Thomas and Friends Take-n-Play Rattling Railss Review

Like most toddlers the twins love Thomas and Friends.

Did you know that this year Thomas and Friends turn 70?

Yes Thomas is 70 years old!

That calls for a celebration!

For 70 year Thomas has invited children to join him on the Island of Sodor for magical stories where trains are powered by steam and can talk. This world was created by Reverend W. Awdry and brought to life through books, toys and television. The Island of Sodor and the characters have an ideal belief of community, friendships, good manners, helping each other and hard work. It is the mixture of this with stories that catch the attention which has meant that Thomas and Friends inspire, excite and entertain both children and adults.

Happy birthday Thomas, here is to another 70 years!

To celebrate Thomas' birthday we were sent the Thomas and Friends Take-n-Play Rattling Railss for the twins.

As soon as they saw the box they could not wait to get it open!

Once we had taken all of the pieces out of the box I was delighted to see that it was a toy that would be easily and quickly put together. There is nothing worse than finding out a toy takes a long time to put together when you have excited twins that want to play!

Once it was put together the twins couldn't wait to get playing. They love how Thomas goes up with the push of the snakes tail. Then they watch as he come out of the snakes mouth and they choo choo as he goes down the track! They have had hours of fun with the Thomas and Friends Playset. The play set can also be connected to the other Thomas and Friends tracks that are in the range. On it's own as an individual play set or as part of a bigger set it will please any Thomas fans!

To make the Thomas and Friends set into a carry along, simply fold up part of the track and use the snakes tail as a handle!

We have found this to be a great toy that the twins can play with together. With a train each that have watched and giggled as the trains go up and down, round and round!

I would thoroughly recommend the Thomas and Friends Take-n-Play Rattling Railss for any child who loves Thomas. With a retail price of £19.99 it really is worth the money for the hours of play that the twins have had and will continue to have. The toy is recommended for children aged 3 and up.

Disclosure: We were sent the Thomas and Friends Take-n-Play Rattling Railss for the purpose of this post. No payment was received. All views and opinions are my own and 100% honest.

Girls and Boys - Noticing the Differences

One of the things I love about having boy/girl twins is watching how differently they are developing. When you sit and watch them you can certainly see the differences.
But is it simply down to their gender?
Many seem to think that this is the case.
Isabella is very attentive, she thinks about things and talks no end. I am going to, when I get chance, write down all of the words that she does know. She is 17 months but knows so many words! Isabella is quite independent too. Already, when she doesn't get whats, she wants she screams and stamps her feet! I can see that we are going to have a little diva on our hands!
Whereas Taylor is a lot more physical. Taylor has led the way with the climbing, crawling and walked first. He has no fear! He also happily sits and plays with cars or trains. He doesn't say much bless him, but Joseph didn't either at his age. Taylor is a lot calmer and chilled.
Taylor is certainly more of a mummys boy but Isabella is definitely a daddys girl.
So is this is all down to their gender?
Part of me thinks that it is, but I also believe that a lot is down to each individual child regardless of their gender.
It is the same with gender specific toys.
We have "girls" toys, "boys" toys and "unisex" toys.
We do have a pink Minnie Mouse tub and a blue Mickey Mouse tub but toys are not separated. They both play with all of the toys. Isabella often sits with the cars or trains and Taylor often sits and plays with the tea pot. They do not differentiate between the two. This makes me wonder if the gender specific toys are for the parents to specify what their children "should" be playing with according to society. Whereas children do not see a toy, at this age, and think "I cannot play with that, it is for a girl/boy" a toy is a toy and it is a way for them to discover the world around them.
It is going to be so interesting to watch how the twins continue to develop and change. The one thing I have learnt is to not compare them to each other. Each child is going to develop in their own time at their own level.
All 3 of our children are different and have their own individual personalities. It is our job to help them grow into polite, respectful but most importantly happy, contented people. This is, undeniably, the most rewarding job in the world and the one that I am most proud of!