Splash & Scribble Elmo; The Tub Toy That Saved My Marriage
Written: Jun 15 '05
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Product Rating:
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Pros: NO MORE BATHTIME DRAMA!! It's Elmo; fun for everyone; machine washable.
Cons: ZERO!
The Bottom Line: The best $10 we've ever spent was on Splash & Scribble Elmo.
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| krissingene's Full Review: Splash and Scribble Elmo |
I'm not really sure why so many newborns hate bathtime so intensely - after all, they're fresh from a warm, watery environment, so you'd think that they'd feel pretty much at home in the water. But my little girl was no exception - bathtime was rocky for the first couple of months, and then she became an absolute water baby. Baths were the best things in the world, and she could hardly wait to splash around in the tub on any given night. Watching her play in the water was so much fun that my husband willingly shared bathtime responsibilities with me. Life was good.
And then...well, I wish I could tell you what happened. At about fourteen months old, Rachael suddenly decided that baths were no longer fun - in fact, they were downright evil, just a baby step away from child abuse. She screamed bloody murder when she heard the faucet turn on, and it just went downhill from there. Washing her hair was next to impossible as she would arch her back cat-like in the tub, nearly hysterical in full tantrum mode. Bathtime was no longer fun for Mommy and Daddy either, and my husband stopped offering to take over. This, of course, led to a whole new sort of drama in our house, as I was perfectly unwilling to handle this terrible new situation single-handedly. Arguments ensued. Insults were hurled. So was the occasional board book and tub toy. Life stunk.
It was during one such fun-filled evening that I happened to think again of a toy I had seen several months ago in our local K-Mart: Splash & Scribble Elmo. We had gotten a good chuckle out of this toy at the time - a water-resistant stuffed Elmo with swim trunks and arm floaties, designed for water play. Although my daughter is Elmo's biggest fan, we laughed it off, deciding that she had more than enough Elmo toys already and unwilling to dish out $10 on one more that she'd play with for five minutes and then promptly forget.
I could almost see the little light bulb flash on over my head. This toy no longer seemed so silly and frivolous. No, now it seemed absolutely necessary.
~* Little Red Lifesaver *~
Fisher-Price, in cooperation with Sesame Street, now offers a wide variety of Elmo's World toys based on the segment from the popular children's show. This toy is packaged in an open-front, lime green box, designed to look like a bathtub. Brightly colored clouds, fish and flowers are "scribbled" on the tile in crayon behind Elmo.
Elmo himself is approximately 12" tall, with a long fabric loop attached to the back of his head for hanging to dry. He is soft and squishy with hard plastic eyes, and is made of a slick, water-repellant material; the polyester fiber polystyrene foam beads in his torso gives him a somewhat heavy, beanie feel. Elmo is dressed for the water in blue swim trunks with lime green stripes over each leg and matching lime green floaties on each arm.
As any Elmo fan (or parent of an Elmo fan) is well aware, Elmo never travels far from his pet goldfish, Dorothy - and since she obviously loves water anyway, it makes perfect sense that Dorothy comes packaged with Splash & Scribble Elmo. In this case, Dorothy is pictured on the front of a blue and white plastic fishbowl with a large suction cup on the back. Inside the fishbowl are three soap crayons in red, green and blue, each of them measuring about five inches long when new.
This toy is recommended for ages 18 months and older, although this is only a guideline and younger children could certainly enjoy it as well. My daughter fell in love with him at fourteen months, and I imagine she'd have appreciated him several months sooner. As with all bath toys and products, parental supervision is key.
~* Splish, Splash, It's Elmo in the Bath *~
It was a Sunday evening when Splash & Scribble Elmo made his debut in our house - furious screams could be heard all through the house as my husband undressed her and I frantically snipped the plastic ties holding Elmo in his shallow box. Elmo and I arrived in the bathroom just as she was pushing frantically against the bathtub, doing anything in her little power to avoid sitting in the evil, horrible water. The screams escalated as she was lifted inside, at which point I shamelessly dangled Elmo over the edge of the tub, easily within her view (once she opened her eyes between screams.)
Abrupt silence. Skeptical observation. Sniffles. A quick grab and a cautious little half smile. Elmo was in.
The novelty of having an Elmo in the bathtub quickly won her over - after all, none of her other stuffed toys had ever been allowed in the bathroom, so this was something really special. And it was ELMO! After helping him swim around the tub for a few minutes, she spotted the fishbowl full of crayons and grabbed for those as well. While she hasn't had a lot of experience with coloring just yet, she certainly recognized them and knew what they were for, but seemed a bit confused as to just what she was supposed to color on. Happy to be of assistance, her Daddy and I each grabbed a crayon and began happily decorating the inside of the bathtub and the tiled wall, spelling out her name with one huge letter on each tile. This, of course, was hilarious - Mommy and Daddy were writing on the wall! (In retrospect, this may not be the best thing to be teaching her - thank goodness for the Magic Eraser, which will take crayon right off if she ever decides to create a work of art anywhere else in the house.) It didn't take her long to figure out that she could also color on herself, and had a grand time decorating her tummy, arms and legs - and our arms as well, when we ventured close enough to attempt to bathe her.
Cautiously optimistic at this turn of events, we took this first bath with Elmo very slowly, showing her how Elmo washes his (imaginary) hair before moving on to wash hers. She still wasn't happy about the water trickling over her head, but was at least distracted to the point that she didn't actually cry. The remainder of the bath was entirely drama-free, and her newly created body art washed off just as easily as the liquid soap we used to bathe her.
