How It Works
The LeapFrog Fridge Phonics magnetic letters set contains a magnetic base and twenty-six magnetic letters. When letters are placed in the cut-out of the base and pressed, the base sounds out a song that teaches baby each letter's sound. Example: when the letter A is placed in the cut-out, the base sings, "A says ahhh, A says ahhh. Every letter makes a sound, A says ahhh." For letters that have more than one common sound, the song is adjusted to reflect that. Example: The letter E song tells babies that E says "eeeee" and "eh."The colorful letters and base are attractive to babies and toddlers. This toy is constructed well. It doesn't appear that there is anything on the LeapFrog Fridge Phonics set that would break easily.
Nice Features
Parents will appreciate that this toy has two volume settings. The lower setting is fairly quiet for a baby toy, but is still loud enough that the words are easily understandable. The words and sounds are clear and easy for babies to follow.The LeapFrog Fridge Phonics set requires 3 AAA batteries for the base. The toy is fairly easy on batteries, though, and does have an off switch so that the batteries aren't drained while the toy isn't being used. The toy does include batteries for display purposes, so instant gratification is possible right when the toy comes out of the box. LeapFrog recommends replacing the display batteries right away, but these batteries are strong enough to give kids a day's worth of playing before they have to stop for new batteries.
The magnets on the letters and the base are strong enough that they won't come off unintentionally while baby is switching letters and pushing buttons. The base and letters are easy to re-position, though. The strength of the magnets is a happy medium between not falling off the fridge and being too hard to move around.
The toy can be used without a refrigerator or metal surface. The fridge makes a convenient surface for play, but the set still works when used on the floor.
Few Drawbacks
I can't find too many complaints about this toy. Most parents who have used it, myself included, seem to notice a great increase in their child's understanding of letter sounds after using the LeapFrog Fridge Phonics set.Some parents complain that the batteries drain quickly, though this was not my personal experience.
The letters take up quite a lot of space on the refrigerator, and can get lost easily, making the set not as useful.
Only capital letters are included in the set, so babies will not be exposed to lowercase letters.
The Bottom Line
I would recommend this toy for babies 18 months and up. My own daughter enjoys playing with the LeapFrog Fridge Phonics set, as do my older nephews. For an educational toy, this set holds babies' interest well. Fridge Phonics is a fun choice for birthday or holiday gift-giving!
