Buy online from Handpicked Collection

Price: £9.99

***

Initial thoughts: Suitable from age 3+ the drum looks like a traditional old fashioned toy. The kind of thing you imagine would’ve been found under the Christmas tree in years gone by. The drum is made from metal/tin and is very lightweight but also felt a little flimsier than I expected. Ethan couldn’t wait to open the box and start playing.

We liked: Ethan loved it! The adjustable neckstrap meant he could have the drum at just the right height as he marched around rat-a-tat-tatting. The drum is light and the small drumsticks perfect for tiny hands. It’s bright red colour is appealing to look at. From Ethan’s point of view it is the perfect noisy toy to bash all day.

We weren’t keen on: From an adult point of view the drum doesn’t feel as sturdy as I would like. The paint is chipping after one day’s play and the surface of the drum is scratched. I don’t think it will stand up very well to the bashing of an over exuberant pre-schooler! My husband didn’t like the three brace springs that hold the drum together and was worried that Ethan could trap his fingers in them.

Overall: 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.

[Eleanor - Insomniac Mummy]

Buy online at Mothercare

£10

****

Initial thoughts: The different use of fabrics, colours and textures on the Vintage Musical Elephant Pull Toy really appealed to us, as well as the fact that it’s not too big and garish – always a positive. The soothing melody is pop goes the weasel, the first two lines. On repeat.

We liked: The whole look of the Vintage Musical Elephant Pull Toy is lovely. It’s from the ‘vintage range’ and although clearly not vintage it is rather ‘old school’ and simple. There are five different fabrics used, and a number of textures, so when our daughter is able to explore the toy more fully, this will engage her.

The clip used to attach it is very hard wearing and functional. Its simplicity means it will clip on to and grab pretty much everything we had from her crib to her car seat, her stroller to her travel system. She loved the little chick, and as it moved she would try to grab it with her mouth, which was very entertaining.

We weren’t keen on: The soothing melody is very repetitive. Just two lines of a tune on repeat is enough to drive you crazy even if the baby loves it. We would have loved it to have had at least four lines before it repeated!

Overall: 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.

[Claire C - The Good, the Bad and the Ugly]

Buy online at Amazon

Price: £4.99

***

Initial thoughts: Another soft toy (sigh) I’ll add that to the toy mountain. This one will be easy to spot as its bright orange. The toddler sees it: cue ‘Big & Small’ shrieks of delight….

We liked: Toddler boy is a fan of the television show Big & Small and we liked the fact that this was a real life representation of one of the main characters. It was a good size for little hands and is made from lovely soft material.

It’s a good sort of stocking filler present and you could use it to act out some of the show. Toddler boy enjoyed making ‘Small’ fly through the air, mainly towards his baby sister, who was frankly a bit puzzled. It was quite nice to see that the children could clearly recognise the character.

We weren’t so keen: Frankly it’s a soft toy, if it’s not a favourite one, then they get discarded very quickly don’t they? Although toddler boy loves the show and the characters in it, I think he would have preferred to have a soft toy Saurus (Small’s soft toy dinosaur). It was also a bit annoying that ‘Small’ didn’t sit up very well. He kept falling on his back, so he couldn’t join the tea party easily!

Overall: If you want a cheap little stocking filler and the kids enjoy the show, then this is not a bad bet.

[By Claire T - Being a Mummy]

Buy online from Silver Cross

Price £20

****

Initial thoughts: One of a new range of  toys from Silver Cross, this Rufus Rabbit pull-along toy is designed in a gorgeous vintage style and comes beautifully packaged. Once you’ve fought with the usual ties and fastenings to free it from the box you are left with this fabric bunny and his collection of miscellaneous velcroed, pull-apart vegetables in his pull-along cart.

It’s top quality, as you would expect from Silver Cross – bold colours, nice textures, and a sweet ‘look’ to the whole thing. Kai didn’t really care about the aesthetics though and immediately pulled apart all the vegetables and stuck the carrot in his mouth.

