When I discovered I was pregnant with Erin, one of the things I was looking forward to was being able to buy her dolls to play with. Dolls are one of those things that all little girls love to have, their own baby to look after! As a childminder I have always had a couple of dolls here and the boys have all enjoyed playing with them in their own way and I have actively encouraged the boys to play with them. As a young girl I had dolls and have many memories of dressing them up and taking them out for walks where ever we went and that’s something I hoped my own daughter would do one day.
When Erin was a year old I bought her, her first soft-bodied doll and she loved her. Gradually over the last two years I’ve watched as her play has developed and how she was wanted to have a more realistic doll to play with. So last Friday Erin was very kindly sent a new doll to play with, a Rumbly Tummy Cicciobello. The package arrived just before I went to collect Erin from school at lunchtime so I left it on the table for Erin to open when we returned. She was so excited when I told her there was a special surprise waiting for her at home. She quickly spotted the box when we got in and asked me to help her open it. The look of delight on her face was lovely, I wish I had managed to capture it on camera. She couldn’t wait to open the box and take a closer look, in fact I only just managed to take a picture of the box before she ripped into it!
Dad of 3 was at home for the day so helped Erin to unpacking the doll while I went to search for some battery’s to use with it, he needs 3 AA batteries. I quickly found the batteries and returned to find dad of 3 had finished unpacking the doll and was ready for the batteries. The batteries fit into the battery compartment on the dolls back and then you can select the language you want him to talk in, a choice of English, Italian or French. There is also an on/off switch, something that I am alway eternally grateful when toys have as means you can switch them off to a) save the batteries and b) when they get annoying!
With batteries in place and switched on, Erin couldn’t get hold of her new doll fast enough! She immediately wanted to cuddle him and explore all the things that had come with him which include:
A potty
Dummy
2 clothes
Interactive orange juice carton
Interactive feeding spoon.
The first thing that I noticed was that Erin liked the interactive element to the Rumbly Tummy Cicciobello doll. Once turned on, the doll starts telling you he’s hungry, so using the interactive spoon you feed him and his mouth, his mouth glows green when done correctly and he will tell you “no more” when finished. If you’re not quick enough to responded to his requests he will start to cry and need comforting. I noticed that once one action is complete he is quick to ask for something else, for example a drink, so using the interactive orange juice you must give him a drink and his mouth glows yellow if given in time. The doll will also ask you to clean him, so you use one of the clothes. He will also say he has a poorly tummy and his tummy glows red to indicate this, so you must gently rub it better for him. He will also indicate when needs to be sat on the potty or be changed and again his bottom will glow!
Erin quickly got the hang of what she has been asked to do and seemed to really enjoy taking care of him. She certainly liked the fact he talked and told her he loved her! and with over 40 sentence he has plenty to say and keeps Erin busy. Since his arrival Erin has been very attentive to his needs and has made sure she has tucked him up in bed at bedtime and kept him feed and clean. If the last few days are anything to go by then he is going to become a firm favourite with Erin.
When I initially heard the rumbly tummy cicciobello doll talk and cry I thought, Oh no this could get a tad annoying. However I have been pleasantly surprised over the last few days that it’s not been that annoying at all. It’s not made me want to switch him off and neither has he suddenly started talking out of the blue. Nor has he been one of those toys that suddenly activates in the early hours and makes you jump in fright! (I’m sure most parents will have experienced this!)
Another thing dad of 3 and I noticed was that the doll isn’t wearing much, I’m not sure if you are able to buy other outfits for him to wear. However this isn’t something that has bothered Erin. It will be interesting to see how Erin continues to interact with her doll over the coming months.
Rumbly Tummy Cicciobello is brought to you by Flair and has an RRP of £49.99, a bit pricey but actually when you consider the play value your child will get from this doll it’s not really that bad. He is a realistic doll and a good size too. He also comes with a good range of accessories to help extend play. Rumbly Tummy Cicciobello is the latest addition to the Cicciobello doll collection and can be bought at all good toy retailers including Argos.
Disclaimer: We were sent the Rumbly Tummy Cicciobello doll for the purpose of this review. However the content is 100% my own.