This post is only sponsored by my imagination and is not an ad. When I was growing up I don’t think we ever got anything as cool as a Playset. I didn’t even have a proper dollhouse, I used to fashion them out of cardboard and shoe boxes which always got discarded every few months upon which I would proceed to construct a new one again. Fueled by Enid Blyton stories of little children who would have exquisite dolls houses or who would save money to buy furniture piece by piece for their doll houses, I imagined myself a little girl that lived in England too saving my pennies to spend at the village toyshop.
Researching Christmas gift options as well as expanding our toy collection for independent play these Winter months post Christmas, I’ve decided I want to set up my toddler’s dollhouse. I had picked it up from a thrift store a couple of years ago for £3. This house has served as a shape sorter and other sensory activities for a while but as I have noticed her advancing in her imaginative play with Duplo (constructing cupcakes, rockets, motorbikes, buses and microphones), I wanted to nudge that along with more props.
Initially I experimented with ‘creating furniture’ for her dolls house with Duplo just to observe her role playing abilities. They work well enough for the Duplo family to live in but it does leave a lot to the imagination (I am also quite possibly living vicariously through her).
With another daughter newly born this Christmas, I needed something that would suit both ages (read: no small fiddly parts but would stretch on beyond the lifespan of a couple of years so that they hopefully can play together). Happyland suits tiny tots best for role play, but they do not sell furniture separately as all parts come fixated in their playhouses. Plus there was no room to ‘arrange’ the furniture layout which to me is a vital skill to develop in the role play.
It also dawned upon me one day observing her play that she’s really gotten attached to her Duplo characters as she seems to introduce her new favourite toys to them ( I saw her play out a BFG style story one day when her robot baby descended upon her Duplo Disney peeps) so I figured she will likely incorporate them into the dollshouse when she begins playing. Therefore the furniture needed to suit her host of Duplo characters.
Eventually I settled upon purchasing three Playmobil dollhouse furniture sets (spending £35 at George including delivery): the vintage bathroom, the living room and the children’s rooms.
The playhouse we have had five rooms: a lounge, a kitchen diner with a built in fridge, a bathroom and two bedrooms. My plan is to introduce the bigger pieces this year as her Christmas gift, stowing away the smaller pieces for a couple of years until I know the baby is old enough to play with the smaller parts safely.
Is it wrong that I can’t bear to wait the three weeks till Christmas when she would get this present?
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