When I was trying to decide which doctor's kit to buy, I was torn between this one and the Fisher Price medical kit (Fisher-Price Medical Kit .) In the end, I actually bought both, and this is why: The Melissa & Doug kit has the adorable jacket and is a good price for all it contains, but it does not have a blood pressure cuff, which is something my son was really interested in. I was also worried about the stethoscope after reading the other reviews. After both kits arrived, I was very glad I had both! The Melissa & Doug stethoscope is, indeed, not very usable. It needed a very specific battery, which I found in the jewelry department of our local major retail store that starts with a "W" and ends with "Mart." Then, after putting the battery in, the stethoscope makes this weird, loud coughing sound when you push the button. It's kind of disturbing, actually. My kids (ages 3 and 1), just stared at it for a while, and then my older child said, "Oh, it's sick!" The stethoscope also doesn't stay in my son's ears, so he just wears it around his neck. There is no storage for all the pieces, either, other than sticking them in all the pockets of the coat. They fall out easily if the doctor's coat is moved, so we ended that pretty quickly. Since I had the Fisher Price kit, we just combined all the medical equipment into that storage bag, and it fit nicely. The thermometer that comes with the M&D kit is also strange and doesn't resemble any thermometer my kids are used to seeing. I'm very glad I have both kits so the kids can have the best of both worlds! It also makes it easier to have two syringes, since that seems to be the favorite tool, and both kids can have one! Admittedly, the surgical mask is adorable when I put it on the kids, but they won't wear it for more than a few seconds. Oh, and my son wears a size 5T shirt, and the doctor's coat is a little baggy on him, which I think is great since he can use the coat for even longer!
