Top Toys for 3 year Olds

Dylan turned 3 in August, and I can definitely see how his play has changed over the last months.  He rejects all the baby toys (unless his brother has them of course), and instead wants figurines, pretend play and other toys that push his imagination.  We have been testing a few toys, and I wanted to share our absolute favourites.

Playmobil Caravan

Although technically meant for 4-10 year olds, I think if your three year old is quite sensible then this is perfect to introduce early.  Dylan absolutely adores his Playmobil caravan and it is played with every single day without fail.  The small pieces and people allow him to act out so many situations, and the build up to our recent caravan holiday was made all the more exciting with his own mini version.  The pieces are all strong and durable, and despite 19 month old Archie joining in with the play at times, nothing has ever broken or snapped.  Playmobil is deinfitely something I can see slowly taking over our living room over the coming years, as both boys are fascinated by it.

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Win a Picnic Hamper with Davpack

My children have a playroom full of toys, a garden full of ride-ons, buckets and spades and enough brightly coloured plastic to see us through for years.  Give them a cardboard box though, and the dun lasts longer, the giggles are louder and their little imaginations just blow you away.

Davpack, the packing company sent us some cardboard boxes, and I decided that what the garden didn't have, was a train.  With the aid of some cardboard boxes, some scissors and some felt tips, I made the boys their very own choo choo, and they loved it.

I have teamed up with Davpack to give you a chance to win this gorgeous picnic hamper from Not on the High Street, perfect for the end of the summer, and making the most of those sunny days.  Entry is via the simple rafflecopter form below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Plum Toy Kitchen Review

I was starting to notice that Dylan gravitated towards toy kitchens when we are at play groups and friend's houses and with the bloke and I actively avoiding cooking unless absolutely necessary, it seemed a good idea to encourage someone in the family to feel at home in the kitchen.  

Plum sent us one of their beautiful wooden kitchens and from the moment the box arrived, Dylan was excited.  I put the kitchen together with a little 'help' from a toddler and teething baby, and it was ready to go within 45 minutes.

The kitchen is perfect sized for a small toddler and I think would be great for a 2, 3 or 4 year old.  The blue colour goes perfectly with our playroom and is refreshingly neutral compared to many of the other options on the market.  The unit comes with removable sink, two side shelves, openable oven, three hooks on one side with two kitchen utensils and a small saucepan as well.  

I love the way this kitchen has encouraged Dylan's imagination. I love the simplicity, the space and the possibilities and the classic wooden style.  Whenever we have playdates, this is without a doubt the most used toy and his friends love it, cooking wooden pizzas in the oven, and frying all manner of food (and toy cars on occassion too).

I did have a small issue with the tap and getting it properly affixed, but it isn't an issue that is affecting play. When I contacted Plum they replaced it straight away with some advice to stop the same thing happening again.  I have to admit to being a complete novice when it comes to flat pack so this may well be down to my terrible screwdriver skills but I was really happy with the customer service.

We are finding the two shelves on the side perfect for storing Dylan's collection of wooden foods and kitchen equipment and purchased a couple of tubs from the pound shop to keep it all together.  I would have loved an extra shelf in side the oven as well as it is a rather large space, but it is perfect for cooking wooden pizza in apparently!

I would recommend this kitchen for toddlers, those without the space for a huge one, and for anyone who is looking for traditional and wooden.  We have already had hours of entertainment and I know that this will be a favourite for years to come

You can find this Hendon Kitchen on the Plum website for £70 along with lots of other gorgeous choices.

Disclaimer:  We were sent this toy kitchen for the purpose of this review but 

all thoughts and opinions are completely my own.

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Imagination

To see the world through the eyes of the toddler would be a magical thing. A land where everything is possible, and nothing is too strange.  Where the simplest game can provide hours of amusement, and pretending to make a cup of tea is entertaining in itself.  A land where sticks become magic wands, bibs can be pirate hats and ducks can roar.

As Dylan's language grows, so does his imagination and I could spend all day watching him and listening to his constant dialogue.  Somedays he lets me in, infact he doesn't stop talking long enough for me to process anything, but other days he is whispering, or singing quietly to himself as he plays, lost in his own world.  

He will suddenly declare a shape sorter to be his helmet as he pops on his motorbike and heads off to work. He will casually tell me that Archie is a pirate and that the tictoc crocodile is coming to eat him.  A cardboard box may become and airplane, a choo choo train or the pontipines house depending on his mood.  He will insist that we look for horses on a trip to the post office and I am never quite sure which toys will have to come with us on an outing.

Every trip out takes three times as long, as we marvel over the colours of leaves, point out numbers on doors or imagine we are various vehicles as we walk (or brum) along.  Everything is an adventure, anything can be treasure and every day is special.

Afternoons at the park usually involve Dylan going into his 'house' under the slide to cook me dinner and numerous puddings.  I am presented with pretend plates full of pretend omlette, potato and carrots (and some pizza if I am lucky), followed by pretend cake, strawberries and blueberries which he insists I eat with a spoon.  We drink more cups of tea than my bladder could manage, some of which containing rather strange extra ingredients.

Telling my little man that it is time for bed can often result in a question of whether 'pretend sleeping' would be ok.  His furry friends have to be in place, each toy having an important bedtime role, and a story book and cuddle only serve to ignite his imagination as he snoozes, for come morning his head is bursting with ideas.

Imagination is a wonderful, a beautiful thing.  Dylan sees the world how he wants to see it, a blank canvas waiting to be painted on with bright colours.  I love watching and listening to him playing, wondering what he will get up to next on his very own adventure.

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Time for a BBQ!

Finally the weather seems to have improved and we have been busy having BBQs in the garden - pretend ones that is.  Dylan's imagination is growing by the day and he is loving role play and pretend at the moment. The Toadstool sent him a Haba BBQ set to play with and he has been enjoying cooking for his brother and I and attempting to feed chicken drumsticks to poor Archie.

The set comes as a selection of barbecue foods, all made with felt and soft materials and incredibly high quality.  I love the fact that they are not plastic like most children's toys and the colours are vibrant and fun.  It also comes with a BBQ grill and I was very disappointed with this as it was made of thin cardboard and not sturdy enough to withstand a toddler.  We have made sure that the set goes back in the box after every play but the grill is already looking crushed and battered and certainly won't last until the end of the summer.

I am going to attempt to make my own grill out of some stronger materials as the toy food is fantastic and Dylan loved practising picking things up with the tongs (included). I think this toy is perfect from when they start with imaginative play and will last a long time as the food is great quality.   

All the food items are machine washable which is brilliant for my house as it won't be long before Archie is crawling around and chewing on everything he can find.  The fact that the food is made of soft materials is also great for having a baby around as should anything accidentally get thrown, it isn't going to cause any harm.

It is sold at £26 which seems a little expensive when you would have to replace part of the toy but if you have a toy kitchen or grill already then this would be a great addition.  Dylan loves playing with it and it is great watching him explore, learn and develop his imagination.

Amendment : This toy has now been discounted as the quality of the grill is in question.  You can also buy the food separately at a considerably cheaper rate which is a real bargain.

Disclaimer:  We were sent this toy free of charge for the purpose of this review but all thoughts and opinions are completely my own.

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