Broom broom beep beep! Melissa and Doug transporter toyologist review

Time to get a move on with our final box of toyologist reviews, Christmas is fast approaching and we want them to be helpful for people looking for present inspiration!

The first thing I decided to give Squiggle to play with from the box was this lovely Melissa & Doug wooden transporter. She has so many girlie toys that I was relieved to see something different!

We have been really impressed with this toy. I can't help it, I just love the look, feel and nostalgia of wooden toys. This one is really nicely made, great quality, simple and fun.

The set comes with a wooden transporter and four different coloured wooden cars. Little ones can really easily fold the truck down flat, drive the cars on to their slots, and then move it up again. My daughter has really enjoyed playing with this, we have had a fair bit of car trouble lately so she been happily playing poorly cars who need rescuing!

My husband pointed out how funny the instant girl / boy differences are. Where the boys would be having fun zooming and crashing the cars about, Squiggle straight away had them all involved in a role play game. Her toy animals were trying to get somewhere when the transporter bringing their cars tipped over. The animals turned it over and worked together to try to fix it. Amazing!!! I love simple toys that work really well and encourage little imaginations.

It's a nice chunky toy too so would suit children younger than my daughter really well. The cars are a nice size for little hands to push about.

It's been great having something different in the house, and something Daddy has enjoyed playing with her. I have also had lots of fun listening to some very creative sound effects coming from the living room!

Recommended for ages 2+ this is a great gift idea for both boys and girls and is available at Toys R Us.

If you are looking for more inspiration head over to the toyologist review blog.

Xia Xia Crab & Confetti Cottage from Find Me A Gift

The lovely Findmeagift.com very kindly sent us a Xia Xia Turks Crab and Xia Xia Confetti Cottage to review and it had been a huge hit!

The minute I saw the toys I had a feeling they would go down well with my little 3 year old girl. She has a bit of a fascination with sea creatures and loves little toys she can collect and play about with.

I had seen some of the Xia Xia range about and always wondered what they were, so it was great to get the chance to find out!

The big difference between these and other small collectible animals is that they move. The crabs are touch sensitive so when you give her claws a poke she scuttles about and changes direction when she hits an obstacle. She is great fun and the movement really helps bring the toy to life.

Another lovely feature is that you can remove her shell and there is a small character that lives inside. My daughter had great fun with this - playing at removing her shell and putting her to bed. Although small it's not too fiddly and easy for little ones to do. I believe the shells are interchangeable so I imagine it would be fun if they had more than one.

Find me a gift also sent us the play house, I wouldn't often recommend the playsets that come with toys but this is great. It has two floors and you can open different doors in the walls and roof to play with it. My little girl loved the fact that this was her little pet crab and she was looking after it. Turks the crab sleeps upstairs and her shell is kept safely downstairs while she is in her house.

The house has a carry handle so Squiggle has taken it everywhere, telling people all about her pet crab. The brilliant thing is that because the lobster is touch sensitive, when she starts carrying the case, as if by magic, Turks starts scuttling about inside her house. Squiggle took great delight in shouting into the house that she was supposed to be asleep!!

When we asked my daughter what she would like to ask Santa for the other day her answer was "a tiger, a sparkly ring and crabs!" My husband and I were totally confused about the crab request but then the penny dropped!

So Xia Xia is now high on my daughters Christmas list and I would recommend them as a great little stocking filler.

A glowing review but my honest opinion!! X

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