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 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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The Playmobil Family Camper is of my favourite sets of Playmobil because it encourages kids to role play within family situations, and it’s really flexible in how kids can play. Great value for money considering all the accessories included within it, and it has stood up to a month’s play without anything breaking off or looking worn. Thoroughly recommended. Just don’t pick it up from above.

Of all the Playmobil sets that have passed through our house, this was the one that Flea played with least. This surprised me at first, because Flea is quite a big fan of dinosaurs, as a rule. I think, though, that the dinosaurs don’t naturally mix with the other Playmobil sets, and if Flea is playing dinosaurs she has a whole set of plastic dinosaurs that look a lot more realistic than the Playmobil Spinosaurus. Having said that, if you’re looking for a toy for a hardcore dinosaur fan, this range is solidly made and very good quality and value.

A lovely quality children’s play tent, with bags of retro charm, and brilliant if you have two or more children. If you’ve got a garden you’ll get bags of use out of the Cowboy Print Wigwam – but at this price, you’d want to.

My little boy has no complains about the Transformers Power Bot, he’s played with it non-stop since Christmas. I think it’s a really impressive product which has thoroughly entertained our little boy, and also has a lot of potential for future play. Well made, robust and excellent value for money, it’s one to snap up.

If you take this as a toy, then I think younger children of 2+ will have fun pretending to take pictures like Mummy and Daddy. But if you want a camera for kids, there are much better on the market. And if you want a game to keep the kids entertained, buy a Nintendo DS, would be my advice.

The marble run might be great, but the instructions that come with this toy are truly AWFUL. There’s little detail on precisely how key parts fit together – for example, the yellow pole that holds the elevator is made of eight pieces but in the instructions there’s no indication of which pieces, or in which order. Also, the angle of the illustrations makes it impossible to even see which pieces are used in some instances. This means there’s a lot of trial and error and if, like me, you’re not blessed with a good abstract spatial awareness, you’re screwed, basically.

Fantastic! My three daughters (ages 4, 5 and 7) love pretending to be mum to their very own baby girl. But unlike like a real baby, you can turn her off when the crying gets to be a bit much.

It’s a big thumbs up for ELC Extreme Marble Madness from us. Great for little imaginations and learning basic engineering skills. Ethan loved it so much he played with it for a full hour and a half non-stop. I’m sure it’ll be a favourite in this household for a long while.

The Chica Bead Bazaar jewellery kit is the perfect present to keep little girls entertained on all those wet and cold winter evenings, but do expect to help 5 and 6 year olds. The price is reasonable considering the enormous variety of beads included in the set, and the fantastic quality – my girls are wearing their bracelets with pride!

A lovely, stylish and beautifully made toy that’s a perfect gift for children who are fond of animals. It’s a great toy for imaginative play, and we loved the attention to detail – the knitted blanket, the mouse’s clothes and even the little pillow are all just lovely.

We love Bop It! although it does seem to bring out the worst in us. If you do manage to not play this addictive game for a while, the voice saying “Bop It” and your child shouting at it might get on your nerves a bit. The only reason it didn’t score maximum marks was because we missed a couple of the old commands. Combining the two versions would have made it even better.

The Toy Story radio-controlled car is a fun toy, and kids will have lots of fun with the car and figures. For parents, I’d say be prepared to help little ones get the hang of the controls and use rechargeable batteries! And I’m not convinced of the quality – it seems fragile and prone to breaking.

A great quality wooden toy that will stand up to a lot of bashing and dropping and whatever else your little monsters can throw at it – and will still look great. But my advice would be to use generic figures and accessories unless you have a hardcore fire engine fan, because the Pintoy ones are pretty expensive.

If like me, you love playing these sorts of games with your kids, but would rather eat your own eyeballs than sing along to High School Musical, then Lego Rock Band for Wii is perfect. It couldn’t be any cooler – Iggy Pop does the game voiceovers! You can introduce your kids to Bowie, if you haven’t got around to it yet. I think overall Lego Rock Band is one of the better music games for the Wii, since it entertains kids and won’t offend the adults’ music sensibilities.

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.

I can’t think of any little girl who wouldn’t want one of these fluffy, original creations, the Halloween Pumpkin Tutu is the perfect present for any Princess or pumpkin worth their tutu and you’ll struggle to get them dressed into anything else!

Sure, the Kiddymania Medieval Princess Outfit is a little pricy, but the quality shows. I think this is well worth the money. If you have a little one like mine, with an active imagination, then this costume will be a big hit. I’m going to mention the quality again because I think this dress is exceptional – it looks like it will withstand some pretty serious Medieval play.

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.

If you’re looking for a high-quality costume that won’t fall to bits, the Kids Army US Pilot Jumpsuit is for you. And it doesn’t hurt that my son looked completely, utterly adorable in it. Highly recommended.

The Kiddymania Dinosaur Dressing Up Outfit is something kids can play in for several years, which is a rarity among Halloween costumes. Little S can also testify that this is a GREAT costume for perfecting your roar in!

The M&S Pirate Skeleton Kids Halloween Outfit looks great once it’s on, but it is a little bit fiddly, and the fabric was definitely thinner on this than the other two outfits we tested. This is also definitely a party outfit, not a going out outfit – it’s thin and it’s October – who’s wearing cropped trousers at this time of year? Lunatics, that’s who.

The Disney Peter Pan Outfit is a bit more expensive but something your child should get lots of use out of. Younger children will need help getting the trousers on. Buy a size up, and you’ll get more wear – it’s easy enough to roll up the trousers around the waist if they’re too long.

The Playmobil Pirate Island Superset is a nice addition to a pirate Playmobil collection, but the base is a little limiting. I’m also possibly weirdly liberal, but I found it kind of amazing how many weapons two pirates need – daggers, swords, guns and a cannon?

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.

The Playmobil Playground Set is a really great toy that’s perfectly pitched for children aged 4 and 5, who enjoy pretend play around schools, playtime, making friends. There are some lovely items, and the quality is very impressive, with each piece strong enough for robust handling by pre-schoolers.

For us, the Playmobil Expedition Ship would be an expensive set as it’s mostly used as a bath toy – and there are far cheaper bath toys around! But if you have a child who is keen on boats and fixing things, this is a nice set, which is fairly robust and has some nice details.

The Playmobil Take Along Knights Battle Chest is one of the more disappointing Playmobil sets and I personally wouldn’t recommend it. I think it’s quite small – I’ve seen much nicer wooden castles, which you could play with using Playmobil or other figures, and which would probably last longer and stand up to a bit more rough handling.

The Playmobil Ambulance is a great value set considering how much play value it has. Nice and sturdy, and it really encourages imaginative play. As an added bonus, it introduces the idea of kids getting knocked off bicycles, so we’ve been chatting about road safety, too. Totally recommend this one.

Eric Carle’s ABC Game is a nice visual way to have fun with the alphabet (and some strange animals). However at £14 I would have expected the pieces to have been a bit more substantial and robust. The whole thing looks so lovely it’s a shame it’s been let down somewhat by ‘cheap’ counters and a spinner than only just spins.

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

This toy is big on nostalgia value for us adults, but also has enough features to keep a child entertained. For the price we paid, this is an excellent buy. It has all the features that you would expect from a child’s laptop and, most importantly, it’s STAR WARS!!!

When I suggested bringing this toy back home after our holiday, my niece and nephew begged to keep it at their house, which shows how much they loved it – maybe one day they’ll get around to playing Connect 4, who knows? Fantastic fun for kids and very flexible, with a lovely nostalgia element.