Top 12 Toys for Christmas - 2019

8 year-old Gwen (left) and 10 year-old Fiona play with Rizmo toys - ©Katie Collins/EMPICS

This year’s Top 12 Toys for Christmas have just been unveiled at DreamToys 2019 in London.

The list, issued by the Toy Retailers Association predicts what’s likely to fly off the shelves this December.

A panel of retailers and industry experts (rather than the toy manufacturers and makers) have produced the shortlist where prices range from £9.99 to £99.99.

Toys inspired by movies are some of the favourites for 2019, with Frozen 2, Harry Potter and Toy Story 4 themed gifts in the top 12.

7-year-old Liana holds the Frozen 2 'Into the Unknown' Elsa Doll. ©Katie Collins/EMPICS

LEGO Harry Potter Knight Bus ©Katie Collins/EMPICS

Other toys on display at the Dreamtoys press event that caught my eye were the Scruff-a-Luvs pets. We spent last Christmas Day blow drying the wet fur of a Scruff-a-Luvs puppy and my daughter (now 5) has announced she hopes for another this year. This collection has now evolved and for 2019 an electronic version complete with heartbeat has been added to the collection.

The Scruff-a-Luvs collection ©Katie Collins/EMPICS

The Barbie Fashionistas Collection ©Katie Collins/EMPICS

The Kindi Kids dolls with big wide eyes and bobbling heads also caught my attention. They have changeable clothes and brushable hair and aim to act as a companion on your child’s journey through nursery.

Kindi Kids dolls ©Katie Collins/EMPICS

For LEGO fans there’s an incredible Deep Space Rocket and Launch Control set to keep you busy over the Christmas holidays. ‘Wraptiles’ is another fun gift to consider. It’s a creature you wear on your wrist with light up eyes, a record and playback feature. The collectable pets have over 25 interactive sounds and sensors.

So with Black Friday offers approaching and Christmas not that far away, here are the top 12 toys to look out for:

Barbie Dreamplane Playset - £79.99

Blume Dolls -£9.99

Frozen 2 ‘Into the Unknown’ Elsa Doll - £39.99

Harry Potter Knight Bus by LEGO - £34.99

L.O.L. Surprise! 2-in-1 Glamper - £99.99

Nerf Elite Fortnite SP-L - £19.99

Owleez - £49.99

PAW Patrol Mighty Pups Super PAWs Mighty Jet Command Centre. - £59.99

Peppa Pig Peppa’s Stage Playset - £39.99

Rizmo - £59.99

Ryan’s World Super Surprise Safe - £44.99

Toy Story 4 True Talkers - £17.99

All images ©Katie Collins/EMPICS Entertainment

Christmas in the countryside

For the first time this year I really witnessed how exciting Christmas Day is through the eyes of a child.

It was the first year our eldest, who’s three, really experienced the build up - Nativity at school nursery, learning Christmas carols, writing a letter to Father Christmas and streaming Arthur Christmas on Netflix on an almost daily basis during December.

The 25th was therefore an exciting, eagerly anticipated day for her, her sister and three young cousins (all under 4 years old) as we gathered together to celebrate Christmas in a beautiful rented house in the countryside.

I had my camera close by as I really wanted to take lots of pictures this year.

I also edited the pictures as I went along this time by using an Apple SD card reader that plugged straight into my phone. Once imported, I edited the images in Snapseed, my favourite editing app.

Once I returned home I did a more thorough edit on my iMac using Adobe Lightroom but it was great to have the option of editing on the go, without packing a laptop for our travels.

Now the Christmas decorations are packed away, I'm looking at the photos and thinking how pleased I am that I didn't just rely on my phone to capture Christmas Day. 

I love my iPhone but it just doesn't cut it sometimes when my children are running around like crazy. 

My new motto this year is to print more pictures. So next on my list is to get some hard copies and make a good old fashioned photo album to look back on in years gone by. 

Santa's Grotto at The Rainforest Cafe - London

Last Christmas, and the Christmas before in fact, we tried out a few Christmas Grotto experiences.

I won't lie, they didn't all go according to plan.

Tears, tantrums (we have the expensive photo to prove it) and also car sickness meant an adorable Christmas treat quickly turned into a stressful morning.

But here we are with two little girls, a year older and our eldest starting to recognise that Father Christmas is a 'thing' and he may be worth paying attention to.

This year we were kindly offered the opportunity to try the Santa's Grotto at The Rainforest Cafe. 

For those who may not know, The Rainforest Cafe is a themed restaurant just off Leicester Square in London.

Stepping away from the hustle and bustle of central London and down the stairs you're greeted with a colourful, jungle-themed restaurant, lifesized animatronic elephants, large fish tanks, gorillas, parrots and every fifteen minutes or so, the sound of a rainforest storm.

