Advantages: Very soft and comfy to lie on
Disadvantages: Not much variation to the toys and difficult to put together

...This mat was given to me as a present and on first impression I thought it was gorgeous. It has a plush fleece padded mat with an annoying tune mechanism in the lambs head (it plays you are my sunshine which does get to you after a while!). It is not that easy to put together as the arches are extremely springy and you have to try and hold it together while clicking the clips into place and threading the very large buttons into the not so large holes! I've found the toys to be a bit on the large side and all a bit samey for my son. They all make a noise but about three of them rattle or have a chime which is not terribly exciting. The duck does have a quacking sound but they were too high up for my son to reach and wiggle them. It would be more useful if ELC supplied a few extra links.... Read review

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Advantages: Robust Colourful
Disadvantages: No light or sounds

...The ELC baby gym was a particularly good buy for us for many reasons. We liked the fact it was so robust - some of the cloth ones seem to collapse quite easily, this is particular important for use with the second child when you have a toddler eager to see what the baby is doing. The toys are bright and cheerful. When the baby is first learning to move around all movements are rewarded with gentle rattles. The central mirror was a favourite with both our children and the side toys encourage head movement. It folds up well for storage and the toys can be removed and attached to other things when a baby gym is no longer needed.... Read review

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Advantages: hours of fun for everyone
Disadvantages: can be messy

...I bought the ELC soft stuff for my four year old son as he really enjoys making things. ELC soft stuff comes in small red square tubs with lids on them, the lids on each tub are colour coded so you know what colour soft stuff is in each tub. WHAT DOES ELC CONSIST OF? ************************************* ELC consists of 20 square tubs of clay,There are ten different colours in the tubs which are light pink,dark pink,red,light blue,dark blue,light green,dark green,purple,white and black each colour of clay has a lid on it of the same colour and there are two of each colour in the set. With the clay you also get a small washproof mat that is used so that the clay does not make a mess on your floor or table tops. It comes with several different cutting shapes such as hearts,dogs giraffes triangles and squares,it also has four moulding... Read review

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Advantages: kids love this stuff
Disadvantages: apparently between Jan 2007 and Dec 2007 the lead levels were "harmful"

...Important Message - Product Recall I am absolutely furious. Another product with lead in it. Typically, my daughter has been plastered with the stuff. What am I supposed to say.. "sorry, I have been covering your three year old skin with heavy metals?". ELC has really really failed this time. We received this email today from ELC> The Early Learning Centre has found that some recently manufactured stock of some colours of the Face Paint compacts and Face Painting kit contain higher than permissible levels of lead and chromium. Independent advice from chemical experts indicates that these products are unlikely to pose any immediate or acute health concerns. That said, children should stop using them. ELC has decided to take urgent action by recalling these products and remains committed to the highest levels of product quality... Read review

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Advantages: Nice design
Disadvantages: Tips, bad seat harness and too far off the ground

...For her first birthday my daughter was given by her Grandparents the ELC single swing fram with the Dolphin Swing Seat. Our branch does not have these on display so we could not see what they looked like beforehand but had ordered them from the catalogue as we thought that the Dolphin Swing Seat would particularly appeal to my daughter as she is animal crazy. When my husband and I started erecting the swing alarm bells rang when we noticed that the swing and seat were made by different companies and the seat had, written on the fitting instructions, that the seat was to be fitted no higher than 18 to 24 inches from the ground. We could not do this because there was insufficient rope. This may have been caused by the seat being faulty and having too short a rope or that the seat and this swing were not meant for use together. Once... Read review

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Advantages: Keeps the kid entertained
Disadvantages: no real draw back

...My little boy was always trying to "help" do the cleaning with the the sweeping brush and mop but seeing as they were twice the size of him it became dangerous. So during a trip to the ELC one day my partner spotted the named cleaning set which was priced at 38 which we both thought was a bargin and as we also had a 20% off voucher we had it discounted further. I think there was some assenbly just screwing the handles onto the mop and sweping brush. The product itself is actually really sweet there is a mob, sweeping brush, dustpan and brush which i think is good value for what u get. All of the tools are brightly coloured and are very sturd. To mhy suprise the sweeping brush actually works as my son has been constantly sweeping the floors not that he does a good job but he does try bless him. He really enjoys playing with it and i... Read review

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Advantages: Sturdy, & attractive
Disadvantages: Quite expensive

...My two year old loves to be outdoors so for her second birthday we decided to buy her some outdoor toys. She'd already fallen in love with a turtle sandpit that was at her nursery so we decided that a sandpit would be a good idea. On looking for a sandpit most seemed flimsy (Shell Sandpit) or small but as usual the ELC came up trumps with their frog sandpit (made by Step2). It's a generous sized sandpit (easily fits my daughter and the 4 year old girl next door) and is made of a sturdy green plastic. The bottom/sandpit is the frogs lower body and the upper body is the lid to keep out the rain (not to mention cats and insects). As a whole the sandpit is really attractive and my daughter loves it. The safety sand is available from ELC (or Index or Argos)for approx £2.30 (frog sandpit takes 5 bags to fill it). This sandpit although... Read review

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Advantages: huge range of toys and competitive prices
Disadvantages: once int he stop you may never escape

...Every child’s favourite store – every parents nightmare! Not because it is an awful shop, but because once the children get in there, they never want to leave! Early Learning Centre is a shop full of toys. Although at one time they also sold nursery furniture and clothes (well, in my local store anyway), they have now gone back to concentrating on toys. You may remember TV adverts from a few years ago when Barbie and Action Man were desperately trying to get into ELC but weren’t allowed in because they were not educational. This is the premise behind ELC – the toys should all have an educational value. That is not to say that they are not fun – far from it – but their commitment is definitely one of learning through play and the toys reflect this. You won’t find all the latest trends... Read review

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Advantages: Good toys
Disadvantages: Awful Customer Service

...Here's the thing... Christmas is coming and we need to buy presents for the kiddies (aged one and three). They're too small to be lugging around town so we check out the web for kids stuff. ELC.co.uk has a wide selection of rather good toys and we place an order amounting to over £100. For this size of order we qualify for free shipping. Ten minutes later we decided we wanted to add a few items, so we called the ELC. We ask politely if we could just add a few items. The response? "Computer says no". "Why" we asked. "Don't know, computer just says no" (Fans of 'Little Britain' are with me here). Anyway, we couldn't add any items so we needed to generate a whole new order for the two or three extra things. As a consequence we pay shipping for these extra items... so much for free shipping. Two days later a small package arrived... Read review

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Advantages: Great selection of toys!
Disadvantages: Aah! How do I drag him out without him screaming???

...Oh woe is me! Do I really have to submit myself to another hellish half hour in the Early Learning Centre!? Now, don't get me wrong. I'm no killjoy. The Early Learning Centre is great, there is a fantastic choice of toys for kids of all ages, and at reasonable prices. But there is just one problem with it - it's just too good, and much too tempting for children! Believe me! Carry on reading about my typical outing to a store and find out why my child turns into a monster from hell whenever we venture to the ELC... Well, I'm pretty much forced in the ELC most times -"M-u-m-m-y-y-y-y...p-l-e-a-s-e-e-e-e!...T-h-o-m-a-s-s-s!!" (referring to yes,The one and only tank engine number one, Thomas) So I'm dragged in there, to find myself dumped like the other parents in there, while my son happily plays with the toys on display, particuarly... Read review

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