The Jakayaan 3SIXTY Wooden Ride On Review

We absolutely adore wooden toys in our house, they stand the test of time and still look fabulous. Last year I told you all about our experience with the Jakayaan Balance Bike, a year later and it is still getting just as much use as it first did, and Leo is getting faster by the day.

In the year since the Jakayaan Balance Bike, Max who own’s Lloyds Worcester has dreamt up a new creation that means even younger children can enjoy the range. The latest product addition is the 3SIXTY, a toddler ride on for the ages of 12 months right up to 3 years.  It is a product that enables younger children to take part with their older siblings before they are old enough to use a balance bike, and has a number of different uses.

I first saw the 3SIXTY quite early on in its development process, before it had been through testing and I absolutely loved the concept. Max wanted to see how an older toddler got on with it, and Leo at the time was around 2 and a half, all be it a very tall 2 and a half year old. Leo demonstrated exactly what to do with it and had a great time taking it up and down the drive at home. We decided that Leo was getting a little bit too big for it due to his rather long legs, but for the average 2 and a half year old this would not be an issue.

The 3SIXTY has 2 main features, it’s a multi-directional ride on and a walker for the younger. On the front of the ride on is a handle that little one’s can pull themselves up against to aid walking. What I really love about this is that the whole ride on is so solid, you can rest assured that if your little one does decide to use it as a walking aid, it won’t topple or buckle. As it moves so freely on castor wheels toddlers can direct it wherever they wish to go, so if you have something you are trying to keep out of your little one’s way… You may want to rethink where you store it!

The 3SIXTY is set on top of castor wheels which gives toddlers the ability to scuttle round in any direction that they please. It means they don’t have to worry about steering, they really can just use their balance to push them any which way they like.

My nephew Josh has been enjoying the 3SIXTY over the last couple of months now, and he has been thoroughly enjoying his new set of wheels. At 1 years old he has been able to make the most out of the different features, and although he already walked prior to receiving the 3SIXTY the first thing he wanted to do with it is push it around. Of course Leo soon showed him how to ride it, and since then there has been no stopping him.

Josh can make the 3SIXTY go in any direction he pleases and has absolutely no problem getting where he wants to be. He uses his feet to propel him along and is getting faster all the time. I love that the 3SIXTY is set on castor wheels as I think it is a great way for little ones to learn to navigate around, they have to use their balance and weight to get where they want to go which of course encourages them to use their motor skills.

In terms of the 3SIXTY itself I really cannot fault it, it’s well made and provides a solid base for little ones to learn to walk and ride around on. It is made in the UK (about 20 minutes from where I live) and is constructed out of European Birch Ply, complete with a smooth finish.

The 3SIXTY can be purchased directly from Lloyds Worcester,and at £68.99 it doesn’t break the bank. This would be an ideal first birthday present that really does have the promise of growing with your child. We are all big fans of Lloyd’s Worcester and love being able to support a local business that we are incredibly passionate about. The 3SIXTY is the perfect first step before moving onto a balance bike, and the idea is that when your little one outgrows the 3SIXTY… They will be ready for the Jakayaan Balance Bike!

Disclaimer: We were sent the Lloyd’s Worcester 3SIXTY for the purpose of this review. All views and opinions expressed are completely honest and my own.

The My Pal Scout Review

I have to admit that it is not very often that Leo looks at a toy with complete amazement.

It takes a really special toy to get big cuddles and wide eyes off Leo.

But when Scout came to visit, that is exactly what happened.

Scout is an interactive toy by LeapFrog, he can be personalised with your little one’s likes and can even say their name! Our Scout loves to eat cheese and say ‘Leo’, and I am pretty sure that is why he is such a big hit with little man.

Scout is a lovely size, bright green and full of life. It is not hard to work out why he has been so popular with my little man. There is so much going on, music, lights and so much for Leo to interact with.

