7.3.2011

When his Great Grandma asked what Freddy would like for Christmas one of our suggestions was the Leapfrog My Pal Scout. Although Freddy already had several Leapfrog toys, I'm not really sure what I expected from Scout, only ever having read reviews I knew that Scout could be personalised, but didn't realise just how big he is.Our Friend ScoutScout came packaged in an open-faced cardboard box, that was relatively easy open. The fact that I can't remember there being a particularly huge number of plastic ties that needed untwisting is a testament to how quick and easy he was to free ready for play. Although Scout can be played with as soon as he was removed from the box,your child will have far more fun if you spend a little time setting him up.Scout himself is a surprisingly large soft toy, especially as he's advertised as being suitable for babies as young as six months old. Sitting about ten inches high, Scout is made of the most beautifully huggable, soft, pale green plush, with darker green ears and white nose, tummy and paws. With his child-like, friendly face, it's almost as if he's begging to be cuddled. There's a battery compartment on Scout's back that is hidden behind a Velcro flap. As an adult it's a little fiddly to get to the on/off switch, USB connector and screw closed battery compartment, which is reassuring as it means it's even harder for little hands. As well as switching Scout on and off the switch also allows us to choose between full and half volume. Scout takes three AA batteries, but a demonstration set is supplied and these are still going strong with over two months of daily use.Before giving Scout to Freddy for the first time I connected him to my laptop via the rather short supplied USB lead to personalise him. Although the supplied USB lead is a little too short, it is a standard micro USB connection, so since then I've used an old camera lead that is rather longer, which makes it a little easier to connect Scout. Once Scout is connected, the required software is automatically installed, after which your internet browser of choice opens and takes you to the Leapfrog website, where you can download and personalise Scout to your heart's content. I can't say how easy this process is with other browsers, but I've encountered no difficulty using Firefox.Among the different aspects that can be personalised there are a number of different songs for different occasions. As Freddy received this at Christmas, I loaded a couple of Christmas songs including Jingle Bells. But on his birthday next month, I'll be changing on of the songs to Happy Birthday. Most of this songs are actually tunes rather than songs, but they are all recognisable. You are also able to program Scout with your child's name, when I added Freddy's it gave me a choice of two spellings, but when I checked the sample it sounded right. Along with your child's name you can also program their favourite colour, animal and food all of which are incorporated into Scouts songs and phrases. Once Scout is programmed, he does need to be `ejected' from the computer before disconnected so as not to damaged to internal flash drive, but this is easily done via a prompt on the website. And then Scout is ready to be played with.Each of Scouts four paws will activate a different activity, well three of them really as one of his feet is an off button. The other foot will play two minutes of bedtime music, which tunes it plays depends on what you have downloaded, but all of the choices are slow and calming. Included in the choices for this selection is Brahms lullaby, which Freddy loves. One of the paws has a musical note and plays a selection of much more lively tunes, including one that involves spelling out your child's name and another that goes through your child's favourite things. Although, I must stress that again what tunes this plays depends on what choices you made when downloading. The final paw activates some activities, during one of which Scout makes animal noises and then asks the child what animal they think he's pretending to be. As well as playing the tunes and saying phrases, the bone on Scout's collar flashes.Although there is a volume control, this really only gives a choice between loud and very loud. Even the lower volume is loud enough to be heard in another room, and if Scout is accidentally set off in the night then it's loud enough to startle a child awake. The higher volume is, naturally, far louder and loud enough to have woken me during the night even in another room through a closed door. So as far as I'm concerned this is a loveable toy, that is great for during the day, but not to be used in the cot at night unless switched off.Freddy's New FriendFreddy was nine months old when he received this for Christmas, which I would say is just the right age to start playing with Scout. I really think Scout is a little too large for younger babies, and they might have a little trouble pressing the buttons. At nine months old, Freddy was fascinated with Scout and the fact that it said his name (in a very child-like, English voice) as well as playing lots of music, but he found pressing the buttons just a little too difficult. We did originally allow him to Scout to bed with him, that is until we were woken up at four in the morning on several occasions. As Freddy would toss and turn in his cot he would accidentally set Scout off and that was not only waking us up, but also waking him. So if you buy this for your child (or someone else does) a big tip is do not allow your child to take this to bed with them.It's only really been in the last couple of weeks that Freddy has been able to play with Scout independently and Scout is now a toy that Freddy will actively seek out. At eleven months, Freddy finds Scout a perfect size to hold and cuddle and he has no trouble pressing any of the buttons. Even though he will press the other buttons (and laugh at the phrases and songs), Freddy absolutely adores the two minutes of bedtime music. It's quite sweet to watch him examine each of the paws, before pressing the foot, setting the music off, then grinning as he give Scout a cuddle. As far as how long Scout keeps Freddy's attention, well it's long enough for me to start to get a little annoyed at the very childish voice, but not long enough to make me want to switch it off. At a rough guess, I'd say that Freddy plays with this for about a quarter of an hour at a time, but several times a day.Although Freddy does love Scout, he also likes to suck on it's paws, sometimes making them quite soggy. I was a little worried that this would affect the electronics, but so far so good. It has meant that Scout is a little grubby though, and being an electronic toy, I can't stick it through the washing machine.All in all, while Freddy can't actually tell me how much he loves Scout in words, he can show me by his actions. Freddy will regularly pull Scout out to play with, even if Scout is behind other toys and he has to make a real effort to get him (sometimes taking 5 minutes just to get hold of Scout). So I would say that Scout has made quite an impression and if Freddy could talk, he'd give him five out of five.Scout The TeacherAs with any toy, Scout will help your baby learn new skills as they play with him, in fact Leapfrog are renowned for how educational their toys are. According to the Leapfrog website, Scout will help teach your child first words, daily routines, early number sense, animals and emotions and feelings. And I guess all this is true as depending on which phrases and songs Scout has been programmed with, all of these aspects are covered. But Scout will also help your child perfect their fine motor skills as they learn to press the paws and are rewarded with songs and phrases. Scout is also so cuddly that he makes a great comforter.As to the recommended age group, well while Scout is safe enough for a baby six months or even younger, I personally think he's a little too large for these younger babies. At nine months, Scout was the perfect size for Freddy to hold and Freddy was just about perfecting the skills required to make him work. While now at eleven months old, Freddy is able to play with Scout independently, so I would say that Scout is perfect for babies from about nine months. As to the older limit, well that obviously depends on the child and while I could see a child of three taking Scout to bed with them as a comforter, I really couldn't see them playing with him much.Final WordsAlthough Freddy is well loved, much played with toy, it's not one that I think is worth paying the full recommended price of £19.99 for. He is very cuddly and I like the way that he can be personalised, with the sounds being changed again and again. But he is far too loud for me to allow Freddy to take him to bed. Also this is not a toy that I would recommend if you don't have access to the internet, as it's unique selling point is that it can be personalised and this cannot be done without an internet connection. But all in all, even with these minor quibbles I would still give Scout four stars out of five, simply because Freddy does love him so much.

