Toyland Christmas Chats with The Enchanted Nanny Part 1

It’s Christmas time, and The Enchanted Nanny is chatting all things toys! From nostalgic favourites to exciting new holiday releases, this episode is packed with festive fun, toy talk, and Christmas cheer. Perfect for parents, caregivers, and anyone who loves a little holiday magic.

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction to Toy Selection
• 3:04:00 Understanding Developmental Stages

Transcript

S2 Ep1 Transcript and Chapters 

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Toy Selection

03:04 Understanding Developmental Stages

06:00 The Tony Box: A Timeless Toy

08:44 Sensory and Role Play Toys

11:51 The Importance of Quality and Sustainability

14:44 Gift Ideas for Baby's First Christmas

17:53 Experiential Gifts vs. Material Gifts

20:49 Toys for Older Children

23:39 Conclusion and Future Topics 

Transcript

Natasha (00:00)

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Welcome back to the Project Baby podcast, where Danielle from The Enchanted Nanny and I are going to discuss toys. Welcome back.

Danielle (00:24)

Thanks for having me.

Natasha (00:26)

Coming back.

So toys is often like one of the hot topics I get asked, what should I buy my child? I don't know what I'm buying, you know. And I think the catalogues can be so overwhelming. The shops are so overwhelming and it's just so noisy. And I feel people feel like they don't want to buy and waste. So they want to buy good toys that can be used over and over again.

Do you have any good recommendations? What kind of toys do you like?

Danielle (00:59)

So one of the things that I will say is do a little bit of research into where your child is developmentally ⁓ based on roughly where they should be and then where they actually are. So what we would say is age and stage because you know, you might have a three year old and there might be a three plus toy.

But actually you know that your three year old is gonna put all of that in their mouth, even though you're being told it's safe for a three year old, you know it's not. So that's why I say age and stage, and this is something I would say for grandparents, ⁓ if you are looking at toys, it's not just about the age.

So once you've looked at kind of where they are developmentally, you'll have a really good idea of the type of play they're going to be accessing. And the nice thing is that then kind of puts brackets around the toys so you're not then overwhelmed with lots and lots of different things. So in terms of like stuff I recommend for different age groups, it is completely different based on age. But my favourite thing is when you can find something that you know developmentally is going to tick all the boxes for a one year old, but that will continue to tick new boxes as they go along their whole childhood journey. And there is a number one for me. Am I allowed to go straight in? 

Natasha (02:22)

Go straight in.

Danielle

Okay. It’s Tonies. Yeah. Like, I love it so much. The new Tonies 2, I've got, I've actually bought Williams with me and I say it's William’s, the whole family uses it. Yep. This is the Tonies 2. So we've had the original Tonies box. This is Tonies two. ⁓ The best thing about this in terms of that range for children is that this one is one plus. So you do get, know, if you are looking at a first Christmas present, that like, it's an investment. It really is. Mine's actually got like a cover on it.

Danielle (03:04)

But in terms of, if I was a grandparent, or a parent, I mean I am a parent, you know, if I was a grandparent looking at something that I know is actually gonna stand the test of time, that both the parent and the child are gonna love, this would be what I would get. Or, you know, because it has a slightly higher price point than I guess your average Christmas present,

I would maybe pair up and say, maybe we'll go halves or maybe you'll get the box. I'll get some characters. But the lovely thing about it is that longevity then of, okay, well, you know, for your next birthday, I can get you a new character or a couple of new characters or a game or a sleeve for it. It's got so much potential. And yeah, it's just my favourite.

Natasha (03:55)

And now they've

got new characters that have come out that are one plus as well, which are really soft, good size, better size for...

Danielle (04:02)

They're robust. I'm not going to, but if I were to drop this, it would be fine. And I know that because my son has dropped it. It rolls out of bed, but he will, it's squidgy. He will hold onto it. If we're on a long car journey, he'll have it on his lap, plug in his little headphones, good to go. ⁓ But yeah, I have nothing bad to say about it. And the fact that...my 11 year old uses it, my eight year old uses it and you know not just with the characters but the these little ones so yeah the news but for my eight year olds they've got a version of this called Today with Tonies and it launches a new little kind of ⁓

Natasha (04:38)

Story boxes,

Podcast isn't it? Yeah. Every day. A new fact, every day.

Danielle (04:52)

So I just feel like they've created something that actually makes my life easier. And you know, you've got the creative Tonies, you can record your own stories onto them or download stories onto them. Long distance friends, it's just opened so many doors and that all leads to communication and language development.

