Doctor play kit?

[MamaSnoo]

DD has been really interested in a book about going to a check-up and talks about the doctor a lot. She is just getting more imaginative and interested in role playing games.

I would like to get her a doctor kit for Christmas. If you have one, which one and how to do/your DC like it? There are a huge number on Amazon with prime. Most have ok reviews, except FP.

We are usually not super-plastic-y people, but I could make an exception on this one.

HABA also makes one, but it is $$ (shocking!), and I was not sure it looked really good for playing/is it realistic?

[sansdieu]

We have two (DD really likes to play doctor). You're right - get ready for a lot of plastic. Nope, I haven't seen one that's realistic - but they definitely get a lot of play, and DD knows all the names of all the different instruments.

So these are the ones that we have and my notes on them:

1.
http://www.amazon.com/Parents-Little-MD-Carrying-Case/dp/B000R05WAQ

Huge box, not terribly portable (unless you get another bag, it's not something you can easily take to the doc's visit, so your DD can "listen" to the doctor's heart or "check" his/ her ears). The mirror broke on the laryngoscope within a couple of weeks. The BP gauge is a bit hard and frustrating to operate for little hands, so is the pager. The other instruments are pretty good, but some are kind of useless (pager? scissors?).

2.
http://www.amazon.com/International-Playthings-Little-Doctor-Kit/dp/B00005BHUR/ref=sr_1_3?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1289857582&sr=1-3

Smaller box (but still hard-sided plastic box), more or less portable - IF you can fit the stuff back in it (it's hard for me to do; impossible for a 3-yr-old). The instruments are larger than the ones in the Parents MD kit - which may be a good thing (no chance of the otoscope ever going inside the ear canal) or a bad thing (the otoscope is elephant-ear-sized, so not easy to use). The stethoscope, however, is smaller and easier to operate than the Parents MD stethoscope. Similar quality, overall: on this kit, the BP gauge broke within a couple of days (the "tube" can be reconnected, but it comes off again). By far, DD's favorite item in this kit: the "band-aid."

[Seitvonzu]

i picked up the plain old, soft bagged, fisher price set at toys R us last year for something like 3 dollars? for that i thought "what the heck"-- we are not everything plastic people either, but i wasn't that impressed with the more "natural" versions- the seemed weird to me. it's not overkill with variety, but it's enough and what is included is easy to use & identify... our pediatrician loved lucy identifying the "otoscope" at 2 :) priceless!

i'd say the 3 dollar doctor kit was the best thing my 2 year old got last year- she LOVED it :) couple it with some books about going to the doctor and you'll have a little medical expert in no time :)

i'm actually thinking about getting lu a more "realistic" stethescope this year...we'll see :)

[MommyAllison]

SIL got the FP (this one http://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-N5045-Medical-Kit/dp/B0015AM26E/ref=pd_sbs_t_1 ) set for DD last year. Both of my kids enjoy it, and DS especially loves the bandage. DH and I have been the subjects of many check-ups over the last year, and nothing has been damaged or broken, but it's not an amazing or realistic dr kit. Just a basic toy version. HTH!

[LaCostaMom]

I saw this one at Target the other day:

http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=target+doctor+kid

I was a little put off by the price though and DH definitely didn't like all the "parts". He is really anti-toy-parts right now. lol

The website says ages 18-24 mos which seems an absurdly short age span for a toy like this. On the tag at the store, it said 18mos-5 yrs.

[pakin]

DD got this set from Learning Resources: http://www.amazon.com/Learning-Resources-Pretend-Play-Doctor/dp/B00009XNSY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1289859429&sr=1-1 when she turned 4. Like other kits, it's not realistic but she had fun with it.

Pakin

DS 4/2001
DD 6/2005

[Aishe]

We have this one from Learning Resources. It's hugely popular with both my dc (almost 2 and almost 5), and it's held up quite well.

http://www.amazon.com/Learning-Resources-Pretend-Play-Doctor/dp/B00009XNSY/ref=pd_sbs_t_2

[zag95]

DD has the fisher price set that gagas (gma and gmpa) got for her- loves it- likes to give us shots!

[Seitvonzu]

the fisher price one linked above is the one i got for 3 dollars last black friday at Toys R Us. easy to "take along" places (like the doctor) if that's something you are interested in. not tons of pieces. basic, but enough.

[brittone2]

IIRC the Haba one is not very realistic (a friend of ours had one a few years back so I could be wrong...)

I have my old stethoscope, reflex hammer, goniometer, etc. from my PT days and my kids just use those. Oh, and a large tongue depressor and measuring tape. That has kept them pretty happy. DD enjoys using the kit on us or her baby dolls.

[jenandbrandon]

We also have the Learning Resources one and both my 5 and 3 year old love it!

[WatchingThemGrow]

We have the F-P BF TRU version for $3-4. It's good enough IMO.