Spring Celebration Ballet Lottie – Doll review

We have been lucky enough to be sent a gorgeous Lottie Doll to review, this was the first time I had heard of Lottie or the launch company 'Arklu' and it has been a real pleasure.

Let me tell you my daughter and I have fallen a little bit in love with Lottie!

Arklu's aim in lunching this range of dolls was to steer clear of the fake looking, unrealistic dolls which currently stack the shop shelves. I have always been bothered by these dolls – and resented buying them as gifts when that's what my nieces have asked for. My daughter loves playing with things she can relate to and I really find it hard to find a doll that provides just that experience. It is even a struggle to find a doll with a nice face, but I really think the Lottie dolls fit the bill. Her motto is 'be bold, be brave, with you' which is a great sentiment isn't it? If you would like to find out about their brand values then have a read here, it's really positive and interesting... but now it's time for me to talk about the play factor!

We chose to review the 'Spring Celebration Ballet Lottie' although it was a really hard choice. She arrived beautifully presented in a stylish box. I found she had a real quality and traditional feel to her that I loved.

The doll's clothes are beautiful and really nicely made. Plus they are easy to remove and put back on again which is always what children love to do. One of the other main features we noticed was how lovely and soft her hair is, it feels a lot more natural than other toys we have.

Arklu really wanted to see how my little girl played with Lottie so we have made a little video. Please have a watch, she is continuing to bring lots of fun and the ballet lessons (with my daughter as the instructor) are going well! She has since moved on from the flying move seen in the video and is doing well at her pirouettes! I think I may have to get my little one her own ballet outfit so she can join in the training.

I would really recommend checking out the full range, I think Autumn Leaves Lottie may well be on our Christmas list. Lottie makes a fabulous gift for little girls and I am hoping they will bring out some clothing packs soon as they would be a big hit with my little girl!

I would love to hear what you think of the Lottie range? I'm sure it will have a bright future. x

Winnie the Pooh Spin and Play Acorn Train

This is a really lovely toy for little ones. Easy to play with, simple and lots of fun. It doesn't require and batteries which is always a big plus! When you pull the train along the three characters - Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, and poor old Eeyore, spin around on their carriages.

You child can also remove all the characters, swap them round, and play with them without the train. They are great quality and nice and sturdy and chunky for young ones to play with. My daughter loved playing with them and they spent lots of time discussing which was their favourite coloured seat and where they would go on their trip. They usually go to the seaside!

She has decided it is not a train however but an aeroplane (this is why they are flying in the photo!)

If you would like to see the train-plane in action watch our video! Thanks to Geoffery for sending us this to review, they are in sale for perfect Christmas pressies at Toys R Us. X

 

Tickle Time Elmo Toyologist Review

Do you have one of these?

We do!
"tickle me mummy"... "no stop"... "no tickle me again!!!"

We have tickle time, tickle tricks, tickle races, tickle songs and tickle rhymes.
We have tickled toesies, noses, ears, arms, backs, legs and tummies... and best of all we now have the ultimate in tickle accessories "Sesame Street Tickle Time Elmo".

This may sound strange but I have actually always wanted one of these, I held my breathe until I was the colour of... well... Elmo when I realised he was in our toyologist review box.

Finally our own Elmo!

I challenge anyone not to love him, he's the perfect size for my little poppet to cuddle and is sooo lovely and soft. He also really makes her giggle and just brings an extra bit of happiness with him into the house. I don't think it matters if your child is familiar with the character, he has enough 'cute' to outshine his celebrity status. For my daughter Elmo is the star of her favourite duck song video on youtube, for mummy he is a lifelong friend. I just love him so hands off!

You are going to love me!!

Just look at that face! When you press his tummy and feet and makes different giggle sounds and when he is really excited – does a little jiggle. It doesn't take much to get him going and his happiness is very infectious.

