Wooden Toys - Built to Last!

Imogen loves going to her Nanna's house not just because she gets away with things she wouldn't at home but because her Nanna has a whole host of toys once belonging to her Dad and Uncle. These are toys are well over thirty years old and differ from a lot from the toys she has at home. There are dinky cars, train sets and some rather beautiful wooden animals with a stable, white picket fences and a lovely green tractor amongst others. How these toys have managed to withstand years of play by two boisterous boys as well as the odd battering from Imogen is beyond me. They certainly don’t make things like they used to!!

We live in a disposable world these days and I openly admit to throwing away an awful lot of Imogen’s toys because they have broken parts, need batteries or purely because she has grown out of them. After the latest clear out of Imogen’s bedroom I started to think about how much money we waste on buying her toys that she loses interest in quickly and that simply don’t last.

Of Imogen’s huge selection of toys, one thing that has remained popular are the traditional wooden toys, even in the age of technological advancement. They are not only beautifully crafted and built to last but they are also extremely effective in promoting children’s mental development.

Seeing how Tony’s toys had been passed down to Imogen via his Mother got me thinking of toys as heirlooms. Tony and I are both traditionalists and as well as participating in our families traditions we are also keen to start our own with our children. Rather than make the difficult choice between christening outfits it was decided that we would start a fresh and pass these on to Imogen and Joseph for their children. I also hope that some of our bizarre Christmas Eve celebrations are passed on too. After all our photographs will fade and our faces forgotten but hopefully our legends will live on through our children and their children.

Imogen and Joseph both have memory boxes decorated with their handprints and filled with their first baby grows, hospital name tags and other precious bits and bobs that I am planning on giving to each of them for their 18^th birthdays. I would also like to include some of their toys and first teddies in there so that they will always have a piece of their childhood to hold on to.