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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Dylan's New Playroom

It has taken four months, but we have finally finished unpacking and Dylan and Archie have their very own space.  Our living room is nice and long so we have decided to have half as an adult end with the sofas and TV, and the other half for the boys.  The idea is that it is their playroom, without being in a separate room and the bloke and I can have nice relaxed evenings without toys covering every surface.

We have a lovely bookcase from Tidy Books in blue wood, so I bought some blue wooden toy storage too to contain the multitude of toys that we have accumulated over the past twenty months.

We have been sent a gorgeous blue wooden table and chairs too and  Dylan loves to sit up at his table and do some drawing or puzzles.

The set was a little tricky to put together, but the bloke managed it by himself and the table and chairs seem nice and sturdy now.  I think they will last Dylan quite some time as he has plenty of growing space but he can climb onto the chair by himself too.  They are the perfect addition to our playroom!

Disclaimer:  We were sent the table and chairs free of charge but all thoughts, opinions and photos are completely my own.

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