We liked: Kai loved pulling the veggies apart and sticking them back together and loading up the little cart (although they have a tendency to get stuck to the carpet and require de-sticking…) He loved that the Rabbit’s head moved and enjoyed shaking the veg to hear the different sounds.

My favourite thing about this is that it would have a good shelf-life. Suitable from 9 months, this toy has appeal all the way up to Kai’s age at nearly 18 months – first as different textures and sounds to explore, then a something to pull along when crawling or toddling, and then as a sort of simple puzzle.

We weren’t keen: This is going to sound silly, but it’s a little TOO nice. Being made of fabric means it got grubby quickly. Kai seemed to insist on sucking on the carrot so that’s looking decidedly dog-earred already. And it seems a shame because the set is so pretty! You find yourself tempted to put it up on a high shelf so it can look nice and not get wrecked, but then where would be the fun for Kai in that?

Kai also would have liked the rabbit itself to be detachable, perhaps by little velcro tabs – he got frustrated that he couldn’t take it off the cart, and we found the pull-along string to be a little short for a toddler too.

Overall: A lovely gift and beautiful quality, this Rufus Rabbit pull-along will last your child a while and make an attractive addition to your toy box. It doesn’t, however, stand up particularly well to grubby toddler mitts and an insistence on putting everything in their mouths, but if you can cope with it getting a bit grubby you’ll find it’s a big hit I’m sure.

[By Josie - Sleep is for the Weak]

Buy online at Farm Toys Online

Price: £4.99

*****

Pink Horse Skipping Rope Initial thoughts: The Farm Toys Online Pink Horse Skipping Rope is a sturdy skipping rope of a good length. It also has the bonus of being ethical, because it’s Fair Trade and hand-crafted in Sri Lanka, from rubber wood. The design is fashionably retro, and will please little girls who are fans of horses!

We liked: Rosemary loved the horse pictures on the handles, and immediately asked what their names were. As they didn’t have any names, she called them Isobel 1 and Isobel 2. She also really liked the noise they made when the handles were banged together, and identified that they were made from a different material to her other skipping rope (generic, princess pink plastic). I felt this was proportioned so that younger children were able to use the skipping rope, and we didn’t have any problems with the length (Rosemary is three, and quite new to skipping!)

We weren’t keen: There was absolutely nothing wrong with it at all. A nicely made product and we have no complaints at all!

Overall: This 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. The pink will make any girlie girl happy, and, if you don’t like pink, then there’s a blue horse skipping rope instead, which reminds me a bit of caravan and house boat art. A fantastic stocking filler.

[By Tasha - WAHM-BAM!]

Buy online at Farm Toys Online

£9.95

****

Initial thoughts: 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 – make sure the microwave is clean before putting it in (ah-ha, an excuse/reason to clean the microwave – bonus), cook it on full power for about 2 minutes (a range, depending on power rating is provided).

We liked: The heatable duck is very simple to use and much nicer than a hot water bottle. You also don’t have the worry of the bottle splitting and spilling boiling water over your child, which has always concerned me a bit (not that it’s ever happened). It’s soft and cuddly and perfect to take to bed with you.

We weren’t keen: The only issue for us was that Rosemary is a very warm child and has never taken to hot water bottles, even in really cold weather/houses. She happily tried it for one night, but after that declared that she is ‘hot enough already, so he doesn’t need to go in the microwave’, though she was still very happy to have him in bed to cuddle.

Overall: I would definitely recommend this as an alternative to a hot water bottle, as long as your child needs that extra warmth. While it is a gorgeous cuddly toy, it’s probably a little expensive to buy just as a cuddly toy.

[By Tasha - WAHM-BAM!]

Buy online at: Build a Bear

From £9.99 – £50

***

Initial thoughts: Flea and I were invited to try out Build a Bear this summer, and went along to our nearest store, which is at the Trafford Centre in Manchester. The basic idea of Build a Bear is that you buy a soft toy skin, stuff the bear yourself, give it a name and buy it clothes and accessories – resulting in a personalised soft toy that children can add to with further accessories as you go.

