We chose the Vintage Musical Elephant Pull Toy as it only had a minimal amount of plastic, and we chose well. It’s the first toy our daughter engaged with and actually tried to grab. The ’soothing melody’ seems to soothe her, but doesn’t quite do the job for us parents.

This heatable duck from Farm Toys is so soft and cuddly, I couldn’t help giving it a cuddle the moment I opened it! And Rosemary was also very taken by its softness and cuddliness, but also noticed that it was very heavy (for a three-year-old). There were clear instructions on the tag, cook on full power for about 2 minutes and you’re set!

I can’t fault the staff at our local Build a Bear store, they were exceptional and made the morning a really fun experience for Flea. She loves her soft toy and so does her cousin. But at £50 apiece, I don’t think she loves it enough to make this value for money. Other experienced parents have told me the way to make Build a Bear Work is to give kids a price limit before you go into the store, and then let them spend it how they choose – so it’s possible to get a bear for £9.99 and an outfit for another £10 or so. And it helps if you buy something at Build a Bear with 2 feet, rather than 4!

The Disney Princess Role Play Tent is pretty and girlie, but at £29.99 I thought it was rather an expensive purchase for something that my daughter only ended up having a passing interest in, and which was so easy to damage. I was very disappointed in the fabric material and found the assembly awkward and frustrating.

The Little Tikes Get Out N Grill is a nicely made toy, and has lots of potential but could use more accessories to enable more role play. My two have already borrowed accessories from their kitchen set to add to the Get Out N Grill. The barbeque would also benefit from having some sound effects. Although the Get Out N Grill will last a long time, I’m now sure how long the children will play with it before being bored, which is a shame as it has potential to be so much more.

The VTech Kiddizoom VideoCam camcorder is a fantastic idea for families who aren’t happy handing a Flip camera to their kids – at £60 this is considerably cheaper than those cameras, and is designed for the odd bang and bump. The additional special effects and video games make this lots of fun for children.

We were excited to test out a really modern scooter, and so the arrival of our Maxi Micro Joystick scooter was a big event for the family. I’ve always thought scooters are great for both parents and children; they’re the easy option when your child wants to whizz, rather than walk, to school and you haven’t got time to find the key to the bike shed. Plus, they’re easy to store. Actually, there isn’t anything not to love so we were excited to test out a more modern version – the Maxi Micro joystick scooter has no handle bars!

The Playmobil school gym is a really great value alternative to, or addition to the Playmobil school set with loads of play potential and fun accessories that kept Flea occupied for hours. Being Playmobil the quality is very good, and the smaller size makes it much more portable and user-friendly than the larger sets. The Playmobil gym comes heartily recommended.

Like many households we’re collecting the Toy Story characters in toy form so Flea can re-enact her favourite parts of the films. Flea was really excited to be sent this set, which includes a Woody figure and a Bullseye horse – Woody can sit on the horse, which rears up when you push down on the tail. The toy is really quite straightforward, so I’ll admit the £27 RRP did make me shriek “HOW MUCH????” (Hunt around though, as John Lewis was selling this at under £20 when this review was published).

Everything you need to play is included in the Tailball Lite box – pole, ball, bats and instructions – but to be honest I just thought oh no not another bat and ball game! The idea of tailball is that it’s like tennis, but easier for young children – the lightweight foam ball is slower and easier to hit, especially thanks to the trailing streamers attached to the ball. To play tailball, children hit the ball to each other, and score a point each time the ball hits the ground.

Got a Toy Story fan in the family? Buy this. Even though the Buzz Lightyear Sky Board isn’t too sturdy, we have really enjoyed playing with this toy – I thought it was a simple idea that worked really well. I think a Sky Board would be a great beach or park toy for Buzz Lightyear fans, just don’t be disappointed if it doesn’t last the whole summer.

Back in the day, learning to use a pogo stick was all about skinned knees and frustration, with days of practice before you managed half a dozen jumps. But kids these days have it so much easier. The bungee bouncer is much easier to use than a traditional pogo stick and did prove to be lots of fun for both my children. Plus it can be used (supervised) indoors – bonus! Maybe a tad on the expensive side for what it is, but if it gets your children outdoors and bouncing then it could be worth the investment. Just don’t expect too much of a challenge.

The Mini Micro bag is a really cute, kid-friendly accessory that I’d recommend if your child is a dedicated user of their Micro Scooter. It’s been designed with little hands in mind, and is practical and well made. Not essential, but a nice extra for summer outings.

The Royal Quoits set from Aspace is an engaging and educational (if you make the children keep score) game, whose appeal crossed all the age rages from 3 years to 66 years. Its simplicity is part of its appeal and it is totally engrossing. We keep coming back to this and have had great fun in the good weather with it. We are planning to take it camping with us. Thoroughly recommended.

The Totscar Mercedes SLK 09 electric car looks just like the one mum and dad would drive if we had the money! The boys have had a fantastic time driving up and down the pavement on it. You do need a pretty smooth service to get the best ride and at £299 it is a considerable purchase, but one that would be well used. A real treat for some lucky child.

