Toy Review: Little Tikes iTikes Map

The Little Tikes iTikes Map is meant for children three and up. The idea is to teach about world and U.S. geography, the solar system, prehistoric times and more. It comes with six maps, all on different subjects. It can be played with as is, or it can be used with an Apple device. The concept is excellent but is it really worth the money?

According to many reviews, the idea behind the product is great. But that is where it stops. The instruction manual is spartan. When used with the Apple app its response time is slow and it can be difficult to get it to work properly. It is not as sturdy as advertised and the automatic shut-off time – 60 seconds — is too short, making it frustrating for the child who sets it aside for the moment and then wants to go back to it. It can even be too short of a time for a child to change one of the sheets.

The toy’s concept is very good but there is a lot of room for improvement. For instance, it is easy to slide an iPhone into the docking device – but it just as easily slips out. It can take a while for the iPhone to sync with the device and, in the meantime, it shuts off automatically, making it very frustrating to use.