Fancy a giggle with Elmo? Watch our video:


Tickle Time Elmo is available at Toys R Us, hurrah and a he he ho ho ha ha!! xx

Roll on the fun – Hello Kitty Tri-Skates

What you need for roller fun...

A sense of adventure, no fear and a need for speed...
Check!! My daughter always wants to go on every ride at the fair, and is the child in the supermarket shouting "faster mummy, faster" while I puff round with the trolley. These are perfect for her.

Just a little bit of balance...
We are slightly lacking in this department – one of my little ones favourite games being 'let's fall over'. So naturally I had to wonder if the skates are the best idea?! I say you only need a little balance as they are really very sturdy and balanced themselves. These Tri-Skates are recommended for ages 3+ so I guess you'll know when your little one is ready for them, we are holding hands at the moment but still having lots of fun.

3 wheels!
Tri-Skates as you might have guessed have 3 wheels but they look like your modern day inline skates. I had never seen nor heard of them before but they are very, very cool!!! I had no idea you could get such great looking skates for this age group. They absolutely look the real deal. They work a bit like stabilisers, as your child gets used the skating you can transform them into inline skates which is a great idea.

My daughter has lots of older cousins she looks up to so these are perfect for making her feel like she has the real deal and is rolling with the big girls! They are comfy, easily adjustable and sturdy and look really good. 

Disco wheels!

I still remember my first pair of roller skates (blue velvet with a rainbow in the side), hopefully these will be one to remember too. They are for foot sizes 5-8 which is quite a good range but a bit of a shame for us as at just approaching 3 my daughter is already a size 8 (taking after her mummy) so they may not last her as long as I would have hoped. I don't think there are any other size option but they fit really well now and she will enjoy them while it lasts!

You can transform the wheels to create 2 wheeled inline skates!

They make such a great, special Christmas gift – I love Christmas pressies that you all get to play together with over the holiday season and these zoom into that category. I think this winter we are going to be out on the street, finding our wheels and having lots of fun!

Scout My Own LapPup Review

Meet Scout – the LapPup (yes a genius name indeed)! This is a great little toy with plenty of fun engaging features. We already love Scout as we have a funny, cuddly, singing version of him and so were pleased to try out his very own laptop (or LapPup).

My daughter just loves having the perfect opportunity to copy me and daddy and say "I'm just going on my computer", she has been in her element testing out the LapPup. Scout is really lovely for younger children who enjoy the lights, all the sounds, and the easy to push buttons. He is nice and lightweight and easy for little hands to grab onto. When you give him a shake he also makes a good rattling noise. As children get older they can learn from the shapes and the colours as they interact with the toy in different ways.

My daughter loved the songs he played and have fun dancing around to them. Our favourite feature however had to be that when you close the lid Scout plays peekaboo with you, every little ones favourite game! A lovely little toy in my opinion and great choice if you are stuck for present ideas for curious little ones.

We are passing him on to our 9 month old friend who found the lap-pup lots of fun and very engaging.

You'll be surprised my almost 3 year old gave it up when you watch the video and see how much fun she was having testing it out!

Dyson ball vacuum cleaner toy review

This week my little girl has been helping me with the vacuuming with her very own Dyson. Lucky her, I am yet to get one of my own! Believe it or not she now has two, her cousins passed down a cylinder toy Dyson (which is fantastic) and then Geoffery kindly sent us this upright version to review.

It is very realistic looking and well made, I don't think it would break any time soon. It also makes a great Dyson sound so they feel like they really have their own mini version and are really helping with the housework! You can set it to suction mode or have the little balls swirl around inside which is great fun for little ones!

Having its own real life suction is such a great idea for play that we couldn't help be a little bit disappointed when we put it to the test. I can't help but compare it to the other Dyson toy she has which has similar features and is really fantastic. It could be just our model but this one doesn't really seem to have any suction. I know as it is for little ones it can't really be very strong but this is much weaker than I expected. My daughter tried for ages to suck up a bit of paper in the end became frustrated and gave up. On the Dyson she already had she absolutely loves sucking up the bits and then removing them from the compartment herself... and then, of course, starting all over again.

