Christmas gift guide preview
Edited by Natalie Lue, Lucy Davies, Claire Archbold, and Saria (age 5).
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BRILLIANT BABIES ________________________________
Ella & Otto owl rattle, £12, Mollie Bee
Ej Sikke Lej velour owl dungarees, £34, Love It Love It Love It
It's easy to dismiss the under-ones as being 'too young to appreciate Christmas', but there are lots of gifts they will enjoy. Sensory play helps build concentration, creativity, imagination, language and numeracy, while graspers and shakers that will fit into tiny hands boost motor skills.
Anne-Claire Petit crochet music box, £40, The Kid Who
Sew Heart Felt fox slippers, €30, Shak-Shuka Littlephant pram necklace, £27.95, Little Baby Company Sensory Bambini flower, £15, Amazon
babies Naef Baby Balls, £35, Bebe Moda
shake it!
Deuz Mini Maracas, €28, Der Kleine Salon
P'Kolino puzzle stacker, £19.50, Lula Sapphire Petit Collage bamboo mobile, £35, Piccolo Bambino
Sensory stacking hoops, £40, Play to Z
Kid O tugboat bath toy, £13.99, Toyella
Manhattan Toy wooden car, £15, Hop Toy Shop www.bambinogoodies.co.uk
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EARLY EXPLORERS ________________________________ A key stage when babies turn into toddlers, learning to walk and talk. Toys to push, pull, press and pile up are particularly popular with this age group.
Walkers are the multitaskers of the toy world - not only do they aid mobility, but also double as dolls' prams (and emergency storage when you're in need of a quick tidy fix).
Teenytini knitted turtle, £54, Olive Loves Alfie
Glodos ‘Flap’ wooden baby walker, £85, Dorothy & Theodore
Kid O Go Car, £16.90, VUP Baby
stacks of fun
Plastic pull-along horse, £13, MollyMeg Uncle Goose wooden ABC blocks, £24.99, Daisy Daisy. Rubbablox Just Triangles set, €28.95, Shak-Shuka. Set of 10 vintage style alphabet blocks, £12.95, Little Baby Company
1-2
Djeco wooden pull-along elephant, £25, AlexandAlexa
Janod wooden car transporter, £25, Lula Sapphire Liandlo green lion t-shirt, £16, Kyna Boutique
Mini Micro 3in1 special edition scooter with seat and O-bar, £74.95, Micro Scooters
nostalgic buy Fisher Price Change A Tune piano, £24.95, Hop Toy Shop Djeco wood and felt Happy Farm puzzle, £13.45, Tickety-Boo
sort it out Kid O plastic sorting house, £22, and DwellStudio wooden zoo shape sorter, £25, both Huggle
www.bambinogoodies.co.uk
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PLAYERS
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Learning to play with others is an essential life skill - this is the time to encourage social interaction with simple, engaging board games. Plus, you'll also find a case for your little one to store their treasures is useful for mess control.
Djeco Little Cooperation Game, £18, Couverture and the Garbstore
123 Suitcase, £8, ByGraziela
Bock CPH mini owl cushion, £31.99, Nordic Kids
Janod wooden DIY truck, £25, Lula Sapphire
2-3 Cotton top, €9.95, Lindex
Grimms Four Elements wooden puzzle, £80, Little Acorns to Mighty Oaks
Kiko Kuruma wooden car, €19, Mes Habits Cheris
Amazing Child Montessori Fastenings Cube, £17.15, Amazon
John Crane Tidlo 14-piece wooden musical instrument set, £31.95, The Wooden Toy Shop Crocodile Creek Safari ball, £7, Little Citizens Boutique
Wooden woodland animal set, £25.22, Mielasiela
Bristle Blocks Stackadoos, £26, Jojo Maman Bébé
www.bambinogoodies.co.uk
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PRETENDERS ________________________________
P’kolino Little One’s art easel, £60, Nubie
Pre-school children thrive on imaginative play, so vehicles and role-playing toys will always be a hit. Musical instruments (especially super-cool foodstyled ones) will help to increase confidence.
Kiko Kids hamburger and chips music set, £20, AlexandAlexa
Find My Piglet! animal memory game, £12.95, Design Museum Shop The chips are maracas and the hamburger is a castanet!
Kid O magnatabs, from £19.99, Toyella. Uppercase, numbers and freestyle also available
Janod cash register and scales with money and fruit, £36, Lula Sapphire
3-4 Big chevron hoodie, £26, Boys & Girls
Sprig Toys eco-friendly dino adventure rig and dolphin explorer boat (opposite page), from €26.50, Shak-Shuka
Kovap classic tin plate Mercedes MB355 fire engine, £35, Rume
Mini Micro scooter, £59.95, Micro Scooters
Miller Goodman Facemaker wooden blocks, £31.99, Peanut & Pip Ingela P Arrhenius set of six animal nesting dolls, £18.95, Little Baby Company
Kid O wooden forest play set, £36.98, Toyella
Pintoy wooden doll buggy, £37.95, Wooden Toy Shop www.bambinogoodies.co.uk
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Hardwood Fort Standard balancing blocks, £65, Theo Theo
CREATORS ________________________________
Craft and construction kits are key for improving your child's drawing and writing proficiency and motor skills as they prepare for or start school. Make believe will still feature strongly in their play, so now's the time to invest in a dolls' house (or space station).
Donna Wilson Make Something With Me kit, £8, Little Scout
Card London Flick Golf, £6.99, Clockwork Soldier
Oak and plywood Miniko dolls house and furniture set, £219, Miniio Vilac pirate puzzle, £16.99, Eeny Meeny Kids Gonge River stepping stones, £44.58, Rapid
Taro Gomi animal doodle placemats, £8.99, White Stuff
Hape wooden spaceship and rocket, £104.99, Amazon
4-5 Crazy Stuff fully moulded eagle safety helmet, £35, Bird Kids
Lego alternative Wooden castle marble run, £25, Cox & Cox
Early Rider Belter bike, £230 Toyella
Plus-Plus mini blocks, £19.98 for 600, Toyella Jaquard knit Christmas jumpers available in various designs, £33 each, Tootsa MacGinty
Bibu elephant cushion, £30, Hunky Dory Home
Janod wooden dominoes, £38.48, Amazon
Funktionalley Leka wooden horse, £99, Mydeco
www.bambinogoodies.co.uk
Paper Cochae origami Russian dolls, £12, The Kid Who
Spirithood fake fur wolf hat, scarf and mittens, £75, I Dream Elephants Maileg King Mouse and tower, £27.50, Sisters Guild
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DISCOVERERS
________________________________ Once your child starts school, peer pressure kicks in, and with it the requests for more commercial toys. We asked Saria, the five-year-old 'bambino', to help us find creative, challenging and imaginative gifts for children finding their way in the world. Turn ‘rubbish’ into new objects.
Mushroom Princess Sparkles cotton and tulle tutu, $149, Tutu de Monde Makedo 165 piece freeplay kit, £18.98, Toyella
Beinnn 20+ small aluminium bike, £299, Islabikes
Vilac wooden bow and three arrows, £15.99, Kidsen
5 Mon Chalet en Bois wooden construction kit, £25, The Garbstore
P'kolino Playful Art set, £20, Huggle
Yellow Owl Workshop Cityscape Stamp set, £22.99, Little Scout
Djeco Pinocchio puzzle, £12.95, Fenwick
Mouse House craft kit, £11, Buttonbag
Dress-up Dolly in a matchbox, £14.95, Rockett St George
Seedling The Great Adventure Kit, £39.99, Kind Toys
Pucket elasticated table game, £40, Pucket
www.bambinogoodies.co.uk