Electronic gadgets and gizmos are all very well and good, but when it comes to toys for their children many parents still want to go old school. Consider the facts: all the research shows that children under two shouldn't really watch television, and believe it or not, looking at a Nintendo or playing with an iPad. also count. It's all about screen time, and the less they get at a young age, the better. Instead, the perfect games for young children are those that develop the brain while avoiding straining the eyes. And those kinds of toys haven't changed much since our grandparents' day.

Toys for Babies

New babies haven't got much grip strength at first, but there's no problem with their sight, so go for brightly coloured toys to attract their attention. Clip on !!<pram toys with a range of shapes and colours will keep little ones entertained for a while, and as they start to be able to grip firmly they will begin trying to bring toys closer so they can really revel in the experience. It's best to get nickel-free toys as all toys end up in babies' mouths - it's one of the ways they first begin to make sense of the world around them. There are lots of options for these toys, including those made of warm, tactile, eco-friendly wood.
Babies also spend a lot of time lying on their backs, so wooden toys that hang above them can stimulate them to stretch and reach. This builds their motor skills and helps them to make useful connections in their brains. Wooden activity toys with knobs to twiddle, and things to pull, twist and turn can also be popular with young children. And why not stimulate the brain even further with a picture book with a difference - instead of a cardboard book that will end up damp and torn, consider a wooden picture book which will take any amount of hammering - baby-style - and still stay intact. Wooden letters may not mean much to your newborn, but you would be surprised how quickly they will recognise the letters in their names.

Toddler Toys

By the time your kids are toddler, you will have upgraded their shoes from crawlers to walkers and probably bought a lot of new !!<kids' clothes as well. Now's the time to really put their brains on high alert with a wide range of activity and learning toys. Believe it or not, these will be as much fun for you as for them, especially when it comes to playing with trains and other wooden vehicles. There are wooden trains and cars for every age, from small sets for tiny fingers, to more involved tracks, trains and tunnels for the true junior train enthusiast. As a parent you will revel in the sight of your little one learning to plan routes and will enjoy the excitement as the train whizzes round the track for the umpteenth time.
This is also the time when you get to do lots of learning activities with your toys, including beautiful wooden jigsaws with animals and shapes, puzzles with hidden surprises and a wide range of alphabet and number puzzles and shapes to build your child's developing literacy and numeracy skills.

Toys for Older Kids

For older kids, it's all about make believe and they will enjoy a range of wooden castles, fire stations, ships and dollhouses. They will also be ready for bigger puzzles as well as some decorative gifts, such as piggy banks and book ends. Consider giving them craft kits so they can explore their creativity while making something useful. Other suggestions include skittles, a perennial favourite which everyone in the family will enjoy. Children aged 6 and older often enjoy making up their own stories with the help of figurines, and you can top off the gift list with a selection of books featuring pirates, dolls or classic fairy tales. As you can see, there are more than enough classic wooden toys to keep your kids busy for years. In fact, they may not even notice that they're missing screen time till they get to school. By then they will have learned imaginative play and to make up their own stories and maybe the TV won't hold such sway. We can hope, can't we? !!<

Written by Izzy A