So with this in mind we have put together a list of pro’s and cons for currently types of playhouses.

Wooden

• Pro’s: Wooden playhouses are sturdy and often larger than other types and will last well if treated correctly.  They are great as unisex play areas. They can be customized.
• Cons: Can be expensive, they need assembling.  They also require more upkeep and cleaning than other types of playhouses.

Plastic

• Pro’s: Easy assembly, come in a variety of styles, durable and long lasting.
• Cons: Often only designed for toddlers, so on the smallish side and colour can fade.

Canvass

• Pro’s: perfect for small spaces as they can be taken down easily. Less expensive
• Cons: You have to assemble them each time your child wants to play, they are lightweight and can blow about if windy.

Paid for post

Buy online: Garden Games

£179.99

****

Initial Thoughts: We are a big gaming family here in The Mad House, so I was intrigued to see how the boys took to Giant Connect 4 and it is gient as it stands at 1.1 metres tall.

We Liked:  This is a fantastic game for all the family to play and it is easier I think for children to make the connections as it is at their level. Plus for younger children the game pieces are really easy to pick up and it is fun to have it super-sized.   Both my boys and my niece who is six adored this game and it got plenty of use outside.  Even better this has been a real big hit with the eight to fifteen year olds at my Sister in laws youth group that she runs at the social club.   It is easy to assemble and you even get bags to store the game peices in when you are not using it.

We Weren’t Keen: There is nothing to dislike about this game, it does what it says on the tin.  It is a giant version of the game connect 4.

Overall: A great game for families with space in the garden during the summer and f you have enough room for it indoors then it will bre great all year round.  I can see this getting a lot of play with children of all ages.

Jen - Mum in The Mad House

Buy online  Bandai Tinga Tinga Tales 4-in-1 Collectable Figure Set

Price: From £9.13

***

Introduction: Tinga Tinga tales is an amazing series currently showing on CBeebies and commissioned by the BBC, but made in Kenya and based on African folk tales from across the continent. Coming from the Tiger Aspect stable it has all the hallmarks of another children’s TV hit and – as such – merchandise like the collectable figures set is now appearing on the market.

We liked: there’s a wide variety of items to accompany the series, from the four-in-one collectable figure (aged three and upwards) to things like a water hole playset and elephant tambourine. They’re colourful, characterful, well-made and stand out in any toy-box just as the TV series stands out from the schedules.

We weren’t so keen: on the price, to be honest. Nearly a tenner for four plastic toys is a bit on the steep side, even if they are as good as these. And if your child isn’t skilled at imaginative play, these toys don’t generally ‘do’ much – which I admit might also be something of a virtue, especially as it means they require no batteries.

Overall: if you’ve a child into the Tinga Tinga Tales TV series you’ll certainly want to investigate some of the things in this range. You just might need some time to save up.

[Tim, Bringing up Charlie]

Buy online at Amazon

Price: £19.97

****

Overview: I can’t make up my mind about Chuggington. It seems oddly placed, geographically, and the mystery of its mid-Atlantic vocabulary bugs me. But frankly little of that matters when you’ve got a colourful, robust and entertaining toy like this remote controlled Wilson to play with.

We liked: The Chuggington remote control Wilson is aimed at children from three to eight years old, this toy promises a lot. For the lower end of the age-range it’s chunky and well-built enough to withstand some less than delicate handling. And believe me, it’s had to! If the batteries are flat, or if your child simply wants to push Wilson along using nothing more than toddler-power then it’ll withstand a lot of pressure. It’s colourful, attractive and easy to use. The remote works efficiently and is easy to master.

We weren’t so keen: For this toy to appeal to the upper end of the age-range it’d probably have to do a little more than merely move backwards and forwards according to the two buttons on the remote control. Although Wilson claims to appeal to children up to eight years old I’m not sure they wouldn’t get bored rather quickly, even with the steering facility. And the batteries: it takes six – yes, six – AA batteries which represents a hefty outlay every time they need changing.