The compartment on the back of this vacuum is really tricky to remove and she can't do it by herself which is such a shame as this is her favourite part of the game! Maybe as she gets older she'll get the hang of it but I even found it fiddly.

She has also found just turning it on a little confusing to start off with. There is a big red button on the front which is perfect but then you still have to use the more adult style switch on the back to select suction or pretend mode. This doesn't make sense to me, toys should be designed so that little ones can play with them all by themselves if they want to. The overall result is that she hasn't played with it as much as I expected.

I think it could be simplified and aimed at younger children as from my experience it is aged around 1 to 2 years that my little girl wanted to roll play such games and do everything mummy did!

Having said that she says she loves it and when I have been vacuuming she's been having a go too - and there's no denying it looks fantastic and just like a real life Dyson!

Hello Kitty Pretty Pushchair Toyologist review - so easy to push and play!

Last Christmas I spent a long time choosing my daughter's first pram – like choosing a real pram I felt there was a lot to consider. I was pleased with my choice except one thing, she found it really difficult to turn and a year later still does really.

This is where the Hello Kitty pushchair steps up to the mark. I am so impressed with the swivel action on the front wheels, it is the easiest pushchair for a little one to manoeuvre... I wish my buggy was as easy to push!

It seems well made, no problems so far and is pretty easy to fold flat so you can store it away neatly (very important in our house).

It has some little straps and a bar across the front so little ones can play easily at sitting their toys in. It is a plastic clasp so maybe not suitable for children much younger than the recommended age if you don't want pinched little fingers. My little girl who is going on 3 loves the clasp though as it is more realistic and wants to learn to do all these things.

It's a nice girlie design and pattern – extra cute with a little felt flower on the hood. The other great feature is that they can easily push the seat back to recline it, and with that and the hood down they can get their toys off to sleep. It also has a bottom compartment for storing dolly's essentials, or if you're my daughter, for storing leaves and conkers you have collected out on your walk.

It feels quite sturdy, here is my little girl zooming along with it. If you are wondering what's happened to her doll, in typical Squiggle style she insisted on taking her dinosaur for a walk instead. She then insisted he preferred to sit underneath where he would find it much bumpier... like a trampoline.

Hey it's her pushchair!
And we love it!

The 'Hello Kitty Pretty Kitty Pushchair' will be available in Toys R Us for Christmas.

As if by AniMagic – Ruby the Glamour Pet Review

So here's what I had the other day from my toddler...

Well I thought I had a good few years before the dog pestering happened. I explained it would be too lonely while mummy was at work and she was playing at Granny's.

Later that week I told her we were going to get a big box of toys to play with and we had to test them to see if they were good for other boys and girls to play with. This was her response...

Well luckily for me (and her) Geoffrey did not disappoint and there was indeed a perfect little puppy. I was pretty certain she was going to be completely delighted with her Ani-Magic Glamour Pet pup Ruby, and she was... and still is!

Ruby the puppy is just perfect for little girly girls who love animals. Perfect for me too as I don't have to take her for walks or worry about her eating the furniture.

She is:
Pretty on the eye
Very very soft and always ready for a cuddle (and a kiss)
Happy to let you dress her up with her reversible coat
Even happier to have her hair styled
Very well behaved in the car
Doesn't jump up at visitors
Only prone to very lady like little barks

She never:
Wees
Whimpers while you are trying to eat your lunch
Wants a walk
Sheds hair on the furniture
Complicates holiday plans (fits very nicely in a backpack)

My favourite thing about Ruby is just how soft she is. My daughter fell in love with her instantly and loves using the brush to do her hair and adding the little clips which come with it.

