Pregnant with my first baby, I envisioned an organised home with a play area for him, full of brightly coloured, wooden toys that would last for years to come and be passed down through to his siblings. Fast forward five years and two more children later, my home has become full of plastic. Noisy plastic toys. Which for the most part I'm not that adverse to. But what has happened is we've amassed so many toys, given by well-meaning relatives, that the house is overrun and the boys are overwhelmed by choice. And I am overwhelmed with picking them up everyday.
I recently talked about the Swedish ethos of lagom, about having just the right amount in life. Not too much, and not too little. I realised that I have way too much stuff, with stuff still sat in boxes from when we moved house four years ago! Combined with the nesting instinct kicking in during my final weeks of pregnancy, I have been on a mission to simplify our home and have donated bag after bag to charity. It has felt doubly good; firstly to reduce the chaos around me and secondly knowing that the charity shops will benefit.
So I've done the same with the children's toys, too. They have piles that they have no interest in, that they have never played with, that they simply tip out all over the floor in search of the one thing they do want. Bit by bit, I have sorted through their toys, taking away anything that is broken, outgrown or simply unwanted. I bought a storage unit - a classic Kallax unit from Ikea - and boxes so we could organise everything. The boys can now find their favourite toys with ease. We have a long way to go still, but slowly and surely the boys now have a collection of toys that they really love, and my original dream of a play area filled with brightly coloured, wooden toys is becoming a reality. With the odd Hot Wheels set, too!
The boys used to have several ride-on toys, but over the years parts have cracked and broken or they've grown bored. Jude recently received a beautiful wooden fire engine ride-on toy (£49.99) from Kiddimoto to review. The local play café has the tractor version and the toddlers always race to be first on it, so I knew he would be thrilled with his very own one. Especially as he is obsessed with nee-naws.
Made from birch plywood and brightly painted in a fire engine design, the ride-on arrived mostly assembled, with just the wheels and steering wheel to be put on. I found it really easy to do, even with an over-excited two year old trying to get on as I put it together! It took me a few minutes, and then it was ready to be enjoyed.
It is really sturdy, even just about taking Noah's weight who is a good two years older than the upper age limit! The steering is fully functional so Jude can steer around the house with ease. There is space under the seat for storage, so Jude's monkey, Ah-ha, gets to come along for the ride, too. The ride-on is designed for children aged 0-2 and helps nurture their sense of independence, balance and gross motor skills.
I think it will also come in handy as a walker when Essie is older. It's the ideal height for a little cruiser to reach up and hold on to, and sturdy enough to be pushed without tipping. Although for Essie that is some way away! That's what I love about wooden toys though, they last so well and are easily passed down through siblings and generations. It's the perfect addition to our newly created play space and, as you can see from the photos, Jude simply adores it!
With thanks to Kiddimoto for sending the fire engine for review.
We SO need to declutter. The kids have that much that they literally don't know what to play with x
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