Conclusion: if you want a sturdy remote-control toy for a toddler, the remote control Chuggington Wilson toy is well worth considering, but invest in a pack of rechargeable batteries! Bear in mind it might not be challenging enough for older kids, but a great option for a train-mad toddler.

[Tim - Bringing up Charlie]

Available on Amazon for £19.97

Buy online at Boots

Price £74.99

**

Initial thoughts: We watched a few YouTube videos of Cookie, my Playful Pup, before we received one to review and our hopes were high – Flea is a big fan of the whole Fur Real range, and this one is a cute Labrador puppy, fitted with the latest animatronics so that Cookie will look at you, follow commands, and wag her tail.

We liked: It’s true that Cookie is extremely cute, and Flea was incredibly excited to get her out of the box. She has weirdly lifelike features, and is just the right size for younger children to be able to carry around.

We weren’t keen: I have to say that, given the price tag, I expected a lot more from Cookie. We own similar toys that cost around £20, and I don’t think Cookie does much more than those toys. The dog is supposed to turn its head when you squeak her toy bone or talk to her, but we found this didn’t work most of the time, and the bone lost its squeak on the first day we played with it. Now it just makes a slightly asthmatic sound and gives up. Similarly, Cookie has touch sensors that means she responds to specific touches with different actions – but we found these only worked intermittently. The result was that Flea just got bored – within an hour, she’d put Cookie away.

Overall: I think for the price, I expected a lot more from Cookie my Playful Pup.  Some of the featured worked well – Flea likes that Cookie can sit up or lie down, and she is very cute and cuddle. But the animatronics simply didn’t work and were noisy to boot – so overall, the toy just didn’t engage Flea at all. Disappointing, and not nearly as fun as other FurReal toys we’ve tried.

Sally, Who’s the Mummy?

Buy online at Argos

Price £149.99

*****

Initial Thoughts:  When Chad Valley asked us to try out a trampoline suitable for children aged 3-6, I had visions of something small and self-contained arriving in our house. So when the courier arrived with two huge boxes labelled with the words ‘self-assembly’ I was a bit intimidated. And I’ll be honest here – the instructions are really complicated. Overall, it took the best part of a day to get the trampoline up and working – and I’d definitely say it’s a two-man job as on my own I did struggle to get the right tension, and tighten everything so the whole structure was stable and secure.

We liked: Despite the challenge of assembly, this is a brilliant, brilliant toy and Flea loves it. It’s the perfect compromise between those little kid trampolines for toddlers and those slightly terrifying, high grown-up trampolines that wouldn’t fit in our garden even if I wanted one. This trampoline is big enough for Flea to get loads of use out of – she’s almost six – and has a very satisfying bounce quality.

We weren’t keen: I’ve nothing negative to say about this – I think it’s brilliant and great value, but do set aside some time and recruit a helper to get it together.

Overall: If you’re looking for garden toys for children then the Chad Valley 7ft trampoline is great value, and offers loads of fun for children aged 3+. Flea is very happy to play on it without me holding her hand, and the enclosure means I’m confident enough to let her have a really satisfying bounce!

Sally, Who’s the Mummy?

Buy online at Amazon

From: £9.80

*****

Initial thoughts: A new Playmobil set is always a cause for celebration in our house, but sets involving the potential for water play are a firm favourite, so when we were sent this new beach set, Flea was delighted. There aren’t many Playmobil sets you can pick up for this sort of price, so I was interested to see what you get for your money.

We liked: Flea loved this set. It was very simple to put together, taking just 5 minutes, and there are some great accessories, so children can play building sandcastles, sailing the boat, or play with the tiny little animal toy figures.

We weren’t keen: Like many of these Playmobil sets that come with their own ‘base’, Flea found it difficult to make the figures stand up on the provided base, so she ended up putting that to one side and just playing with the figures.

Overall: The compact beach set is a perfect Playmobil set for a birthday present, or to take away on holidays. Great value for money.

