Customer Reviews

Fisher-Price Medical Kit

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(27)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I bought this kit for my toddler after reading reviews of other similar kits not made by Fisher-Price. I was mostly swayed by the brand and the "working stethoscope" promise. The kit is well-made and durable, with no sharp plastic edges or anything that looks like it could come off and become a choking hazard. The stethoscope does conduct sound, however you really need to press it to someone's chest to hear the heartbeat faintly. I will get a real stethoscope somewhere at a pharmacy to supplement this. Otherwise, all the other tools are fun to use and educational. For anyone considering a start up doctor kit, I recommend buying from a trusted brand so you know the items are of good quality with no unfinished seams/edges or the like.

First I'm not sure why this is [...] bucks on Amazon, you'll be even more disappointed if you get it for THAT price. Paying the $[...] at Target will make you feel a bit better when you realize it's not that nice so at least you didn't pay to much for it. My toddler likes it but I'll tell you the cons I see from it.

1) It says it has a real working stethescope. Like the other reviewers here, to say it's a "working" one is stretching it, it's hard to hear the heart through it. The worst part though is that having it on your ears to wear actually is uncomfortable. My daughter said it hurts to wear.
2) The blood pressure tool was kinda funny, it secures closed with velcro that is so far apart that it was very loose on my husband! It literally falls off my child. So we added more velcro to it.
3) The bag is closed with one small square of velcro allowing the tools to topple over when you toss the bag into the toy bin or if the child spills it.

And all that from a brand I expected more from. Hmmm. I'm currently looking at a nicer set from Target made by "Parents" company, it has more tools and a real latching doctors box.

I bought this for my 3 1/2 year old for Christmas and it's great! When I use the blood pressure cuff, I gently squeeze his arm around the cuff so he understands how blood pressure is taken. This came in handy since he was rushed to ER last week with a bougt of croup! He'd never had his blood pressure taken before and I was able to explain that it was just like in his doctor kit. I think this is a great way to get kids comfortable with these tools so they don't fear the doctor.

My 1 yr old and 3 yr old LOVE it! They are constantly taking our temperatures and giving us shots. And my 3 yr old always brings me the band aid if she thinks I'm hurt. It's my understanding that the blood pressure cuff is intentionally big/loose... i.e. there is less risk of kids getting hurt with a loose cuff vs. a tight fitting one. As for the complaints about the stethoscope...I've put it on and it's really not bad. Neither of my kids have complained about any kind of discomfort. As for it not working well...come on people- IT'S A TOY! It works well enough for good child play time and that's all it needs to do. If you want something more functional- get something "cheap" at a medical supply store.

I have always been a fan of Fisher Price products and through out the years this product was always my first choice. I bought the product and my granddaughter put her finger through the ear instrument. Her finger was clearly stuck and I immediately took her to the sink and poured dishwashing liquid through and all over the instrument and inside the hole. It took me a while to get the knuckle unstuck. Her finger began to swell and I had my doubts whether I could get the instrument off her finger. The toy is built very thickly so there was no breaking it. Good news is the finger finally came loose from the product. Thank God!!! Fisher Price, please recall this product. At best please remake the ear instrument with a hinge or a decal showing the inside or the ear instead of a hole that a toddler can get their finger stuck. Ear Instrument.jpg I wanted to contact Matel service directly but I needed to call back Monday thru Friday. There was no email info.

Although my granddaughter goes back to this toy often, it is not well constructed. The stethoscope is made with a one-sided cover on the hoses, so it twists and cannot be placed comfortably on the ears. The over-sized thermometer, syringe and ear examination scope are safe. The blood pressure cuff could use more Velcro, as where it is currently placed, its too long to fit a small arm, child's or adult's. I remember a doctor kit I bought for my daughter years ago--it was well put together, I would not recommend purchasing this item.

My 2 year old daughter got this for her birthday and loves it! She's playing with it as I type this. I think it is great for not only pretend play, but for learning purposes. She loves to give fake shots, and uses the odoscope to look in mommy and daddys ears.

She went to the dr. last week for her well visit and is now imitating what the dr. was doing using her toys. I think it is a great imaginary play toy. You can't expect these things to work like the real ones, 1) because they're toys and 2) because it was less than $20. It's a toy!

I would buy this as a gift for others too.

I bought this kit along with the Melissa & Doug doctor kit (Melissa & Doug Doctor Role Play Costume Set). The reason I bought both was to be sure I got all the tools I wanted, and the M&D kit had the doctor's coat and surgical mask.

I really like all of the tools that came with the Fisher Price kit, except the stethoscope, which is sad because that's one of the main reasons I bought two kits. The M&D stethoscope is also strange to use. The Fisher Price stethoscope is too stiff to be used "properly" and isn't comfortable in my ears (I assume it isn't in my child's ears, either.) Both of my kids (ages 3 and 1) really like the syringe ("medicine shot," as they call it) and the band-aid. My son really likes the blood pressure cuff (the M&D kit did not have one) and I found that the velcro was actually suitable for an adult's arm, but not a child's. It would be an easy fix if I wasn't too lazy to glue some more velcro on the band.

The storage bag only closes at one point with a small piece of velcro, but even when I combine the Fisher Price tools and the Melissa & Doug tools in the bag, it still closes just fine. Once the pieces are put away, I usually store the bag on a shelf, so the items spilling out has never really been an issue.

I'm hesitant to fully recommend this kit, as I don't think I would be satisfied with it had I not also bought the Melissa & Doug kit to make up for anything missing. In fact, I'm not sure that I'm fully satisfied with either kit! Both kids really enjoy playing with the tools, so I guess that's what counts. I would love a better stethoscope, though!

Best: The shot has a plunger you can depress which is fun; you can pick the setting on the thermometer (happy or sad). Since my daughter likes this, I will keep it, but I wish I would have bought something else. As others have noted (and as I should have read first), you cannot hear a heartbeat with the stethoscope; worse, it's a little stiff so that if you raise up the part that is supposed to be listening to the heart, the whole things swivels up because the plastic arms are so stiff. Also the pieces that go in your ear are not comfortable. Second, and this is a huge design flaw... I have no idea what Fisher Price was thinking -- the blood pressure cuff is only good for 200+lb men and up. I had to unsew the velcro and resew it to fit.

I remember having the Fisher Price doctor kit when I was young, and I recently bought this version for my 4-year old. It's not nearly as sturdy as my old version... the plastic is thin and feels cheap and the bag just isn't as nice as that old plastic case. My son is enjoying it, but I'm not expecting it to last long, and I wish I'd got something more substantial.