The music classes battling London’s loneliness epidemic
Today we’re catching up with Louise Goulden, founder of The Together Project, a not-for-profit battling the loneliness epidemic with music sessions for the young and old.
Helping kids to resist gender stereotypes
Looking for ways to help your kids to grow up in a more equal and open-minded world? Resisting gender stereotypes is a good place to start. We caught up with the wonderful Jamey Fisher Perkins to get her thoughts on how to begin.
Using children’s books to unlock emotional intelligence
Today is World Mental Health Day and what better way to celebrate than with a bumper book special, curated by the wonderful Shelley John, founder of Ivy’s Library. Here are her top six stories to teach the youngest all about the world of emotions.
ToyDrop’s Guide to October Half Term
Wasn’t it only the summer holidays yesterday? Fear not, we’ve put together 12 of the coolest things happening in the capital next week to keep your half term busy enough to avoid all manner of breakdowns.
Meet our friends: Lauvely
Getting ready to snuggle down for Netflix and take-out season? Let me introduce to you the ultimate accompaniments. Lauvely is the brainchild (braintoy) of Laura Cima, the Spanish designer-come-toymaker with a head for adventure and a love of fairytales.
All quiet in the back: Children and Brexit
We don’t really do politics. But when it comes to our kids and their rights to a free and curious future, we get a bit more serious. Lucky for us, we’ve got Barney Harsent to write about Brexit in a way you might actually laugh at. Maybe.
Talking to kids about homelessness
Bee Whitaker is the founder of Helping Hands London, a charity that puts together and distributes bags of essential items to those living on the streets in London. She knows more about homelessness than anyone I know and is perfect for writing this piece, which will hopefully give you a few starters for ten when it comes up in conversation.
Choosing a school for kids with additional needs
Little one starting school next September? With all the open days coming up, we got Sarah Billingham of ‘Confident Kids’ to do some of the legwork for us and tell us what we should be looking for, especially if they’ll need extra help.
The plastic-free bathroom: family style
For everyone dreaming of a new bathroom, here’s my (unsolicited) advice. Ditch those Pinterest boards bulging with contrasting Metro tiles and utilitarian hardware and instead, jump on the plastic-free bandwagon for the ultimate in eco-chic.
Meet Mama ToyDrop
Anna Whitaker is the London-based mum of two behind ToyDrop. She launched the site after her original store (selling beautiful, ethical toys) closed down in early 2019. Horrified by the amount of flimsy, flashing plastic that went hand-in-hand with babies, her first mission was to find a stylish and sustainable alternative to their toys. Today this ethos takes a more holistic approach as she learns the ropes of green parenting and teaches her boys (Arlo and Rudi) to tread as gently as possible in this big wild world.
Copywriter by trade, she also works part-time for one of London’s leading advertising agencies, running ToyDrop as a passion project out of the loft in her Walthamstow terrace.
Meet Mama ToyDrop
Anna Whitaker is the London-based mum of two behind ToyDrop. She launched the site after her original store (selling beautiful, ethical toys) closed down in early 2019. Horrified by the amount of flimsy, flashing plastic that went hand-in-hand with babies, her first mission was to find a stylish and sustainable alternative to their toys. Today this ethos takes a more holistic approach as she learns the ropes of green parenting and teaches her boys (Arlo and Rudi) to tread as gently as possible in this big wild world.
Copywriter by trade, she also writes part-time for one of London’s leading advertising agencies, running ToyDrop as a passion project out of the loft in her Walthamstow terrace.
What we’re all about
Raising awesome humans
The very foundations of our existence. ToyDrop was born out of a personal parenting strategy to shape kind, happy, socially-conscious kiddos. It’s a work in progress that keeps an open mind and a caring heart. It embraces imperfection on the regular and is the basis of everything we do here.
Inspiring a lifetime of curiosity
It’s a cliché but there’s a big old world out there just waiting to be explored. From physical places to fresh ideas, endless lessons to innovations, our challenge is to soak it all up and share each discovery with a positive, progressive approach that’s relevant to the modern family.
Curating a beautiful childhood
It might sound superficial but ToyDrop has always prioritised style. We believe that simple, thoughtful design makes the world a better place and we want our children to grow up with the same ethos. It’s why we only share products, places and lifestyles that match our playful vibe and commitment to conscious consumption.