Gifts for grandchildren

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I have spent the last few days planning out a fairy garden with my two granddaughters, we have drawn out what we want to create and have just ordered the fairies, fairy doors and mushrooms from www.gardens2you.co.uk (very reasonable and really lovely) and now we are excitedly looking forward to them arriving so we can turn our thoughts into reality. I have choose a corner of the garden which is a little wild and has a large apple tree, which we can use to put the doors against, they are loving the planning and I am sure its going to provide entertainment throughout the rest of the summer holidays (I am looking after them during the holidays).

Hope we have inspired you to create (build and the fairies will come)

MadGran and her two beautiful helpers

Amazing Animals Choo-Choo Train, Fisher Price - overall rating 6.5/10

(From grannygrunt)

(2012) This train is a lovely toy. It plays songs about each animal and they are easy for little fingers to hold. The train is motorized so moves around the room, allowing baby to crawl after it, meaning hours of fun for baby (and parents)

I bought this for my grandaughter for Christmas and she really loved it.

Box Upon a Time subscription - overall rating 7/10

(From Anon)

(2014) I was offered one month Gold subscription to try Box Upon a Time, an online company that a delivers an assortment of branded baby clothes selected by stylists at discounts of 60% off.

To claim my gift, I had to log onto Box Upon a Time's website and create a 'fashion profile', detailing my style preferences, favourite colours, patterns etc for my child. This was very straight-forward and didn't take long at all. I also had to enter my child's date of birth - as my 4yo is too big for this service (it's for children under 3 years), I was keen to get clothes for my unborn baby. Unfortunately there wasn't an option to set the date in the future, so I had to enter a random date.

The box arrived approximately month later with two lovely I Talk Too Much t-shirts, one bodysuit and one sleepsuit from Petit Pim. It also came with a summary of how much each item cost at retail price and the total box value, which was £83. The stylist did a great job at matching my fashion profile and the clothes are great quality. Unfortunately, as I had to input a random date of birth for my unborn child, the two t-shirts selected was age 6 months, which means it will be the middle of winter when he can wear it!

The Gold subscription costs £49 a month and the value of the clothes range from £80-£120, so if you're after designer, this is definitely a great way to save a bit of money. There are two other monthly subscriptions on offer too - £29 for clothes worth £40 to £60, and £69 for clothes worth £100 to £140 if you want to splash out. It's definitely a great gift to give for a fashion conscious mother-to-be!

Blade & Rose leggings - overall rating 8/10

(From Anon)

(2015) We received a pair of Blade & Rose leggings in size 6-12 months to review and I must say, they are cute!

I wouldn't usually dress a boy in leggings, but these feel more like woolly trousers and they keep him warm during the winter months. The rocket in his bottom is adorable, and I can only imagine it will only get cuter when he starts crawling...

The leggings I received are aged 6-12 months, which is great because rarely do you find a six month age bracket for babies. DS2 is an average sized baby and they fit loosely from around 5.5 months. As they're elastic, I imagine they will continue to fit him comfortably up to a year.

I've washed these two/three times, and besides a few bobbles, they've come out quite nicely.

At £10 a pop, these are reasonably priced and make a great gift.

Spin & Explore Garden Gym, Lamaze - overall rating 10/10

(From nanaann)

(2011) Health visitors now recommend a baby has 'tummy time' spending time on their tummy to aide development towards rolling and crawling. This mat and stand is excellent for promoting development as most babies don't like being on their tummy this really helps them as they are raised and can see around whilst supporting their own head.A fabulous innovation for babies in bright colours and designed like a ladybird an excellent but useful gift.

Skip Hop Treetops Friends Activity Gym - overall rating 9/10

(From Anon)

(2014) I’ve been searching for the perfect play mat to tick all my boxes - and I think I’ve found it!

The Skip Hop TreeTops Friends Activity Gym has a cute woodland design with neutral colours, suitable for boys and girls. There’s enough colour to capture babies’ attention, yet steers away from the in-your-face tackiness of the usual children’s toys you find on the shelves.

