V-Tech Tote & Go Laptop Review

I bought the V-Tech Tote and Go Laptop Plus for my son's third birthday. I thought this would be a good educational toy to help him learn and have fun at the same time. So far, he loves it and has played it several times a day ever since he got it.

There are 30 different activities and games for children to play on the Tote and Go Laptop. The games start with very basic skills such as finding a letter or number on the key board. My son already knew all his letters and numbers before he had this, but he seems to enjoy punching in the letters and numbers they ask him to in the games. There are several more advanced games on the Tote and Go Laptop that he will be able to grow into which is nice, but at this point the advanced games just frustrate him.

One of the neat things about this child-sized laptop is that it helps your child learn to use a mouse. The V-Tech Tote and Go Laptop Plus has a child-sized mouse that remains attached to the "mouse pad." The Tote and Go Laptop has several mouse control games where the child learns to control a figure (such as a spaceship) on the screen by moving the mouse. My son has already mastered his "left and right" skills by using the mouse.

Another fun feature of the Tote and Go Laptop is that it plays songs and lets your child use the number buttons to play their own songs. The songs this educational toy plays are not the typical songs you might find on a child's toy either (not just "Twinkle Twinkle" or other nursery rhyme songs) - so it hopefully won't drive you insane if your child decides to play them over and over again.

Like all toys, the V-Tech Tote and Go Laptop does have some annoying features. If your child hits a wrong button or moves the mouse too far in the wrong direction, it makes a very annoying and loud beeping noise. This will probably happen more with a three year old than a six year old. The laptop does have volume control, which is nice but no matter how quiet it is, that beep is enough to drive me batty!

Also, if your child should decide to try to change the volume himself, the Tote and Go Laptop makes the sound of a squealing monkey repeatedly until you push another button. The first day my son had his V-Tech laptop, he thought that button was how you chose a game and I was ready to trash the toy after only an hour or so! Once he learned that it didn't do anything other than squeak, however, he hasn't pushed it again.

The only other negative about the Tote and Go Laptop is that it's somewhat unreasonable to expect a three year old to be able to just sit down and play whatever game he wants without help. My son's attention span only lasts for about two or three rounds of a game and then he wants something new. If I tell him what buttons to push, he is able to select a new game, but unfortunately he often becomes impatient and pushes the "challenge yourself" button which selects games at random. If you but the V-Tech laptop for your small child, be prepared to sit with him and help him play some of the more advanced games or at the very least to help him select a new game when he tires of the one he's playing.

All in all, the V-Tech Tote and Go Laptop is a great educational toy for your preschooler. It's only around $20 and can be found pretty much anywhere. My son loves having his own computer and pretends he's checking his e-mail and looking at his website. I would recommend this toy to anyone who's looking for something fun and educational for a preschooler.