Aisha Bello

How I think about this

Every toy looks magical in the ad and half of them are forgotten by Tuesday. I care about the thing the box can't show you: whether it actually holds a kid's attention past the novelty, whether it survives being loved hard, and whether it's worth the shelf it'll live on.

So I read a toy for how it's built and what it really asks of a child, and tell you plainly whether it earns its place in the toy box. I research rather than test, and I keep it honest.

Aisha's reviews

• Itzy Ritzy Car Seat Toy: Is It Worth It?
  A spiral, a mirror, some clinking rings, here's what actually makes this car seat toy worth the twenty bucks (or not).
• LumiBoard LED Drawing Board: Is It Worth It?
  It's not really a drawing board, it's a light switch with a marker attached. Here's how the glow actually works, and who it's for.
• QUNREDA Remote Control Car: Is It Worth It?
  You're not buying a stunt car, you're buying back the playtime a dead battery usually steals. Here's whether the swap trick actually works.
• LeapFrog LeapTop Touch: Is It Worth It?
  It's not a laptop, it's a shape your toddler already wants to copy, and that's the whole trick behind this pink 2-in-1.
• Melissa & Doug Ice Cream Counter: Is It Worth It?
  You're not buying a toy, you're buying a self-packing pretend ice cream shop. Here's what actually makes the wooden counter work.
• ArtCreativity Bubble Lawn Mower: Is It Worth It?
  A mower shaped toy that blows bubbles sounds simple. Here's what actually powers the bubbles and the sound, and whether that's worth the upkeep.
• Crayola Classpack Colored Pencils: Is It Worth It?
  240 pencils, 12 colors, one sharpener line instead of thirty. Here's what actually makes this classpack worth the shelf space.
• Jasonwell Inflatable Pool Tanning Lounger: Worth It?
  A tub you fill yourself so you float in cool water anywhere flat. Here's what that trick actually buys you, and who it's not for.
• Zuru Bunch O Balloons: Is It Worth It?
  You're not buying balloons, you're buying back the twenty minutes your water fight used to spend on knots. Here's how the O-ring actually works.
• Play-Doh Toy 36-Pack: Is It Worth It in Bulk?
  You're not buying a toy, you're buying enough sealed cans that nobody's colors turn to mud. Here's why the 36-pack actually works.
• LeapFrog Learning Friends 100 Words Book: Worth It?
  A touch pad, a sound chip, and a bilingual switch: here's what actually happens when your toddler slaps that page for the tenth time.
• Fisher-Price Kick & Play Gym: Is It Worth It?
  You're not buying one baby toy, you're buying four of them in a trench coat. Here's how the Fisher-Price gym actually grows with your kid.
• Step2 Rain Showers Splash Pond Water Table: Worth It?
  One bucket of water, poured again and again. Here's the loop that keeps toddlers outside longer than a garden hose ever does.
• Nex Playground Review: Is It Worth It for Family Game Night?
  No controllers, just a camera and your body. Here's what actually makes Nex Playground work, and the subscription catch worth knowing first.