The play mat went in the washing machine before use, and it came out perfect on the other side and smelling fresh. It was easy to assemble, no instructions needed. It comes with five hanging toys, each one does something different (some rattle, some squeak). I like how the toys are evenly dispersed and swing low for the baby to reach. As the toys relatively large, my one week old baby has already batted the owl a few times, much to my surprise! The apple with a mirror on the other side is another one he likes, and I’m sure when he more mobile and teething, he’ll like the bird with a teething ring attached. There are also additional loops for other toys you may want to hang.

There are 17 developmental activities on the mat, I’m yet to discover them all and I’m sure my baby will have fun working them out too when he’s a few months old. The various textures and fabrics on the mat and the hanging toys will definitely be good for developing his sensory skills. There’s also a tummy time pillow for when they are able to hold their head up.

There are lots of different play mats out there to choose from that all do very similar things - all very pricey - but I would definitely say this is the best play mat I’ve come across yet.

Usborne Sticker books - overall rating 10/10

(From LullyDully)

(2013) A wide variety and keep the darlings quiet for hours. Can often get 3 for 2 in WH Smiths. Dare I say it, they are also educational!

The Sticker Club - overall rating 10/10

(From nananew)

(2014) The Sticker Club is a new weekly subscription which delivers a selection of stickers to your doorstep every week. The stickers are excellent quality, fantastic designs and lovely bright colours. And you can expect to receive different designs each week to keep things fresh.

They have proved very successful in helping to potty train my son and would make a lovely present for Christmas for any child who loves stickers!

Sticky Mosaics, Orb Factory - overall rating 10/10

(From maggiel123)

(2012) The Orb Factory is a Canadian company that produce a range of innovative and creative children's toys. They have a fantastic range of Sticky Mosaic sets on offer which will keep children happily busy for many hours.

It is a mosaics by numbers set which involves sticking the correct colour of tile on the picture, according to number. The set that was received as a gift to the children in our household, was Unicorns and Ponies and they all loved putting the picture together. There are several themes on offer from faires to dinosaurs, so would suit both girls and boys. This set was suitable for age 5 and upwards but the company produce a range suitable for 3 years+ as well. The end result is a really beautiful mosaic picture than any parent or grandparent would be proud to display on their wall. Highly recommended!

Skip Hop Treetops Friends Activity Gym - overall rating 9/10

(From Anon)

(2014) I’ve been searching for the perfect play mat to tick all my boxes - and I think I’ve found it!

The Skip Hop TreeTops Friends Activity Gym has a cute woodland design with neutral colours, suitable for boys and girls. There’s enough colour to capture babies’ attention, yet steers away from the in-your-face tackiness of the usual children’s toys you find on the shelves.

The play mat went in the washing machine before use, and it came out perfect on the other side and smelling fresh. It was easy to assemble, no instructions needed. It comes with five hanging toys, each one does something different (some rattle, some squeak). I like how the toys are evenly dispersed and swing low for the baby to reach. As the toys relatively large, my one week old baby has already batted the owl a few times, much to my surprise! The apple with a mirror on the other side is another one he likes, and I’m sure when he more mobile and teething, he’ll like the bird with a teething ring attached. There are also additional loops for other toys you may want to hang.

There are 17 developmental activities on the mat, I’m yet to discover them all and I’m sure my baby will have fun working them out too when he’s a few months old. The various textures and fabrics on the mat and the hanging toys will definitely be good for developing his sensory skills. There’s also a tummy time pillow for when they are able to hold their head up.

There are lots of different play mats out there to choose from that all do very similar things - all very pricey - but I would definitely say this is the best play mat I’ve come across yet.

Usborne Sticker books - overall rating 10/10

(From LullyDully)

(2013) A wide variety and keep the darlings quiet for hours. Can often get 3 for 2 in WH Smiths. Dare I say it, they are also educational!

The Sticker Club - overall rating 10/10

(From nananew)

(2014) The Sticker Club is a new weekly subscription which delivers a selection of stickers to your doorstep every week. The stickers are excellent quality, fantastic designs and lovely bright colours. And you can expect to receive different designs each week to keep things fresh.

