The Teddy Bears Tea Party

Watching Violet grow and learn has got to be one of the best things about being a parent. Every time she reaches a new milestone or learns a new skill, I just burst with pride. This morning, I went into her room to collect her from her cot, I could see she was awake on the monitor but she was playing and singing to herself, patiently waiting for her day to start. When I came into the room she greeted me with a huge smile and clapped her hands! She’s been trying so hard to clap for ages but seems to have suddenly mastered it overnight! It must have been the first thing she wanted to show me when she woke up. You never know what each day will bring with their development, it feels like she’s changing every day at the moment!

One of her very favourite things to do is imaginary play with her teddies. As Violet is my first baby, I didn’t really know when babies would start imaginary play, I assumed it would be slightly older but Violet seems to be starting now so I want to encourage her every step of the way.

Her favourite game at the moment is the ‘Teddy Bears Tea Party’. She recently got this beautiful personalised wooden toy pram, which she’s filled with a selection of her favourite cuddly toys. During the day, she will just disappear off into her bedroom on her own (obviously I’m close behind her, but I let her explore). I will usually find her sitting on the floor with her pram, surrounded by teddies. She will hold each one up to eye level and has a full ‘conversation’ with each one. She can’t talk yet but she babbles away. She even waves at them and strokes them. Honestly, it’s the cutest thing you’ve ever seen!

When the teddies have had enough tea and a catch up with Violet, she’ll pop them all back into her pram and take them for a walk around the house. The pram has been such a perfect toy for her age as it’s sturdy enough for her to pull up on and steady herself, she also uses it as a walker, pushing it about with all her teddies on board. It’s the sort of classic toy that will grow with her over time, when she’s a bit bigger I’m sure we’ll get her a doll to look after and push around too.

They say that encouraging your little ones to take part in imaginary play helps them to create new connections in their brain, it helps them to think and learn, improve communication skills and build on their physical development too, so it’s best to start as early as possible!

Our wooden pram was ordered online from Babyuniquecorn  – they specialise in beautiful and unique baby clothes and toys. The wooden prams are handmade with so much care and attention to detail. Plus, it’s classic and chic appearance looks gorgeous in Violet’s nursery too! Check them out on Facebook and Instagram for more inspiration from their fabulous range!