Voila giant dollhouse

Alert! Alert! Attention grandparents and wealthy philanthropists... this is what my little one wants for her birthday. Well, its what I want anyway... I saw it last weekend in the Edex toy store on Thorndon Quay in Wellington. It's a huge doll house... completely made of wood and containing the most incredibly detailed furniture. Its made by Thai company, Voila and is uber stylish. It's so big your wee ones can actually climb through it and while its not cheap if you look at it as a family heirloom piece it starts to look fairly reasonable... So come on grandparents... don't you just love it?

Fairy door

Do you have a wee one who is entranced by all things fairy-like? Then check out this amazing fairy door! I love this idea... a teeny tiny door you can quietly install at the bottom of a wall and see how long it takes for your little ones to find it. It's not a "doing" sort of toy... it doesn't open or make noise or anything like that. But it will inspire the imagination, I think. You could suggest they write a note to the fairies and then perhaps the fairies could leave gifts... You can design your door any way you like, choosing from a range of styles and colours. Each door comes with a little key and some fairy dust. It's ace!

Haba doctor's kit

What child doesn't want to play doctors at some point? I think this might be the perfect doctor's kit... everything about it super sweet. I particularly like the little tube of ointment... I have visions of my wee one wrapping us all in bandages. It's so much better than the usual plastic versions I think I'll have to grab one, although knowing my daughter she will be absorbed by the case and ignore the contents.

Royal Society for the Protection of Birds singing toys

I'm back! Finally I have returned... leaving the UK summer for the cold, cold New Zealand winter. I'm glad to be back but blimey its cold!

So this post is about the last great thing I spotted before I left the UK... we went to the Tate Modern for a wander and on the way in we passed the RSPB folks - they had their telescopes trained on the turbine tower where a peregrine falcon has been nesting for quite some time. They sell these amazing singing soft toys... the peregrine falcon is cuddle worthy and makes an authentic squawk when squeezed. It's a fairly intense noise... I think I prefer the robin. They have all the british birds you can think of and would make great gifts for the new babies in your life. They are amazingly reasonably priced... you could get a set!

Stuff Your Doodle artwork

Is your fridge door covered in your little one's fantastic artwork? Perhaps one of them stands out and you'd like to immortalise it somehow... This is where Stuff Your Doodle comes in. Take your favourite drawing and send it off to these guys and they will make a stuffed real life version of the doodle. They make a point of saying that legally speaking they are not toys... I suppose this is to do with the production, I'm not sure. But they certainly look great. Chcek out the before and after images of this little green number.

Working cable car model from the Design Museum

So... still in London and I find I'm coming across far too many gorgeous things to fit in my suitcase... like this amazing working cable car from the Design Museum. Back home in Wellington I get the cable car up to my house from the city centre... it's a great way to travel, as long as you time your trip to avoid all the school kids and tourists. I think this would make a great addition to the nursery... it could travel up and down across the wall... perhaps I have room after all. Hmmmm.

Rockin ABC blocks from Beebles

Oooooh graffiti buildings blocks... perfect for all the hipster types keen to demonstrate their down-with-the-kids parenthood status. I like these blocks but I wonder if my daughter will be able to decode the images... I'm thinking, yes. She already seems smarter than me. Each block has a different letter on each side and they come in sets of 26.

Sibis Villa

If you haven't seen Sibis toys before prepare to fall a little in love... they're not cheap... not even vaguely cheap but they're soooo lovely. There's a whole range of fantastic things... sledges, cool bikes with caravan style trailers and then there's the villa... A simply amazing dollshouse... I don't think I've ever seen anything like it. I still really like the older style doll houses but this modern number could sway me I think. The hefty price tag covers the house, furntiture, garden, pool and, get this, poolhouse... you know you're dealing with the high end products when your house comes with it's own guest pad... impressive. Anyway... it's a thing of beauty... and destined to be played with by the grownups as well as the children. I've put in on my wishlist!

Baby cellphone by Brio

Baby's first cellphone? I know what you're thinking, but before you dismiss this as a bad idea think about it... does your little one always try to grab and chew your mobile when you try to use it? My daughter is obsessed with mine... and I've heard those things are bad for tiny developing brains so I try to keep her as far away from it as possible. I bought a toy version ahead of our recent long haul flight and it had the essential distraction factor. I got ours from Babystar in Wellington and it had a cool record your voice feature... I can't find the exact model online but this one from Brio looks pretty interesting.

Multifunction urban Taga trike and stroller in one

Finally! I've arrived in England! Flying alone with a baby is far from fun but it could have been worse. My daughter entertained our fellow travellers with giggles and clapping during our 24 hour flight...

So now I've had a chance to look around... naturally this place is FULL of amazing baby and child focused things... pretty much every store carries a baby line of some kind. One of the best things I've seen so far is this stroller cycle from Taga. This version was just launched at the Design Museum in London the other day... it can carry you and up to two children plus shopping. This clever number is a trike that converts to a stroller with just a few twists... if you're still feeling unimpressed then consider this - you could ride into town on a strudy trike with the wee one in front of you instead of using a wobbly bike with your child strapped behind you out of sight. When you reach the library or the park you switch mode and push the stroller around. Extra cool features include a brake (such an obviously useful addition), wet weather covers and tilting seats so your little one can sleep on the go. I want one!

