Stepping Stones

For lovely traditional, wooden toys that are solid and well-​made, this is the best shop in Roath — and I’d say it’s the best for several miles around.
From beautifully detailed dolls houses to child-​sized gardening tools and ride-​along or pull-​along toys, this shop has a great range of high quality products that will last for years — alongside some great children’s books and classics such as Lego.
All the items in stock have been carefully picked because they offer kids both fun and learning opportunities. If you want to avoid buying tacky plastic toys that are bad for the environment, definitely check out Stepping Stones — it’s not that they have banished all plastic stuff from their shelves, but more that they offer plenty of classic alternatives if that’s what you’re looking for.

Stepping Stones is not simply a toy store that stocks ‘quick fix’, noisy, colourful plastic toys that are designed to delight children, but often have the unwanted side-​effect of driving their parents to despair. Kids love repetition, right? So, what parent, in their right mind, would buy them a toy that can feasibly repeat the same inane platitudes, in a nauseating voice, over, and over, and over again? Or, perhaps worse, issue forth a plethora of hideous sounds, with cacophonous regularity, (that are akin to all of the following being activated at once: sirens, fog horns, car alarms and an armoury of malfunctioning killing machines!)… No! No sane parent would invest their hard earned cash in any of this junk. But the grandparents, in their bid to secure the affections of their pampered offspring once removed, will, and do! It’s a battlefield scenario from every conceivable angle! If only they understood that they were preparing these children to ultimately become one arm bandit addicts they might reconsider their choices?
If, ‘how can we combat this?’ is the question, then Stepping Stones is the answer. They have really thought about everything in terms of what a toy can do! Instead of simply engaging a child mindlessly with no apparent long term benefit, the items stocked at Stepping Stones offer the child clear learning potential. Problem solving, enhancing dexterity, improving concentration and inspiring creativity are just a few of the benefits of investing in their toys and games. And the best thing about it is that paint brushes don’t talk back to you!

As soon as I entered this toy store, I became overwhelmed with nostalgia for my childhood and almost wished that I were five again.
Unlike its nearby neighbour Toys ‘N’ Things, Stepping Stones tends to focus on the more traditional toys. They have the most beautiful handmade wooden dolls houses and pirate ships which really aren’t too pricey. The Percy the Park Keeper garden tools are rather cute, and went down very well with my 6 year old cousin.
For Lego enthusiasts there is a massive selection of these famous building blocks, which you could easily spend hours browsing through.
There is also an educational element to some of their toys; they have items such as a build your own brain set, bodyworks, and an ant farm. In addition to this they have a small selection of childrens’ books many of which have beautiful illustrations.
If you have children or perhaps young relatives, I think a trip to Stepping Stones is absolutely essential, I guarantee that you won’t be disappointed!