I have two gripes with the design of Haba foods.
The first is that they are choking hazards in the extreme. They are all small, very smooth, often rounded, and their width is almost always the perfect measurement for getting lodged in a child's throat. Sure, they're marketed to the 3+ (and sometimes 4+) age group, but these items should probably be well-supervised even in children this age. In my hometown, a 4-year old girl recently died from choking on a screw she'd found in her room, so it's not inconceivable that a child this age might just want to see what one of these items feels like in their mouth, and it's only a short step from there to irreparable disaster.
The second is that the scale of Haba foods are all over the map. The Lolly (Red) are sized just slightly smaller than a regular lollipop. The Bunch Of Radishes are a bit smaller than a real radish, and are the size you might expect a play food radish to be. Haba's Peas and Carrots in a Tin are the size of grapes or small gumballs, but the carrots that come in the tin with the 'peas' are the same size as the carrots in this bunch, which is about 1.5" long. The only difference being the generous length of cotton rope to symbolize the carrot leaves, and giving the 2.9" listed measurement for these carrots, which is a bit deceiving. They're minuscule, and might adequately replicate a play-food variation of baby carrots.
The saving grace of these carrots is the length of cotton rope that allows the carrots to be rubber-banded into a bunch, a detail that my daughter hasn't noticed. We left them assembled that way because it just seems safer.
They are cute, they are are smooth and well-painted, but I would go for something like Plan Toy Assorted Fruits and Vegetables instead, which is ultimately what we ended up doing. These carrots are put away for only occasional play because of the safety issues, and so while my daughter enjoys them I think she'll enjoy much more being able to have her food out all the time, rather than having to stash it on a high shelf.
Plan Toys, despite being made in Thailand is just as safe in terms of materials, and in fact got better marks in safety when tested by HealthyToys & GoodGuide than Haba overall. Oh, and the Plan Toys set is really just as good looking and so much less of a choking hazard.
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Bunch Of CarrotsProduct Description: Vegetables are always a great addition to your child's food play. Great way to teach children the importance of including vegetables Five carrots with fluffy green stems - made of braided cotton thread are held together with a removable orange rubber band.It's size makes it perfect for your little one's hands. A bunch of 5 carrots
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I was excited to receive the chicken tape dispenser, but the tape required for refill is less than a 1/2". I believe it is 1/4" tape. I would not recommend using this with little kids because it does not hold the larger width tape and their little fingers cannot grab hold, but the overall cuteness of the dispenser and quality is good if you are just looking to use tape off and on and want it for decoration.