Sally, Who’s the Mummy?

Buy online at Argos

Price: £19.99

****

Initial thoughts: When we were first sent these blocks, Flea was incredibly excited – the images on the box show little houses, and forts being constructed from the blocks. However, when we unpacked the box, we found that the 40 blocks inside, which are a bit like giant Lego bricks – weren’t sufficient to build the house on the packaging. Disappointing.

We liked: I love that these bricks can be used inside or out, they’re robust and stand up to a lot of abuse, and they’re the kind of thing toddlers will play with, but which Flea still finds lots of fun at the age of 5.

We weren’t keen: I suspect to REALLY make the most of this toy, you’ll need two boxes – and they’re not small, so present a storage challenge. They’re also incredibly hard to fit back inside the box once you’ve finished playing with them.

Overall: For the price, this is a great, long-lasting toy that should see your child through several summers and lots of rainy days.

[Sally, Who's the Mummy?]

Buy online at Amazon

£33.49

****

Initial thoughts: Typically, when Lego comes in to our house, we wait until Flea’s cousin comes to visit to do the actual building. But this set looked small enough that we could make a stab at it ourselves – and we were right. Apart from losing the instructions halfway through construction, Flea (5) and I could build this over a couple of evenings, and the completed set is great – you’ve got a police station, police car, some cops and robbers, and lots of cute accessories.

We liked: The figures and accessories are great – Flea has had great fun with the teeny magnifying glass and gold treasure. We also love the little police motorcycle and sports car that come with this set – brilliant for imaginative play.

We weren’t keen: The base on the mobile part of the police station snaps off pretty much every time we play with this set – but that may just be our shoddy construction skills.

Overall: I think this set is great value, with even more play value than some of the more expensive sets we’ve reviewed in the past.  Lots of lovely accessories and I think simple enough for a 5 or 6 year old to assemble, with a little support.

Sally, Who’s the Mummy?

Buy online at ToysRUs

£54.95 plus £16 per story

**

Initial Thoughts: We received two Storio consoles in the same week, thanks to VTech and the ToysRUs Toyologist programme. This gave me the opportunity to test them with two different five-year-olds. Flea and her cousin Harry are both five. They were both incredibly excited to see the Storio and get started, with Harry declaring, “I have wanted one of these ALL MY LIFE.”

We liked: The Storio is simple for kids to handle. It’s a bit like a Kindle for kids with a touchscreen that displays an illustrated story, and allows kids to interact with the content. Our console came complete with Toy Story 3, which was very exciting to both testers.

We weren’t keen: I think the Storio has a lot of potential but Flea put this down after less than half an hour. Over the past couple of months, she’s picked it up once or twice, but doesn’t tend to play for long. I think it’s because the console just doesn’t offer much in the way of play potential and interactivity – the story is basically a recording that runs over a series of still illustrations and runs for five minutes.

The games are then vocabulary games: “Which word means tired?” or you can click on a word to hear its meaning. I can see it’s educational but clicking on a word to hear its meaning is about as much fun as it sounds. After half an hour, Flea had done every single game and level, and announced ‘Finished’. Not what you want to hear when you’ve spent £70 on a toy! Also, this takes batteries – 4 AAs, and it eats them at a terrifying rate, meaning the cost of running the Storio is pretty high.

Overall: It’s a shame perhaps that we tested this after testing the Leapfrog Tag, which in my view is superior to the Storio in almost every way. The Tag takes fewer batteries, is far cheaper, and most importantly of all is more fun – the Storio is pretty much ignored in our house, while the Tag (which Flea’s owned for over a year) is still played with most weeks. Perhaps at five, Flea and Harry were just too old for the Storio – it’s suitable for age three so if you have a toddler who isn’t yet reading, perhaps it’s more suitable – but I’d still worry about spending so much on something kids will likely grow out of within a couple of years.

[Sally, Who's the Mummy?]