Chad Valley buys us a house

When I recently discussed homeownership on this blog, a playhouse wasn’t exactly what I had in mind.

Nevertheless Chad Valley has been very kind to us in sending a playhouse as well as a trampoline, and IJ is certainly feeling a little spoilt. She has been banned from receiving anything else until her birthday (next month).

I’m not actually expecting IJ to use the playhouse for very long. She has enjoyed playing in it but really she is a little old for it. Thankfully I have a very excited three-year-old niece who is already marking out the spot in her back garden where it is going to sit.

The Chad Valley playhouse, part of Argos’ summer toys range, is for ages three and older, although children older than five might struggle to fit in it comfortably as it is 114.5 cm in height.

The plastic frame is incredibly quick to assemble and I managed to do it in less than five minutes. It is sturdy although in windy weather it will get blown around, as we discovered. Thankfully it is easy to take down and can be stored or put up indoors (if your house is big enough).

Pros

Good value for money at £69.99
Quick and easy to assemble
Encourages independent play
Easy to dismantle and store
Can be used both outside and indoors.

Cons

It is likely to get blown around in windy weather as it is reasonably lightweight
Repeatedly assembling and dismantling is likely to damage the plastic which is thin on the connecting points and likely to bend.

I think it’s a great toy for summer for younger children. It’s bright and colourful and if it was larger I’d live in it*.

*Possibly a slight exaggeration.

Disclosure: we were sent the Chad Valley playhouse free of charge to review. I am giving it to my three year old niece as long as she is very very nice to me and refers to me as her favourite aunty at all times.