Danielle (05:18)

A love of reading, a love of imagination, of storytelling. You've got jokes, you've got times tables, everything. And actually my son has autism. He will have specific things that he's interested in, like Toy Story, like Spider-Man. And the lovely thing is I know that he can have control of what he listens to. And even if that's the same thing every day, it doesn't matter.

Natasha (05:44)

That's okay.

Danielle (05:45)

⁓

But yeah, just, actually do really get excited when they new characters. And I think again, the same thing, if you can find a toy that the parent loves as much as the child, and that they're gonna enjoy together, that's golden. And no screens.

Natasha (06:00)

No screens. No screens.

So obviously the Tonies 2 has just launched. So let's talk through a few little differences through obviously my son Quincy had the original Tonies box, had it for five years and still going very strong. And then we have just got the Tonies box 2 for Reg. So let's just discuss the differences between those two so that you guys know which one you might want to purchase. So.

The number one would be the age difference. that would be our number one is that the Tonies Box 2 is from one years old.

Danielle (06:38)

Before I start with the differences, I just want to say one similarity that's really important. All of your Tonies characters that work for the first one will also work for this one. Because as much as the differences are brilliant, that's so important because I know that when this first arrived, people were worried that they'd have to get all new characters. go much too far. So one thing that I haven't heard many people mention, the sound quality,

It's just better. It's clearer. It has a nicer resonance ⁓ that you don't realize until you hear it. And then it's like, ⁓ that sounds really lovely, like acoustically pleasing. The other difference with this one is you can set a timer on it. So if you know that they're probably going to fall asleep after about half an hour or an hour, it will fade and turn itself off, which is really handy.

Natasha (07:34)

and you can control

it on the app.

Danielle (07:35)

You can, yep, you can control it on the app and you can also play games with this one. Now I have one of, well, a little bit of one of William's games with me. So he's got the little Paw Patrol game. The games come with these little kind of cards that you pop over and then you have a little dial.

and that just slots on top. So really user-friendly, it's magnetic. Once it's on, it's not going anywhere. ⁓ And then you will have a board. And the really nice thing about the board, I think I've got one with me. I have, I've got it, I'm so organized. ⁓ The nice thing about the board is that's gonna last. It's not a one and done. It's the same as any game. It folds up really nicely. And then you have some cards as well.

And so far, while William has played this, no game that we've played has been the same. So it hasn't felt repetitive like a, oh, I’ve bought this and they're only gonna use it once and then it's done. Every single game has been made to be very different so far. I mean, he's played it maybe 15 times. He's had it. Again, vocabulary.

Natasha (08:43)

Pretty good going, though.

Danielle (08:48)

being able to look for stuff, make connections, make decisions. And again, using this, I was really worried that it was gonna be too advanced for William and it hasn't been at all. He's absolutely loved it. I've helped him to start with, but that's also been a really nice moment for us because I'm learning it too. But yeah, the fact that it's become interactive and you can play games is brilliant because it just opens up other doors. allows...

my children specifically, a four-year-old, an eight-year-old and an 11-year-old to enjoy it together and yeah, big difference there.

Natasha (09:25)

It also has more curved edges, so it's not so sharp. Not that the other one was sharp, but just a bit more of a softer look. It has a C charger, so you no longer put it on top of the charger. Lots of people have said that the C charger that comes with it is very small, but it works with any C charger.

Danielle (09:48)

And then it's like, I don't want to take it all the way off, but that is just a sleeve. So as well as picking your colour, you can also modify.

Natasha (09:56)

and you can buy additional bits.

Danielle (09:58)

I just think that it's perfect. Just, it's an all rounder, not one bad thing to say about it. I love it. I love it for all my children. And I think also, you know, if you are someone that's like, we already have a Tonies box, what are we going to do with it? What's the point? Obviously we've spoken about all the differences and they do make a big difference. ⁓ I will be donating the Tonies boxes to

Natasha (10:07)

And it will last for years and years.

Danielle (10:24)

family members that I know have wanted one but they've kind of maybe been on the fence. And the really lovely thing about that is because we've already got kind of an established collection, we're just going to share them. And again, that opens it up for, what did you think of that one? Did you like it? It sings, doesn't it? Do you like the songs? You know, you've suddenly got that conversation. Absolutely. Yeah, I love it.

Natasha (10:41)

Yeah.

So a very big plus for the Tonies. Yeah, which you're a favourite one. And then what other kind of toys do you really enjoy recommending?

Danielle (10:47)

That's my favourite one.

So I love anything sensory. Really, really big fan of Ticket.