We liked: When we arrived at the store, the staff were incredibly welcoming and good with Flea – obviously, the experience of making the toy is a key part of the experience for children. Flea chose a terrier dog soft toy, which she was allowed to help stuff, by pressing down the foot pedal on the ‘fluff’ machine. She was also asked to choose a voice and a heart for her dog, which were placed inside with the stuffing.

The dog was then stitched up, brushed and ‘fluffed’ before Flea was let loose on the accessories. There was a dizzying range of outfits, themed for boys, girls, sport, TV programmes and so on. You could also choose beds, kennels and carrying cases for your soft toy. Then you make a birth certificate which officially makes the toy yours (apart from the paying for it business). Flea loved the whole experience and was thrilled with the two dogs she created – one for her and one for her cousin.

We weren’t so keen: As we were reviewing the store, we were lucky enough to get our bears for free – but if that’s not the case, I suspect Build a Bear could get expensive very quickly – Flea’s toy was £18, then there was £10 for the England t-shirt and shorts, £4 for boxer shorts and two pairs of trainers (dogs have four feet) at £5.50 each. Flea’s bear also had a skateboard accesory and helmet, at another £10.50 – bringing the total for one toy to £53.80. The second bear was dressed as a Jedi and the bear, shoes, shorts and outfit would have cost another £47. So, over £100 to buy two soft toys – I think that is ridiculously expensive, considering we had two toys each with one outfit, and just one set of accessories.

Overall: 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!

[Sally, Who's the Mummy?]

Price: £29.99

Buy online at ToysRUs

**

Initial thoughts: The Disney Princess Role Play Tent is exceptionally bright in colour and really screams, “GIRLS ONLY!” I was surprised with how much space the tent took and found the fabric material quite disappointing as it collected every dog & cat hair within a foot radius. I expected the material to be nylon and was afraid that I would rip the material when assembling the Disney Princess Role Play Tent. My 2 year old daughter, Ella, was initially quite interested in the tent, however, so I obliged her by wrestling with the tent for nearly an hour.

We Liked: The main portion of the Disney Princess Role Play Tent is quite tall with its pointed tent roof which allows Ella to stand up fully and not have to crouch. The main tent is quite spacious as well and accommodated several of Ella’s stuffed toys and dolls to join in on the fun.

We Weren’t Keen: I spent 50 minutes assembling the Disney Princess Role Play Tent. A “pop up” tent should never take that long. As the tent is made of fabric, when I was inserting the plastic rods to keep the tent vertical, I did manage to push the rods through the fabric sheaths in a couple of places. Putting a hole in my daughter’s play tent was not the best way to start the day!

I found the material attracted every dog and cat hair in the vicinity and the green “grass” area outside the tent didn’t seem necessary. Ella was quite intrigued by the Disney Princess Role Play Tent but that wore off rather quickly and the tent went unused for a few days. Due to the size of the tent, it isn’t practical to keep it up if your children aren’t playing with it. I then wrestled with the plastic rods again to disassemble the tent.

Overall: 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.

[Karin, Cafe Bebe]

Buy online at Toys R Us

£19.99 at Toysrus (RRP £29.99)

***

Initial thoughts: The children get excited when ANY parcel arrives, so when something arrives for them they are doubly so. This toy barbeque comes in pieces that you put together yourself. It was pretty easy to put together and within about half an hour (with two children hanging off you) you’re good to go. The barbeque is suitable for ages 3 years plus and comes with some basic food and utensil accessories. There’s a grill with a lid, a sink, and a cupboard underneath for children to play with.

We liked:  The Little Tikes Get Out N Grill barbeque is great for role play, and perfect for using indoors or outdoors. My children love being like Mummy and Daddy. As usual, Little Tikes have made a durable toy that will clearly stand the test of time (and children!). It’s easy to put together and the cupboard is great for storing the accessories, as well as any other toys that get thrown in there.