I couldn’t even get Scout out of the box before Leo ran away with him, blue murder ensued after I tracked Leo and Scout down to remove him from the packaging. I wondered how I would distract Leo long enough to get Scout hooked up to the PC to get him personalised just for Leo.

Somehow I distracted bribed Leo and got Scout long enough so that I could hook him up to the laptop and use the very handy Leapfrog tool to make Scout like everything that Leo liked, from favourite colours (granted I had to make this up as Leo doesn’t have one yet….Or that he can tell me anyway!) to food and songs.

The set up process takes no time at all and it is so easy to hook Scout up to the computer. There are step by step instructions on screen so you really don’t have to be a computer whizz kid to get Scout up and running.

Once you have personalised Scout you can change the songs and likes as often as you require.

There is so much detail that you can pour into Scout, lots of musical choices that Scout will sing to you. He even makes up a personal song for your child. Leo’s goes a little something like this!

Clap, Clap *L*E*O* Clap, Clap 

I have to admit I myself was looking at Scout with big wide eyes, and when Luke got home from work Leo was showing off Scout to him. Luke looked like he was about to fall over when Scout started off saying ‘Hi Leo!’

Luke looked at me like the toy was possessed and asked me ‘How did he do that!’ part of me didn’t want to ruin the magic for him…But I decided I should tell him just to keep him sane!

Each of Scout’s paws has a different feature, Scout knows lullabies for soothing bedtime music, he knows playful sing along songs such as Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (one of Leo’s all-time favourites), He shares Leo’s favourite animal in a Dog and he is just full of unexpected surprises.

The day that Scout arrived Leo was blown away, the way he was looking at Scout when he said ‘Leo’ was just amazing. Each time Scout said ‘Leo’, Leo pulled him in for a cuddle and a big smile spread across his face.

Granny and I stood at a distance and just watched Leo playing with his new friend. It was so endearing to watch, and that was little man entertained for the whole afternoon.

Scout has continued to be a big hit with Leo and often gets brought up for cuddles.

As a parent I have to say that I am really impressed with how much content goes into Scout, there is so much for Leo to enjoy and learn from with Scout. What really makes this toy fantastic is the personalisation, and that in it’s self for me makes Scout more than worth his £19.99 price tag.

I can quite honestly give Scout a really big thumbs up from both Leo and I. My worry was that Scout may be a little to young for Leo now, but that thought was completely un-founded. If anything Leo loves Scout even more because he is older.

I would say Scout is perfect for a baby of 6 months right up to 3 / 4 years old.

I cannot think of a negative point to share with you and just want to say a big well done to LeapFrog for such a fun interactive toy.

At the time of writing this review you can pick up Scout from Amazon at the bargain price of £14.99!

Disclaimer: I was sent Scout for the purpose of this review. However all views and opinions expressed are completely honest and my own. We quite honestly love Scout and highly recommend him!

WOW Toys - Dudley Dumper Truck Review & Giveaway

WINNERS ANNOUNCEMENT
Congratulations to Janine for winning Tow Truck Tim! You have been sent an email to notify you of your win!

I recently discovered WOW Toys while visiting the Milton Keynes Baby Expo last month, WOW are a company I have heard great things about but until our first encounter, Leo and I had never ever had a play with them.

The chance meeting could not have come at a better time as Leo was starting to get fed up of Mummy looking around and he just wanted time to kick back and have a play, queue WOW Toys making an appearance!

Leo made himself right at home and began to play with a Dudley Dump Truck, he was fascinated by it and began pushing it backwards and forwards. He was putting little Marky the builder who operates the truck in and out of the driver’s seat, and even letting him ride along in the dumper compartment. I gave Leo the time out that he obviously needed but when I tried to bring Leo away form the excitement of the WOW Toys play tent…That is when he almost ran off with Dudley the Dumper Truck….

WOW Toys have very kindly sent Leo his very own Dudley Dump Truck for him to play with at home, and as soon as Dudley arrived Leo could not wait for me to remove him from the wrappers; he had to jump right in and play before he was even removed from the box.

