THE 3RD BIRTHDAY GIFT GUIDE THAT YOU NEED TO READ

Need some inspiration on what to buy a 3-year-old for an upcoming birthday party? To save you some time I've put together some ideas of presents that you could gift, or ask for your own toddler's third birthday. Hopefully you will find something that hits the mark for you.

• Tea set and biscuits - As the photo above would suggest these have been used to host countless tea parties and are a firm favourite. This tea set is from Sass and Belle, but purchased through Amazon and the biscuits were from Rex London. I love these biscuits, because not only do they remind me of the retro biscuits that I used to devour when I was younger, they also have numbers on the back of each biscuit (1-10) to reinforce number recognition. There are different tea sets out there for different needs and budgets, for example this one from George (ASDA), or alternatively opt for a kettle and tea cup set from JoJo Maman Bébé.

• Dress up clothes - Big Bee's outfits have been purchased from Home Sense, as the one local to us has a good dress up section. But there are currently numerous ones from the ELC, where you can take your pick from being a doctor, fairy, firefighter or pirate to name a few. We've also purchased them as gifts from Amazon and I've seen them in Tu Clothing, Sainsbury's.

• Kinetic sand - This is as fun for children as it is for adults (well, me anyway!). Big Bee and I were playing with it for ~40 mins the other day and I was served a worm soup...I've seen this being sold in a whole host of places, but we got the 'Sandisfying Set' from Argos.

• Ladybug memory game - A recent gift and a brilliant game to get the neurons in the brain firing. It has 10 different patterns and makes for some lovely bonding time with your toddler. I'm already looking forward to seeing Big Bee and Little Bee play this together.

• Binoculars - Not only educational, but also a great way to get a toddler outside and enjoying nature. Big Bee has been enjoying her ones a lot and was only inspecting a leaf with them today, oh and she's partial to some plane spotting with them too.

• Harmonica - Such and fun and underrated instrument (in my humble opinion!). Big Bee was given this one, and it's had a lot of love.

• Smoothie maker blender - We have the set from Melissa and Doug, and Big Bee has been busy blending all sorts of wonderful imaginary smoothies - the Happy Land people one bought about some amusement (and concerns! ;) ).

• Toniebox and audio figures (Tonies) - An audio system where your children can get lost in the world of audiobooks and music. It's on the higher end of the price scale, but certainly worthy of the price tag (in my opinion). The Toniebox comes in a variety of colours and there are numerous of hand painted Tonie characters to chose from e.g. Thomas the Tank Engine, Elsa and Winnie The Pooh. A massive hit in our household.

• Books - Big Bee is really into the Rachel Bright and Jim Field series that have beautiful illustrations and teach important life lessons like sharing, embracing change and being brave.

• Orchard Toys games - There are lots of different Orchard games to choose from and they are simple and colourful that are educational too. They are also good fun to play as a family.

• Reusable sticker pads - Anything that includes stickers and is reusable is sure to go down well with a toddler and the grown-ups. Melissa and Doug have a variety of pads, from habitats to fairies, with different scenes and are available on Amazon.

• Vet kit - Big Bee was gifted this kit from JoJo Maman Bébé by a family member, and it helps children discover their nurturing side and teaches them empathy towards animals.

• Lollies/Ice-cream parlour - Wooden toy lollies are another great one for developing creativity and fine motor skills. Le Toy Van sell these ones, and John Lewis stock these. Alternatively, you could purchase a pricier ice-cream stand like this one from GLT, or a cheaper version from Amazon. Both the lollies and ice-cream stand are used daily in our house and if you visit us you're more than likely to be offered at least one helping of something cold, and you're expected to 'lick' it in an animated way!

• Puzzle - A gift to develop a toddler's fine motor skills, problem solving and hand-eye co-ordination. Ravensburger are great puzzles and there is a wide variety available - Paw Patrol, Peppa, Thomas & Friends , The Gruffalo, Disney Princess etc.

• Train set - A classic for imagination stimulation and open-ended play - BRIO's railways. You could start their collection with a beginner's set or add to it with individual engines. Two of my current favourites are the farm train that comes with a horse and cow, and the fire and rescue train.

• Play jewellery - Big Bee all of a suddenly was really into wearing bracelets and necklaces. She was given this set off Amazon and it is rather sweet and charming seeing her load each arm up with 4 bracelets. It's not so charming when Little Bee and Big Bee are in stiff competition for them though!

• Garden kit - Any excuse to get the little ones out in the fresh air and connecting them with nature is a must. There are lots of different sets available and include all or some of the following - a little watering can, gardening gloves, hand spade, trowel, and rake. Big Bee has been given different items from different places and is a dab hand at watering the plants (very helpful!), but I did see a Briers Kids Toolkit + 3 tools set at the local garden centre yesterday that I thought I would mention.

• Balance bike - A balance bike can be on the pricer end of the budget and not all children will need to hold out until their 3rd birthday, but they are a good option nonetheless. Big Bee was gifted an ex-demo AIRO Hornit by us and her grandparents. We went with this because it has a lightweight frame, pneumatic tyres to make for a more comfortable ride, a footrest for putting feet on when you're going downhill for example (as to not wear out the shoes), and a cushioned stem cover. Alongside this it also had very good reviews. We found this advice page from Cycle Sprog very useful in helping us make a decision that was best for Big Bee.

• Janod camera - This camera was a gift from one of Big Bee's friends and it has been an excellent addition to the toy box. Both Big Bee and Little Bee love playing with it and seeing the flash and hearing the sound it makes when a 'photo' is taken. If you gift this then it's sure to be a hit!

• Playmobil - Anything from Playmobil is a safe bet. We have been given this rocket and astronaut as a gift and also received it, and both my toddlers enjoy flying it in the air.

• Dolls house - Another one with a higher price point, but worth every penny if you have a larger budget. We gave Big Bee the Le Toy Van bluebird cottage doll's house for Christmas, a short time before her third birthday and both children thoroughly enjoy playing with it. There are different Le Toy Van houses, but this one has got 2 large rooms, and the roof opens up for another room. The door opens and there are shutters and windows that open up too. It's beautifully painted and comes with lots of pieces of furniture. The dolls are sold separately.

• Craft - You can't go wrong with a craft kit that includes anything like coloured card, glitter glue pens, pom poms and such like. This giant box of craft from Hobbycraft would be just the ticket. Alternatively, I really like using the Little Brian paint sticks as they are much friendlier on the clearing up front.

• Carnival kit - This carnival set is one of my favourites. You can create lots of different age appropriate games and get the little ones to use their imagination to come up with some different ideas too. It's also great to take some of the bits to to the park with you as a source of entertainment post picnic.

I hope that you've found this gift list useful and want to give, or ask for one (or more) of the ideas as a gift. Please let me know if you have any other ideas for a 3-year-old that you would like to share.