We weren’t keen: Although the children loved this at first, they soon became bored because of the limited number of accessories – one hotdog and one hamburger doesn’t keep them entertained for long!

Little S commented that the barbeque doesn’t make any sounds, nor does it have any pans to use on the little side grill. The cupboard is useful for storage but I can’t help thinking that it could have been put to better use.

Overall: 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 barbeque set retails at £29.99 but if you can get it at £19.99 then I suggest spending the extra £10 on some accessories to go with it.

£59.99

Available from August

****

Initial thoughts: When we first opened up the VTech Kidizoom VideoCam, I was interested to see how – well – grown-up it seemed. Yes, it’s cute and rubber and child-friendly but this camcorder for kids aged 4 and over has a zoom button, various leads and controls and a seriously thick instruction manual. Gulp! Flea, on the other hand, was just excited to start taking pictures and films and thought the camera was great because you can also play space games with it – it does have something of the look of a laser gun. Oh, and as with all these toys, it’s available in pink or blue.

We liked: There’s a lot to recommend the VTech Kidizoom VideoCam. It’s light and simple for kids to start using – with enough features to keep older kids interested, too. The rubber coating means the camera won’t break if dropped, which saves me nervously watching Flea using my Flip camera. The image quality is pretty good, and the sound quality in particular was a lot better than I was expecting. Having reviewed the Kiddizoom static camera and been less than impressed, the quality of this camera really did impress me.

The VTech VideoCam isn’t just a video camera for kids, either – there’s a ‘film’ mode for recording and watching regular clips, then a director mode which lets you film using animated borders and special effects, as well as a ‘camera’ mode for static photos. Oh, and there are three video games, too! I was concerned about how hard it would be to get film off the camera but it’s actually really simple – just attach the USB cable to your PC, and it imported the clip as a regular MPEG file. Here’s a short clip made by Flea to give you an idea of the quality:

Flea VTech Review 1 from Sally Whittle on Vimeo.

We weren’t keen: I had a couple of small niggles with this. First, if you’re holding the camera like a gun, it’s almost impossible to reach the zoom button – so you will need to use two hands to operate the camera, especially if you are left-handed like me (the zoom is on the right-hand side).

Really, though, I think the camera is pointlessly complicated. Flea picked up my Flip camera and knew how to work it within five minutes. She can do everything she needs with four buttons – on/off, start/stop, play and scroll. After a week with the VideoCam, she still needs me to set it up for her, and guide her through the steps involved in using it.

It’s possible we’re a bit on the simple side, but here’s an example. If Flea wants to watch a clip she’s recorded, she needs to switch the camera to film mode (there are 3 modes), and then turn it on. She then presses the ‘home’ button to bring up the main menu and uses a joystick button to scroll through 6 options (record, playback, edit, games, settings, volume). She presses ‘okay’ to select ‘playback’ then the joystick to scroll through options, and ‘okay’ to choose the clip she wants.

If she wants to add titles to the clip, she needs to press ‘home’ and this time select ‘edit video’. She then scrolls through clips but this time doesn’t press ‘okay’to select the clip she wants – this time she has to scroll across the screen to highlight a ‘tick’ and THEN press ‘okay’. She then has a sub-menu of editing options to scroll through and select by pushing ‘okay’. You can see how this might get confusing, right?

Overall: The VTech Kidizoom 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 to withstand the odd bang and bump. The additional special effects and video games make this lots of fun for children, and I think the editing features mean that older children would still be pretty happy to play with this – it doesn’t seem ‘baby-ish’. For that reason, I expect the VTech VideoCam camcorder to be featuring on LOTS of Christmas lists in 2010 – but I’d say Mum and Dad will need to be on hand to support younger children in learning how to use it.

[Sally, Who's the Mummy?]