A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to work with Wow Toys and review Dudley the Dump Truck. Given Finley’s developmental delay I find it difficult to source toys that he is willing to play with if it doesn't involve flicking. Wow Toys however, are aimed at aiding development such as fine motor skills. Count us in then!
Firstly, it’s a large box and would make for an impressive gift when wrapped. I wasn't expecting it to be so large. All the better for little fingers to get to grips with I suppose!
Inside the box is Dudley Dump Truck (aka Dudders) complete with driver/worker, barrels and traffic cones. As Finley progresses I do hope that this will encourage imaginative role play as well because there’s no one specific place for these pieces to be.
You can pop the driver behind his windscreen, cones on the ground and barrels in the back of the truck. Or have the driver acting as a worker on the ground with Dudders bringing the cones. For the moment Finley seems to enjoy the driver behind the windscreen and although he can't sit him in place just yet, he loves to open and close the window which is helping his finger/thumb pincing and opening actions.
There's a dial on the side of Dudders that empties his truck, with the contents crashing out. Finley loves this and knows to pull my fingers to the dial when he wants it to happen which is an amazing achievement for him. This means he understands how it works so he should be able to have a go himself sooner rather than later!
As Dudley is a friction powered truck, if you roll him forwards and lift him off the ground and repeat this, the wheels build speed enough to let go for him to whizz forward by himself. Sounds pretty realistic too... "vroom!" HINT: Don't try this on a table, like we did (oops!), he really does build some speed and distance!!
Currently at Amazon for £19.99, I have to say that from my experience these past few weeks, it's worth every penny. There's no need to constantly replace batteries because they’re not required, it’s durable, developmentally educational, fun and encourages imaginative play. It will take Finley through many a year of play, of that I’m sure.
Once he's cracked his motor skills he can start all over again with this toy on another level. I highly recommend Dudley Dump Truck for any child regardless of age. Wow Toys suggested 18m to 3 years and although Finley is 2 he has a developmental age of 6-10m and we have found this to be an exciting addition to Finley’s day, reaping the benefits gained form having this already.
Wow Toys have been kind enough to offer up one of these to you guys as a thank you for checking out the review, just follow the rules in the Rafflecopter widget below to enter.
Remember: Enter as many ways as you like but the more ways you do choose to enter, the better chance you have of winning this brilliant prize. Best of luck xx