Cuckoo Nest felt creations

Ooooooh.... these amazingly detailed felt creations from Cuckoo Nest are great! I love them... I don't usually get quite so carried away about toys... honest. But these little pieces are pretty special. I think I'll have to get one for my daughter just so I can have a closer look. Check out the tiny squirrel having tea inside the cuckoo clock. The handbag gingerbread house would make long journeys more attractive to your little one doubling as a bag and a toy house and I really love the strawberry shortcake hedgehog house with its teeny tiny tea set and bedside lamp... cute!

Banjo puppets

These puppets make me smile... they're another find from the One of a Kind site. I'm not going to go in to the fact that they remind me of characters from a very popular puppet-based show... no accusations here, I think they're awesome. The plastic arm rods are removable which makes them nice and safe for the wee ones. I'm pretty sure that me dancing around with the puppet will cause much hilarity at home... I need to practice my puppet voices.

Alimrose bird mobile

Oooooh a 3D mobile! Well, I know most mobiles are 3D but the images hanging from them are often only 2D... and this is pretty! The Alimrose mobile would look great over any baby crib... and I know my daughter would be totally transfixed... I think I might be a little transfixed myself. Alimrose is an Australian company... another team of mothers getting creative. It's such a shame that you only really need one of these sorts of things... I already have a lovely mobile. Maybe next time...

Swiss Strolli Rider from Bibi

If you want to inspire looks of envy from other parents then read on... I saw one of these in the library today and it caused a bit of a stir... It's a trike attachment for your buggy. The trike seat is slightly offset so you can still comfortably push your buggy. It was cool... the little girl who was riding the one in town looked like she loved it. The only problem is that it might be too envy inspiring... as the buggy was being pushed through the coffee shop in the library the woman at the helm was stopped about three times by people asking where she got it... and several kids spotted it and made plaintive cries to their parents. Why doesn't everyone have one? Well... it seems stockists might be a bit thin on the ground. Amazon occasionally have some in stock and there are some UK suppliers. If anyone finds an antipodean stockist, let me know!

Petit Flaneur doll house

These doll houses are pretty special... hand made and printed by a talented etsy seller, Petit Flaneur. They have the look of the tall, thin houses you find in European cities, like Amsterdam. I particularly like the modern design of the furniture... the chandelier is excellent. The colour scheme sort of reminds me of my house... it's a little bit Rainbow Brite at my place. A Canadian friend directed me to them on the One of a Kind Toronto site... there are tonnes of amazing hand made pieces here with links to the individual seller websites. Another excellent reason to take a trip to Canada one day!

Moulin Roty collection

I'm teasing you here... it's cruel to post about this amazing store as it doesn't seem to be available outside of Europe... annoying! But I can't help myself... these pieces are really sweet and next week I'm off to the UK, so with one eye on my spare suitcase I'm looking slightly further afield at the moment. This is a hugely attractive range of child-sized furniture along with some excellent toys and dolls... the sort of things children go dotty for... so talk to your family and friends overseas and hint like mad for some gifts to be sent your way. I really like the shop stand (above)... although to be perfect I think I'd need to combine it with a cash register. There are beautifully detailed tool kits, tea sets and a garden range... with everything so well crafted it isn't just for play.

Honey Sticks beeswax crayons

These crayons smell like honey! Made from beeswax and non-toxic pigments they are super safe for your little ones. Weirdly enough I have some beeswax currently sitting in my kitchen... I saw a recipe online which said if you add some talc to heated beeswax and then colour it with pigment you get amazing, easy-to-make crayons... so if you're feeling crafty you could have a go yourself. I think I will... I want to create some cool shapes. The Honey Sticks are certainly excellent shapes for little ones... short and chunky and difficult to break.

You can also make crayons out of soap flakes... not so non-toxic but cool for drawing on the side of your bath tub... the theory being that it just washes off when you're done. We don't need any help in our household to make bath time more chaotic but this idea intrigues me. I haven't tried this yet so I can't swear to the crayon actually washing off...

Blocks and jigsaws by Fidoodle

We got a present! Some friends have just returned from Canada and they brought us back some city mini building blocks made by Toronto company Fidoodle. These are great... my daughter isn't quite able to stack them yet but she loves to watch me knock down towers and she's very fond of chewing on them. What I really like are the amazing double-sided designs... they are simple but very different from the usual suspects you see around... and not too cutesy! Lucky for us they are for sale on etsy so you don't have to trek to Toronto.

Wooden fishing play set from MOMA

Ah, sweet! This is a lovely update on something I remember from my childhood. I've seen several plastic fishing games in stores but this is worlds apart from those... I'm a big fan of wooden toys and this looks beautifully crafted. The magnets are carefully set into the wood to make it safe for your little one. I just wish it came with two fishing rods so it could be a race to see who hooks the most sea creatures... one rod means taking turns. Hmmmm... well, we can but hope.

Seedling experience kits

When I was a kid my mum used to take my cousin and me to a pottery class every week... we used to make some seriously ugly pieces but we loved it and after a while we started to make things that looked pretty good. Some of those bits of pottery are still knocking around my parent's house and I smile whenever I see them. I recently came across this New Zealand company which brought those creative experiences to mind. Seedling produce these great little packs which contain everything you need to grow a vegetable patch, bake cupcakes, design tshirts or build a wormery (plus tonnes more options). The beauty being that this is something creative to sit down and do together with your little one. Seedling can help you find a stockist near you so get in touch!