We have a new favourite toy in the Mellow Household. I fell in love with this gorgeous rubberwood rocking pony from PlanToys® the very moment that I set eyes on it and Holly is almost inseparable from it.
Holly may look incredibly serious in these photos (I put that down to Mummy having given her a silly hair style) but even in the few short days that this delightful wooden pony has been with us, he has brought giggles, shouts of glee and massive, massive smiles to Holly's face.
I love the classic, simple design of this rubberwood wooden rocking horse. The shapes are clean and simple and the appeal is timeless. The toy just oozes quality - the finish is professional, safe and tactile. Our pony did need a small amount of manual assembly when he arrived but it was easy to put him together with no additional tools needed. Holly was playing within minutes.
The rocking motion is gentle and it works just as well on carpet as on our hard floors. There has obviously been a lot of thought put into the design of this rocking pony - there are no sharp edges or exposed joins. The handles are a nice chunky size for small hands to grasp and the little details such as the fabric ears and the wobbly eyeball really bring him to life. I'm sure it wasn't in their grand plans, but Bella the cat enjoys sleeping underneath it too!
PlanToys® specialise in creating environmentally friendly toys that encourage early learning as well as early teaching about the origins of materials. The rubberwood used is a by-product of latex rubber plantations in Thailand and everything from the non-toxic paints to the glues, printer inks and the recycled packaging has been chosen with the environment and safety in mind.
Holly has played in lots of different ways with her pony. She has gently rocked to her own lovely singing voice. She has pretended to 'race' her sister across the room. She has even learned how to shuffle her horse around at speed. Her rocking pony is very lucky and has even been fed the occasional raisin!
The Plan Toys rocking pony costs around £78.95 and is available from Great Gizmos. It is suitable for children over 12 months old. Holly is 21 months old and it is a perfect size but it is sturdy enough to accommodate her older sister too (Lara is a VERY tall nearly-5-year-old). I think that there are many many years of use in this beautiful wooden toy.