Throw into the mix Santa/Father Christmas and his cosy grotto and you're onto a winner.

What's really nice about this grotto is that it's more personal than others we have been to.

After booking online, the cafe sends you a questionnaire asking you to fill out specific details - what your child wants for Christmas, who they will be spending it with etc.  

When we entered the grotto, Father Christmas casually dropped these nuggets of information into the conversation which made for a really special experience.

He took the time to chat to the girls and it didn't feel like we were being rushed.

So what's included in the price? A meeting and chat with Santa in his grotto, a bag of treats (a book and large toy - worth about £30), a two course-meal and a drink in the restaurant afterwards. Extras not included are the photo packages and any meals or drinks for adults.

Now a heads up: this won't be the cheapest grotto in town - you pay central London prices to dine at the cafe and for the experience, but our girls LOVED it. 

Stepping into the restaurant afterwards and soaking up the atmosphere was a fantastic way to end a lovely treat. The gift shop is an experience in itself with a talking tree, lifesized crocodile (who occasionally wakes up) and baskets and baskets of toys and games.

The grotto is open until Christmas Eve. Tickets are £40 per child (adults don't need tickets) and are available from here or by calling the Cafe direct on 020 7434 3111.

10 Christmas Gift ideas for pre-schoolers

With Christmas Day just weeks away and Black Friday on the horizon, I've started thinking about what to get our two (aged 3.5 and 22 months). 

So I'm sharing my top 10 gifts for pre-schoolers from a mix of High Street and independent shops. Happy shopping!

1. Princess Tower Playset

2. Sleepy Moon Personalised Print

3. Space Print Pyjamas

4. Peter Pan Novelty Backpack

5. Lego Duplo Family House

6. Three Kings Biscuit Card

7. Yellow Hooded Rain Mac

8. Little London Play Set

9. Hopster Kids TV App

10. Disney Classics DVDs

1. Princess Tower Playset - My eldest shrieked in the store when she saw this the other day and it went immediately to the top of her Christmas List. What's great about it is that it is neatly folds up and is portable. Marks & Spencer £30

2. Buddy & Bear Personalised prints - I first spotted the gorgeous Buddy & Bear on instagram. The UK company does a wonderful set of kitchenware for children. Now they are offering personalised prints and just look at how adorable they are! Buddy & Bear print from £30

3. Space Pyjamas - Not only are these pyjamas space-themed, they also Glow in the dark. They come in ages 2-12 and are available from John Lewis from £22 - £24

4. Disney X Cath Kidston backpack - Disney has teamed up with Cath Kidston to offer a magical Peter Pan themed collection. Many of the items sold out quickly but are now back in stock, including this Peter Pan backpack, perfect for young children. Cath Kidston - £30

5. Lego Duplo Family House - One of the biggest hits in our seemingly endless toy collection is a Lego Duplo house. Our two girls treat it like a dollhouse and love creating scenes with any of their little figure toys. It's sturdy, you can change the configuration and its covers the toddler into preschool years. Lego store £39.99

6. Three Wise Men Christmas Biscuit Card - This is such a great idea if you'd rather avoid toys and clothes. We received one of these beautifully handmade biscuits in the post last year in The Snowman theme. Our little girl's face lit up when she opened the box and discovered a large biscuit just for her. From Biscuiteers £10.95

7. Yellow Rain Mac - There's something timeless and adorable about one of these yellow fisherman style macs. I was on the lookout for one for our 3 year-old and discovered Dorothy Perkins do a kids range online (it launched in July). This jacket comes in ages 18 months to six years old. Dorothy Perkins £22

8. Little London playset - Including The Shard, The Globe Theatre, Tower Bridge and St Paul's, this Little London Playset is perfect for introducing them to the city. Jojo Mama Bebe £15

9. Hopster kids app - Packed full of TV shows, games, lullabies and nursery rhymes, the Hopster App (aimed at 2-6 year-olds) is a safe space for pre-schoolers to explore and learn. We downloaded the app last week and our 3 year old has already discovered her favourite songs and shows. There's a 7 day free trial, a great chance to see how your little one gets on with it. Hopster subscription from £3.99 a month

10. Disney Classics DVD Collection - All the favourites are here as part of this classics collection.  DVDs from £3.99 at HMV

 

And all wrapped up with - Personalised paper

If wrapping Christmas presents by a lit fire gets you excited, this is for you. This personalised paper comes in range of colours and fonts. You can have any message you like (and it doesn't have to be for Christmas). The gift wrap comes with a stylish gift tag and gel pen. Prettygifted.co.uk