Two new additions to the family!

We really missed having little pets running around in the garden so we were secretly pleased when our children asked if we could have guinea pigs again.  Here are our 2 new additions - Batman and Robin.  

Robin, at the top, is very quiet and happy to just sit and be stroked - Batman is going to be much more trouble!

The only thing that made us hesitate was the usual issue of what to do with them when we are away.  So we were delighted to hear that our local pet shop - Atlantis Pets - in Northallerton offers a pet sitting service for small pets for only a little over a £1 a night - what a great idea!

Win Green Playhouses - Product Guide

We first saw a Win Green playhouse in a toy shop window in Thirsk about 5 years ago.  It was the small Barn playhouse and it looked fabulous.  When we opened Dotty Hippo we knew we wanted to include Win Green in our ranges and we have now been selling their playhouses for 3 years.  We hope this guide will help you to select the right playhouse for your child.

Where is Win Green made?

Win Green is a British company owned by Sue and Jeff Sands who took over Win Green in 2012.  The products are designed in the UK and manufactured in India by rural Indian women who are part of a government backed initiative which is helping them to gain financial freedom and to support their families.

What are the playhouses made from?

Win Green playhouses are made from extremely durable hand woven and hand dyed 100% cotton.  The material is very strong and slightly stretchy so that it can be pulled over the playhouse frame.  The embroidery on the playhouses is very detailed and colourful - it's difficult to do justice to the quality of the fabric on a photograph.  Many of our customers purchase a Win Green playhouse because they have seen one in a friend's garden!

Are Win Green playhouses machine washable?

We do not recommend that you machine wash your Win Green playhouse, the size and weight of the fabric is not generally suitable for domestic washing machines.  You can sponge clean or dry clean.  The floor quilts, beanbag covers and other matching accessories are machine washable.




Is the playhouse fabric fire proof?

The fabric of these playhouses have been tested for flammability and adhere to the relevant European safety regulations. However as an additional safety precaution, no naked flames should be used in or near the Win Green playhouses – keep away from fire. The fabric is 100% cotton and fully complies with European Standard BS EN 71 Parts 1, 2 & 3.

I'm not sure whether to get a small or large playhouse

We first saw a large Win Green playhouse at a trade fair. Although it looked quite big in the very large space of the exhibition hall it didn't look anywhere near as big as it did when we put one up in our house!  The large Win Green playhouse is 160cm high which is large enough for an average sized adult to stand up in.  You may want to measure your space carefully, particularly if you are intending to use the playhouse indoors, as a large playhouse will take up a lot of space.  We have generally found that customers who intend to use the playhouse outdoors prefer the large playhouse, whereas those who are looking for a playhouse for a bedroom or playroom prefer the smaller one.  

             

What designs are the most popular?

Our best selling playhouses are the Fairy and Butterfly Cottage and the Cowboy Wigwam.  The Toy Shop is also popular with those who are looking for a design to suit boys and girls.  Win Green have recently introduced 2 new designs, a Princess Castle and a Pirate Shack which we also expect to be very popular.

     


How easy is the playhouse to put up?

If you are used to simple pop-up playhouses for young children, please be aware that Win Green playhouses are substantially different.  The frame consists of metal poles with hard plastic connectors.  The fabric is designed to be a close fit over the frame.  The first time that you put up the playhouse you are likely to need to gently knock the connectors in place.  Once up, the playhouse is a very solid construction.   You can of course dismantle the playhouse, however, this will be a longer task than taking down a pop-up playhouse.  You will find it easier to put up the large playhouse with 2 people although it is possible to do it with one.

Can I get replacement connectors or poles?

Yes, we can order a set of connectors or set of poles for you - please contact us.  The small playhouse poles are £25, the large playhouse or Wigwam poles are £30.  A full set of connectors is £10.  If you only have one or two connectors that need replacing and have purchased your playhouse from Dotty Hippo we can provide these free of charge.  Connectors do not usually need replacing but very occasionally, particularly when setting up the playhouse for the first few times, a connector may split.  The connectors are quite tight initially but loosen up slightly over time.

What do you put in a party bag?

Our oldest daughter is now in her twenties. Looking back 20 years, party bags were a much simpler affair - just a few sweets and a piece of birthday cake. Over the years, party bags seemed to get bigger and bigger.

The party bag

You can buy plastic party bags from any supermarket, but if you want something a little bit different: 

• Decorate paper sandwich bags with stickers and each child's name

• Use sturdy plastic cups wrapped in cellophane and tied with ribbon

• Do a lucky dip at the end for a small present and just put sweets and cake in the party bags

What to put in it

In 20+ years of receiving and giving party bags the sweets seem to be the most important from a child's point of view.  For many children, our own included, parties are an opportunity to have the sort of sweets we don't usually encourage at home - haribo, sticky lollies etc.  The cheapest way is to buy large packs from Wilkinsons, Supermarkets, Pound Shops etc. and then split them. 