Dudley is recommended for children from the age of 18 months old, but after seeing Leo play so happily with Dudley I knew that he would be a big hit, so at 16 months old Leo is enjoying his very own Dudley Dump Truck. There are no small parts to Dudley and nothing but high grade materials are used in the making of any WOW Toy.

Dudley is a very durable and sturdy toy that has withstood lots of enthusiastic playing from Leo, playing that usually involves crashing into furniture or sometimes even a short flying lesson… Not that I am suggesting that Dudley can or… should fly, more that Dudley has been designed and tested to withstand toddler play.

Dudley Dump Truck is really well made and this is why he is absolutely perfect for a toddler to get creative with, as there is no fear of any small parts coming off. He is as chunky and sturdy as they come. Trust me I know… Leo has sat on him.

WOW Toys don’t require any batteries what so ever, which means no screaming child when the batteries have given up the go for the umpteenth time! Even though the toys don’t run on batteries, each and every WOW Toy still has a great array of exciting features to have a play around with. Take Dudley for instance, he isn’t a dumper truck for no reason at all, he is a dumper truck because you can load him up and then turn the power switch so that Dudley dumps the contents he has been carrying.

The dumper mechanism is easy to operate and reset, to reset all you have to do is push the dumper compartment back into place. Leo hasn’t done this himself yet but I don’t think it will be long before he does, he has been watching me vigorously as and when I have shown him how to do this.

When you push Dudley along you realise that he makes a great realistic ‘vrooom’ noise with his friction wheels, which also happen to be motorised so when you give him a small push it makes Dudley go even further and faster than he usually would. This is a great feature for a toddler as they can really get Dudley on the move, with minimal effort.

Leo absolutely loves playing with Dudley, and pushing him around the lounge has brought endless play opportunities, what Leo absolutely loves to do is take Marky the builder in and out of the drivers seat. Leo is getting to the age now where he is really beginning to play and it is lovely to watch.

I really recommend WOW Toys and particularly Dudley the Dump Truck, I think the play value that can be had out of him is vast, and he is a toy that will grow with Leo and his imagination. It won’t be long before Leo will be creating stories as he plays with Dudley and Marky, and I am looking forward to hearing all of the mischievous adventures that they go on.

Dudley is hard wearing, chunky and fun, making him a great addition to any toddler’s toy box.

Dudley Dumper Truck is an 8 piece set that includes:

- 1 Dudley Dumper Truck

- 1 Marky the builder

- 3 traffic cones

- 2 construction barrels

The set can be bought from multiple online shops such as Amazon, Argos and Tesco. Amazon is currently selling Dudley for £23.78.

Giveaway Time!

In true WOW Toys style, I have a great giveaway launching for 2 weeks to win a Tow Truck Tim worth £27.99!

'Tow Truck Tim here! I’ve just been called out to pick up Rolling Ray; he always get in trouble around WOW Town and it’s me who has to go and pick him up! He’s as sturdy as the rest of us, but doesn’t know his own limits and always finds himself in trouble.

My magnetic winch connects to all WOW cars & automatically pulls them up the ramp – WOW! When Ray’s ready to go again, drop down my clicking tailgate and press my red button to launch him back on his way'.

Contents:

- 1x Motorised truck called Tim

- 1x Detachable trailer with car winch

- 1x Car called Ray

- 1x Girl mechanic figure called Meena

- 1x Boy driver figure called Ben

To enter this giveaway all you have to do is follow the Rafflecopter instructions below!

The giveaway will end on Friday 16th November 2012.

a Rafflecopter giveaway Please only enter if you are a resident of the United Kingdom, After the winner has been picked you then have 48 hours to contact us providing your details to claim your prize. If we do not hear anything after this time period, another winner will be drawn at random.

Disclaimer: I was sent Dudley Dump Truck for the purpose of this review, however all views and opinions are completely honest and my own.

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