Edward was invited to the Rainforest Cafe to help celebrate the launch of a new toy range which includes Good Night Friend Upsy Daisy. He’s a huge In The Night Garden fan so I knew this was one event we couldn’t miss. When we arrived at the venue we found a lovely area filled with plush Upsy Daisy and Iggle Piggle’s to play with. Edward was in his element and happily played until lunch arrived. After lunch Upsy Daisy arrived and Edward, initially shy, was very happy to pose for photos with her. In fact he was having such a…
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When Edward saw a large cardboard box in the living room one morning he clearly thought it was Christmas. He was very excited and tried to rip the box open and was a bit put out when I said we had to wait for daddy to come downstairs. (Note to self – make sure any Christmas presents are already assembled before he gets to them!) When daddy was finally ready we opened the box which contained a beautiful wooden baby walker, the tray containing different shapes and sizes of wooden blocks. The walker was really simple to put together and…
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We were offered the chance to review a High Tea Shape Matching Set from John Crane. This is a lovely wooden toy and the first thing we were impressed with was the presentation as each cake sat in its’ own little compartment inside the box. It was simple to put the cake stand together and each cake has a number which corresponds to its place on the cake stand. The High Tea Shape Matching is aimed at 3+, contains 19 pieces and is great for developing spatial awareness, hand-t0-eye co-ordination as well as communication and role play. Edward really enjoyed…
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Last week we were on holiday in Teignmouth in South Devon, an area full of charity shops. Despite taking a bag full of toys with us, Edward did very well. He has just discovered tractors and I picked up a collection of Bob the Builder vehicles in perfect condition from a gem of a PDSA shop. Edward spent many happy hours lying on the floor pushing his new tractors around when the weather turned wet. My favourite shop was a Cancer Research shop in Newton Abbot which specialised in second hand baby and children goods. The shop was beautifully presented…
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A couple of weeks ago I mentioned that although we always thought we would only buy wooden toys, the plastic mafia have crept in. Well, I think I just wasn’t looking in the right place. I’ve recently found a great online shop which sells lovely wooden toys for boys and girls: WoodenToyShop.co.uk – a world of fun with wooden toys! The site is really easy to use and features the best wooden toy stockists, including Bigjigs, John Crane, Plan, Brio, Wheely Bugs and Quadrilla. I’ve seen plenty of toys Edward would love, including BigJigs Pirate Skittles, Melissa and Doug Farm…
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We’re currently on holiday so I have been lucky to have several new charity shops to browse. Last week we were in Teignmouth where I found this beauty: a vintage Tonka truck. I was strangely excited when I saw this as it wasn’t plastic but metal. There’s a little bit of rust but nothing that can’t be fixed and it’s perfect for Edward to play with in his new sandpit! It’s quite big so I couldn’t hide it in my handbag but fortunately my husband liked it so was happy to buy it. We’re currently on the Isle of Wight…
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Last week Edward and I were invited to Westfield to learn more about a new partnership between Ella’s Kitchen and the ELC. They are working hard to ensure that everyone is hungry for fun! Every special stage 1 and baby brekkie pouch is currently wearing a bib which gives you 20% off at the Early Learning Centre plus the chance to win £100 worth of toys every day! We were lucky enough to meet the founder of Ella’s Kitchen – Paul Lindley, and we chatted to him about how he came up with the idea of Ella’s Kitchen and how…
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I’m always on the look out for vintage and second hand toys for Edward. I really love wooden toys and would prefer him to have quality vintage items to the mountains of plastic toys and games that we actually have. I was really excited to come across this vintage wooden toy scales. It needed a little tlc but after a quick sand, varnish and lick of paint it looks as good as new. I haven’t been brave enough to let Edward play with it yet as I know the wooden weights will soon disappear!
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Edward is growing up so fast! When he was about 5 months old I started looking for toys he could smart play with and VTech was recommended to us. A friend used the First Steps Baby Walker with her children and they loved it so I bought one. From the moment it came out of the box my son loved it. It was easy to assemble and the detachable learning centre means it can be used whilst sitting. The toy really grows with the needs of the child and encourages learning through a variety of activities. Edward has learned…