Essential equipment for Mums of little boys should read as follows:-

1) Washing Powder (industrial size and strength)

2) Megaphone (to get everyone’s attention)

3) Volume Control Button (and you thought rock
concerts were loud!)

Thomas the Tank engine has been a popular character for many years now, ever since the books by the Rev. W. Awdry were published , he has charmed little boys. The good Rev. originally created the characters in stories he told to his young son whilst he was recovering from an illness. The now grown-up Christopher Awdry has taken over the mantle of writing Thomas stories from his father and has seen their popularity soar.

The array of Thomas toys now available is truly amazing! You have wooden sets, mini-sets, die-cast sets, electronic sets, ride-on toys, push-and-go toys and so the list goes on. In my experience the
My First Thomas range by Golden Bear is the ideal introduction to the wonderful World of Thomas the Tank Engine and all his friends.

These are chunky toys which are incredibly robust, some of ours have been in the family for six years and are now on their 3rd two year old! I am convinced that from a toy’s point of view the terrible twos should be renamed the testing twos! My sons have thrown these trains, hammered these trains, fed them rusks, buried them in the garden and have attacked them with Thunderbird toys. These toys come up smiling every time. I can honestly say, there is not a single scratch, crack or chip amongst any of them. (Which is more than can be said for me!)

Made from thick, but not brittle plastic, these toys are a good representation of the characters they reflect. The colours are bright and distinct and true to the original, with a lovely glossy finish.
The facial features, which are essential in a Thomas toy are appealing and right for each engine.
Every engine runs smoothly on four good-sized wheels, these are completed with a rubber edge,The wheels work well on all surfaces, which makes the purchase of the matching track a desirable extra, rather than an essential requirement.

I think it is the proportions of these toys which make them so suitable for babies and toddlers,
they are pleasantly weighted, but not too heavy. Babies find them easy to grip and manipulate.
All the edges are smooth and there are no bits to come off if baby has a crafty taste test or tug-o-Thomas! Even if a baby does not want to push the engines on the floor, they have hours of fun spinning the wheels whilst examining the finer points of locomotive engineering thoroughly!

At the age of 12 months it might be worth considering the Talking Thomas and Friends from the same range. These engines are on a slightly larger scale, although still compatible with their silent cousins. This means they can have the same carriages and use the same track, I would say however that the difference in scale does look slightly strange.

These are clever very appealing toys without a doubt, they run on two AA batteries which last a very long time and provide that extra bit of excitement and intrigue for the child.
One thing I would say is that it is actually sometimes better for a child to stimulate their imagination by creating their own voices for the characters. They can provide unwelcome entertainment for adults too, the sensors within are easily triggered and a chirpy “I’m the pride of the line!” bellowed from the corner of a dark bedroom at 4am can take years off your life!