Yeah, I love their sensory toys always have they're very open-ended ⁓ They are the sorts of things that you can be ⁓ They're relaxing at any age like I've got a few bits and pieces with like glitter and sand and you tip them upside down and I'm just there like ⁓ this is so nice So I love a sensory toy. Yeah, obviously you have slightly less longevity with that but again if you're buying for a baby or a child or possibly a child with special educational needs

you know that that's actually gonna tick a lot of boxes. So that's a really good one. ⁓ But the big one for me is anything that has a role play element for children because the spanning of the time that children enjoy role play type games is huge. And you'll often find when you think your child is maybe grown out of that part of their play.

a younger cousin might come over or a younger friend and all of a sudden they're right back into it. Or maybe they go on an appointment where there just happens to be a play kitchen and then you've got your 12 year old who's suddenly playing again. So anything with that role play element, that could be a kitchen, it could be a doctor's kit. It doesn't have to be a massive thing, but you absolutely hit the nail on loads of different heads when you add role play as a toy. And there are so many different price points.

you can obviously go with like plastic things. My personal favourite would be to go with wooden. ⁓ And I have always really celebrated The Toy Van. ⁓ Mostly because it's just, it's all very solid. It lasts really well. It's all, the attention to detail is beautiful. And again, they have a lovely stretch of price points. So for instance, if I'm buying a shop,

and that's going to be my main gift to my child or a couple of my children. I can then say to grandparents or friends when they say, what do they want for Christmas?

I can say, you know, there is a little collection of wooden food and that starts at this. Or if you want something a little bit bigger, this shopping trolley goes really nicely with it. So you then open out to, we can all collaborate on this one lovely thing. And with those toys, it's impossible, especially on Christmas day when you've literally, you just sat down relaxing. It's impossible to...have a child come up to you and say, I'm gonna play doctors, lay down, for you to not go, all right, well yeah, I do have of a poor arm actually. You immediately start joining in with them. They'll come up to you and would you like coffee or tea? And you're like, oh, I'd love tea, can I have a biscuit? How much is it? Oh my goodness, I forgot my purse. And you start just joining in.

And yeah, is, very difficult for an adult to kind of say no. You do naturally just gravitate and I think that the joy of toys that encourage role play is that it's much more likely then that as a parent you're going to join in, especially if you're the one that's bought the toy. Yeah. Because you've wanted them to love it. So you're like, yeah, let's play shops. I'm so excited.

Natasha (14:13)

Melissa and Doug launched an amazing ⁓ vending machine last Christmas and ⁓ we got it for edgy and we had wrapped up lots of little pieces inside and then wrapped the vending machine and then he obviously had coins to like to get the bits out and we just fill it and like and sometimes I just fill it with snacks. You need a snack because you have a vending machine but it is beautifully made, is wooden, it's beautiful and they also do some really nice price range gifts like ice cream scooping and things so yeah so roleplay is such a...

Danielle (14:48)

Like they've got a vet centre and I've always loved that. I've always wanted to get it. We've just always lived in such small houses. But what I do love about both is they will have a smaller version. Usually there's like the mini shop, the mini vet, the mini doctor's surgery. Or they've got a really big one for if you've got the space, which is like, again, really well thought out. And really nicely putting the parent ahead.

Natasha (15:14)

Often, once again, like if you look on Facebook Marketplace, in charity shops, you'll often pick up these pieces second hand at a really great price.

Danielle (15:24)

100% and I've always said the same, I would much rather get a second hand version of a name I trust than the cheaper alternative that isn't made as sustainably because a lot of the brands that do have a slightly higher price point have that because they're trying to be more environmentally friendly, more sustainable.

Natasha (15:45)

using the right paints, is all of those kind of things.

Danielle (15:48)

And that's my other biggest thing. There are so many shops online that are not... I don't necessarily know that they're particularly legal. ⁓

and I would say rather than fall down that rabbit hole of actually might get a toy that's dangerous. It has not been properly. Because it's extreme. The amount that a toy has to go through to be marked as safe is massive. If you're buying from somewhere that is not reputable or from various online places where there's a mass amount of very cheap stuff, you run the risk of bringing something into your home that is dangerous. So yeah, I'm a big fan of the wooden toys, a big fan of anything with a role play element. And also because I do prefer a toy if I know full well, it does not have a button battery. Yeah. That's a big, big old thing for me. And most toys don't use them. Most of them will use AAA or AA. But yeah, that's a big, a big talking point for me this time of year.

