Product Review - Best Sources for Baby Toy Reviews

How Do I Know Which Review Is Trustworthy?

There is so much information available on the internet these days that it is difficult to know for sure which information is legitimate and which is fluff. We are always in search of factual information and true answers to questions we have about the veracity of a product - especially when it comes to children's toys. There's no question that many kids toys reviews are written by the people who created and sell the toys, so their reviews will always be glowing.

That being the case - how does a parent determine which toys are really the best and which are promoted through reviews by the sellers? It appears the best reviews are consumer reviews of toys created by people who actually used the toy and wrote a review without being paid by the toy manufacturer or toy seller. Ah, now there's the problem. Are there any review sites out there doing that? We have some suggestions to determine if the reviews you find are trustworthy and how you can determine for yourself if the toy reviews are fair.

Are They Saying Anything Negative?

Often, writers are paid to write reviews, and they don't have to disclose that information either. So, if you are reading reviews of a toy that have nothing negative or even hesitant to say about the product, be skeptical. An indication that the reviews are valid is if you actually read some that aren't favorably disposed to the product - even some reviews that may sound nasty. Consumer Reports have a good reputation in this regard. They will tell both sides of the story on a product. Their reviewers are people who are on their staff and consumers, while able to make comments, don't really do the reviewing. Consumer Reports is a subscription, which means you pay for the reviews.

Who Pays for the Website?

There are some review sites that are very good, free, and the reviews are done by real consumers. Viewpoints.com is one such place to go for product reviews. This site does not charge for a subscription, advertisers who pay to be on their pages cover their costs. Amazon allows users to comment on or submit reviews. Consumers can review products, respond to one another, rate each other's reviews and overall, be honest about what they are saying. The downside is that Amazon is selling every product that is being reviewed, which means that it is possible some of the not-so-good comments have been cut.

The best site for toy reviews, or for a review of any baby product, is babyproduct-reviews.com.  The writers on this site take the time to go through all of the message review boards on the internet and then summarize all of the reviews (sometimes thousands of reviews for one product) into one concise review telling you all of the good and bad users think of the product.  As often as possible the writers also try to test the product themselves, or have their own children test the product so that they can add their "own two cents" to the review.  This is the most thorough baby product and baby toy review site you can find and the site is not in any way being paid to make reviews.  The writers are just real moms trying to help out other parents.

Sites That Do Reviews and Sell at the Same Time

When checking the Pokémon toys reviews, it was apparent that most of the reviews sites were selling the products as well, which meant that getting a review that gave more than one side of the story would be challenging. Animelab.com has some reviews on the Pokémon series however; the toy reviews are independent of the show reviews. WWE toy reviews are similar to the Pokémon reviews in that they are predominantly sales sites with reviews written in such a fashion as to offer and encourage sales. The prices of the toys, their availability and shipping information are all included in the review.

Epinions.com has a great Creative Playthings review by real people sharing their real experiences. The reviewer gives contact information and wrote completely about the experience of buying, assembling and using the toys as well as the experience with the company - ordering, customer services, and the whole nine yards. The reviews for Creative Playthings are excellent. These outdoor playgrounds are popular, well designed and relatively easy to assemble.

Things to Watch For

It can be a very daunting task to check reviews for toys, regardless what kind. There are excellent review sites for all kinds of toys, from green toys to video games. As we mentioned in this article, be sure to scrutinize the reviews for negative comments, make sure the review site is democratic, allowing for input from consumers and that it isn't tunnel-vision or too much of a niche site. If it is only reviewing one type of item, then the chances are they are making money from trying to game the search engines.