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ELC Skittles
by Whizz11
I love having toys in the garden for the kids to play with, I believe its important to get outside in the fresh air, away from the television and have fun in the sun and one of our favourite sets of toys is this skittles set from The Early Learning Centre.
We went proper ten pin bowling recently and the kids loved it so we ... thought that a set for the garden would be good fun as they seemed to enjoy rolling the ball and trying to knock over the pins.
The Early Learning Centre say that this set is a great way to encourage your toddler to be active and get some exercise. The set cost just £6 from The Early Learning Centre which I think is great value and you don't mind spending that amount on something fun for the kids. Included in the set there are 6 skittles and two balls with which to knock them over. The skittles are fairly sturdy we find them quite tricky to play with on our uneven grass as they don't always stand up and also fall over quite easily in the wind. We find its best to put these on our decking and they usually stand up on there so then we can roll the ball towards them.
The balls are yellow and have little holes/grooves in so they look like authentic bowling balls. They are small enough for little hands to hold and do a good job of knocking the pins down.
What I like about this set is that there are various games you can play with it. At the moment my 18 month old boy just likes to grab them and run off with them, much to the annoyance of his big sister but he also likes to use them like a cricket bag and tries to bat at the balls too. There are two red pins, two blue and two green so we often call out the different colours and get the kids to knock down those so it's a great way for kids to become familiar with colours too.
The Early Learning Centre say, "Your child can use the first ball to try and knock down as many of the foam pins as they can, and use the second to knock down any remaining ones: extra points if they can get a strike!"
The skittles are recommended from 2 years of ages but I think you can introduce them sooner than this as there are a really fun toy.
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Trunki Trixi
by Suewandering
We bought Trixi the Trunki for my daughter when she was 2.5. We were going on a trip to Hong Kong and I was really worried about entertaining my daughter for the flight as well as the time spent waiting in the airport.
I knew myself and my husband would have our hands full with our large suitcases so wanted something for my ... daughter that would entertain her as well as something she would feel was "her own".
Trixi is one of a range of Trunkis. I got it because my little girl loves pink things but they come in all sorts of colours and designs.
The case is made of a hard and very sturdy plastic. It has 4 wheels and 2 carry handles. It also has a strap which you can hook onto the sides so you can carry it on your shoulder or more importantly you can hook one end to the trunki and pull the other end like a lead. This is pretty much what we did all through the airport. My daughter sat on it and pushed herself forwards with her feet whilst I pulled her across the airport. She had great fun! It kept her occupied at an otherwise really quite tedious time and she also always had somewhere to sit in a very busy airport.
I think the design is really lovely for children. There are two little purple horns so the child feels it is sort of animal-like but which also are used for the child to hold on to when riding Trixi. The bright colours make it very attractive for kids and as it is made of plastic they can decorate the suitcase with stickers. even the 2 locks on the case provided hours of entertainment for my daughter - the key to the locks is on the strap and she would just lock and unlock them for ages.
Inside the case there is one side with some straps to hold the contents in, a long pocket (useful for clips and hairbands) and even secret corner compartments which is awesome for kids to tuck away a small but precious toy - in my daughters case one of her plastic princess rings.
The case is designed to be the correct measurements for hand luggage - which makes it easier knowing you don't have to worry about it. I felt it had enough space for our trip being used as hand luggage for her. I was able to pack pjs, spare clothes, nappies, toys, games, teddies, toothbrush and some books.
We have been using the Trunki ever since on other journeys and whilst it is not a massive suitcase which can fit a weeks worth of clothes in, it is still a great suitcase. As my daughter has grown up she rides it less but still feels very proud that she has her own suitcase to pack and can "hide" little things for her holidays in the secret compartments. Instead of riding it so much she tends to pull it along pretending it is a dog - still very useful for us because we can carry our own luggage knowing she doesn't really need any help because of the wheels. (She is 5 now)
It is an incredibly sturdy and solid suitcase - considering the amount of times she has ridden it into things and bashed it around it hasn't got a mark on it! It is also fairly light considering the thick plastic.
I did feel it was a bit expensive at around £30 - however having used it so often (even on trips to see granny just an hour away) it is really worth it. For me it is a must-have for any family with small children.
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Little Tikes Junior Activity Gym - Sunshine
by womble1985
My son turned one in April last year and having just moved house a few weeks previously we had no garden toys and now he was up and walking I wanted to find him something fun for the garden. We only have a small space and a limited budget.
I looked around at a few slides and swings etc and eventually settled on this Little ... Tikes activity cube. My main reason for this was that I didn't have to help my son use it. If we had bought just a slide or a swing I would be needed constantly to pick him up and put him on it all the time, and being pregnant at the time it was hard work.
This cube is great. It is very small and compact, but it works perfectly and is therefore suitable for use as soon as your child can walk. It is brightly coloured and very easy to put together. The sides and slide easily slot together and then there are a few screws for securely fastening it. There is a main 'entrance' at the back which you climb through to get in to it and then go down the slide, it also has two holes either side and underneath for the more adventurous toddler!
My son is now two and still has plenty of fun playing with this despite its size, but I imagine he will be too big for it by next year so we will find something bigger to suit him then. The size means when he was more wobbly I never worried about him as he was never climbing up to any height, the whole thing is only around 75cm tall and the cube means there is no where he can fall from. Some of the other small ones I had looked at had open sides and I would have been worried about him falling off.
I believe these retail for around £70. I did buy ours second hand from ebay for £11 locally. This was obviously a bargain, and I am not sure that I would have paid £70 for it new had I had that money. That is because it is small and really will be outgrown in a couple of years. So had I had more money I would have chosen a bigger one with more features so it would have lasted longer.
On the other hand our one is probably 6 or 7 years old and apart from the usual sun fading is still in very good condition, this stuff is made to last and when we replace it next year I will undoubtedly buy another Little Tikes product.
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