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Early years
Do they need it, is it appropriate and is it safe are probably the most important questions to ask when deciding what to buy for very little children. We have chosen toys that during testing proved exceptionally well designed for their purpose
Stacking Acrobats
Galt £7.99
This cute set of ten wooden men was a bit hit with our two-year-old tester, who carefully constructed endless towers and pyramids. The set is great for helping with numbers and colours, and encouraging hand/eye coordination.
www.mailorderexpress.com
Velour Playmat Galt £20.00
A very soft, colourful, good-sized playmat that can be used indoors to lie baby down from birth. As your baby starts to roll over, sounds and textures built into the mat encourage movement. The pig's nose squeaks without it being uncomfortable to lie on and all four animals have wonderfully crinkly ears for baby to grab hold of. Machine washable and very well made.
www.mailorderexpress.co.uk
Quatro Bucket Lego £16.99
Blocks are fun and educational: there are no limits to how you play with them. Quatro is the new block from Lego, specially designed for one- to three-year-olds. Each colourful block is four times the size of a Duplo brick and is easier to fit together and pull apart. Quatro bricks are softer than Lego, making them great for early construction, and they are compatible with Duplo. We found this big bucket of Quatro held enough bricks for a two-year-old to build a tower as tall as themselves. Blocks tidy away into the storage bucket.
www.mailorderexpress.co.uk
Grow with Me Baby Birdhouse Lamaze £14.99
This cot activity centre fits equally well in the car or on your baby's lap. We liked the bright green and yellow colours - toys for babies don't have to be blue or pink. The birdhouse includes a mirror and three enticing and brightly coloured pull-ties that chirp and flap wings to encourage the baby to reach out and explore. We found that babies delight in the peek-a-boo bird's nest. A great first toy for children who, when they are older, may want to build their own bird table.
www.mailorderexpress.co.uk
Whoozit Water Mat Manhattan Toy £9.99
This is such a simple idea yet it will give your baby hours of entertainment. Half fill the mat with water and the assortment of colourful stars and shapes float inside the mat. As the baby touches the mat the water and shapes move. Babies learn cause and effect and we found that the mat encouraged lots of movement during tummy time. Check out Manhattan's other excellent Whoozit toys for more ingenious fun. This mat is not a floatation or swimming safety device and has to be emptied after use.
www.mailorderexpress.co.uk
Penguin Pour 'n' Play Tomy £4.99
A colourful family of penguins that just love to play in the water. Everyone in the family will want a turn with this new bath toy from Tomy. The penguins float, squirt and pour. There are three members in the family, which fit inside each other for games of hide and seek. Recommended for ages nine months plus.
Toys R Us
My First Fish Bowl Lamaze £12.99
A fun fish bowl with magic wetless water. The real water is trapped inside the see-through sides of the fishbowl. There are four undersea friends which make a variety of sounds when squeezed. We found that children loved pretending their bowl was a pond where their fish lived. The bowl is well built and big enough to play tossing games with the fish. Recommended for age six months plus.
www.mailorderexpress.co.uk
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