Saturday 9 June 2018

Father's day gift ideas under £20



Father's day is fast approaching and I wanted to put together some ideas of gifts that won't break the bank - but will be useful or practical for years to come.

I'm pretty good at always remembering my husband but often put of my own dad or father-in-law will a week or so before (thank you Amazon!)

So, here's what's worked for us:



I adore Freddie The Kid's Etsy shop. We already have some of her prints in our home and the quality is impeccable. I love this print and I've not seen it before.



 

Okay, if your dad really does like socks try Matalan. They have 3 for 2 on lots of socks that are fun and means multiple kids can always choose a pair that they love each.


Okay, this power bank is just slightly over £20, but it's so practical, has amazing reviews, and would be so well used by the dad in your life who loves gadgets. 



I'm a second child so I find this card hilarious - though my parent's did go on to have six more kids so I don't know what that says!


This is a great gift if you have a handy dad. It's a multi-tool key ring. I love that it's practical, personal and shows you have faith in their DIY abilities! 

My husband has this beard trimmer and he loves it. Good quality and the ability to roll the dial to change the clip length. 


What dad doesn't worry? We all have a tendency to do it, especially about our children. My husband and I love this book. So much practical advice and great science-based studies. You could personalise it with a little note about how you're glad they care so much for you. 

I hope you've found something the dad in your life will love. I tried to cover lots of different personality types. Which is easy for me as my husband, dad and father-in-law are totally different personalities!

What would you add to this list?

Friday 9 February 2018

playroom organisation



Our playroom is constantly evolving because so are our kids and the way they use the space and toys. 

I'll share some of our favourite organising items at the bottom if you're looking for that feel free to scroll ahead now!

If you're still here I'll talk about what we do to make the space fun to use, easy to keep organised and let the kids take the lead with play.



One of my favourite organising investments are these rainbow drawers. Each drawer pulls out completely, but not too easily so they come out accidentally, so children can grab a drawer and take to where they're creating. For us this is normally the kitchen table which is in the kitchen behind the wall above. 



I love having drawers and doors in this unit. The more visually messy toys are behind the doors, but still easily accessibly to children. These baskets are perfect for fitting in this Ikea unit when it has the door add ons. My children will pull out a basket and play when they like. 


But once the game is done it's put away behind a door and it looks tidy again!

The file folders on top of the drawers are also from Ikea and hold my kids' workbooks and colouring books. 



On the opposite wall is a similar unit (actually two smaller units pushed together as they were used in our previous house inside cupboards - which also explains why all the boxes are all pink despite me having two girls and a boy, but to be honest my son couldn't care at all and pink is one of his current top five colours!). This unit hols such a lot of items! Each box can be pulled out and played with alone, and the labelling makes putting away child's play. (see what I did there?)


The larger toys get stored on top and can be pulled down to work alongside a box of toys. 

I love having fun touches just for the kids, so that black strip running up the side of the unit?



It' actually cute lego tape! It's repoisitionable and my son (and I!) love it. You could even do a town on its side.  



Each child has colours in their rooms, but I store most here so they can be grabbed for using with those craft drawers. There's also some sharpies for my older kids which are great for art projects and homework. 




There's a shelf for finished models my older two want to keep safe from my three-year-old, and this tub holds smaller creations and works in progress. 



Another favourite place to store smaller sets of toys is in these small 'suitcases'. They look so sweet on display and my youngest loves carrying them around and then playing. 

Please ask any questions and share your toy solutions below!

Here's some of my favourites from our playroom, if I miss something just send me a message or leave me a comment.



Thursday 23 November 2017

gift ideas with longevity

Whether you're a parent, grandparent, auntie, uncle or family friend; you're sure to have children to buy for. But how do you find a gift that will have more longevity than the latest fad and be able to be loved and used for more than a few months? 



I've put together some gift guides below to help with different interest areas, although all areas are of interest to most children. 

I've also tried to include as many gifts into splurge and save options with each idea so that you can choose the right one for your budget. The splurge ones that I've listed aren't just to spend extra money, these are ones that may be for multiple children or ones that will stand the test of time and could be handed times. 


With all of these options click on the image to get check the price and where you could buy it. Some of these are affiliate links, so if that bothers you please feel free to open a new tab and search by name, I've just tried to make it a little easier for you. 


Construction



Mega-mods are a firm favourite with children of lots of ages, from 3 to young teens. They're even used in schools as they are so well made and hold up under lots of repeated play. At around £15 for the starter set it's fantastic value for a gift that will be used for years to come. 





These Magna-Tiles are more of a splurge, starter sets range from £40-£100, but they have many more options than the mega mods in terms of types of construction and multiple children being able to use them at once.




         


Lego is a fantastic gift for many ages. A set with lots of universal pieces will mean more options and you could always combine it with one of the Lego ideas books or gift the book on its own for a child who already has a lot of Lego.

