Melissa & Doug is a well known name when it comes to kids toys. M&D’s mission is to create quality products that inspire our children to think outside the box and encourage kids to see new possibilities. A lot of their toys are simple concepts that inspire kids to come up with their own twists. They hope that this will encourage creativity, imagination, free play and discovery while learning.
My daughter was given her first set of Melissa & Dog toys early on, It was a set of wooden food that came with a knife and chopping board. She instantly took to it and loved slicing the fruit apart. I love how 2 years later, this toy is still in excellent condition.
She was also given a Farm Cube Puzzle, which we actually played with this morning.
We have had many Melissa & Doug toys in her almost 3 years, her favourite I think has to be the Take-Along Show-Horse Stable play set. She got this as a Christmas present from nana and she loves getting this out whenever were over there. I do feel this is where her love of horses has come from – thanks nana!
Melissa & Doug were kind enough to send us some of their toys to review – lets just say, Georgia was thrilled. We were sent the Latches board, The Take-Along Doorbell dollhouse, Food Groups (consisting of 21 hand painted wooden pieces in crates) and a scratch note cube set.
As a mother, the thing I love most about all Melissa & Doug toys is the quality of the products. They are well made, hard wearing and they last. Melissa & Doug are not just a name, but they are real people, who have been together for 30 years and raised 6 kids of their own. All of their toys are tested in their own homes and comply with all US, EU and other international safety regulations.
Georgia loves playing with her wooden food in her play kitchen, she loves sorting the food into different crates and making meals for her mummy and daddy. She isn’t a fan of trying new foods so I am still hoping that these bright, new and exciting foods will inspire her to try a few new things – I can dream, can’t I ?
I absolutely love the Latches board, I love how its portable and we often take it in the car with us – it can keep her entertained for ages. She loves showing us how she’s figured out how to open the latch and what is behind the doors – its great with colour recognition too.
The doorbell doll house has provided hours of entertainment. What is it with kids and pressing buttons? Georgia loves pressing doorbells, anything that makes a noise really. I think she is still a little bit young for working out the keys and how to unlock the doors but it is definitely something she will learn with practise. She loves hiding the dolls behind the doors and I love how she makes stories up about the dolls and the houses. The doors are numbered 1-4 and they each have a key with the same number on which is slightly different.
Last but not least, the scratch magic notes – these are excellent at home or on the go. Perfect for a long car journey, or if you need something to entertain the little one on a flight. The pack includes 125 rainbow mini notes and a wooden stylus. We tried these out recently at our local coffee shop, and for the first time in a long time, I was able to enjoy a hot coffee !
If you like the look of any of the above Melissa & Doug toys, they are available from Amazon, John Lewis and Argos to name a few. They have toys suitable from 0 years to 8 years +, something for everyone.
