Playpennies

Get yourself over to Debenhams and you'll be able to pick up a Vtech Smartphone Panda for £7.56.

• Click HERE to take a look at the Vtech Smartphone Panda *

I usually have a lot of respect for Vtech and their toys - in fact, my very first PlayPennies post was a Vtech something or other. I wonder if a Vtech something will be my last too, I write about them often enough, so the chances are good! - but I can't help thinking they've sold their toy souls to the devil with their Smartphone Panda.

Billed as a combination of protective smartphone cover and cuddly friend, the Smartphone Panda is, apparently, the ideal companion for your baby - why on EARTH would you give your smartphone to your baby?

Toddler, I can get - the Doodebuddy app has kept my youngest son amused for many an hour - but BABY?!

The Smartphone Panda also comes with a convenient strap to keep it attached to a pushchair or car seat, and there are six Vtech learning activities (apps to the normal man on the street!) available to download and will teach animals, shapes, body parts and more - because baby's in pushchairs and prams are into that sort of thing.  You can do other things, like create an avatar for your child, make movie clips and take screen shots to show friends and family too. 

Smartphone Panda's original price was £15, now he's £8.50, but with discount code CK43, he's yours (if you like this sort of thing) for £7.56 and delivery is free too.

Thanks to xposure at HUKD

If you head over to Red House you'll be able to pick up an Usborne First English Dictionary for £3.99, rather than its full list price of £9.99.

• Click HERE to take a look at the Usborne First English Dictionary *

I love Usborne books, and I love dictionaries too. I have a bit of a thing for reference books in general, but dictionaries and thesauruses (or is it thesauri?!  Or just thesaurus for singular and plural?!  Perhaps I should look in my dictionary!) really do it for me.

The Usborne First English Dictionary is features pages and pages and pages of lively and funny illustrations that demonstrate the meanings of each word. Those pages contain over 2,500 words and definitions, and suggestions for alternative words too, along with example sentences to show how to use those words in the correct context, and over 700 internet links.

Single item delivery will cost you an additional £2.95, unless something else takes your fancy and your order tips into the £15 free delivery bracket.

Happy looking up words!

There's a Blue Cross sale on at Debenhams at the moment, giving you a discount of up to 20% and free standard UK delivery. You can use this Debenhams promotional code to get a further 10% off your order. Standard UK delivery is within 4 days, and normally costs £3.99.

Click here to use your Debenhams promotional code*

• Discount: 10%
• Promotional code: CK43
• Expires: unknown

To use this code, go to the Shopping Bag page and enter it in the Promotion Code box. It is applied automatically to your order. If you type the code in make sure you use upper case letters. It didn't work for me when I entered lower case letters the first time.

I tested the code out on three pairs of jogging bottoms I bought for my son. These were all already reduced in the sale. The code took another 10% off each item, with the free delivery overall I saved nearly £20 on the original retail price.

The code will work on clothes including children's clothing but it excludes beauty and fragrances, electricals, furniture, experiences, handling and delivery charges, personalised wedding stationery, large kitchen appliances, flowers, all concessions, Ben Sherman, Fred Perry, Baker by Ted Baker and B by Ted Baker.

Thanks to taswir1 at HUKD!

Hallmark have a sale on the recordable children's artwork set, which normally sells for £12.99 but is reduced by £5 to £7.99. Postage will cost you £2.20, bringing your total to £10.19, but if you buy 3 your shipping (over £20) will be free.

• Record a message to go with your painting

I actually reviewed the Hallmark Children's Recordable Artwork last September, so I can say without a doubt that this is a great gift for Fathers Day.

You receive a blank canvas, six washable paints and a paint brush, along with the recording frame with very simple instructions to record your message. You can wrap it up and give it as a gift, or post it to someone far off, and at the press of a button they'll hear a message from the painter - about the painting or just a general message.

It's a really sweet idea, and sure to be really meaningful, especially to fathers or grandfathers who don't get to see their little ones every day. And in fact to anyone, if you don't want it as a father's day gift.

Thanks to superdeal89 at HUKD

Maytime is playtime! And with up to 30% off Vertbaudet’s summer collection your kids will look great while enjoying the sunshine. Vertbaudet offer free delivery on orders over £60and free returns so if your kids have shot up over the last 6 months, you can return any item for free.

• Be the envy of the other mothers at Vertbaudet*

Boys’ jeans for just £13? Girls’ t-shirts for only £6.30? Baby boy’s short dungarees for an incredible £11.90? Am I making a host of typos to drive my editor insane? No, Vertbaudet is taking up to a third off their summer collection!

