The parent button

By Nic Price on 2 April 2007 — 1 min read

It’s my younger son’s first birthday today.

He has been given some amazing presents, most of which make various electronic noises and tunes when bits of them are pressed.

It struck me that a lot of them don’t have an “off” button, or “parent button” as I call it. Some do, but many, like the fabulous Baby Einstein Animal Melodies, once they start you can’t do anything about it!

I was on the bus on the way home last week when I kept hearing a playful voice every now and then, followed by a little melody. And then 20 seconds later “Hug me”. It took me a while to realise the voice was coming from the John Lewis carrier bag at my feet containing the very cute and cuddly Fisher Price Laugh & Learn “Learning Puppy”!

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  • Dear Beatnic,

    Have you encountered the horror that is Barbie and her pooing dog/piddling cat? My noisey toy nightmares were surpassed recently at my baby girls fourth birthday party!

  • Ha! my 13yo gal was cracking up about the barbie with the dog that poos! same 13yo gal still has those soft toys that make noises (she picked up a tickle me elmo from a garage sale recently) what happens a lot tho is they seem to have their toys set to parents off buttons (ipods in ears …can’t hear you mum!)

  • Surely a parent button would be part of the child, not just their toy. Seriously though, the lack of an off button has caused us to bin/recycle several offending brightly coloured items.

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