Modern toys are amazing, but sometimes it’s great to revisit old favourites – there’s a good reason why they’ve survived for generations. As usual, Hape have some beautiful traditional baby toys – with all the fun and familiarity of one’s own childhood, but with some novel twists.
Let me introduce Mr Frog. Based on the time-honoured stacking rings, this delightful toy will enchant your baby. It’s not too big, so easy for small hands to hold, and the endearing froggy face has an open mouth which forms a clapper. Each ring is different – various bright colours, and patterns – some smooth, some with ridges and one ring even contains small balls, creating a rattle. The rings are made of strong plastic and can double up as teething rings. The little frog head and base are wooden – characteristic of the attractive Hape toy range, and the base is a rocker so Baby can have fun pushing it over and watching it spring back. Of course it has all the educational benefits of any stacker – encouraging coordination, learning colours, the fun of different noises and, as your little one becomes more adept, sorting different sizes. I am completely charmed by it. And if you are tempted, you can buy it on Amazon for £22.05
The perfect partner for Mr Frog is the Hape Shape Sorting Box. Once again, Hape have taken a traditional toy and simply made it better. Constructed with wooden sides and strong plastic edges it’s attractive both to look at and to touch. It’s light and easy for Baby to hold and has a garden creature theme, with snails, ladybirds, butterflies and caterpillars –perfect for introducing your baby to summer, and bug hotels.
Like Mr Frog, it helps Baby develop fine motor skills. It encourages coordination, learning colours, and of course shape-sorting. Hape always put thought into their designs and I particularly like the neat elastic bands, which span the base of the box – they keep the shapes in the box, but are easy to pull apart to release them when needed too. In fact Baby will soon learn to release the shapes without your help – which I do find allows grandma to have an uninterrupted cup of tea. So if you like drinking tea in relative peace too, check out Amazon for this little gem at just £14.64.
By Dr K Thompson, author of From Both Ends of the Stethoscope: Getting through breast cancer – by a doctor who knows
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01A7DM42Q
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01A7DM42Q