I ordered this product for my daughter's second birthday, in combination with the Spanish-English book, "Mama's Milk," by Michael Elsohn Ross, illustrated by Ashley Wolff, and I'm very glad I did. My daughter, who is still nursing, went nuts when she opened her gifts and wanted to play with the Nina Cat and kittens immediately! She begged me to read the book to her right away, too, while she practiced attaching the kittens to the little pink "teats" on the mama. It is an ingenious and adorable creation, as are most toys from Manhattan Toy Company. We got a black kitten, not a gray one as shown, and this one is her favorite of the three. She carries it around with her and cuddles it at night. The cat is soft and huggable like a pillow; its fur is very soft like suede. It is the perfect size for a toddler. The kittens are well-crafted and tiny, about as big as my toddler's hand. They all have their own satin-colored collars, which are sewn on. I like that the mama cat is stuffed with soft plush poly-fill, except for her feet, which contain beads, to give them a more natural "heaviness," and her tail has no stuffing, so it is not stiff. My daughter and I also like the realistic detail of the pink paw pads and the six pink magnetic teats for the kittens to be attached to. This is a very sweet and unique toy for any child who loves baby animals! It is also educational for introducing and promoting breastfeeding as a normal and beneficial way of feeding our children. The Nursing Nina Cat would also be a wonderful toy to feature at WIC Clinics, doctor's offices, hospital waiting rooms and maternity wards, day care centers, libraries, and for the breastfeeding consultant's waiting room. The only things I would change are the type of material the whiskers are made of, and the way the kittens are attached to the mother with tagging plastic things. The whiskers are a type of black, waxy, corded thread which unravels, and sticks straight up instead of lying down against the cheeks like normal whiskers. Instead they look like odd, spidery growths. I'm wondering if I can tame them with a curling iron without damage. But the kittens' whiskers do this, too. As for tagging the kittens to the mother, the fabric was ripped at one of the tag sites on our cat, so there was a small hole. I didn't have the heart to return the whole toy to exchange it, for my daughter had bonded instantly with these cats! And there was no guarantee the next one wouldn't have the same problem. So I got out the needle and thread and mended the hole. It is barely noticeable. Overall, I give it a 9 out of 10, and I wouldn't let the whiskers or tags stop me from purchasing it again for another child in the future. My daughter is thrilled with it. I highly recommend purchasing it in combination with the book, "Mama's Milk" (see my review for that item).