It's easier to think of what to put in your party bags if you have a theme for your party.  For example, if you have a pirate party you could put in some chocolate coins, for an explorer party some of the long jelly worms would be great etc. You can carry on the theme with other items such as stickers, badges, notebooks, fridge magnets etc.

The easy way!

There are some great party bag sites and even if you don't buy from these you can get some great ideas.  Our favourites are:

www.partybees.co.uk - A great selection of filled cotton party bags for boys and girls from just over £3 to £7. Although the bags are the traditional pink and blue there are some  good choices for girls which don't assume that they all want makeup and hair bobbles. You may want to add some sweets too so factor this into your budget.

The boys one above includes: Sheet of Boy's Stickers, Lego Sports Car, Flying Glider, Rubik Snake Puzzle, Wooden Dino Model, Mini Key Ring Rubik Cube and a Mini 10 Pin Bowling Set. 

A fabulous site for party bag (and stocking) fillers is www.woolgarstoys.co.uk/. We particular love their small wooden toys like these wooden beads in a tin: 

More expensive, but with some great ideas, is www.littlecherry.co.uk. They have cotton and paper party bags and a wide selection of eco-friendly party bag toys. 

Or of course, you could always start a new trend and not give a party bag!

Ten tips to help you survive your first sleepover!

The following tips are based on our experience of having sleepovers for girls - our little boy is only 5 so we haven't experienced the same for boys yet! 

1. Think about the age of the children you invite.  If your child is the oldest in the year, the youngest ones may not be ready for a sleepover yet.
2. Don't invite too many - 4 is plenty - 8 is too many - we know!
3. Ask guests to arrive from about 7pm otherwise it will be a very long evening.
4. Don't forget to ask them to bring sleeping bags, toothbrushes and a cuddly.
5. Ask parents to let you know about any special requirements and make sure you have a contact number for emergencies.
6. Have an activity planned for the evening - this doesn't have to be expensive - try making and decorating cookies, playing board games (always more fun with friends), having a quiz night.   Rent a video to finish the night off.  Musicals tend to go down well - Abba the Movie, High School Musical, Hairspray.  No-one seems to mind if they've seen it before.
7. Don't structure the whole evening - let them have time to do their own thing.
8. Be prepared for a sleepless night! Excited children usually take a very long time to settle down.
9. Be prepared to take a child home if they don't/can't settle - there is often one who just wants to go home.  Sometimes all they need is to move to another room for some peace and quiet.
10. Ask parents to collect by 10am.  We were amazed to find 8 children who hadn't gone to sleep until 4am, up and dressed by 7am and asking to be entertained.  It was a very long 5 hours until their parents picked up at the appointed time - 12 noon!

Our favourite books for toddlers

Having been bringing up children for the last 26 years we now have a very large collection of children's books.  It's amazing though how just a few seem to be most popular with each of our children.  We also have our favourites too - the ones we really enjoy reading again and again.  If we had to pick a top 5 books for toddlers they would be: 

• The Very Hungry Crocodile by Roald Dahl - All our children absolutely love the ending and although it's quite a long read for a bedtime story it's really well written.

           

• Five Minutes Peace by Jill Murphy - Lovely pictures and a funny ending
  
  

• The Baby's Catalogue by Janet and Alan Ahlberg - A day in the life of 5 families with really appealing pictures of just about everything your child might observe in a typical day.

      

• The Tiger Who Came to Tea by Judith Kerr - A real nonsense story that appeals to boys and girls.

• I Do Not Like Green Eggs and Ham by Dr Suess - Really easy to read and quickly established as a catch phrase in our family!  Almost as popular is the Cat in the Hat.
  
  

If you would like more ideas on books for babies, toddlers and older children see Building a Children's Library on the Guardian website which is a fantastic resource.

If you are wondering how to store your books, have a look at our Tidy Books Bookcase which is designed so that children can easily see their books.  We wish these had been around years ago.

It's a boy!

One of our colleagues has just become a grandparent for the first time.  Becoming grandad to a little boy came as a great surprise - they were all expecting a girl!  I can remember being told by the hospital that they couldn't guarantee that they would be right if they told you whether it looked like a boy or girl at your 20 week scan but I must admit I've never heard before of anyone getting it wrong.  Anyway, there is lots of hasty shopping being done and a nursery to re-paint!

I had to have lots of scans during my pregnancy for medical reasons and each time we talked about whether we wanted to know or not.  We finally gave in to curiosity at about 36 weeks. "Oh, it's a boy" said the sonography casually, thus ending 20 years of my husband living in an all female household. 

Up to now though, it hasn't seemed to make much difference.  Boys and girls under 3 are very similar I've found.  But yesterday, my husband took our 3 years old son to the barbers.  He's always had longish, curly hair (prompting comments of "what a lovely girl" when out shopping!).  I got home last night to be greeted by a very short haired young man - he looked about two years older.  All of a sudden, and for the first time, it really feels as though we've got a boy.