Friday, May 2, 2014

Time for Tea

I will be taking a look at wooden tea sets in another post, but today I thought I'd share Haba Tea bags with you!

Perfect for imaginative play and comes in its own tin caddy

Thursday, May 1, 2014

Toy Test

The Good Toy Guide had great fun with this PlanToys, Inc. Balancing Boat.

The player that can balance the animals on the boat using the pincers, without making it fall is the winner. Find out more here.
 


Wooden London Buses

Recommended Aged Play between 1 and 4 years

A must have toy!

A red wooden "London" Bus is a firm favourite with children between the ages of 1 and 4 years old. There are a number of different ones available in the UK, both from your local toy shop or at your favourite web store.

So what should you look for when considering which one to buy?

Safety First

If you buying for an under 3 year old you must make sure that your selection has passed the safety tests for under 3 set by legislation. Remember if there is a younger sibling, make sure it has passed the under 3 tests, as without doubt a lot wooden toy buses are appealing to younger children.

In fact it seems strange to have buses that say they are for 3+ and have functions such as shape sorting which are normally found in toys for under 3's.

It is simply not worth taking a chance with a product that is not suitable, tough legislation is there for a reason - to minimise the risk of dangerous accident.

How can I tell if it has passed safety tests?

Look at the packaging it must have the age the item is suitable from on the box along with the CE mark. If it doesn't have these do not buy. If in doubt ask the supplier or shopkeeper.

Size/Scale 

You must remember who you are buying the bus for! Buy one sized accordingly.

Many adults buy toys that are physically to large for the child they are buying for! What may be scaled correctly for you will not be scaled correctly for a child, obvious but easy to forget.

Likewise what may appear fiddly or difficult for a larger hand will be a breeze for a small hand. So think about who you are buying for and pick an appropriately scaled toy.

     


What Is It Made From ?

The term wooden applies to MDF, Wood Composites, Plywood & Solid Wood as well as a combination of all three.

All have their uses in toys, with solid wood and plywood the most durable choices for younger children.

Is all wood equal in durability?

The simple answer is no. Look out for European hardwood (a good example being beech) or rubberwood which is one of the best choices for the younger child. Rubber wood is particularly durable, it can dent and mark but is very resilient to splintering and usually ages very well.

Play Value

What does the bus do? Can the people be loaded and unloaded? Is the bus appealing to a younger child? Can the roof be removed ? Is there maybe a sorting or matching function appropriate to the age of the child? Remember some of the best toys do not need batteries!!

What Should I Expect to Pay

From £15 - £60. If a toy passes safety tests under 3 it can often be more expensive to make as the tests are lots harder to pass.
     
Read Reviews Online

As always it pays to do some research, after all that's why you are here reading my blog!

But also read the reviews keeping in mind what we have been looking at in this post.

Remember its the adult writing the review not the child! I often see reviews for a 3+ toy which say something like "my 20 month old couldn't play with it as described" or for a toy scaled for a 1 year old "I found it fiddly to play with".

So what is the best one to buy?

Well that's up to you!

But I bought a Bernie's Bus by Indigo Jamm for 2nd birthday present as it ticked all the play value boxes, is safe, made from high quality materials and is good value for money.

It is now a firm favourite - whew!