Creative


This comes in at around £5 and is a great stand alone creative gift for lots of ages. Although the age suggestion is higher I have a 3 year old who loves "drawing" in her sister's one of these. The stencils would probably be too old without help for younger children, but this is a great one all the same.
     



A great bundle idea for a creative child is a pack of plain cards and envelopes, some stampers or stickers, and some postage stamps. That way they can make, write, and send cards whenever they like!


           

A free-standing easel is great if you have the space, and this one is double sided so two children can use it at once. If you don't have the space this table-top easel is fantastic quality, lays flat for storing and has a whiteboard on one side and a chalkboard on the other, plus the paper roll holder. This smaller one is currently reduced and only just over £20 right now.

Imaginative

There are so many toys that could be included in this category. This is one where you can tailor so well to the child's interests. 


 

There are now so many options in terms of wooden play food and accessories. Some of the best quality items that are competitive in price are Melissa and Doug, Tildo, and Big Jigs - all found on Amazon. Retailers are now catching on and great options which we've tried and loved have come from ELC, Wilkos and Aldi surprisingly! Of course the kitchen is the splurge, however it is possible to DIY your own market stall using a cheap low wooden bookshelf. I know because that was my child's gift one year with a few sets of food and fabric shopping bags.



    

There are so many figures and animals that would make a great gift in a little tub. The first two images are from Wilko and come in at about £1-£2 each, they look great and have good detail for the price, but the quality is not so high and we do have a few bent swords. The last two are Schleich brand and we have a few of these. I'd say they'll last well enough to be passed down generations even. Ours have lasted amazingly well and the detail is incredible. They are heavy because of the quality so probably not best for very young children. I'd suggest the farm animals if buying for a younger child as they're not as big and heavy to handle.


     
 

In terms of longevity I think Sylvanian families do this amazingly. I have three children ages 3-9 and each of them will set up and play with these sets. (Yes, even my son! He wouldn't put it on a gift list but definitely joins in playing and there are sets like a ship that appeal to more boisterous personalities.)

Educational


We have a whole collection of Orchard toys games! They are fantastic gifts for friends' birthday parties as well as Christmas or birthday. They are educational in a fun and easy way and the age suggestions on the box are even a little narrow in my experience. Younger and older children have still enjoyed playing these games. Older children help the younger ones and still have a lot of fun with them.




An interactive globe is a wonderful present for a whole family and provides hours of fun and learning. There aren't many adults who could get every country right so is fun for everyone.


There are not many tablets I personally would recommend for children, but Amazon really thought of children of all ages when designing the fire. I love that the adult sets up a profile, downloads and approves content, and can tailor all aspects of the use. You can set it so your child has to complete a certain amount of time on educational apps or reading before doing more fun ones. There is a time limit setting which means the child gets a time warning and then locks itself for the day after the time limit you set. (In other words, no children getting cross that you've told them their time is up!) As your child grows you can let them access child safe videos and websites and then when they're ready you can give them an adult profile. (This is not sponsored! We just really love ours in this house!)




Of course, books are always a great idea! A book voucher works, you can buy them in lots of supermarkets now too or design your own for a little extra here.  There are also some suggestions on a previous post I did here.


Babies/Young children

Younger children can be harder to buy for as they grown out of stages so fast. I've found a few things that can last with them as they grow and stand up to being thrown around during the "cause and effect" learning stage!



This skills jigsaw works from when babies just want to explore textures, to when they can fit the pieces, and then when they want to use the different "skills" on the clothes.




This is another great one as babies can hold and manipulate the cars and then it can turn into a more imaginative toy as they grow.


      

Duplo is a really hard working toy. It lasts well, the pieces can be played with by babies (obviously supervised if they're smaller), it can be built with, and can be used for roll play. Of course, this number train is educational on top of that too. I would say that children will play with these past the age on the box too. My 7 year old will still build the tallest towers, creations with symmetry, and they're an amazing way to teach fractions. 

Experiences

One amazing gift you can give is an experience. Here are a few favourites, but I'd love to hear your ideas too. 


 


  • Gift voucher for a "date" - this could be to the park, for a hot chocolate, shopping, cinema, a walk, to a play area or whatever you love doing together! One of my daughter's favourite things to do with her grandma is to walk her dog. This doesn't need to be expensive.
  • Tickets to Eureka, and as a bonus the entry for one day means you can go back and visit as often as you'd like for a year!
  • Tickets to a zoo or animal park.
  • Entry for a theme park.
  • National trust membership for a year. Check their website as they'll show how many places you'd be entitled to visit in the local area.
  • Cinema tickets.
  • A voucher for a sleepover.
  • A voucher for a family swim.
  • Ice skating tickets.
I know there are so many other options too!

I really hope this gift guide has been useful for you. Feel free to share it with friends and family, and please write your own favourite gift ideas in the comments below. Happy shopping!