They have proved very successful in helping to potty train my son and would make a lovely present for Christmas for any child who loves stickers!

Sticky Mosaics, Orb Factory - overall rating 10/10

(From maggiel123)

(2012) The Orb Factory is a Canadian company that produce a range of innovative and creative children's toys. They have a fantastic range of Sticky Mosaic sets on offer which will keep children happily busy for many hours.

It is a mosaics by numbers set which involves sticking the correct colour of tile on the picture, according to number. The set that was received as a gift to the children in our household, was Unicorns and Ponies and they all loved putting the picture together. There are several themes on offer from faires to dinosaurs, so would suit both girls and boys. This set was suitable for age 5 and upwards but the company produce a range suitable for 3 years+ as well. The end result is a really beautiful mosaic picture than any parent or grandparent would be proud to display on their wall. Highly recommended!

Skip Hop Neck rest - overall rating 10/10

(From LaraGransnet)

(2014) With one set of grandparents living three hours drive away, and the other set twelve hours flight away, there is plenty of travel involved in my little ones' lives. Travelling when my daughter was a baby was relatively easy but now she's bigger - and we have another baby on board- it's more tricky. Anything that helps get either of them to sleep is a massive help which is why I came to look at the Skip Hop neck rests. We opted for the Owl one - I like the fact that the majority of Skip Hop's products are not gender stereotyped and appeal to both girls and boys.

It's very plush and comfy (so much so that I had a snooze on it on our recent journey back from France). My daughter loves the owl design and now insists on taking it with her on the nursery run too.

Highly recommended.

*I was sent this product to review.

Phoenix Comic Subscription - overall rating 10/10

(From GigiGransnet)

(2015) I came across this by accident and introduced it to my 8 year-old reluctant reader - the result was instantaneous - he loved it! Now every Friday he is sent a new issue with brilliant stories, jokes and NO ADS! This is a great gift for comic obsessed children who get a copy a week for a year. Even better if they have siblings as the comic can be then passed on!

Personalized Beano poster - overall rating 10/10

(From jinglej)

(2011) Great pressie for boys (and girls) who love Beano. Makes a change from toys. They are really nice framed. Very pleased with mine.

Moon Dough - overall rating 10/10

(From grabba)

(2012) It is wonderfully entertaining stuff.

It comes alone or in a kit with moulds and is lovely to handle, cool and pliable.

We have had fun making farm animals and shapes.

Have also bought for grown up who has never experienced the weirdness that is Moon Dough.

Monopoly, Wii - overall rating 10/10

(From montiefletcher)

(2011) Excellent fun for all the family, great to keep the kids entertained while you are cooking the Christmas turkey.

For an older grandchild (or an adult) with a hobby or interest - quirky nut-and-bolt sculptures from steelman24.co.uk, and they are also on Amazon. There are 700 different models, of sportsmen, musicians, computing addicts and so on.

London bus toy, The White Company - overall rating 10/10

(From stephgr*)

(2012) I bought this from The White Company. It's a wooden bus with passengers and my 3 year old grandson adores it.

Lego - overall rating 10/10

(From Pumpkin2)

(2011) I think that Lego is the best toy invention ever!

Just Dance 2, Wii - overall rating 10/10

(From sarahh56)

(2011) A fun game for everyone, lots of songs to choose from and up to 4 people can play, although they will need their own remote. Beware that you will have sore arms the next day as you get a good workout too!

InnoTab, VTech - overall rating 10/10

(From Javlie87)

(2011) I think it is a good gift for kids 3- 7 years. The Wii and DSi are a little too advanced for the little ones. So I thought this would be a good gift idea instead.

Hooded Owl Towel - overall rating 10/10

(From chickpea)

(2014) An excellent original gift for Christmas.

The towels are very good quality and would last for several,years.

Good for both bathing and swimming.

Get Up and Dance, Wii - overall rating 10/10

(From rosienanna)

(2011) A fabulous Christmas gift for all the family to join in at Christmas. Plus parties, New Year etc and good for all year round keeping fit!