Over the weekend I was packing my daughter’s winter wardrobe into boxes and unpacking her summer clothes when it hit me that I’m vaguely embarrassed at the state of her summer wardrobe. I’m not one of those mums whose kids always look pristine in the latest, trendy high street fashion (everyone has that friend..) but I would like to be smugly proud of my daughter when she isn’t wearing a dress with a rip or stain on the front. My mum always says that if kids don’t come home dirty they haven’t learnt anything that day and while I appreciate that kids learn more when they’re hands on, it’s tough to find the kind of budget needed to replace an entire wardrobe. And then I came across Vertbaudet’s 30% sale on their summer range and all my embarrassment disappeared. Gorgeous, fashionable, good quality clothes at prices that are affordable to us real people. Now that’s music to my ears.. and wallet!

This classic white Mothercare Jamestown changing unit has been reduced from £350 to just £175! That’s a saving of 50% PLUS you get free delivery into a room of your choice! Just order now and Mothercare’s home team will call you within 2 working days to arrange a suitable delivery date with you.

• Click here for incredible savings at Mothercare*

The Mothercare Jamestown changing unit combines practicality with cosy charm and works brilliantly in any nursery, Its got plenty of room to change your baby on top of the unit, a cupboard with shelf inside for easy organisation of your baby's things and a drawer for easy access when changing your little one's nappy. Its also a decent height, meaning you don't have to bend over and get backache while changing your little one. Its also easy to clean – just wipe with a damp, soft cloth but avoid abrasives, bleach, alcohol or ammonia-based household polishes. Bear in mind the changing unit must be fixed to the wall with the wall strap supplied.

If you’re looking for a full nursery solution check out Mothercare Jamestown’s matching wardrobe (was £350 now £175) and cot (was £199 now £99.50). Alternatively you can get 50% off the entire collection – that’s the changing unit, wardrobe and cot for just £399.50! With bargains like this you can’t help but love Mothercare!

The Gifted Penguin has given PlayPennies an exclusive voucher code for 10% off your total order. This is a pretty cool discount for a site that has the best name ever. I love it!

Click here to get discounted at The Gifted Penguin

• Discount: 10%
• Exclusions: No Sale items and one use per customer.
• Promotional code: PLAYPENNIES
• Expires: 30th June 2013

You can use the voucher code on any items at The Gifted Penguin except those that are already on sale. The site has been divided into sections to make shopping easy, and you can choose your gifts to match your budget. What’s also awesome is that many of the products on sale are made in the UK.

You can only use the voucher code once per customer and it will expire on 30 June, and you cannot use it on sale items. Other than that, you have free reign to use your lovely discount code anywhere on The Gifted Penguin’s site. Happy shopping!

If you have a Monster High fan in your family, then get yourself over to Tesco and see whether or not there are some Monster High bits and pieces they'd like - there's currently a 25% discount on selected items.

• Click HERE to see the Monster High bargains *

You have to have children of a certain age to have even the vaguest clue about Monster High.  A quick bit of Googling (what did we do pre-Google?!) will reveal that they are a cast of characters created by toy giant, Mattel.

They are the offspring, or descendants, of various well-known characters from horror stories, such as Dracula, Medusa, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, Werewolves and Zombies.

The age guidance is six years plus and as my youngest son is almost seven, I haven't had much exposure to anything Monster High - I'm not sure it's a really a boy thing.  However, I do know it's very popular so the various Monster High items are bound to go out of stock pretty quickly.

You can arrange to collect your Monster High haul from your local Tesco store, or you can pay an extra £3 if you really can't get yourself there, or perhaps just can't be bothered!

Thanks to HankScorpio1976 at HUKD 

If you want to add another Nerf gun to your weaponry arsenal then get yourself over to Amazon - they're selling this Nerf N-Strike Elite Stryfe Blaster for £8.99, rather than £17.99.

• Click HERE to take a look at the Nerf N-Strike Elite Stryfe Blaster

Nerf guns are FUN! My youngest son loves them and you can always tell where he's been as there's invariably a Nerf dart trail left behind.

He particularly loves having Nerf shoot outs with his sister - she's a member of the Royal Horse Artillery, a crack shot on the rifle range (she'd make an incredibly good sniper!) and when she's on leave, the pair of them spend hours stalking each other around the house and gardens armed with various Nerf blasters.

I don't think Edward has one of these Nerf N-Strike Elite Stryfe Blasters; it's his birthday soon, I wonder if he'd want one?

It's a motorized semi-auto blasting version of the Stryfe blaster - hence being 'elite'.  The acceleration trigger powers up the motor for semi-auto action and the quick reload clip lets you reload fast and fire elite darts up to 75 feet with just one hand - I think he'll want one!

