BRIO Metro Railway Set Review

In our house we love BRIO,  we were given a set when Aston was a baby it was a basic train set which was already 20 years old and we still have it today going strong. So when we were asked to review the Metro Railway set I knew we would not be disappointed.

The Metro Railway set comes in 20 pieces which include a metro station which boasts sliding doors, tunnel, platform and passengers. The set also contains 7 wooden train tracks and a two-way junction. The set also comes with a metro train. The train has three carriages that open up and can sit the passengers in. The train also comes with lights and sounds.

The lights and sounds are activated as soon as the train moves and an added bonus is that the train comes included with batteries already installed. The sounds are very much like a train rolling through the underground. One of Son Son's favourite features was the fact that you could sit the figures in the train.

The set was easy to put together and Son Son who is four was able to put together without much help.    You can play with the set on its own or it is compatible with other wooden train tracks. We also added some of the BRIO world sets and built some houses around the edges too. Then before we knew it was had extended the train track and had a whole village.

The set is really good quality and you know it will be something that will last a long time. It also comes with a wooden ticket machine and maps to help aid imaginative play. One thing I loved about the set is how it was a modern twist to an old classic. Both Ami and Son Son enjoyed playing with the BRIO Metro Railway set and have got it out multiple times since.

The set Retails at £49.99 and available at most toy retailers.

Peppa Pig Weebles Pull along Wobbily Train Review

We recently got sent the Peppa Pig Weebles Pull along train to review, which the kids have loved. The train comes with a weeble Peppa pig along with a train with space for two more weebles in the little carriages. We had a Zoe Zebra that we found in a toy sale which fitted into the train just fine. Son Son loves trains almost as much as he loves Peppa pig so I knew he would just love it.

They had great joy in putting the figures in the train and watch them wobble around when they pulled the train along. The great thing is they never fall down, well I say great unless your a toddler who is trying to get peppa pig to have a sleep and she keeps on popping up.

Perfect for children over 18 months to help develop some of these fine motor skills. Son Son loved to take them in and out of the train, he also loved to push the train super fast so they fell out. Ami also loved to play with the set too. You can play with Peppa on her own too, we have a different weeble set with a slide which they enjoyed dropping Peppa of in the train to play with.

The weebles Peppa pig toys are interchangeable with all other sets too, meaning you can grow your collecting in no time. The weebles are quite heavy so I did have to supervise Son Son as he likes to throw anything that looks like a ball, and he has the best aim so he would cause some damage.

This is the perfect toy for any Peppa pig fan, plenty of room for imagination and role play.  My children have loved playing with it and its a firm favourite with any child who comes round to play.  This set retails at £17.99 which is a great price for the amount they have played with it.

How to survive train journeys with toddlers

Ok I am not saying I am some kind of expert on train journeys but the other day I managed to travel across London catching 6 trains and still living to tell the tale. Often you may find the idea is a lot worse than the actual journey and you end up enjoying it. So here is some of my advice when travelling on a train.

1 - First thing to do is to make sure you find either a table or somewhere that has a bit of space for the kids to be free. I found tables to be good as I can sit in front of the toddler to stop them escaping and running up and down the isles.

2 - pack food or be prepared to buy food before getting on every train. Food like crisps and raisins that take time to eat are a good idea. I prepare a massive bag of treats just to make sure if they get restless I can give them something to eat. Also drinks drinks drinks, if your toddler is like both of mine they drink for England and always want a drink. Strong shoulders are a must if you do not have a pushchair. 

3 - make sure you take a stroller, I once made the mistake of going to britmums conference with just a baby in a sling?? What was I thinking. All those different tubes and trains my shoulders ached least with the pushchair if they have a sleep you can put them in it. Although I didn't take a pushchair with ,y 2 year old just packed some reigns, is then backfired when she fell asleep on the tube. People are usually happy to help if they see you struggling up the stairs or on a train. 

4 - colouring and sticking are a good time waster. My toddlers spend the time sticking them to them selves and the table and ignoring the colouring. I always take crayola as I know they wash off well if they go on clothes or face. 

5 - as back up I packed my iPad where I downloaded lots of programs they like in order to calm them down when they got a bit hyper. This worked when they didn't fight over the iPad and who got to hold it.

6 - remember lots of little games such as I spy or look out the window at the bird. These are usually last minute games to help those times where you are desperate. 

7 - don't worry about packing anything for you, if your lucky you may get a child that naps but most the time you will be trying to keep a child entertained and wondering why oh why did I do this 

So I hope some of these tips have helped, I'm no expert just a mum that likes to have adventures how ever crazy they are.