Santa brought the LittleTouch™ LeapPad Learning System for Mya last Christmas and we were excited as the box boasted “For ages 6 months and up”. The books are interactive, musical and filled with vivid pictures and and engaging images. We knew early on that, at 9 months, she was too young to use this, and we put it away for a later date.

At 19-months, Mya is developing wonderfully. She sits for long periods of time thumbing though books and pointing to pictures while saying, “oooh” and “look”. She can figure out how most things work (baby-gate, remote to the air conditioner, etc.). So, we decided to bring out the LittleTouch™ LeapPad Learning System again. Unfortunately, except for turning the pages and pressing the button to turn it on and off, this toy is useless. It requires that a 19-month old be able to understand sequencing of events as well as which images are supposed to pressed.

I am a High School English teacher. I teach ninth graders who read on a fourth grade level, so I understand the importance of modeling behavior. But, this thing is incorrectly labeled when it comes to age. Mya gets frustrated when she cannot get it to “do” what she wants it to do. Inevitably, the thing gets tossed across the room in favor of her wooden blocks or her VTech laptop.

I wouldn’t waste money on this toy if your child is younger than 3. There are better ways to engage your child in word-based activities.