8.9.2016

My 3 year old son got this for his birthday and although he loves it and it is a neat toy, it really could have been technically executed a little better. I am hoping they send out updates via the USB cord to make his speech a little bit smoother and that they enhance the variety of "elevator" music availableThe USB cable that comes with Scout is incredibly short and I would recommend a second mini USB cable if you do not already have one for another computer peripheral. The customization process was straight forward and we had him done quickly. My only complaint is that you have to create a user account and the Internet is required but that's a minor compliant since Scout ships able to be interactive without being customized.

23.11.2014

Bought for my son last Christmas. He was 10 months. At the time, I would say my 2.5 year old got more use out of it, but now at 18 months, he loves it. You can personalise it by plugging if in to the computer and choosing the child's name, favourite colour, favourite food and favourite animal. You can also choose which songs you would like it to play when they squeeze its paw, which is great for when they get too repetitive and annoying. Not all children's names are available as you must choose from a library, rather than inputting any name, although there are plenty to choose from.There is a paw to squeeze to sing songs, including a song about the child's name and one about their favourite things; a foot to squeeze for bedtime mode,

10.9.2014

This 20cm high little toy is lots of fun and has loads of features for the price. He's quite cuddly and the right size for the age he is designed for - 6 months to 3 year, with lots of clever touches. I love the fact that they've thought about the fact that you might want to program him whilst in the box, ready for a Christmas day or birthday. This I managed to do on my second attempt - you have to register on the website and add your child's name, an item of food they like from a list and their favourite colour. This worked seamlessly when the headphone jack that does this operation was plugged into my iPhone but failed to work with my laptop - I'm blaming Windows 8.When you switch the toy on via his paw,

29.5.2017

Fantastic toy for my baby and I'm sure this will be a firm favourite throughout his early years.Scout is incredibly easy to set up just plug the headphone jack into your phone or laptop, go to the webpage supplied on the paperwork and input your child's name, favourite colour, animal and food. You do have to sign up with an e-mail address but this is a very quick process and also they only have set names so if your child has an unusual name the chances are it won't be there, you can choose a nickname but again these are set names such as princess, sweetie pie and champ or you can ask Scout to spell your child's name instead. Favourite food, colour and animal all also have to be selected from a list,

9.9.2014

My daughter loved her Scout so much that we have purchased several more to give as presents. Scout is just such fun, and even adults find him to be a delightful addition to the nursery.Scout arrives pre-programmed with five songs, but there is a list of songs that can be downloaded in place of the existing ones. We chose to download our daughters version, and she particularly loved the song that teaches them to spell their own name. My eldest daughter has an unusual variant of a name, and this was catered for by being able to type in her individual spelling and the way it is pronounced.Scout's paws, when pressed, produce different speech or music. The one with the green musical note is the one to press to listen to the five songs.