Day Coat / Night Coat (for that added glamour)

Ruby had batteries included which just about made my day and she comes with some sound effects. When you brush her hair she is designed to bark and when you press her close to your face to make a kissing noise. These kind of work but we found we had to press quite hard rather than just using the brush or snuggling up.

This little pup has brought my daughter a lot of joy and is perfect for little girls who love to play at taking care of animals. Ruby is a little patch of pink and glitter I just couldn't say no to having in the house!

Ruby will be available soon from Toys R Us.

Hello Kitty Sweet Treat Food Bar Review

Our family is full of girls (so far) and if there's one thing the little girls in our family love it's playing food shops. My daughter has 5 girl cousins ranging from 2 to 13 and when they are all over this is what tends to be the first game of choice (followed by schools and a dance show!) The minute we saw the Hello Kitty Sweet Treats Food Bar box it screamed girl heaven and my little girly girl was very excited!

We couldn't wait to open it, but I have to admit my heart sunk slightly when we did... there is a bit of assembly to do which is fine but there are stickers to stick on everything. This may not be a problem for everyone but it's always nicer when things are ready to go (mummy got a little stressed trying to stick things in a straight line).

Time to get sticking!

Once assembled it is full of delicious treats to make and pretend to sell and little ones will have lots of fun - maybe not a toy to promote healthy eating mind! There are a wide range of sweet treats – macaroons, chocolate, donuts and ice cream (oh if only they were real). It also comes with some great accessories – a sauce bottle, serving utensils and a grater.

Ta Dah!!

From mummy's point of view I love how compact it all is. A lot of food toys I have been put off buying as we just don't have the space. As all the parts are small this doesn't take up much room, it doesn't really pack away though and would be great if you could fold it up!

The smallness of it all is also attractive to my daughter as she just loves little tiny things. Now all her tiny animals and toys she has collected have a wonderful sweet shop to visit to help complete her play world!

It is robust and well made but I did have a couple of niggles with it. The foods selection doesn't really relate to any shop my daughter would visit in real life. The idea of the ice cream is great and she loved it but she was looking for a cone to put it in. They do give you some takeaway boxes but they are hard to put together and a bit small for the food. I don't think my little one has ever had ice cream in a box so just seemed an odd choice! I wish they had provided a couple of plastic cones and a couple of bags for selling the snacks and donuts, or maybe some little plates. We have some little plastic plates so we've been using those to play. There is a sign / menu which stands up which is a great idea but they have only provided a small amount of paper. Easily replaced but a bigger pad would have been nice!

I'm pretty certain most little girls (like mine) will really feel the wow factor when they see this toy – especially as it's Hello Kitty. There are just a few little things I would love to change/add to make it perfect so my daughter could get the most out of her role play games with it. Having said that she has been having lots of fun playing with the donut fryer, pretending she's at the fair and catering for her toys birthday parties.

Duplo Read & Build Review

Well I absolutely love this, I think it is such a fab idea! Basically the Read & Build set comes with a story book and enough Duplo bricks to be able to make the characters in the story. The set we received to review was 'Busy Farm' and the book is a simple rhyming farm story about a rooster waking up the farm and then falling asleep himself. From the packaging it looks like you can get other sets with different stories and I'm sure it would be lovely to collect a few but we really enjoyed this one.

Each page has a part of the story about one of the animals and a simple illustrative picture of how to make that animal from the bricks. They are just very simple (3 or 4 chunky bricks each) but great for little ones to get the idea of following instructions themselves. This is the part that made my little one pleased as punch, she could do it ALL BY HERSELF!!

At nearly 3 years old (and an experienced Duplo player) I expected my little girl to find it a bit too basic but she loved it. She always loves pretending to follow instructions (or constructions as she calls them) but this time she could actually do it. She was holding the pieces up to the book to check them and was really proud of herself when she made the animals. They were a bit back to front the first few times but that doesn't matter!

Although aimed at slightly younger children she enjoyed the story, and once she built the animals they were busy making all their sounds and reenacting the story.

