“Play is not a luxury. Play is a necessity”.
Whilst most parents will sigh and be filled with utter dread at the sight of a stack of colourful and bright toys taking over there (once) clean and tranquil show home, I admit, that I am filled with the opposite emotions.
Because for me, toys and games are MY LIFE.
Where they once filled my childhood with happiness, joy, endless hours of fun and fuelled my imagination to the brim, they are now the basis of my job.
I mean….. I literally come up with games for a living.
I KNOW.
And those said games and challenges that I make up are now played by celebrities and people on national TV for millions of people to see. Ridics isn’t it.
So I am forever indebted to my childhood games. They were my inspiration for my future. Thanks to them I get to be creative every single day and create magic.
And this is why I vow to fill Teddy’s early years with the brightest, most colourful, fun and wonderful games and toys you could imagine.
My once peaceful, neutral lounge is now fifty shades of the rainbow. It is totally chaotic… and I LOVE IT!!!
So when Jaques of London asked if I would be interested in collaborating with them on some fun content for Teddy Birthday I nearly fainted in excitement YES PLEASE.
Because for those of you who have not heard of Jaques of London…. You seriously, seriously get to know them!!! They are the creme de le creme of Toy Shops. And there is something very very special about this company.
Not only is this magical toy and games company the oldest in the WORLD, going back through six generations, just incredible..They are also the proud inventors of Snakes and Ladders, Judo, Snap, Ping Pong and Croquet. So basically…we would be lost without them.
As a family they have been inventing and making toys since 1795 and they truly believe in the power of play and how this brings on the most amazing and quality family time starting from when your little one is tiny.
“Toys are children’s words. And play is their language”.
Teddy was extremely over whelmed when he received some of their stunning and fun range of toys for his first birthday earlier this month and he has had the time of his life playing with them these last few weeks.
He absolutely ADORES his new Wooden Noah’s Ark, and is obsessed with the array of colourful, bright animals which is the absolute perfect gift for imaginary play.
This fun shape sorter gives us endless hours of fun, and is the perfect way to learn about shapes without forcing maths on them. Ive never known a shape sorter to look so pretty.
And his favourite of all is his new wonderful London Bus. Teddy is absolutely OBSESSED with anything that has a wheel and this gorgeous bus now takes pride of place in his bedroom and I hope it will be a huge part of his childhood.
From looking at Teddy’s new beautiful toys, and when browsing their website, the one thing that really struck me was that all of Jaques’s products are totally TIMELESS. They are all mostly wooden which means they look beautiful and are a wonderful quality. I also love how the range of products starts from a tiny baby through to a child. There is something beautiful for everyone.
Rather than arriving in the standard box, each individual toy arrives in a unique gold and black box, wrapped in ribbon, and placed in a Jaques of London themed tissue paper that represents a newspaper. Absolutely amazing! I adore little touches like this, and it means sending a present has never been easier or looked better.
So if you are looking for gift ideas for your little ones or other family members and friends I couldn’t recommend this wonderful company more.
I will continue to buy Teddy toys from here until he is asking me to drop him off to a house party a mile away from the event. SOB.
I hope this blog is useful to all of you mummies out there who are in a birthday panic and need inspiration for baby toys or toddler toys too.
Lots of love always and remember…
“ Give children toys that are powered by their imagination, not by batteries”.
Sammy xx
P.S Here is a cheeky 15% off code for you all!
**** AD. I am thrilled to announce that I have collaborated with the incredible Jaques Of London Toy Shop for this blog post and they kindly gifted me the products. *****