17.9.2014

Our little one is a tiny bit small for this at the moment, however; I can definitely see this toy becoming a firm favourite once LO gets a bit bigger. I have wanted one of these ever since I saw something similar used in a TV sitcom. It's not just a cuddly toy, it's a cuddly toy with so many functions, an attractive exterior and a world of fun and education combined into one. Although I am not keen on the green and would have preferred alternative colour choices, our little one can spot Scout out from all their toys and squeals and giggles at him. Scout can be programmed to say your child's name as well as spell it and comes pre-programmed with a number of songs.

16.9.2014

My Pal Scout is a soft toy (a puppy) with a number of functions to keep children amused and promote early learning. It is best suited to children of 1 to 3 years although some of the more passive functions which require less interaction may suit younger kids. The various functions are activated by gently pressing Scout's paws. In terms of education he can help children to learn numbers, colours, songs and words. He can play 20+ tunes including lullabies. The lullaby functioncan be set to 5, 10 or 15 minutes continuous play to relax children and promote sleep. Perhaps the most interesting function is the ability to personalise the toy with your child's name and likes. This is done by connecting it to your computer,

10.4.2014

We bought this toy for our baby son when he was just three months old and just starting to show an interest in toys. It was a success almost right away. He actually watched me unpacking the toy and his eyes were glued to it the entire time! I was quite relieved that setting it up via my laptop was straightforward and not at all fiddly.My son is now 4 months old - still 2 months younger than the age recommendation and he still loves the toy. He loves watching scouts collar light up and I find the bedtime music soothes him quite well if we are trying to ge him down for a nap.I do wish there was a setting that would allow the music to play continuously for maybe ten minutes rather than me having

13.1.2012

I got this for my nephew Riley and I think it was well worth the money (at time of purchase £15) My Dad thought it would cost about £60 when I showed him it.The product is easy to use you just plug it in to your PC via the USB cable supplied and then register for the Leapfrog website and then you enter your childs name and it then gives you the option of how you pronouce it, you then choose your child's favourite colour, animal and food which will then with whatever choice you made will make its way into the song and will sing songs with your childs name in it.You can choose which songs you would like at a time then after a while if you choose can take them ones and replace with other ones as

29.5.2016

My little boy loves Scout. Scout can be personalised to say your child's name though you do need to register online. This wasn't a problem for us but obviously is for some. We received very few emails from the company and when we have its always been about sales and thus greatly received by us.Scout says our sons name very well even though its an unusual name that doesn't seem to feature on any baby lists.His collar flashes blue when he sings and he has several cute songs to sing as well as conversation pieces. He incorporates your child's favourites into his songs and this makes them seem jaunty to an adult ear but my son doesn't seem to care.My favourite feature is the nighttime mode,

23.1.2015

This fella is actually bigger than it looks in the picture. I bought it for himself as a late Christmas present, because the other Leapfrog stuff I bought him was a little old for now. He loves it. He is 27 months old, and has just started playschool. He insists we take it to him when we collect him so he can play with it on the way home. He has lots of other cuddly toys, but they have all 'been and gone' but this one he really loves.It works very well with the five small books that come with it, and he enjoys listening to the stories. They are not too long that he gets bored, and he will actually listen to the stories all the way through, something he doesn't often do.

3.12.2014

A few years ago my best friend gave my son a Scout, we had never heard of it before but recognised and trusted the LeapFrog brand. Little did we know that would soon become his favourite toy to play and sleep with. Well, when his little brother needed a present we instantly agreed he needed a Scout of his own - and he too loves this adorable green puppy, often staying in his bed pressing the different paws until he falls asleep. And now we have a nephew on the way, we knew exactly what gift to give the new parents for Christmas.The differences between the older and newer models is pretty subtle at first, but certainly it seems they have only improved upon the design.

6.6.2012

I don't have a single criticism of Scout.My little boy's name is included in its full version and one of the shortened forms; the options for "favourites" are wide and varied; the songs are absolutely lovely; the bedtime music is fantastic and really soothes my little guy; the flashing light in Scout's collar catches my son's attention even if he's in a grump; and Scout is the only toy that can calm him down no matter what. In fact, Scout was the first 'person' to get kisses from my baby, and still gets them more often than Mummy or Daddy!I love that I can change the songs and the favourites as my son gets older, and seeing that he's started to recognise when it changes is really sweet.

27.3.2015

This is one of the best toys I ever bought.I bought it for my son for his first Christmas just so he had a teddy to sing to him in bed. He was only nearly 4 months old. That was over 2 years ago.I've only had to replace the batteries once.Scout's been EVERYWHERE since.My son adores him. He takes him to bed, puts him to sleep, enjoys singing the songs that Scout sings to him, he helps to progress my sons speaking, my son tries to feed him food, he takes him out anywhere we go and my son speaks to him and tells him storiesI also bought my son the Leap Pad, which has Scout and Violet on it. So combined they are perfect because he loves Scout.I'd say this is a must for any parent. At first,

LeapFrog My Pal - Green - Reviews

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