lets talk about toys….100 Toys to be specific

15th August 2017 Toys & Games

As we get older we have more and more children in our lives. Not only our own but all their little friends, nieces, nephews and extended family as our close friends have children of their own. What that means is more people to buy for. Christmas, birthdays……these times of year can be a nightmare when you have no idea what to get a child. As to be honest I would have no idea what to get a 5 year old boy; we’re just not there yet. Add into the equation that they most likely already have the most recent faddy toy around and your stumped.

When I came across 100 Toys I thought the website was fantastic. Not only is it stocked with bright and beautiful toys that foster imaginative play, but it comes with the ability to search not only by toy type and brand, but also age. How many times have we all been there and browsed through pages and pages of items in the hope the something will jump out at us and scream “buy me”? Well the 100 Toys website allows you to narrow it down just that little bit further and filter to see the toys that would be suited to that age group. Not only that but the detailed description also gives you reasons as to why that toy is particularly great so you can decide if you think it would be suited to the child you are buying for. We were excited to be chosen to put it to the test.

FOR HIM

A search on toys for 12-18 months gave a breadth of colour that was beautiful. Henry is quite a phyical child so after searching through all the items in this category we were particularly drawn to the Grimms Large Pastel Tunnel as not only is it visually appealing but after reading the description, it seemed like a toy that would grow with him. Stacking, sorting, colour identification, imaginative play and small world play: all seemed a possibility with this so it seemed like the perfect option.

It didn’t dissapoint. Immediately on arrival Henry was drawn to the colours. Pointing to each of them and making very short work at dismantling the perfect arches. He had a great time pulling them all apart, stacking them on top of one another and (to my horror) whacking them against each other. I was impressed though, they held up well and had no marks on them despite the abuse!

Unfortunately for him though, everything in our house is shared so it wasn’t long before Darcie was taking a look and wanting to get in on the action. If I’m honest I thought it would be short lived as I didn’t really know how much fun an almost 3 year old can realistically have with a wooden rainbow. Silly me should have known better, as the answer it seems is quite a lot of fun as small world play came into action and very quickly she had a series of beds lined up for her teddies and dolls. In appropriate sizes of course!

Overall I was really impressed with this. Initially I thought the Grimms Rainbow a bit of a gimmick for nurseries but after seeing both my two children continue to play with them in so many different ways  – think stacking, sorting, building tunnels and bridges to name a few – I have to conceed that this is a great toy to encourage children to use their imaginations.

FOR HER

Again, a filter on the 100 Toys site for an age group of both 2 – 3 and 3 – 4 years (she’s at that in between age!) gives a huge range of options. As she has really gotten into role playing recently we decided on the Oskar & Ellen Afternoon Tea Set. The set includes a cake stand, cake doily, tea pot, table cloth, napkins, 2 cups and saucers, teaspoons, tea bags, sandwiches, a selection of scones and tarts along with strawberries. 24 pieces in total all packaged up in a very simple – and very handy for storage – bag.

Once she saw it, she immediately declared that we were all having a picnic. She loved how many cakes there were and took great delight in setting it all up prettily and pouring us both tea. She munches away on the Oskar & Ellen strawberries so happily, I just wish she’d do that with the real ones too! Unfortunately though she has a younger brother that steamrolls in and demands a cake for himself and regular intervals much to her frustration.

I’m so impressed with the quality of this toy, it’s very well made as considering the amount it has been played with already (almost daily from one or both of them) there is no fraying or wearing of the seams regardless of how much the 13 month old attempts to pull the top off one of the cakes and ram it in his mouth. Which is a lot in case you are wondering….poor cake. Regardless of that, his sharp little teeth are yet to break through.

The colours are beautiful and the attention to detail on each of the items is great from the fabric pattern chosen to the way the stitching is detailed. Again, I would recommend anything from this range for little people who love to pretend.

THE VERDICT

Not only do I love both these products almost as much as my children do, but I also love the site we ordered them from. 100 Toys makes it so easy to search for items to match specific age ranges and the descriptions give you everything you need to make a decision as to the fit of the toy to the child.

So, if you’re hunting for a gift or even just for inspiration, then why not check them out? And if you use discount code TIPPY100 at the till, then you will be able to get 10% off your first purchase!

DISCLOSURE: I was provided with these items in return for my honest review. As always, all opinions expressed in this post are my own. 

This post may also include affiliate links. This has no effect on you but means that should you purchase an item under an affiliate program, I may earn a small commission.