The Tomy Micropet is possibly the most annoying toy that has ever graced our house. Mia smuggled them in her suitcase to take on holiday with us and one started to ’sing’ at baggage check! The airport staff did not raise a smile. The children did love them, though, it has to be said.

What do you get for the car-mad toddler to keep his fleet of toy cars in? A toy-box made of recycled car tyres, that’s what! And this stylish, ethical and eco-friendly box can be used for more than merely tidying the playroom.

Rosemary loves the Didicar, even if she does get hurt a lot, and she’ll probably come round to using it properly. It seems very sturdy and I think will last a long time. It’s something she can share when a friend comes round, without arguments (except perhaps who gets to sit in front!). All in all, the Didicar is a good toy and good value for money, but older children may well be better at using it in the right way.

The first words that came out of his mouth when my 7 year old saw the Lego Star Wars Luke’s Landspeeder was “look at all the characters! COOL!” Which is a mighty fine endorsement to be kicking off with. This comes with five characters (C-3PO, R2-D2, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Luke Skywalker and a Sandtrooper) which is quite unusual for this size kit.

The Mighty World Complete Emergency Response set is a cute, contemporary play set that’s probably ideal for children who are just starting to play with this sort of toy – I can imagine most kids of 4 upwards already have a police car and fire engine – I know it’s really an ambulance but it’s red, so Flea insists it has to be a fire engine. At almost £50, it’s not cheap, but it is nicely made, and should provide many hours of happy play.

Flea begged for this Playmobil Hospital set for almost six months before we relented and bought it for her. And I don’t blame her for coveting it – it’s a proper hospital with operating theatres, wards, a reception, treatment rooms and even an on-site clown. What’s not to love, you’ll think? Then you’ll open the box.

A really nice set with lots of play potential and a cute, contemporary feel, but I do query the deisgn of the figures and the wisdom of showing stuff on the box that children won’t be able to mimic. I love the range of accessories, and I think it’s got lots of play potential to justify the pretty hefty price , but perhaps some of the dozens of small pieces (the cutlery in particular) are a bit too teeny and destined to be lost down the back of the sofa. Overall, the Mighty World base camp is a really nice play set for over 3s, but not amazing.

The Nebulus TX aluminium scooter is an absolute steal. Why would you pay any more for a child’s scooter? The children loved it, it looks pretty cool, and it’s practical to boot – highly recommended.

I’ve seen these scooters around in the smarter parts of London and I’ve definitely noticed the Yummy Mummy brigade at Flea’s school regularly pull them out of the back of their 4×4s. I always assumed they were just another scooter, until we got our hands on one of the new green Mini Micro Scooters.

Once it’s together this is a great play set with lots to keep children interested, and we liked that this comes with everything kids need to play pirates – lots of figures, plenty of accessories and some really nice details – apparently it’s one of Playmobil’s best sellers over the years, and we can certainly see why. But do set aside an evening to assemble the large Playmobil pirate ship – and don’t forget the screwdriver!

The minute my son saw the two Lego Ben10 Alien Force sets we were sent to review (Swampfire and Humungousaur), he identified them as a ’sort of Bionicle’. And they are pretty much that, but for the Ben 10 crowd. There are six different characters to collect (as well as these two there is also Spidermonkey, Chromastone, Bill Chill and Jet Ray). Although Bionicles come in cooler boxes.

The Lego minifigures are great quality and very affordable, but even so, I can see this range becoming VERY expensive very quickly if you keep getting duplicates – there are websites available that tell you the bar codes of the different figures if you want to cheat but even having looked at those I know the odds of me remembering what we’re looking for when I’m at the checkout in Tesco are pretty remote. A bit disappointing, for us, despite the quality of the toy itself, which is fine.

The interactive play mode really is quite special for youngsters, but even better is that they can turn Buzz into a regular toy when they’ve had enough of the slightly surreal conversations he engages them in. And even better than that, you can turn off the sounds entirely and Buzz is silent. It’s an expensive toy and not an impulse purchase but for the dedicated Toy Story fan, the Buzz Lightyear toy is a tried and tested recommendation.

The Pure Love Bunny Hug Pillow is another lovely product from Natures Purest and encouraged us to check out their site – next on our wish list is definitely the bunting collection, which is just gorgeous! This product is amazing quality, from an environmentally friendly and ethical supplier. We couldn’t have asked for anything we – or our baby – would love more.

These beautiful activity bricks from Pure Love aren’t something Mums would tend to buy for themselves but the soft feel, quality packaging and organic credentials make them a perfect gift for newborns. They’re a perfect way to introduce little ones to letters and numbers, but they’re pretty enough to put on a shelf away from curious fingers!

The wooden eco helicopter looks lovely – I just wish we had more sun! It was played with a couple of times and then ignored. I can’t help feeling it was a disappointment, considering the price tag, which is just under £20. At that price, it’s an expensive ornament which will spend it’s days on the windowsill waiting for sunshine … alone.

