Musical steps - ELC

This is a giant keyboard mat with three different modes (demo, learn, and play) to make music as you walk, hop, or jump.

Betty's favourite mode is 'learn', where colourful lights light up on each note to be played, making a tune - she finds it very exciting to have been able to actually make a recognisable tune all by herself (sort of). It reminds of an arcade game I used to see on visits to the seaside, when I was little, but was always too shy to go on because it attracted a large audience. This mat can withstand my weight (hurrar!), but it did buckle under the weight of a slightly heavier member of the family. (I fully appreciate this product is designed for 3-7 year olds, but thought I would say anyway!)

The 'play' mode is also fun, where you can just freestyle and come up with your own tunes. Baby Dolly (15 months) is thrilled when she toddles across it making her own sweet tunes.

This product is from the Early Leanring Centre and costs £20.

Build It Construction toy - ELC

We have had this construction toy in our house for quite some time now, but during the times I got it out for Betty to play with I felt that she wasn't really quite ready for it. She would come up with obscure and challenging things for me and Tom to build with it, and whilst we quite enjoyed doing it, Betty would get bored half way through the construction and wander off. Meanwhile Dolly would sit sucking on the nuts and bolts.

However, Betty has now reached a stage where she literally spends hours playing with it on her own, and is completely immersed in what she is building. As I type now, she is making rather an elaborate 'hoover' with it. This morning she made a caterpillar, and before that a 'funny thing'.

This product is great for their imagination and problem solving skills, and I now have high hopes that there will be at least one person in this house that will be good at DIY.

It is from the Early Learning Centre and costs £35.

Polaroid Polarized Sunglasses

A lovely lady called Laura, working on behalf of Polaroid, very kindly sent me a pair of sunglasses for Betty, and whilst she was at it, sent me a pair too!

Betty has got through her fair share of sunglasses, and whilst she always demands that she has a pair, she will promptly break them and say 'It doesn't matter mummy, we will go to the shop and buy another pair'. This sort of attitude from the little madam is not in keeping with Tom's 'save the world' attitude, so we were getting a little exasperated by the whole thing.

However, Polaroid have come up with a solution - almost indestructible sunglasses for kids. I won't lie, when these lovely vibrant red sunglasses arrived in the post for her, within 5 minutes, she was using them as a sledge for her toy duck, and was bending them this way and that, determined not to be outsmarted. But the sunglasses held out and won and are still going strong. Betty does look the business in them (and very sweet) and they appear to be pretty much indestructible. They have solved all the problems!

The glasses have super bendable frames, come with their own case, have polaroid polarized lenses and 100% UV400 protection

They retail at around £20, which may seem a little expensive for children's sunglasses, but I think it is definitely worth it!