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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Baby's First Christmas Gift Guide

A first Christmas is a magical time, a time of wonder, of lights, of gifts and of love.  The baby may not have a clue what is going on, but everyone around them enjoys it that little bit more with a tiny one around.  Archie will be 10 months on his first Christmas, old enough to join in with Christmas dinner, have a go at ripping some paper and playing with the boxes, but not old enough to care what exactly is in the boxes.

That doesn't mean to say that he won't get utterly spoilt by family, friends and of course the big guy in red.  Whilst we are putting a limit on how much we spend on him this year, I am still looking forward to buying him a few treats.

So, I have put together this gift guide for baby's first Christmas, with toys, clothes, keepsakes and cuddles.

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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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Brio Farm Railway Review

As with most toddlers, Dylan has developed a bit of a thing for transport.  He loves the airplanes that fly incredibly low over our house, the buses we go on every week and his favourite has to be trains.

He loves going on the train, spotting the trains, books about trains, Thomas the Tank, and of course he loves his new Brio Train Tracks that we were sent from The Toadstool.

These are Dylan's first wooden trains, and we have had great fun playing with them and testing them over the last few weeks.  The tracks are easy to put together, and Dylan can manage it himself, although not into a circle yet. The Farm Railway set comes with everything you need for imaginative train play, and there are plenty of sets you can buy to add on and link up with it.

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