Little Touch LeapPad

• Setting 1: Sparkling musical rhythms and sounds stimulate early brain development
• Setting 2: Short descriptive phrases introduce word-object association and build early language skills
• Setting 3: Fun-filled rhymes and early learning interactions develop preschool readiness

Includes a LittleTouch LeapPad starter book and activity cards with over 100 early learning activities that introduce ABCs, letter sounds, numbers, colors, shapes, reading readiness and more. LittleTouch LeapPad books and cartridges sold separately. Requires 4 "AA" alkaline batteries, not included.

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.)


Grandmother's Alert   September 5, 2003
63 out of 68 found this review helpful

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!


Little Touch is not so bad--our 16 month old enjoys it!   November 27, 2003
31 out of 31 found this review helpful

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   September 1, 2004
Thomas A Kentish (Chicago, Illinois USA)
29 out of 29 found this review helpful

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.


Learning is a Joy!   September 10, 2003
71 out of 78 found this review helpful

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.