I liked the fact that the Dino puppet’s pieces are made from recycled paper and card and it’s a lovely little gift to buy someone. Not sure I would buy it otherwise though as we could probably get just as much fun out of creating our own from bits from our recycle box – and that’s costs nothing!

The Imajo Organic Classic Softie Rag Doll is a lovely and soft organic rag doll which has become a firm favourite with my daughter – but at £18.95, I think you could find a cheaper rag doll with similar features. However, if organic and ethically sourced toys are for you, the Imajo Organic Classic Softie Rag Doll is a great investment, and perfect for a first doll.

We really enjoyed playing with the Meccano Build and Play set, but the playing was perhaps more fun than the building! The end product is great, but it is suited most to children who enjoy construction projects, because it takes a lot of building to get there. We found that when the children have spent that long making it they’re a little reluctant to take it all apart to make one of the other 5 models! Really nice end product though.

I do think this is needlessly expensive, but if your child is a Toy Story fan, then having the same packaging as is used in the film might be worth it. But I’ve been surprised by just how much my four year old loves these toy soldiers, and just how much use they’ve got, so even at £12, they are pretty good value.

What’s not to like? Lego + Star Wars = little boy’s dream come true. And when Dan saw the size of this Lego Star Wars Tie Defender craft and the number of pieces involved his response was “cool!”. The end product is a rather great looking craft which Dan now has by his bed. He may have even stroked it at some point. We do have quite a lot of Lego and the Lego Star Wars Tie Defender certainly didn’t disappoint.

The Happy Bugs Stacker is certainly a hit with Elodie. She tends to play with the bugs individually rather than with the stacker but I’m sure as she gets older and her skill level increases she will learn to play with the toy in the manner it was intended.

The Tippitoes Boost Trike is and excellent, robust, first trike that offers comfort, safety and best of all fun! The only real problem we had was getting Elodie off it when our trip to the park was over!

The fact that we were all very excited to see that you can also buy trailers and farm equipment for the Britain’s Big Farm radio control tractor probably speaks for itself. This study radio control tractor makes a wonderful first remote control vehicle for children aged three plus. It’s lots of fun, easy to use and the quality means it stands up to lots of indoor and outdoor play.

As an adult, it’s easy to laugh the slightly formulaic nature of Scooby Doo cartoons – oh look, the alien/monster/witch/robot is really just a person dressed up in a suit. But I think Flea loves knowing that it’s not going to be real in the end – so she can enjoy being scared witless in the meantime. Oh, and the DVD includes a cute little feature showing you how to make your very own Gryphon (in case you’ve forgotten, the Gryphon is half-eagle, half-lion). Ours was rubbish, but we had fun trying.

A real mixed bag. It’s ideal for the bottom of the age range if you can justify to yourself that playing video games is okay for the under-threes. However, it doesn’t really have enough to keep an active 3 year old interested.

The Playmobil Noah’s Ark is a great set and has some nice touches if you recognise what they are (we didn’t) – a working crane, for example. It’s around 50cm long, so not too big, which is great when it comes to storage. There aren’t as many accessories as you’ll find with some Playmobil sets but how much do animals need? All the basics are provided – hay for beds, food to eat, boxes to put things in. The Playmobil Noah’s Ark is, I’d say, a good quality take on a classic toy.

Set in the wonderful seaside world of Sunnysands, where the sun always shines and characters abound, this gently amusing programme reaches parts no other children’s TV programme can quite reach. It’s unique charm is the way it manages to bring nostalgia up-to-date and dispense liberal quantities of feel-good factor.

It’s a nice set as a starter for 4 year olds, but it’s a bit limited so I’d buy two – and a base board.

It’s a simple yet engaging educational toy which unlike others has proven to be consistently popular. It can be used for under two year olds although they will need help with the stacking activity. Two year olds will enjoy using it as a stacking toy or exploring the handy shapes and colours. It’s sturdy and will last for more than just one child’s use.

Although fun, I didn’t think this was mentally stimulating for the children – and I don’t think it would keep their interest for long, or that it’s something they’d choose to play over and over again. I fear Pig goes Pop may end up at the back of the games cupboard.

The ELC Twistasaurus would make a great gift for an under three. This dinosaur stacking toy kept Toddler Boy (2.5 years) amused for a fairly long time and even attracted baby Fifi (9 months). It seems a reasonable price for what it is, and I would definitely buy it for others.

This folding Hello Kitty scooter is cute, and makes the perfect scooter for any little Hello Kitty fan. We thought it was a lovely design and reasonably good quality overall. Oh, and it’s great value for money!

As a toy, we have very few complaints about the Playmobil Vet’s Car, but this would be better described as a 4×4 vehicle rather than a “vet’s” car. We were expecting animals, so we were disappointed!

I’m not sure what to make of this. I really want to like it, I think it’s a brilliant idea, I really do, and the material is really cool. But for my child, it was too much effort for too little reward. I wonder if the smaller cars in the range might be easier to use, because they presumably require less power to work – but I wasn’t sold on the Discover Rig. Sorry.