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

'Baby Annabell doll' and 'Baby Annabell Bed with Lullaby' Toyologist reviews

Why we've been going gaga for her!

We have been busy playing again... This time with baby Annabell and the baby Annabell bed with Lullaby.

When I pulled these toys out of the box Squiggle was very excited, the pressure was on me to get them out of their packaging as she stood over me demanding I do it faster!!

We got the cot out first and she absolutely loved helping me put it together. It's really easy to assemble - no screwing needed! She loved the little bedding set which consists of a blanket, sheet and pillow, and she was giggling that everything had sheep on. She was most excited though by the fact the cot had it's own mobile (you will need a screwdriver here to add the batteries). She was over the moon pushing the button and playing the little tune on it (which has sheep baaing through it!).

Then we got Baby Annabelle out, I was really interested to see how she'd go down with my little girl as she's never really shown much interest in her baby dolls. She has always refused to put them in her pram, opting to take penguin or giraffe for a walk instead! Straight away she was a lot more taken by this doll and I think it's mainly down to the interactivity of it. I find some dolls slightly freaky but she's actually got a really nice little face!

She's a very clever little doll, when you give her the dummy or her sheep bottle (both included in the set) her cheeks actually move along with the sounds so it really looks like she is sucking or drinking. My little girl loved this, she spent a long time running back and forward to the cloakroom sink to fill the bottle with water and give her another drink. It was very cute to watch, she was tucking her up in her cot, giving her a bottle and then turning the mobile on to get her off to sleep. Baby Annabell laughs, cries and sleeps and I have spotted my little girl singing her little lullabies along with the music to help her drift of to lullaby land.

I have four nieces who are all older than my little girl and have all gone through phases of baby Annabell obsession. I think from this I was a bit of an Annabell sceptic and wasn't sure why she was any different from any other dolls... but now we know! She is well made, lovable, has features that bring out the caring side of my little girl, and most of all she is actually getting played with! She had a 4 year old friend round to play recently and she absolutely fell in love with both the cot and the doll and kept wishing she had one herself. It's great that it's suitable for older children and so will hopefully stand the test of time!

If you are on the look out for a baby doll for your little one to love and take care of I would really recommend this toy. Have a little look at our video to get an idea of some of the features and see the smile on my daughter's face!