What comes before, and after

The stage it is for, and the ones either side

Ages are a guide, not a test. Children arrive at these in their own order, and a toy that is early just waits on the shelf.

  1. 6–12 months

    Holding and letting go

    Moving one thing from hand to hand, and deciding to drop it.

    • Grip
    • Transfer
    • Cause and effect

    From usThe threading spool

    Not ready for Anything that has to be stacked in order.

  2. 12–24 monthsThis one

    Putting things onto things

    Getting one object onto another on purpose, and letting go when they mean to.

    • Grip
    • Release
    • Order
    • Patience

    From usThe stacking tower

    Not ready for Sorting by shape — that comes a few months later.

  3. 18–30 months

    Matching and sorting

    Seeing that this shape goes in that hole, and trying the next one when it does not.

    • Matching
    • Rotation
    • Trying again

    From usThe shape sorter

    Not ready for Building a structure that has to stay up.

  4. 2 years and up

    Building something that stands

    Balancing, planning two moves ahead, and rebuilding after it falls.

    • Balance
    • Planning
    • Persistence

    From usThe block set

This is a guide to play, not to development. Anything about how a particular child is growing is a question for their own doctor or health visitor, not for a toy shop.

Before it is wrapped

The things you find out after opening the box

Batteries, noise, assembly and lost pieces — answered here rather than in a review.

Batteries
None, in anything we makeNothing in the range has a speaker or a light.
Noise
Wooden clatter onlyIt is not silent — blocks on a floor are loud. There is nothing to turn down.
Assembly
NoneIt comes finished. No screws, no tools, no diagram.
Pieces to lose
20One will end up under the sofa. We sell singles for every piece.
The box
Worth keepingIt is the storage. Printed card, no plastic window, and it survives being sat on.
Cleaning
Damp cloth onlyUnpainted wood, so no dishwasher and no soaking — it raises the grain.

Replacement pieces are sold singly for everything we make, for as long as we make it. A toy that cannot be completed again is a toy that gets thrown away.

  • Solid wood, no plasticUnpainted, or water-based paint
  • Safety testedEN 71, certificate on the page
  • Replacement piecesSold singly, for years
  • No batteries, everNothing beeps in this range
Demo photograph of a nursery shelf in morning light

Why they are plain

A toy that does less leaves more for the child to do

A block that lights up and counts out loud is doing the playing. Ours are sanded, unpainted and quiet, which is less impressive in a box and more interesting on the fourth afternoon.

  • Beech and birch from named mills
  • Water-based paint, or none at all
  • Every edge chamfered and sanded by hand
  • Replacement pieces sold singly
See the stages

Shop by goal

Find what you need

Questions

What parents ask us

Demo photograph of a nursery shelf in morning light
What age is it really for?

Every toy shows three stages: the one before, the one it is for, and the one after — in months, with what a child is usually doing at each. A stacking tower is 12 to 36 months; the page says why, not just the number.

Which safety standards does it meet?

EN 71 parts 1, 2 and 3 — mechanical, flammability, chemical — tested by a named lab, with the report date on each product page. Small-parts tested for under-threes where the age band includes them.

What if a piece goes missing?

Email us which piece and we send it, free, for two years from purchase. Every toy is made from parts we stock, not a sealed set.

Is the paint safe if it is chewed?

Yes. Colours are water-based, non-toxic and tested under EN 71-3 for migration; the unpainted pieces are beech finished with food-safe oil. The certificate is linked on each page.