Toys & Books / 22 May, 2020 / Ellie Thompson
There is no doubt that the coronavirus lockdown has caused feelings of uncertainty, anxiety and boredom for people of all ages. It’s an unprecedented time that has presented challenges for us all.
Many of us are working full-time hours around our children, but now, if you’re anything like my family, after nearly three months, lockdown life is now starting to feel like the norm. With a good lockdown routine firmly in place, it’s important to find different and new ways to make this time as playful and engaging as possible for the littlest ones.
There are many fabulous toys and gadgets to make entertaining little ones easier, but there’s one that’s a particular brand that’s an out and out favourite of mine – and that’s Skip Hop.
The team at Skip Hop are dedicated to making parenting as easy and as fun as possible, and their range of products have been staples in our family home for the past three years, after the birth of my first child in 2017. With a core philosophy of “must-haves made better,” Skip Hop rethinks, re-energises and reengineers essential products to give parents, babies and toddlers smart design and true functionality.
Not only are these products innovative, fresh and engaging, but they’re also built with parents in mind, reasonably priced and are designed to enhance multiple skills at the same time. The thing I love most about Skip Hop is that their products look beautiful to the adult eye as well as the child.
Here are just a few of the products I’d recommend available in the Skip Hop Amazon Shop, but really, anything you choose from the Skip Hop range will bring fun and enjoyment, keep the kids entertained whilst we all continue to stay at home.
We’re kicking the list off with a toy that’s perfect for our little talkers.
The Skip Hop’s Zoo Unicorn phone brings magic to their conversations. Packed with enchanting songs, sounds and chats, this engaging unicorn-themed phone will keep your little ones happy and delighted for hours.
It also has an easy-grip rainbow handle, colourful buttons and a light-up horn, creating the ultimate fairy tale experience for your babe and their friends.
If your children are anything like mine, they’re desperate to get hold of the real thing. If you’d rather not let your baby play with your personal phone, why not try getting them their own? With Skip Hop’s Explore & More Selfie Phone, your baby can take their first selfie with its mirrored surface, encouraging self-recognition and awareness at playtime.
It also comes with a selection of cute light-up face filters, such as glasses, dog ears and cat whiskers as well as sound effects and cheerful tunes, which will no doubt have your child in fits of giggles for hours!
If your little one loves a bit of countrified guac and roll, then they’ll love Skip Hop’s Rock A Mole Guitar, forming part of their popular Farmstand collection.
Inspire your musician-in-the-making with strumming riffs and fun tunes, all the while developing their motor skills and stimulating their sight and hearing.
These Bandana Buddies will be your little one’s next best friend! Perfect for multi-sensory discovery and play, this cute companion is packed full of textures, patterns and sounds, keeping little hands busy all day long and whilst you’re out and about!
This toy comes in a range of different animals, choose from an elephant, fox, unicorn, monkey or dinosaur. With every rattle and crinkle, these activity toys are perfect for your baby to get to know all of their senses – learning is exploring!
Bring the jungle to your home with this Treetop Friends Activity Gym, which is suitable for all babies from birth and is designed to offer irresistible multi-sensory play at every stage of their development.
This activity gym is packed with 17 development activities and nature-inspired graphics and textures, such as crinkle leaves, squeaker flower and a funky tree trunk mirror!
With other themes available, such as Alphabet Zoo and Camping Cubs, you’ll be spoilt for choice!
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If your little one is starting to learn and take their first steps, this cute and colourful Zoo 3-In-1 Ride-On Toy is perfect for them. It’s been cleverly designed to grow with your little one, offering three different stages of mobility!
Available in different characters, including as a dog, a fox and a unicorn and all with entertaining features to encourage development in motor skills, balance and coordination, your child will be walking, riding and scooting to their heart’s content in no time at all.
If there’s one thing that every parent needs in the home, it’s this Silver Lining Cloud Three Stage Activity Centre, which has been designed in collaboration with a paediatrician and is tailored to grow with your baby.
This is a great investment and will last for many years to come. One of our favourite features is the 360-degree rotating seat, which turns and stretches with your baby, so it’s perfect for bouncing and reaching for toys.
We also love its unique discovery window, which lets your baby see their feet whilst they cruise and play, ideal for self-discovery and developing their senses.
This masterpiece really accommodates any activity as it also includes a sturdy and easy-to-clean table, making it an ideal and safe place for them to practice their favourite craft, whether it’s colouring or reading.
This activity centre will quickly become a firm family favourite, and one that can be enjoyed all together or independently by your baba on their own – the sky’s the limit!
Where a child’s fun and physical development meets a parent’s convenience and functionality, this Jumpscape Fold-Away Jumper is the perfect addition to your family home. It is designed to keep boredom at bay, whilst saving on space. What more could a parent want?
This Jumper offers your little one a challenge as its light-up cloud bounce counter tracks their jumps and rewards them with the full shebang of lights and music as it breaks into applause, congratulating them as they achieve their 100-jump milestone!
To encourage maximum discovery and exploration, it also features a 360-degree rotating seat that can swivel and bounce as well as clip-on and movable toys, allowing for customisable play and endless entertainment!
Another essential that every parent needs and every child loves is a comfy platmat. This one by Skip Hop is PVC-free, baby-safe and easy to clean. It’s a reversible playmat to bring double the fun, style and convenience to your family home.
The intrepid travelling theme is perfect for any room in the house, and the mat is super easy to transport and store.
All that play has us exhausted, especially your little one! Make sure their bedroom is equipped with something soothing to help them sleep after a long day of playing and exploring, such as this Moonlight and Melodies Hug Me Projection Soother, which comes as a cute little lamb or an adorable cuddly bear.
Your child will be visiting the land of nod in no time with this soother. It projects a gorgeous and calming starry nightscape onto any surface, which then transforms into a huggable bedtime friend for your toddler!
Simply flip up the pocket to cover the projector belly and enjoy a warm night light glow with four gentle melodies and an auto-off timer. Bedtime will be no trouble, giving you peace of mind and time to relax in the evenings once your child peacefully drops off.
Now that you’re armed with our tried-and-tested reviews of Skip Hop’s must-have products, we hope that you find something suitable for you and your baby that will help your family survive and keep entertained during the lockdown.
It’s no doubt one of the toughest situations we’ve all been through. Staying positive can sometimes be difficult, but it’s important to find the silver linings in the things we do, no matter how small.
Surviving challenging times is easier in numbers so make sure you make the effort to spend quality time together as a family. We think with these products, you’ll be having fun and laughing in no time at all whilst also maintaining skill development for your baby.
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Introduce a whole new world of fun to their playtime with this incredible personalised wooden doll’s house gift set. Complete with furniture to decorate the living room, kitchen, bedroom, nursery and bathroom, and an adorable wooden family, this set is truly the ultimate doll’s house for little storytellers.
Make this charming doll’s house gift set all theirs by adding a sweet plaque to the front with their name on it.
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