and toys tend to avoid things with lights and sounds. yeah, those are what I like. And then in terms of, I know I mentioned Ticket for Sensory, but one company that really blends the two beautifully, and again, that goes through all the ages, is Love Every. ⁓ In terms of getting things for a newborn,

or somebody who is six months old or a year old, they will say, okay, it's a subscription. So again, if you're a grandparent and you wanna do something that has got more longevity, the subscription will be chosen for your baby's age. And so you will have things arriving that are specifically designed not only to entertain that child, but to really help them with each stage of development. They're so incredibly well thought out and again it's one of those they have a higher price point but I like on a guttural level they're so worth it. I really really thoroughly recommend them and again they are the sort of thing that you can find on various different selling sites as well so if you don't want to be tied into a subscription it is possible but if you don't know Love Every go and check them out. It's just all so well designed.

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Natasha (19:05)

One thing I absolutely love is a train set. I really love a train set. A good wooden train set. And you can just bring it out time and time again and the train set's never the same. And yeah, my little ones really love a train set. Does William love a train set?

Danielle (19:30)

He does, yeah, and it's actually really nice because he's not always one to kind of see something from start to finish, but it's the one thing where he's like, okay, I'm gonna make the truck, and then I'm gonna put the train on the track, and then I'm gonna change it. And it's that you just see this kind of methodology, and that's so lovely that there's like, it's so much more about the journey than just the finished. I'm just gonna move it around. ⁓

Natasha (19:56)

There’s something quite special about a train track for Christmas.

Danielle (19:59)

Yeah, the nostalgia of it's huge. Nothing says Christmas quite like a Train set.

Natasha (20:03)

No, and it is something you can bring out time and time again and once again will last them years. You know it's their imagination which will.

Danielle (20:11)

Well, when you go to doctors waiting rooms, I always look at the toys that are clearly from the 80s and 90s and it is things like the train sets. The train sets, They've lasted. 

Kids love them and that's never stopped. But yeah, anytime you go to like a waiting room that has a toy box, have a look at what's in there. Most of it will be the really traditional, stands the test of time, indestructible, earned train set, yeah, for sure, 100%.

Natasha (20:42)

Another gift I think is an amazing gift is a camera. Because you can give them the opportunity to be spokes cameraman for the day and take all of those memories and make sure they get in the camera too. But kids love taking photos.

Danielle (20:56)

Yeah, I agree. ⁓ I love it. They do. I really enjoy that.

I always love, every so often I will give my phone over to my children to just document the day. That's not always possible though, so giving them full autonomy over something that's theirs and then actually looking at it and seeing the world for it, like what did they find important? Like what did they want to remember from that day? I just think it's so lovely and again it's a brilliant talking point. It's lovely to be able say, oh what was that? And they're like, oh well.

The tree looked really nice. It was just sparkling, just right. There was a spider. It was so big and I had to think about it and you're like, it's not that big. anything that kind of lends itself to finding out more about your children without you having to put pressure on them and ask them, I just think is really lovely.

Natasha (21:33)

What about baby's first Christmas? It's really tricky, it? Because it's like the pressure I feel, people feel from social media, from people around them, is a must buy, this one year old. sometimes not even one, all these presents. But actually...

Danielle (22:05)

It's really difficult. So I think that a lot of the time when we buy presents for children, there is an element of selfishness, right? And that's fine. We, especially for people whose love language is gift giving, because we want to see not only their face when they open it, but we want to know that we got them the present that they've like carried around forever. ⁓ Because it makes us feel like, huh.

I know children really well. So what I will say is, I don't want parents to feel the pressure of having to buy a load of for their baby's first Christmas because other than doing it for you...

It's just not a thing that they're not gonna remember. I would say really aim very closely to where they are developmentally and look at things on a sensory level. That's one tip. And that can be anything. That could be buying a sensory toy. It could be filling up a little box with things they like. Cause like they're gonna feel like they've never seen them before. And that could be obviously just being careful and not leaving them unattended, but it could be safe baubles, could be bits of this and bits of that. And they'll love just, it could even just be bits of wrapping paper. And they'll just be like, wow. So if you don't want to spend the money, but you still want to give them that lovely moment and you want to be able to photograph something, just do something like that. If you do want to spend and you want it to be something useful, always going down the sensory route, blocks are great because again, they're going to stand the test of time with baby going forward.

