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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Cheap, but better in many ways than other toy tent kits., May 25, 2009
Durability:3.0 out of 5 stars Fun:3.0 out of 5 stars Educational:1.0 out of 5 stars
This was yet another birthday gift for my two year daughter, whose extended family has taken it upon themselves to spoil her rotten. Oh well. :)
I didn't expect much of this product after the poor experience we had with the Dora the Explorer Hide `n Fun which is similar in concept to this piece, and which I also reviewed here on Amazon. This setup arrives well-packaged in a cardboard-reinforced polyester and nylon carrying bag, which makes it significantly easier to tote around than the aforementioned Dora kit. There are no structural support pieces to assemble; the tent simply pops open and, with a little practice, can be folded up again in about ten seconds.
The complete kit includes the tent itself, a sleeping bag, a small pillow, and the carrying bag. The tent is made of a thin polyester material, see-through but not completely transparent. The base of the tent is the same thin material with no extra padding. The fabric of the base and the flap of the tent is surprisingly strong, surviving several strong tugs by my daughter as she tried to drag it through a too-narrow opening between the sofa and coffee table. The tent opens on one side and is secured from the outside by a pair of Velcro tabs. Like the Dora kit, it is impossible to be inside the tent and close it up; you need someone on the outside to close the tent for the child. This, in my opinion, makes the tent less fun as a play area. Children like small, private areas where they are in control, and needing someone to close up that space for them makes it a lot less fun.
On the other hand, because this tent is pyramid-shaped and a bit shorter, this tent is a lot more stable and structurally sound than the Dora kit. A stiff breeze will send the tent flying away, yes, but it won't tip over or collapse on the child like the Dora kit. With the flap open, you can lay the sleeping bag on the open flap with the child's head in the tent part, making it seem like they have their own little sleeping pod which is a lot of fun. A small pair of mesh pockets sewn into the base of the side of the tent (seen in the product photo, above) is a nice touch, allowing the child to store small items or snacks as they wish.
The sleeping bag is small, thin, not very waterproof, and has a very soft and smooth finish, almost satin-like in texture. It is clearly not designed for cold weather but a small child wearing pajamas would, I think, be comfortable on a cool (55-ish degrees) spring night on a bedroom floor with the windows open (think: slumber party) particularly if the sleeping bag were zipped up, which I think is exactly what the manufacturers had in mind. Water tends to bead on the surface but still soaks in if left unattended. Folded in half, the sleeping bag makes a fine layer of padding for the bottom of the tent.
One sidenote about the sleeping bag: Out of the package the sleeping bag had an odd chemical smell to it. A quick trip through the washing machine followed by a line drying (do NOT put it in the dryer!) solved that problem completely.
A small pillow (not pictured) is included. It's round, about 4" thick, and about 9" in diameter. It's made of the same pink material as the tent and has a small crown emblem sewn onto it. The filling is minimal; I was able to scrunch up the pillow into a ball and hold it in just one of my hands with minimal effort. A small Velcro square on the back of the pillow is designed to mate with the Velcro square on the sleeping bag. If the pillow wasn't completely useless as a sleeping aid this would be a nice touch. As it is, this is more of a decorative throw pillow than anything else.
My daughter enjoys this tent more than the Dora kit, and we've decided to make this one our "take to the beach" tent so that our little girl has a place that's somewhat out of the sun. We haven't actually taken her to the beach yet; that'll be this summer. :)
After reviewing two of these products and seeing several others at places like Target and Wal-Mart, I now believe that all of these products are equally shoddy in overall quality. Thin fabrics, cheap construction, and poor structural stability all seem to be hallmarks of these little toy tents. That said, I can't give any of them a really good review. On the other hand, there are clearly some better engineered tents in this product lineup. The Dora kit I mentioned earlier is cube-shaped rather than pyramid-shaped and has virtually no vertical support to it. This Disney kit is significantly more stable, owing to its pyramid shape and the natural strength that a pyramid design affords, so kits like this will get a little more respect from me. So, overall I give it three stars; a solid structural shape, a reasonable sleeping bag that can double as a floor pad, a nice little mesh pocket, a convenient carrying bag, a relatively easy setup and breakdown, and an affordable price tag all add to it. The cheap fabric of the tent (common to all toys of this type, I believe), an unusual chemical smell from the sleeping bag, and a completely useless pillow are the big handicaps here.
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