One of the highlights of Toy Fair for us was chatting with MishiDesign about their line of toys that adapt and grow with your child. This concept can be gimmicky unless it's done really well and we think these pieces have been well thought-out and beautifully executed. This Italian company has been around for a few years and their products will be widely available in the US in June.
Their four products - Grow Up, Lift Up, Surf Up and Swing Up - can be used indoors or out and transform from one toy into a second or even a third. For example, the Grow Up toy begins as a baby walker, turns into a ride on toy and finally a trolley - so you're getting a lot of value for your money. The Swing Up can be either a trike or a rocking horse so it can change with the seasons. All are sold flat packed (Ikea style) so you will have to do the assembly yourself but this allows them to keep their prices down.
For little ones interested in construction, they also have a second line of toys called Build Up - wood and plastic pieces that can be combined to form vehicles, animals or whatever your kid dreams up.
You can see more for yourself, including demo videos, at MishiDesign - and look for them at US retailers in a few months.






White Enamel Flatwa...
Love the product and visited the website. A little suggestion for the product reviews: Just from a buying perspective- I wish you had held the product review until the actual product is available. I'd love to know more about pricing/availability (it's not on their website)- but when I read it, I want to be able to get it. Hopefully I'll remember this in a few months when it hits US retailers or you'll do another write-up.
We have that Ride-on trolley/scooter/pushy thing. We got it from Magic Cabin, where it's called the 1-2-3 Grow With Me. I HIGHLY recommend it. It's pricey ($110), but extremely well made, and changing it from walk-behind to ride-on to shopping cart is easy. I was also very impressed that the whole thing arrived in a flat pack a la Ikea (minimal packaging). It's very well designed, and a definite winner in our household.
About a month ago I was able to get the 3 in 1 walk behind/ride on toy for my child at Magic Cabin. It didn't come assembled and it was tricky to put together because the directions were hard to follow. I even ended up breaking the part of the base of the cart that you need to bend, however, Magic Cabin quickly sent out a replacement piece and better directions.
I also bought this via magic cabin. I have to agree with hhooper's comment about assembly. I actually broke the same damn part. It still works just fine, though. I called Mcabin and they never sent me a replacement part....anywho...I have to say, I don't think it is the best walker out there. It can't be easily turned. After using both I think the Haba walker thingy is better.
Huh, I didn't have any trouble at all putting this together. But then, I'm one of those people who finds it kind of relaxing to have a big pile of boxes from Ikea and an Allen wrench with which to spend an afternoon. I will say that I'm really appreciating the adaptability of this walker. Just as my daughter became obsessed with grocery carts, it was time to change it from the ride-on to the cart (what they call the trolley), and she was so happy to have a semi-brand-new toy.