It would be fantastic if they also did a slightly older version of this, I'm going to have to check as I would buy it for her for Christmas in a flash! I would say this set would make a perfect stocking filler for a one or early two year old. It's a great first step into the wonderful world of Lego.

The Duplo will be available at Toys R Is soon hurray!!

Mothers & Baby Play & Learn Toyologist Review

The Ravensburger Mothers & Babies learning game is a lovely, well made and well illustrated puzzle game which will help children learn while they play. There are 12 sets of mother animals and 12 sets of babies. You simply have to match the parent to their babies (for example the sheep to the lambs) to fit the tight pieces together. It's a lovely way for little ones to learn their animals and all the different baby names. 

My daughter really enjoyed playing it but the matching of the animal pieces was very easy for her. She is approaching 3 and so knows all the babies names and had no problem matching the animals and fitting the puzzles together. She wasn't all the happy about my suggestion we give it to her younger cousin though, "but I really like it" she protested!!

Then we decided to have a look at the games – there are four suggested games to go with it and this is where it becomes more suitable for my daughters age group.

We decided to play swaps where you deal the cards out, see how many pairs you already have, and then take turns to swap cards with each other to see who can match all their pairs first. This was much harder for her to get the idea of but she's catching on and it's good fun and great for her to learn! I think when other friends her age or a little older come round to play we will really enjoy playing the games together.

I think if I was buying it as a gift I would buy for roughly a 2 year old. That way they can get full enjoyment from the puzzle and learning the animals first, and then get even more fun from the games and start learning to play them as they get older. The game will be available soon from Toys R Us., have a look at our photos, they illustrations really are lovely for children aren't they?!

Melissa & Doug Doorbell House Toyologist Review

My eyes lit up when I saw this one, it's a great idea - basically a little street rolled up into one little box! And it's a pretty little wooden toy, us parents seem to have a thing for wooden toys don't we? Probably more so than the kids!!

It is basically a wooden box done up like a house with four doors and four working doorbells on each door. Each door bell makes a different sound and you will need to get some batteries to get them going! The feature that really sets this aside is that each little door has it's own dainty lock and key. They aren't chunky ones for little fingers and it has taken a little time for my almost 3 year old to get to grips with them. It is fantastic for her coordination though and although she wanted me to do the locks at first she is now learning that with a bit of patience she can do it herself. It is really good for her I think! I like the fact that the keys are more realistic to real keys rather than chunky plastic ones, I'm just worried she will get a bit too good at it and master our front door!! The keys have a subtle number engraved on them which match the numbers on the door and she picked this up straight away and they are attached to the handle of the house so they can't get lost!!

I would say children under 3 would struggle with the locks but you can leave them open and they will happily play with the dolls, doors and doorbells.

You get four dolls with the house, 2 girls and 2 boys which fit neatly behind the doors. I had thought there might be some decoration behind the doors but it's just plain wood. This didn't cause my little girl any disappointment though, she is happy playing house with the dolls. The general story line to her play being they all go round and ring on each others door bells to see if they want to play, they all announce they are too busy sleeping / playing / eating / watching telly, so they all have to go home again... then finally they all decide to go for a sleepover at one of the houses.

I love the imaginative play this little toy encourages, and I love the details in the pictures on the front if the houses. It's a great toy to take along with you if you are going away, you can lock all the dolls in their houses and then carry it easily by the handle. I took it as a surprise toy for my little girl on our camping trip and it worked a treat. We called it her doll's holiday home and she sat and played happily with it while we got things ready.

I would love to be able to buy this for friend's children as a gift as I don't think it's a toy people will have seen and it's such a great idea. It's a bit over my usual gift budget though from what I can gather so that would be my only area for improvement! Otherwise a fab toy and mummy's favourite from the toyologist box!

Watch out for it on Toys R Us shelves as it is coming to stores soon!

Ding dong! Hear a doorbell in action: