Eco friendly + ethically produced toys, books and learning resources for babies and children

Firstly, no we did not have a photoshoot purely for the website, that would be dedication! It was however the perfect excuse to use these ones that we have and love.  

 

 

I am Jenni, Wife to Mark and Mummy to my two wonderful boys Freddie and Charlie, both my inspiration and motivation. 

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So, how did Curious Littles Play come about? Grab yourself a drink, I can go on a bit... 

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As a first-time mum the only toys I knew about were the usual ones you see on the high-street, and our front room soon became filled with them. They got Freddie's attention but never seemed to keep it. He would go from one to the other never truly getting engaged. I began to do research and that’s when I started to find information about the benefits of simpler, more natural toys and resources and something called open ended play. It was like a light bulb had been switched on.  

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I purchased a couple of these toys to see if he liked them and it wasn’t long before I noticed the difference in his play and I realised that this was only the beginning, because with these toys, they would grow with him and the possibilities for play would actually increase as he developed, not like his previous toys that had certain age ranges. 

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There was also the huge bonus that these toys were kind to the environment. Not just in the materials they were made of, but the process of how they were made and length of time these toys would be enjoyed by my family. The makers of the toys were small businesses who cared about sustainability and the effect we are having on our planet. They were building their toys to not only be loved by one child, but to be handed down through generations. I fell in love with them and often said to Mark how lovely it would be to have a Toy Shop where I could sit amongst them all and try to inspire anyone that came in.

 

We then welcomed Charlie to the family and lockdown happened, which meant I found myself getting more creative with activities and play set ups to try and keep my toddler entertained, in the house all day with his baby brother and I LOVED IT!

I would stay up late preparing toys and activities going to bed excited to see the reaction in the morning and sharing what we were doing on Instagram with this amazing community I had found myself in, with so many inspiring accounts for early years learning and play. After a while I was getting messages from people online, friends and even people I hadn’t spoken to for years, asking me where I was getting the toys and resources from and I found so much joy in sharing the information and realised I was actually incredibly passionate about it.

 

In January 2021 I quit my job in the NHS to become a stay-at-home Mummy and began to rep for some of the amazing small businesses I had found throughout this time, both as a little hobby for myself and as I enjoy supporting and shopping small. Having that space to breathe gave me new focus and I found myself with the opportunity to try and start my own business, so here I am! After months of building the website myself (fingers crossed it actually works!) and sourcing the incredible small businesses and brands that CLP has today, I couldn’t be more excited to share with you these environmentally friendly toys and resources that are so beneficial to your child. I can hand on heart say there is nothing on this website that I wouldn’t be happy to have in my own home for my two boys to play with. 

 

If you made it to the end, thank you! I hope you enjoy Curious Littles Play! 

 

Jenni, Mark, Freddie and Charlie x 

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