Mummy Knows Best

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Sat, October 3

11:00AM

Doodle Me Busy

Fun and portable activities for kids.

How many restaurants have you sat in and regretted bringing the kids?Sometimes, there’s just no choice. I have come up with several innovations to keep them occupied until the food arrives. I have done the ball point pen and back of an old bill combo and I have asked restaurants for sheets to colour on. For a last minute thing, its ok - but now I come prepared.

The latest thing on my list is the new ‘Doodle Pro’ mini. It’s a smaller version of the desk Doodle Pro and fits very easily in the hands of a three year old and your purse. The pen is attached with a rope, so that’s not going anywhere and there you have it, a reusable drawing board. So the moment we are seated I flip out my little treasure, point to half a dozen things in the restaurant and ask my daughter to draw, baby, draw! Till now it has been working like a charm. The mini Doodle Pro is ideal for the car, train, airport, anywhere you are likely to wait, which we all know kids hate to do more than us.

For me personally, the nicest part is the ‘no waste’ capacity of Doodle Pro. Just draw, wipe, draw, wipe … its endless fun without paper!

Mini Doodle Pro by Fisher Price is available at all leading stores across the country. Priced at Rs.399. It comes in a variety of colors and patterns too.

Travelstuff

Parul |

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Thu, July 9

6:00AM

Retro Mazaa

The View Master is back!

Here is a small piece of trivia for aficionados of retro toys, Fisher Price’s View Master just completed 65 years in the market! I had heard rumours that they had discontinued the toy all together which left me really sad because I had failed to preserve neither the view master toy nor the reels. My husband was more upset because now they had real ‘antique’ value and he would have had his on Ebay right away.

Then I spotted it, sitting quietly in a books and toy store, ignored by the lovers of robotic raptor’s and Ben 10, there it was - the new edition of the good old ‘View Master’. I relived all the summers I lay on the bed and went through reels and reels of zoo’s and Disney Land and My Little Pony. I bought the View Master and one set of reels to test my four year old’s level of interest.

She loved it, it was more interactive than TV, the 3D effect was mesmerizing and the usability of the new design made it very easy for her to handle the toy. Now she is the proud owner of Spongebob, Diego and Winnie the Pooh reels. She likes the idea of being able to carry it around with her and she has managed to learn to focus enough to be able to use binoculars. She goes for mini treks with her dad to the Aravali’s hills behind our home, now she takes her view master to bide her time while her dad shoots the setting sun.

Manufactured by Fisher Price and available at all leading toy stores. Priced at Rs. 199 for the View Master and Rs. 99 for a set of two reels.In Gurgaon you can find it at Reliance TimeOut, Ambience Mall, NH8, Gurgaon.

Parul |

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Tue, July 7

1:30PM

Have a Sand-blasting Time

Make your own Sand Box.

Sand I’ve realized is therapeutic, which is why I need to go for a beach holiday ever so often. Apart from giving you a great pedicure it gives one the sense of barefoot freedom which lifts the spirits. No wonder kids love the sand, mine comes with sand in his hair, pockets and butt crack after a visit to the sand box.

I wanted to have a Sand Box at home, where he could enjoy hours of playtime (no ulterior motive here) anytime he wanted. Scoured the toy shops for a sand box but did not really get anywhere, so I decided to make one (read- get one made).

There are quite a few websites which give instructions, but here’s my favourite one and I loved the design - http://www.bobvila.com/. It has triangular pieces of wood in the corners, which make great seats. Very simple and straightforward, and if you are a ‘hands on’ sort of person it should be a breeze. Or easier still, catch your husband or a carpenter to do it.

I used deal wood, which is basically wood that is used in packing, cheap and best. If not, you could use teak or any other hardy varieties of wood that stay well outdoors. The website has clear instructions that are easy to follow. I made a couple of variations though, one was the wood I used (they give you wood suggestions which are not applicable to India) and I lined the bottom of the box with ‘shade net’. This is the green netting material that is used in plant nurseries and green houses. This allows the water to seep through while still keeping creepy crawlies from getting in.

Fill with sand, put this in a semi-shaded place and throw in some sand toys for hours of fun in years to come.

Outdoor Fun

Swathi |

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Sun, July 5

6:00AM

What a Gem!

SapphireThe owner inside the Sapphire store

Anyone who has spent even part of their childhood growing up in Bangalore will be familiar with the toy store Sapphire on Brigade Road. It’s been there as far back as I can remember, so that’s a long time. This old doyen of toys did something new and have opened a bigger, much bigger store on Richmond Road just after the Lifestyle store.

Needless to say, I was excited- I love toy shopping. I know, I am already living vicariously. So we (my husband’s in it too) bundled my indifferent 4 year old son one evening to check it out. It is the promised land! Two floors of unadulterated fun. What’s great about it, is the range. You can pick up aimless but fun stuff from Rs.10 to really nice top of the line toys and gizmos. For a change you forget all that educational mumbo jumbo(Don’t get me wrong, I want my son educated as much as the next mom) and concentrate on pure fun. Cars, dolls, bikes, board games, cd’s, blocks, stuffed toys, books, video games, puzzles, stationary, you name it –they’ve got it. It’s an excellent place for birthday party return gifts.

We enjoyed it much more than my son who is a very conservative shopper, but I am sure his time will come. Guess what I got? Fart cushions!

6,Brigade Road ‎and Richmond Road after Lifestyle.
Tel:080 25587255

Bangalore

Swathi |

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Mon, June 29

3:00PM

Little Hideaway

Pop-up play tent

Kids need their little hideaways, and I used to grin and bear it when they’d drag freshly washed bed sheets and throw silk(yes SILK!) cushions around to make their “caves” and “houses”. So it was with open arms and great joy that I welcomed the Thomas the Tank Engine Play Tent into our home.

A friend generously gifted this to our boys and they just love, love, love it. So does our entire neighbourhood. Sometimes I could swear there are 10 kids piled up in there. It’s their restaurant, house, cave and sometimes, just a plain old train. It is super lightweight, takes 3 seconds to pop-out and folds back flat so you can just stow it away behind a shelf or under the bed. Easy peasy.

The pop-up play tents come in a few different shapes and sizes, but I think the Thomas one is the most fun. While 10 is pushing it, the tent will generously accommodate 2 or even 3 - if they’re not pretending to be fierce dinosaurs who must drag mummy in for their dinner, that is. Don’t ask. Long story.

Available at most department stores like Lifestyle etc., or the bigger toy stores. Rs.1200 - 1500. Also available online at www.20north.com, Rs.1840, shipping charges applicable.

Nisha |