When it was time to get out of the tub, I wrung Elmo out and hung him up by the loop on his head to dry, explaining that "Elmo lives in the bathtub" and that she would only get to play with this particular Elmo at bathtime. Although not quite ready to give him up just yet, she enthusiastically told Elmo "bye bye" and "night night" at least a dozen times during the twelve-step journey from bathroom to bedroom to get her dried off and dressed. Rachael had made a new friend.
~* One Time Wonder? *~
Of course, I was terrified that the novelty of a bathtub Elmo would wear off after the first bath and that we'd be right back where we started. Hopeful, I asked her the next night if she was ready to take a bath. Her face crumpled a bit, until I reminded her that Elmo was waiting for her in the bathtub. Instantly, she was all smiles, and toddled off as quickly as her chubby legs would carry her for her bedroom to get undressed. This time, she walked to the bathroom on her own and was happy to be put in the tub, where fun with Elmo and crayons ensued.
It was during one of my husband's nights on bathtime detail - which he has happily resumed - that he made a wonderful discovery, quite by accident. The fishbowl crayon holder, like most things with suction cups, doesn't stick very well to the sides of our tub - it sticks very well to the bottom, which does us little good - so he was instead using it as a typical tub toy, scooping up water and watching it trickle in streams from the six drainage holes in the bottom. Rachael loved this, and was having a grand time attempting to catch the running water. Inspired, he quickly maneuvered the fishbowl over top of her head, letting the water run down onto her hair. She laughed. Her hair was getting wet, and she laughed! I give him a hard time, but I swear the man is a genius - now, even shampooing her hair is a breeze so long as we use Dorothy's fishbowl to wet and rinse her hair. Life, once again, is good.
~* Overall *~
It's been several weeks now since Elmo joined our family, and my husband insists that this was "the best $10 we've ever spent." No more bathtime tears, no more arguments over whose night it is to tackle the chore - only a happy baby who can't wait to get in the tub and never wants to get out.
As I was writing this review, I noticed that she needed a diaper change and asked Daddy to take care of it. As they came back into the living room, she stopped just past the doorway and broke down into tears for no apparent reason. Once Daddy moved aside, the reason became quickly apparent to us: she turned on her heels and marched straight into the bathroom. She had thought it was bathtime, and was upset that it wasn't. This, my friends, is the highest form of praise a toddler has to offer.
~* Cleanup *~
The brightly colored soap crayon marks easily off of surfaces with just a bit of water - I can wipe it off of the sides of the bathtub with only a wet hand after bathtime. If, like us, you let it sit for a while after the bath, a little more effort is required - nothing a wet rag or sponge can't take care of. And again, for really stubborn stains, the Magic Eraser works wonders.
Like all crayons, these get shorter with use, although not as quickly as I'd have guessed of crayons made of soap. While replacements of these particular crayons aren't available, Crayola also makes soap crayons that will fit easily inside the spacious fishbowl holder when these are used up.
Elmo is just as easy to clean, even when covered with crayon. Just wipe him off and hang him up to dry. For a more thorough cleaning, he is machine washable in cold water on a gentle cycle - the manufacturer recommends tying him inside a pillowcase prior to washing. He may also be dried in the dryer on a low heat setting, although I just take him straight from the washer and hang him back in the shower to drip dry. With several machine washings under his belt already, Elmo still looks good as new - no fading, no rips, no sign that he's already been quite well-loved.
~* Precautions *~
Soap crayons should not be used near the eyes or mouth (not always completely avoidable with a toddler!) If soap gets into your child's eyes, rinse thoroughly with water.
The crayons may tint bath water and could possibly stain porous surfaces such as bathroom tile grout.
Please, NEVER leave your child unattended in the bathtub, even for a second!
~* Crayon Ingredients *~
Cetearyl alcohol, candelilla wax, castor oil, titanium dioxide, ceteareth-20, ozokerite wax, kaolin, methylparaben, propylparaben, pigment white 6, FD&C yellow 5 al. lake, FD&C red 40 al. lake, iron oxide black, mica (gold), D&C red 7 ca. lake, FD&C yellow 5 al. lake.
~* Bonus! *~
The back of the box states that "the money that Sesame Workshop receives when you buy a Sesame Street product is put right back into Sesame Street and other Sesame Workshop educational projects." Having grown up with Sesame Street myself (and being eternally greatful to this particular toy), I'm thrilled to be able to help an old friend!
~* Contact Information *~
For more information, visit Fisher-Price online at www.fisher-price.com or Sesame Street at www.sesamestreet.com ; Fisher-Price may also be contacted via telephone at 1-800-432-KIDS (1-800-432-5437).
~* Also By Fisher-Price *~
Cradle Swing B0639 * Deluxe Take-Along Swing * Healthy Care Booster Seat * Kick 'N Play Piano * Laugh & Learn Learning Home * Laugh & Learn Learning Phone * Laugh & Learn Learning Table * Link-a-doos On-the-Go Goldfish * Link-a-doos Teething Ring * Ocean Wonders Aquarium * Ocean Wonders Aquarium Bouncer * Peek-a-Blocks Barnyard Friends Blocks * PowerTouch Baby: I Know My Letters * PowerTouch Baby Learning System * Sesame Street 3-in-1 Baby Explorer * Sesame Street Giggle Gabbers * Sesame Street Light-Up Pet Pals: Ernie * Sparkling Symphony Twinkle Dancer * Swim 'n Spin Fish Rattle
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 9.99
Type of Toy: Bath Toy
Age Range of Child: 12 to 36 Months
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Epinions.com ID:
krissingene
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Member: Kristin
Location: Southern VA
Reviews written: 267
Trusted by: 119 members
About Me:
The strength of Motherhood is greater than Natural Laws. -Barbara Kingsolver
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