Newborn

As a very special gift for a Newborn Baby we love the gift sets by Dota. All items are carefully packaged in a keepsake box trimmed with grosgrain ribbon. The Butter Cream Gift Set has an adorable cotton-knit hat, tiny little baby booties and a baby blankie toy. Alternatively, The Butter Cream Blanket will be the one used on special occasions to gently cover the baby. Crafted from high quality cotton knit with delicate polka dot details and a soft, rolled edge.

Or choose from the Blush Pink Bunny, Periwinkle Dog or Butter Cream Bear. All are made from a rich, soft angora fabric with a cotton-knit cardigan. Displayed on the nursery shelf, it is sure to become a cherished heirloom.

Babies (0-1 years)

It is amazing how much babies learn and grow in the first 12 months. In the first six months babies love simple but colourful toys. Nothing too heavy as they are still a little clumsy and risk bashing themselves as they play with their toys. Soft toys, soft books and lightweight plastics toys are perfect.

We have some great baby toys from Brio and Manhattan Toys. The 'Manhattan Baby' brand has soft toys with bright colours mixed with high contrast black and white patterns. Brio's Ambi Toy range is aimed at babies and uses 'child safe' plastics to reduce weight and make cleaning simpler.

Young babies spend a lot of their time on the floor. For babies that can't crawl Playmats and Activity centres provide lots of things to explore and experiment with while encouraging movement to develop muscles.

1-2 years

Most children start walking and talking in their second year. Baby walkers and pull-along toys help babies develop their sense of balance while pretend telephones and dolls will help your build confidence with their speech.

Children's fine motor skills will also improve considerably between the ages of 1 and 2. Toys like hammer pegs and shape sorters will provide hours of challenging fun. Our two favourite wooden toys for this age are tower pounding and the rainbow slope. Both are made from wood and are updates to classic toys.

2-3 years

This is the age for using hands to make and draw, pull things apart and put them together again. We have a good selection of sturdy, large piece jigsaws and wooden jigsaws to entertain and stimulate children. Also look at introducing safe finger paints and large crayons.

Bears and dolls make fine friends at this age. Pretend tea sets and play food will give your child many hours of fun playing shops or hosting tea parties.

Don't forget the ride-on toys. As well as being great fun they help your child develop confidence and co-ordination.