I had to smile when I saw that this is one of the hot toys for this holiday season.  Two years ago, I was madly racing around trying to buy its predecessor, Butterscotch, for my then 7 year old.  It was a huge ordeal, but I finally found one for only slightly over retail online.  While this toy has been fun, I’m not sure that it was worth all of the hype or expense.

It is a great “wow” gift for a horse fanatic, which my daughter, admittedly, is not.  The toy is very realistic, making eating and walking sounds, and wiggling its ears.  I could never figure out whether it was charming or a bit creepy that, if left on, she would “neigh” at us when we arrived home and opened the front door.  One fun story that this toy produced at our house was that an adult friend of mine was completely freaked out by it and begged me to turn it off!

In the end, I’m a bit ambivalent about this toy.  My daughter still enjoys showing it off, but she doesn’t really play with it.  My toddler hasn’t really taken notice of it yet.  After two years, she still works, but her tail has fallen off.

I think in the end, a lot depends on the child. If you want to bring this pony home for an extra special holiday, you can purchase one for $279.99 at toysrus.com.  One small warning: there is a giant picture of the horse on the box it ships in.  I had been telling my daughter there was no way she could have one for Christmas because they were sold out everywhere.  I wanted it to be a huge surprise.  Unfortunately, the delivery guy left it on our back deck with the photo facing in and, although to this day she denies it, I think my daughter saw it.  So much for our big surprise!

My first daughter spit up a lot, and I never had enough burp cloths.  I stocked up for number two, who never spit up much.  I’ve subsequently passed along most of those unused cloths to either friends or daycare, so now I am back to square one.  This time, I plan to buy a few nice ones ahead of time, and go from there.

I am very impressed by the quality and construction of the Pony Burp Cloth set by Patricia Ann Designs.  The cloths are made from fast-drying cloth, and feature an absorbent pad to wick away moisture.  These are so much fancier than anything I had for my first baby.  I especially love the design of this pony-themed set.  The prints are very fun.

The set of three comes neatly packaged and tied with a ribbon, so it also makes a perfect gift.  You can buy a set for $29 at FlyingPeas.com.