REVIEW: Fisher-Price Little People Sit with Me School Bus

(Disclaimer: article may include affiliate links, which do not affect the price you pay.)

A couple years ago, we rented a beach house with a few friends. Three families from two states converged like the Tattaglia’s and the Corleone’s on a small, unsuspecting home somewhere along the coastline of Connecticut (didn’t get the reference? We can’t be friends). For the first time, two of our families had kids, and it’s probably safe to say that neither of us wanted ours to be the one to ruin it for the rest of the group. I had packed ample toys to keep B busy on such an important trip – stickers, stacking blocks, beach toys, virtually everything that was movable went into our car. And yet, it was apparent from the very beginning that B had no interest in any of those – because she had… the Little People Sit with Me School Bus.

Our friend pulled this sucker out of her toy bag and B was hooked. Her eyes lit up like a Christmas tree, and even though she was barely even crawling, she followed that bus around the kitchen like I’d chase an Entenmann’s truck.

We got hers a few months later and it’s been her favorite toy for the past 1.5 years. We’ve somehow managed to con her into parting with pretty much every other toy she owns to give it some “alone” time in the basement while we make room in our miniscule apartment for all the other random stuff she gets, but the one exception – the one toy that never goes downstairs, and the one that merits a look of pure diabolical intent if it is even so much as SUGGESTED that perhaps it should go downstairs – is this bus.

About the Sit with Me School Bus:

  • MSRP: $14.99
  • Measures: 6” x 14” x 8”
  • Weighs: 2 lbs
  • Age recommendation: 12 months+
  • Button plays songs, says cute stuff about sharing and makes bus sounds
  • Doors pop open, stop sign moves out, wheels roll and bus lights up
  • Comes with two Little People figures (a bus driver and a student)
  • Also available in pink, I believe
  • Visit the manufacturer’s website here

Sit with Me School Bus – The Pros:

  • It comes with two Little People figures, which by themselves would cost almost $10 if purchased separately.
  • I’ve heard these sounds and songs thousands of times – I’m not joking – and they have not driven me off a cliff yet. I can’t emphasize how unusual that is. I don’t know how they do it, but THANK YOU, Fisher-Price.
  • My daughter inadvertently is learning about sharing by listening to the stuff this bus “says,” and she’s actually pointed examples out to me when we’re away from home of people being nice (or not), so there’s a chance this might actually be working.
  • When not being used for its intended purpose, the bus becomes the carrying vessel for our TMNT dolls, crayons, Tupperware containers, and anything else that gets in its way – which means that a) my floor gets cleaned; b) my daughter is busy; and c) she’s learning a lesson in pretend play while I sit here typing this review to you.
  • It doesn’t weigh a lot either, so B can pick it up and move it around without me having to worry about her getting hurt.

Sit with Me School Bus – The Cons:

  • When taking the pictures above, I accidentally hit the red button. The button that makes noise. Normally, this would not be cause for alarm, but when it’s 10pm and your daughter has finally fallen asleep, it’s remarkable to witness what lengths you will go to to make this noise stop. And it doesn’t. There is no off button. The bus is in charge, and you, the lowly buyer, must wait until it’s decided to stop. In all seriousness, though, this was only a problem the other night – and I really don’t think it would ever be a problem for you because you’re smarter than I am.

In Closing:

Fisher-Price makes some great toys, and the Sit with Me School Bus is at the top of that list. It’s a terrific gift for any one-year-old and is worth a whole lot more than what you’ll pay for it, even if you can’t find it on sale anywhere. Do it!