We recently had the pleasure of visiting Intu Lakeside and their brand new Christmas Grotto.
One of the first to experience the new grotto, Lamb was welcomed by Santa’s lovely elves who escorted him through the grotto offering yummy treats along the way and playing different games.
This Christmas Grotto is different to others we have visited. It’s much more like you would imagine a grotto to be like, toys and bright colours, lots of elves. Grottos at garden centres are often made to look like winter wonderlands, so this one was a nice change to what Lamb has seen before.
After playing the fun games, pressing the button to find out if he has been naughty or nice, and talking to the elves, Lamb was escorted to meet Father Christmas.
Lamb was given around 10 minutes to chat to Father Christmas, telling him what he would like him to bring on Christmas Day. He of course asked for Paw Patrol toys (as I’m sure most kids are this year!) and Father Christmas ensured he would bring some as long as he stayed on the nice list.
As we were leaving Santa gave Lamb a little present to which he replied “where’s my Paw Patrol toy?” We had to explain that this was a little gift from Father Christmas early for being good, but his main presents would of course arrive on Christmas Day. Not easy to explain to a nearly 3 year old!
We really enjoyed our evening at Santa’s Grotto. There’s something really magical about watching your child’s eyes light up as they meet Father Christmas. This is the first year Lamb truly understands and it’s so lovely to see.
As Lamb had been such good boy I let him open his present from Father Christmas. To all of our surprise he had been given a Paw Patrol sticker book! He was absolutely blown away, as was I! He got exactly what he asked for! Either that was an amazing coincidence, or we really did meet the real father Christmas!
As we left the Grotto we met up with the PR team and had a group photo with all of the other bloggers. It was really nice to go in a large group. It made the evening much more enjoyable and exciting for the kids. As you can see, Lamb ran straight to the front of the group holding his sticker book which he was so proud of.
Outside the grotto there’s lots of yummy food stalls, treats and a fun ride for the kids. All lit up with music playing, I strongly recommend visiting at night, the atmosphere is really magical.
One thing I think is great about Santa’s Grotto at intu Lakeside this year is the fact you can book online. I know from previous years the line can get quite long, so being able to book online ensures you won’t waste a journey if it gets too busy.
You can buy personalised photo products after you have seen santa. We paid £6 for a mounted photo.
If you want to find out more about the grotto you can read more on the intu Lakeside website here.
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Lamb was recently sent this Hey Duggee toy to review. I’ll be posting a full review on the blog soon, but as he loves it so much I wanted to include it in this gift guide. The four badges are buttons that make duggee say things, but there is an extra button on his head to make him woof! Perfect for the little ones, this is nice to cuddle as well as play with.
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Lamb reviewed this table earlier this year and he really loved it. You can read our review 
Trikes are winning gifts for babies and young toddlers. We bought Lamb his for his 1st birthday and he started suing it straight away. There are some available that recline so are suitable from a younger age. What I love about the smart trikes is the added features. There’s a little bag for your keys and purse and a packet of baby wipes, so if you’re only off to the park you might not need to drag a huge changing bag with you. There’s also a sunshade which ideal for the sunny days.
Who doesn’t love a jumperoo?! Lamb loved his. I would recommend it to any family (as long as you have space, they are quite big!) However there is a 
which is probably what we will get for baby number 2.
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We bought Lamb an aquadoodle for his 2nd Christmas, but I know babies who have had them much younger than that. What’s great about the Aquadoodle is it’s a wipeable matt and quite large for the little ones to crawl over. It is full of colourful images to entertain, and the pen only needs water to work! No ink involved! For under £20 the Aquadoodle is a fave in our house.
I had no idea how much kids could love a ball popping elephant – but they do! Joe bought this for Lamb a long time ago and it is still loved by him and his friends! Even my nearly 4 year old nephew loves it! It’s on offer for £19.99 at the moment on Amazon, which is pretty good value for a toy that will be loved for years.
Sophie is an absolute essential. Lamb had one, his friends had one, baby number 2 will have one. Sophie La Girafe products are beautiful and make perfect gifts for babys. We reviewed a couple of toys last year which you can see 
I’ve already featured a Lamaze toy in another guide, but I couldn’t resist including the Tug & Play Knot because it was one of Lamb’s absolute favourite toys when he was a baby. He constantly chewed on all of the different shapes and it kept him quiet for hours.
The VTech baby walkers are really great. Ok, so a 6 month old doesn’t need a walker but the front panel is lots of fun for them until they can stand and learn to walk. A great gift for any baby.
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I love and hate these eggs. Love them because Lamb loves them. Has done since he was a baby and still loves them now. Hate them because I panic when I can’t find one of the shells and hate putting them away incomplete! There’s something about these eggs, you just have to make sure the right shell is on the right egg! Definitely a must have though.
Lamb had a couple of Lamaze toys when he was a baby. We had one attached to the pram as all times. His favourite was the 
A toy like this is great for all ages. Even if they are too young to use the hammer, the coloured pegs are great for grasping and holding. My 4 year old nephew still loves playing with this when he comes over, so you know a toy like this is worth buying. Especially as it’s only £5.99 on Amazon!
B toys are absolutely amazing. They are so quirky and different to other toy brands out there. These One Two Squeeze bricks are great for babies and young toddlers. You can stack them, roll them, squeeze them. They are currently on offer with Amazon for £8.99.
Electronic books are hugely popular. Lamb loved his VTech ones and any others he could get his hands on! He would of loved this Baby Mickey one as he’s obsessed with Mickey Mouse. If you’re stuck for a baby gift idea, you can’t really go wrong with this.
Lamb had a stacker similar to this when he was younger and he still loves it now. It’s such a simple toy but one that is suitable for all ages. When they are little they are attracted the the colours and shapes, and as they grow up they learn to stack them in the right order and say each colour. You can read our review on Lambs stacker 
Puzzles are great for all ages. Of course, a young baby can’t complete the puzzles, but they can play with the colour full pieces and simple puzzles, like this one from Galt, are a great way of getting your little one to put pieces together and learn to match colours etc. Lamb loves jigsaws and still loves his very first one he got for his first birthday.
A shape sorting toy is a great gift for a baby. This is something they can play with as soon as they can hold things. They will be attracted to the colours and eventually learn to put the shapes into the correct holes. A box like this is great because it has a lid and can be easily stored! This sorting box is on offer for £4.75 on Amazon.
Rubber ducks might seem like such a basic gift, but Lamb absolutely loves his when he was a baby! They were the perfect bath time toy. He would chew and suck on them and it would keep him quiet while I bathed him. Every baby needs a rubber duck! You can read our review on the H&A bath time buddies 
Of course I had to feature the That’s Not My Lamb book (and of course Lamb has it on his bookshelf!) But we all know there’s many more to choose from. We have around 5 of these in our house and they are perfect as first books, but will still be enjoyed by even 4 year olds! My nephew loves reading them when he comes to play. They retail at £5.99, but a lot are less than £5 on Amazon.
