what2buy4kids is a novel idea. Before our own children came along, Craig & I would spend hours in ToysRus picking out age-appropriate birthday and Christmas pressies for nieces and nephews. Buying gifts for kids is a tricky business. Not only are you often choosing with limited knowledge of a child’s likes and abilities, you have the added worry of buying something mum & dad will secretly want to slaughter you for (noisy games, toys with too many small bits etc). We’d often end up playing it safe and falling back on Lego, Play-Doh and Barbie (sneaking the receipt into mum’s hand apologetically).

what2buy4kids provides cautious buyers with inspiration and gift ideas for children. There’s tons of unique gifts to choose from for kids aged 1-12yrs, all of which have been lovingly tested out by tiny people and parents. The website is ridiculously easy to navigate too with all toys split by age and gender.

I’m fully aware some of you will now be shaking your fist at your laptop. Gender bias and stereotyping are hot topics that, quite frankly, irritate me. I don’t personally see anything wrong with gendered toys and grouping toys on toyshop shelves - It’s just another opportunity for people to moan in my opinion. Nevertheless, I’m not sure we can accuse what2buy4kids of this anyway as many of the gifts feature as suggested gifts for either sex.

Dexter road tested the site over the last month. There’s tons of recommended gifts for his age group to suit a variety of budgets, many of which are from recognisable and trusted toy brands including Melissa & Doug, Happy Hopperz and Orchard Toys. As a parent I actually found it useful to see what sorts of toys are recommended for his developmental stage. Here’s a handful of gifts that what2buy4kids suggest for a two year old boy, all of which I’d be happy for him to receive:

White Cow Happy Hopperz - Medium £21.99 / Monster Bowling Set £18.99 / Melissa & Doug Noah’s Ark Shape Sorter £22.99 / Orange Tree Wooden PuzzleTrain £22.50

Knowing these brands well, the pricing is competitive and there’s free gift wrapping and gift cards available to make things extra special. It’s a pretty faultless operation!

Dexter was sent Stacking Garages and Cars. We didn’t choose the gift ourselves, but I have to say this toy is pretty spot on. Dex is obsessed with cars and we’ve found plenty of ways to engage with the toy.

Aside from the stacking element (which is fabulous for educating him about size, colour, order and numbers) he also enjoys lining them up and matching the correct car to the correct garage. The cars has also toured around on his road playmat so it’s great to see him using his imagination and finding additional ways to interact with it.

The quality is everything we’ve come to expect of Melissa and Doug. The cars are robust and can withstand a battering, and the cardboard garages are surprisingly sturdy.

Having now had the toys out everyday for the past month, there is some inevitable damage. Like most toddlers, Dexter loves the odd chew and has dined on the corners of some of the garages. He’s also a great fan of ripping paper and has damaged one of the garages by tearing the top off. None of this affects the use of the toy and I believe he’s now got through his destructive stage.

I’d wholeheartedly recommend this toy, and it’s very reasonably priced at £18.99.

To find out more and browse all the gifts available, head to what2buy4kids.co.uk, or search for more toy inspiration on Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter!