The World of Toys: Toddler’s Take on Being a Doctor

This year has been an exceptionally good one for making plans about a possible medical career, hasn’t it? Particularly if you are three years old, and the decision is imminent. With the Ambulance Doctor’s Set from the Great Little Trading Company, you can try being a nurse or a doctor, all from the comfort of your own home and with your parents watching, proudly amused by your skills. It’s no surprise, then, that this unique wooden toy scooped up two Loved by Children awards – Best Playset 3-6 yrs (Platinum) and Best Toy Invention (Platinum). We asked one of our readers, Anyonita Green, from Manchester, to review the toy, which she did with the help of her daughter, Marlow.

My daughter’s favourite toys are ones that encourage imaginative play. So when we had the opportunity to review the Great Little Trading Company’s Ambulance Doctor Set, I was excited to see just what kind of games she’d come up with.

The set, a sturdy and vibrantly painted wooden ensemble, contains everything any good doctor needs, from bottles of cream to a cleverly designed stethoscope and box of plasters.
 
All of the items tuck neatly into the ambulance truck, which is a toy in its own right – my daughter received just as much pleasure from driving it across the floor or carrying it along with her!

The twelve pieces included are:
• Cream
• Stethoscope
• Thermometer
• Syringe
• Otoscope
• Plasters
• Reflex hammer
• Mobile phone
• Vitamins
• Cough syrup
• Doctor’s note

 
This set makes a perfect gift for stimulating and encouraging pretend play. Once my three year old and I had treated all of her babies, we moved on to her stuffed animals, becoming vets instead of medical doctors.

Each piece of the set is excellently crafted and beautifully decorated. Because the set is completely made of wood, there is no worry about children damaging the items.

Marlow enjoyed the entire set from the enclosed doctor’s note pad to the stethoscope. In fact, the only bit we thought needed improving is the lack of a pencil!

I especially liked that the doctor’s set was also a device for learning. Showing her how to use each item and explaining its use was also an opportunity to educate.

In her own words, Marlow, 3, says: “It is fun and good to be a doctor. I like this (a stethoscope) and I like to make my babies better.”

Here is a career path sorted for one happy child, even if she changes her mind in the next few hours, days or years. And, given the quality that the Great Little Trading Company is known for, this wooden set may even pass on to future generations of potential doctors or nurses!

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