The Pink horse skipping rope is is a lovely skipping rope, that feels much more solid than the usual plastic sets I’ve seen in this price range. The price is very reasonable, at under £5 and it’s ethically made too.

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!

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.

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.

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!

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!

The Nerf Maverick dart gun is just the most fun EVER, and I’m amazed you can get a Nerf this good for under £10. Having said that, I’d recommend spending the extra £4.99 to get a spare pack of 20 Nerf darts, because you will inevitably end up losing some down the back of the sofa.

I think the Playmobil Easter Egg is a fantastic alternative to chocolate eggs if you know children will be receiving their share of chocolate from other people. There are a good set of choices that should please all kids, and the plastic egg can be used as a moneybox afterwards, making the whole thing remarkably good value for money at £7.99

I was really excited when I saw the Battle Strikers game. I have seen it advertised on TV and I thought that it looked like loads of fun. The big box includes a game zone, magic finger controller and a turbo launcher that you use to launch your strikers into the game. The aim of Battle Strikers is to know out your partner’s striker and be crowned King of the battle!

The Diva Dice game is a great learning tool, which provides fun and family entertainment at a great price. We had loads of fun and I think the fact this is portable means it’s the sort of game we’d take on holiday or to relatives’ houses – it even comes in its own bag.

This bright and colourful imaginative toy is a great way to help children with their hand eye coordination while also having fun and being creative. It’s just what I’m looking for when buying stocking fillers – not too expensive, no batteries or small parts. This sort of thing is a win win for me and we thoroughly enjoyed it!

These handkerchiefs from the Nappy Laundry are really bright and funky and feature numbers (sums) or the alphabet. They are ‘child’ sized and made from a nice robust cotton. A really nice idea and environmentally friendly (how many packets of tissues do we get through in a week?)

So hands up who never went to an all nighter? Well if you didn’t here’s your chance to grab a bit of old school rave-style and party in your front room and for the rest of us, it’s time to embarrass yourself in front of your kids and throw some shapes like it’s 1992…or whenever it was.

I liked the way you could make so many bubbles at once and the the small dish that you fill with bubble mix in was really easy to use. You dip the front of the gun in the dish and then point it and press the trigger. Loads of bubbles come out. I was so impressed with this. We were amazed that something that just blows out bubbles can be so much fun. We had a great time with it all afternoon.

As a mum who is always on the look out for toys that are not branded and are ‘home made’ I was thrilled with the Creative Charlie jewellery making kit. I loved so many things: the ethos of the company and the fact that they have obviously taken time to source quality items being the two main ones. The beads were made by woman’s cooperative; the labels are biodegradable; the shipping packaging recycled. If you’re looking for a great ethical gift idea then look no further.

This is a lovely, offbeat way to spend an afternoon, and I think if you add some pretty pens and stickers, this charming vintage-style book makes a perfect gift. It’s a refreshing change from branded and character-led Disney books. It’s also a big hit with girls of all ages – my eight year old loves it, but many of my friends with younger kids are big fans, too.

A classic game that is hard to beat, if all players are in the right mood (and no one’s had a curry the night before). Adults and teenagers seem to tire of it more quickly than younger children, at least in this house. It’s longevity probably means it’s a game most toy cupboards shouldn’t be without.

A good looking traditional toy drum which is fun to play with but would probably benefit from being a little sturdier. We will only use it for occasional play.

Mr Potato Head is a lovely, simple toy at a great price that keeps pre-schoolers entertained for a long time, and I’m sure it encourages motor skills and helps them learn the words for various body parts, if you worry about that sort of thing.

I can’t recommend this little bucket of Play-Doh enough, the price is fantastic and it is guaranteed to keep your little ones occupied, really encouraging them to use their imagination. Love it.

The game is really easy to play and loads of fun. It says that it is for 6+ years and I’m thinking that it’s mainly because of the small pieces because both of my little sisters thought it was great too.

These two toys are a great little taster from a company I’m sure I’ll be doing business with in future. Specialist retailers like Farm Toys Online make shopping so much easier; the range of toys is larger and the choices greater. At £6.99 for the dump-truck and £9.99 for the tractor set, prices are competitive as well. I’ll just have to make sure Charlie’s nowhere near the lap-top when I’m browsing.

You might think this is just another Bratz knock-off, but this is a well-made doll with great clothing and a nice ethos – and the added bonus of not the weird, scary big eyes.

A brilliant idea with some great tricks in, but let down by a couple of items which are a bit rubbish really. My son does keep it stashed away under his bed now though as his secret hoard!

Works much better than other marble run sets we have tried. Recommended for children aged 3+ it’s brilliant fun for any child that likes construction and to see things go. Strangely addictive, you can occasionally find me ‘improving’ DS’s run when he is at nursery.

The Tomy Guitar Rockstar is loud, unashamed fun. If you have a budding rock star in the family then this is a must. And it’s hard to believe it costs just £5. Amazing!

This set of 12 Horrid Henry stories is read with real humour and verve by Miranda Richardson, and Flea could easily follow the story when we were in the car. The humour is pretty broad and generally involves Henry destroying things, which caused Flea to make a noise I’ve never really heard before – but I think it might have been a bona fide “chuckle”. She loves Horrid Henry and now desires nothing more than a set of Horrid Henry stories and a pyjama set for Christmas.

I can imagine this Reindeer Poo in a box being a real fun novelty Christmas gift for kids and adults alike. The price is reasonable and the profits made from it’s sale help to Support the Natural History Museum and it’s fantastic research into conserving the biodiversity of our planet.

The Asda Glow in the Dark Skeleton Costume is a cheap outfit that does what it says on the box. It might have been more exciting with a few accessories, but you can always buy those separately. We certainly found it very practical to wear it’s good value for money.

The Woolworth’s Frankenstein Costume is a great value, child-friendly and effective-looking outfit. Its near tantrum-free design is a real winner and whether you’ve got a little monster – or you simply want to make one – this should be a great addition to the halloween chamber of horrors.

For enjoyment expressed by the small people, the BBC Audio 3rd and Bird – The Muffin Express and Other Stories CD is the current No. 1. Bigger people might find that it grates. But then again, there aren’t that many children’s CDs that don’t.

It’s Thomas, and small boys will love it. Whilst they probably won’t choose to listen to the BBC Audio Thomas & Friends – The Little Old Engine & Other Stories CD over an actual read of the Thomas books, it could certainly help while away 1 hour and 15 minutes of a long car journey. In my ideal world I’d have bought it together with the books so we could look at the books together and then I think they would be keener to listen to it in the car.

I can’t believe the Aldi Children’s Halloween Costumes were only £5.99 each! Amazing value. I don’t think they’ll last until next Halloween but the girls sure will have fun with them this year.

The Snazaroo face-paints and Special KX kits are safe and easy to apply and – importantly – wash off easily. We were careful not to get any onto clothes, but I would imagine it would be quite straightforward to remove. And you can perform miracles of healing in a matter of minutes to the fake injuries sustained in an evening’s trick or treating. All in all, these kits are a couple of halloween essentials. Just remind me to disconnect the doorbell.

The Playmobil Go-Kart Race Compact Set is a nice little set, and inexpensive enough to make a good present for a birthday party, as you don’t need any other Playmobil sets to be able to play with this set.

Travel Brain Benders are just so darn infuriating. That’s about it really. They made us angry. I wouldn’t mind, but the ones we were testing were at the ‘easy’ end of the tricky spectrum!

A classic board game, with all sorts of educational benefits. Well made, well presented and at a very reasonable price.