And if you want to spend a bit more money and you want it to be a more special present, I then go down the either useful or adorable. Yeah. So adorable would be, here's this really gorgeous special teddy. I've checked it's suitable from birth because it's nothing like giving a baby a teddy that has got a three plus tag on it. And you're like, thanks, I'm just gonna put that on the shelf. But you know, there are loads of soft toys

companies that are specifically for the baby. Get that, doesn't have to be massive but that can be really lovely as a first Christmas thing. Useful I would say things like toy storage, like a nice toy box. But yeah I would say there's no problem buying a lovely present for a first birthday but I would fall down the is it developmental.

Danielle (24:48)

Can you afford it? If not, just go down a sensory route. Is it useful or is it something that is like, ⁓ this is so cute, it's so so.

Natasha (24:56)

I also say to parents about classes.

Danielle (24:59)

Yes, experiences.

Natasha (25:02)

Joining a water, like swimming classes or you know, joining like just something that they can like a zoo membership or something that they can go to more than once but actually will give them something.

Danielle (25:15)

Yeah,

the amount of times we spend a fortune on dance classes and the amount of times I'm like, ⁓ wouldn't it just be so much more helpful if they, rather than spend all that money on stuff that we now have to store, give the gift of dance because they clearly love it. But it's really difficult because then you've got that sort of like, ⁓ don't really want to, that sounds then like I'm asking. Right? But at the same time,

Natasha (25:29)

Yeah. For you to pay my bills.

Danielle (25:45)

I remember when I was younger, part of my birthday present was that my grandparents paid for drama and theatre classes. And actually that was always a really nice thing for me to, I did think about it. I was very much like, ⁓ that like, I'm so glad that they've done this for me. And as an adult, I'm really glad because I know that the reason that happened was because my mum was struggling and it made something that could have been inaccessible, accessible. And actually that helped my entire life. So it's a really tricky one. I guess if you've got family members who you know are open to you saying, look, we don't really have very much space, but we are saving towards this. And I know that they would really enjoy that. They might not necessarily be able to open it, but it would make a big difference to their life.

Natasha (26:39)

And I also think it's like, because there's such a big milestone from depending on where baby is at first Christmas to then maybe like their next birthday, say if their birthday is like, Reggie's birthday is on the 1st of December, he has a whole, pretty much a whole year. So actually during that year, those changes, milestones are huge. So actually we might be moving on to a scooter, like six months after Christmas, actually you could put money aside and put it towards the scooter.

We might not have it there and then, but actually they get so much from everybody that, well, they miss not opening that one present, but actually come the summer, they get that scooter.

Danielle (27:16)

Do you know what that makes so much sense? so my children are, the only one that's close to Christmas is William and his birthday is at the end of March so we still have a few months. yeah, goodness, it must be so difficult for parents of children. Just make yourself where it's just all in one go. I think you're completely right.

Natasha (27:36)

It's just helping spread it out, isn't it?

and hitting the milestones because actually ⁓ you've got this lull here that kind of actually

Danielle (27:46)

Yeah, so I would definitely say if you do have grandparents who are happy to kind of spend a bit more, a subscription type thing works really nicely for that too. Definitely. A hundred percent. ⁓ But yeah, is, so difficult. And I also think experiences throughout every age... ⁓

you know, sort of saying, we're gonna go to Panto this year, or we're go to Peppa Pig World. It's not gonna be until here, we're gonna count it down on our calendar, but that's your gift is, you we're gonna go and do that. It's really lovely. And again, it's not putting so much of an emphasis on stuff, actually saying, okay, I've booked this and we're gonna do it. It's gonna be great. One of the gifts that we give to all four is a cinema ticket. And we usually go really,

really close to Christmas as in like after, because then it's like, but we've got that to look forward to. So when Christmas has happened and there's that sort of, there's the tendency of that we know we've got something we can all look forward to as a family and that's become a really nice way of kind of saying, well, this is an experience gift. It's something we're going to enjoy using time together. And that tends to be their favourite. It really does. It's their favourite thing.

Natasha (29:04)

And what about the older children? So Quincy is seven and we've just moved him onto a Yoto player. you heard of Yoto? And obviously they've got all the Harry Potter books on there and just slightly older than the Tonies box. They do a really beautiful Yoto Travels mini size box which they can then take wherever they go.

Natasha (29:29)

really really easily. So Yoto I definitely would highly recommend for those older siblings. Okay so it looks like we're chatting a bit too much. So what I think we should do if you're up for it is we'll split this into two. A two-parterre, we just keep going. Yeah yeah I love it. Brilliant so this is the end of episode one.

Danielle (29:36)

I'm 100%. Two parter.

Natasha (29:55)

Make sure that you subscribe so that you do get to see what we talk about next. And we're to talk about all the things under the Christmas tree.