cottage Shape Sorter:

I bought this for my 2 year old (will be 3 in two months). She loves it and carries it around everywhere with her. In order to open the doors, she has to use the key with the right color and shape. The product reccommendations say for 12+ months. I can't imagine a 12 month old being able to manipulate the keys/doors. It is tough for my almost 3 year old to do it even though she is quite clever. So for her age group, she is having alot of fun with it. I could see some frustration for younger children.

Comments about Chicco Animal Cottage Shape Sorter:

Awesome toy! If your child has a hard time using keys then you will need to help them use this toy...if your child loves keys and knows how to use them then this will keep them busy for hours!

Comments about Chicco Animal Cottage Shape Sorter:

The product is colorful, and does what it claims to do, which is sort different shapes, but it is of poor quality. The top of ours broke off within the first month, and then at least one of the locks on the doors no longer closes. Also, my son got it when he was about a year old, so the keys to "unlock" the side doors are basically unusable; once the toys go in, mom or dad has to go around with the keys to open up the doors. That's fine if you are already playing with your child, but if you want them to play with this toy independently, they will have the chance to put each shape in once, then they're stuck until an adult comes or they learn motor skills to insert each differently shaped key into its proper place, turn it, and then open the door.

Comments about Chicco Animal Cottage Shape Sorter:

Chicco makes such long lasting toys, not just in durability but in enjoyment. My kids started playing with this toy around a year old and even till today my 2 and 5 year old loves playing with it. It adjusts with their age, shape sorting, color sorting, animal matching, eventually they can open the doors by the colored keys and shapes. All around fun toy! We buy one for everyone who has a baby :o)

Comments about Chicco Animal Cottage Shape Sorter:

I purchased this for my great niece because her uncle (my nephew) had it as a child. Well, it's made by the same company, but the changes they made to the original allow some of the characters and shapes to go into the wrong openings. My niece--and her mother and grandmother--like it, but how can it teach about colors and sorting with this margin of error? On the plus side, the ToysRUs price was $20 cheaper than another online retailer.