please help me find a nice quality medical kit for ds

[ehmom]

i'm looking for a medical/doctor's kit for ds for christmas. i had the old fisher price one and i loved it as a kid, but alas it is long gone. does anyone have one that they love. i really want a working stethescope. the new fisher price one looks prety good, any reviews? big thanks in advance for any guidance!!
em

[ellies mom]

We bought Ellie a Fisher-Price one last year for Christmas. The stethoscope claimed to work but it really didn't. So, I went and bought her a cheapie real stethoscope at the college bookstore for Easter. It was only $13 and she loves it. Other than that, it is a pretty cool set. We also bought the Parents one on clearance a while later. If the two sets have a piece in common (ie, toy syringe), I tend to like the FP one better but it does have several different pieces and comes in a nice case while the FP one just comes with a bag that doesn't hold the stuff well. If I was only going to buy one, I'd probably go for the FP one but they make a great combined set.

[eb1]

There has not been a recall on the Fisher-Price kit, but Consumer Reports has issued a lead warning regarding the blood pressure cuff that comes in the kit...specifically the red one.

Just did a quick search to try to find the issue mentioned in the media, and found this (not where I'd originally read about it):

http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2007/10/30/consumer-lead.html

[BeachBum]

When someone posted info about the lead danger, another mama posted a link to a "make your own medical kit." It had some really good ideas. It was just a few days ago, you might want to search.

[calv]

so has anyone called FP about this? We have the DR's kit and the kids constantly play w/it. All I can say is WTF!?!?!?

http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2007/10/30/consumer-lead.html

[brittone2]

ITA. Wouldn't touch it w/ a ten foot pole.

There is a delay in the time it takes from when consumer groups identify problematic products until the companies themselves and the CPSC do their own testing, unfortunately. This has been the case w/ a few products, like the Curious George dolls that were eventually recalled (they had tested positive when a consumer group tested them 4-6 weeks prior to the recall being issued).

I just saw a "vet kit" in an FAO Schwarz catalog last night. It is an exclusive product to them, but from the pics, it looked like some of the stuff was covered in felt? It might be worth a look. THe doctor bag said "AKC" on it.

Haba also makes a doctor kit, and that should be made in Germany. I'm sure there are others, but those two come to mind.

[calv]

WTH, I'm so angry I could spit. Anyway, got off the phone w/a FP rep and all he had to say was that Consumer reports has different standards of testing vs. how FP tests. He claims that FP testing is according to the gov't. WHATEVA!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[brittone2]

One article I read recently about all of this testing said that there are numerous loopholes in the system.

Our kids, our $$, our choice. Wake up manufacturers!!!

[MMMommy]

I'm so disgusted. We have the FP set, and of course the red cuffed blood pressure piece. I tossed it into the garbage as soon as I read the posts. Would you toss the whole set or just that one piece? Now I'm concerned about all the other pieces too.

[brittone2]

the reports I read mentioned the blood pressure cuff specifically. I'm not sure how I'd feel about everything else, although in the tests I read, I don't think they found really elevated levels in there.

I think part of the problem is some of the items testing positive by consumer groups are toys that are within the "allowable" amount of lead. People are going to have different comfort levels w/ how they feel about that, kwim? I'm not sure if the other items in the kit were truly "lead free" or if they were in the "allowable" range.

eta: IIRC, the blood pressure cuff was above the legally allowable amount when tested by the consumer group though. Double check the links but I'm pretty sure that was the case (although apparently FP is refuting that....)

[kayte]

Anyone have the link to this thread? I couldn't find it.

TIA

[janeybwild]

I like the look of the Pretend and Play doctors kit:

http://www.amazon.com/Learning-Resources-Pretend-Play%C2%AE-Doctor/dp/B00009XNSY/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=generic&qid=1195739073&sr=1-1

[sweetpea]

I'm planning on making up a kit for dd's 3rd birthday in January. I found an inexpensive real stethoscope ($11.00) from a medical supply store - I think hearing heartbeats is the most fun part of playing Dr.!

[bubbaray]

Of @#$%$^ course we have the FP medical kit. It is a couple of years old, though. In our set, neither the BP cuff (nor the wrist bracelet/bandaid which was shown on the news here as testing high in lead) are red.

So, if they aren't red, does that mean they aren't high in lead????

When I told DH this, he just rolled his eyeballs and said "its in everything, just give up". I'm starting to feel that way. If I tell him about lead in wine glasses, I think he'll shoot me. Then again, maybe not. He prefers beer from the bottle....

Even if I were to chuck all our FP stuff, there's all the toys at daycare and Sunday School. Its not like I'm going to replace all those toys. My daycare isn't keen on wood toys b/c they use bleach to sterilize toys and it gets into the wood (not sure I'd want my kids sucking on a toy that had bleach leaching into it).

I'm just on overload on this stuff. Its just too depressing.



Melissa

DD#1: 04/2004

DD#2: 01/2007

[MarisaSF]

That's a great idea to get a cheapie real stethoscope! DD doesn't like her play stethoscope. It's very short, I think so as not to be a strangulation hazard, and it falls out of her ears whenever she uses it. She was frustrated just this morning.