Name of Business: Dillonstoybox.com
Your Name and Age: Seema Carter, 42
Tell us about your family, Husband, Simon and Son, Dillon
What did you do before coming up with your business idea and how was it making the transition?
Director PA for nearly 20 years. Have always wanted to start our own business, so decided to set up an online shop selling quality wooden toys which we have always loved. My son Dillon was the inspiration behind this.
When did you launch? 2010
How did you get started?
Set up own website and sourced products from local …

Being a full time mum and running your own business is no mean feat, yet Maxine Lewis from Greenwich, London has done it so well that her business has been named as the winner of the Best Start-Up Business Award, supported by print and digital services company Yell.
Maxine’s business, Gander Kids, an importer of quality toys and play furniture was chosen by a panel of independent judges that included Dragons Den star Duncan Bannatyne. The award, sponsored by Yell, was presented on Sunday 25th September at the Heart of England …

We’ve been eyeing up the new Lego Cars sets for a while. We love Lego, and DS2 is the biggest Cars fan: he takes 3 different Lightening McQueens to bed with him and asks to watch the movie and ‘Mater’s Tall Tales’ two or three times every day .(No, he doesn’t actually get to watch it three times… well, not most days!) So, when we were sent the Ultimate Build Lightening McQueen we were really pleased to try it out.

Name of Business: DiscoverMe Toys
Your Name and Age: Cathy Belford, 28.
Tell us about your family: I am married with 2 young boys and we are based in Cheshire.

Are you thinking about investing in wheels for your little one? We’ve reviewed two of the most popular vehicles for little ones. Read on to find out whether you should get a Smart Trike or a Micro Scooter.

Cardboard Playhouses are a real hit this year – featuring in all the best places to shop. Crafts4kids have 18 different styles to choose from….. Castles to Rockets – Pirate ships to Camouflage dens.

If we were to ask you what Squinkies, Zoobles, Moshi Monsters and Xploderz have in common, would you know? They may sound like new entries into the Oxford English Dictionary, but they are in fact four of this year’s Toy Fair Best New Toys for 2011 winners, which were announced recently at Olympia.

As a pacifist it seems pretty weird to be reviewing a toy gun, and this Nerf gun is the first toy weapon (other than water pistols) to enter our house. I talked to my 7 year old about it, the child who a month ago cried at the picture of the wounded soldier advertising poppy day and I asked him if he was ok about having a gun as a toy. ‘Oh yes’ he said, cradling it lovingly, ‘it is awesome’.

Last week we reviewed Tonka’s ‘Chuck and Friends’ set for pre-schoolers. This week we’re looking at the Tonka Garage Mod Machine Range. We had load of fun building these big trucks. The bigger the set, the better they get with lots of noise and even an engine to make the biggest truck go. A great gift for boys: 4 year olds will need lots of help with assembly, 7 and 8 year olds will make the most of the mix and match designs and multiple configurations for the trucks.
Tonka Garage …

If you’re looking for a quick stocking filler, D and J both loved the Phineas Phreak secret writing kit. Every child harbours ambitions be be a spy, detective or undercover agent, and this set is just right for sending secret messages. With a UV light included to reveal the secret messages this is great fun for a journey too.
The Phineas and Ferb Secret Notebook and Pen costs £7.99