Now if you're not a parent and don't have too much contact with very young nieces, nephews or your friends' kids, then buying a toy for their birthday or Christmas present can be a little tricky. You sort of know they’re young, could just about guess their age, know what they look like and you also know they make a fair bit of noise and you don’t see their parents quite as much as you used to.
Let’s face it, when you get to a certain age, you have so many friends and relatives that have kids that they all seem to blur into one, especially when you’re working hard and generally living a very busy life. Quite often, the only time you think of some of the infants in your life is when you turn over a page in your diary and realise it’s their birthday the following week. Admit it, it’s true!
The best thing to do, in my experience, is to pick up the phone and just ask the parents exactly what they think you should buy them. This ensures two things - that the child will actually want what you buy them and that they don’t already have the toy you sort of had a feeling they might like given their approximate age. If you can’t (or won’t!) do this then at least try and remember how old they are and follow the guidelines below as to what they might like at that stage in their life.
1) Baby Toys
Babies are generally considered babies when they are 0-12 months in age. During this time, they really love baby toys such as baby rattles, baby mobiles, anything squeaky and anything that jingles or jangles. Make sure you look at the age guidelines issued by the manufacturers on this one as it’s always important you get that bit right, especially when they’re this young.
2) Toddler Toys
The term toddler generally refers to little ones aged between 1 and 3. They are now mobile and beginning to learn lots of new skills and their mental and physical development is greatly enhanced by the toys they play with on a daily basis. Think about toddler toys such as pull along toys, baby walkers, musical toys, building blocks, stacking toys and shape sorters and puzzles and you won’t go too far wrong.
3) Pre-School Toys
A child usually starts school at 5 so the toys they play with between toddlerdom and this age are known as pre-school toys. They are far more active now, both physically and mentally and the range of toys available suddenly gets far larger once they pass their third birthday. Your choice of gift as a friend or relative now becomes a little wider so a bit more attention to what they actually like doing may be required here. Choices include wooden balance bikes for the more physically active, kids’ easels for the more artistic, dolls’ houses and play kitchens for the imaginative and the good old jigsaw puzzle for, well, just about everyone.
4) 5 Years and Beyond
Again, the choice of toy widens as children pass the five year mark and they can play with a huge range of toys, so as I’ve said before, if you can, find out from the parents or relatives just exactly what the child likes, wants or needs. It will save you a lot of hassle and admittedly, us a lot of returns! One thing to bear in mind though, do not take the manufacturers’ age guides as a definitive guide to the suitability of a toy to a child over five. Lots of our toys state they are suitable for 3 years and above but this is merely the minimum age a child should be before they can safely play with the toy. Many toys with 3+ age suitability are perfect for a child aged up to ten or eleven. Think dolls’ houses, garden swings and marble runs as prime examples!
We hope that we’ve given you some useful, albeit pretty basic guidelines here on buying wooden toys for children. If you’re still not sure and would like to pick our brains on what you should and shouldn’t buy then please do contact us and we’ll do our best to guide you in the right direction.
