Pintoy Four Friends Natural Wood Surround Toy Chest

Stuff and more stuff!

Anyone with young children will know how much stuff they end up accumulating. So a toy chest or some other sturdy form of storage is indispensable, and this lovely, colourful toy chest has been essential in helping us keeping our little girl's clutter at bay!

Cheaper than before!

My daughter is now three years old, but we actually bought this when she was born. We bought it from John Lewis for £60. And looking on the John Lewis website today, it is listed as costing £52 - although it is out of stock. I'm amazed though to see the price has come down in three years - very unusual!

The toybox was very easy to assemble - the only slightly tricky bit was the special hinge that stops the chest slamming shut (making it safer for little fingers). But as it's a basic box shape, I think even the most inexperienced DIYers could cope with this one!

Happy animals

The box is made from a pine-coloured wood with a slight but subtle sheen. The chest is brightened up and made nursery-friendly by the four colourful panels with animals on each side (two on the front and one on each side). The panels are blue, yellow, green and red and have a black outline of an animal face (cat, bear, frog and mouse) on them. The good thing about these panels is that they are very simple and not multicoloured - they add a touch of fun without being too full-on. This means it will fit in with pretty much any colour scheme and has a nice, bright, modern look that I think would appeal to most children - and their parents!

The chest is perhaps smaller than others you may have seen - the dimensions are H37.5, W64 and D40cm. However, it's been fine for our needs and although you won't get masses of larger items in there it has been great for all the bits and pieces that we've ended up with and don't really have a home. It is incredibly useful to have this in my daughter's room as after a few hours' play, everything can get chucked back in there easily, and of course my little girl can help me now too.

And three years later...

Our toybox is now three years old and I can honestly say that it is as good as new. It has survived one house move, and lots of opening and closing - not to mention things constantly being pulled out and thrown back in. There is barely a scratch on it, which I think is fantastic after several years of use. My little girl and I also sit on it before bed to read a bedtime story, and it is sturdy enough to hold us both quite comfortably!

I can't really fault this toybox. It looks lovely, holds lots of my daughter's stuff and looks as good as new. For £52 I think this is a really good buy - of course there are cheaper toyboxes out there but if you have a few pounds to spare and what something a bit special, that will pass the test of time, then this is difficult to beat I think!

Summary: A great little toy chest - we couldn't do without it!