Thanks to youldyboy at HUKD  

Amazon are selling original Connect 4 for £7.19 instead of £9.99.

• Click HERE to take a look at original Connect 4 

Forget all of the other incarnations of Connect 4! Do away with Connect 4 Spin, and CityVille Connect 4 (I think I just made that one up, but there is CityVille Monopoly); get rid of U-Build Connect 4 and Toy Story Connect - you can't beat the original version for epic fun.

I loved playing Connect Four as a kid - I still like playing it now if I'm honest, there's nothing quite like a few quick-fire games with the teenagers - and would always be devestated when I missed a really obvious space I should have blocked, allowing my opponent to win.

Did you know that the red and yellow counters, used to create diagonal, vertical or horizontal rows of four are actually called 'kwods'?  I wonder why? Although not enough to go away and Google it - perhaps later, if I remember; I'll let you know.

Express Connect 4 is always fun to play too - the rules are simple: you have no time to think and plot your strategy, you must just place your kwod straight after your opponent has placed theirs.  Quick, fun and guaranteed to get the adrenalin going, if you're as competitive as me!

Thanks to thomascomer at HUKD

Use this Toys R Us promotional code to get £5 off when you spend £30 or more. It worked on my basked, which contained an item on special offer. A tidy wee saving if you're buying one item, for example, as a birthday gift. To use this instore, click HERE for the printable voucher.

Click here to use your Toys R Us promotional code*

• Discount: £5
• Minimum spend: £30
• Promotional code: 9908081919994
• Expires: 31st August, 2013

To use this code you'll need to go through to checkout. You'll have to either log in or register on the site. Then when you get to the Check Out page, enter it in the Coupon Details box and hit apply. You don't need to enter any other details to see if the code works.

The code cannot be redeemed against gift cards or baby milk. Delivery on the site is £4.95 so effectively this amounts to free delivery.

Thanks to Amerviv at HUKD!

ASDA has a Little Tikes Playhouse in natural colours on sale for £85. That doesn't seem like a saving, except when you realise it's actually half their usual price and Amazon are selling it for £179!

• Set up house in the garden

Actually, the nice things about these houses is that they can be used both indoors and outdoors, I guess.

The playhouses are suitable for children over 18 months, though I can't imagine why - my 14 month old loves the one at the soft play centre.

The Playhouse in Natural reflects classic wood cabin design for playhouse which presents children with different outdoor fun activities and plays. The playhouse features detailed styling on outside walls and shingled roof top.

The playhouse is equipped with drop leaf table, phone shutters and a Dutch door for added fun. The high brick chimney on the rooftop makes it look like a wood cabin making it perfect for role play.

Reviewers say it's solid and sturdy, easy to put together and a great present for kids.

Thanks to biggysilly at HUKD

Amazon is selling this cool Play-doh candy jar for only £7.04 including free super saver delivery. It was on sale for a heftier £12.99 so you’re saving 46% off the original price and £5.95.

• Click here to get some sweets with Amazon

This iconic candy jar package includes 19 accessories to help kids bring the Play-Doh Sweet Shoppe to life. It includes four cans of Play-Doh modelling compound and a huge range of accessories and extras to help kids make delightful creations. The set is an add-on for the Sweet Shoppe I mentioned earlier, but it doesn’t look like you have to have that.

The candy jar container, which also doubles as storage, has 20 moulds as well as extra Play-Doh inside. Kids can make a bunch of cool sweets and treats with the included items and you can even create cute little cakes. The set has good reviews on Amazon and the price is just perfect.

Thanks to chan1305 at HUKD!

Aid the battle of the Skylanders with the exciting Nintendo Wii Skylanders Triple Character Pack for only £24.97 at Curry’s. They offer free home delivery within 5 days or you can order on the website and collect in an hour from your nearest Curry’s. But hurry, there are only a few left so click through NOW!

• Save the Skylanders at Currys*

Skylanders are HUGE in my house. My daughter has the range of Skylanders and giants and is well on her way to saving the Skylands from the evil Kaos. This cool pack comes with the characters Pop Fizz, Whirlwind and Trigger Happy and I find they work brilliantly as rewards for excellent behaviour – I call it ‘incentivised training’..

Just so you’re in the know.. Trigger Happy lives up to his name turning up in a small village one day with his custom-crafted shooters and saving it from bandits. Pop Fizz is known to be a little crazy, his experiments are reckless, and the accidents they cause are on a dangerous scale. Whirlwind is an air dragon with unicorn ancestry, harnessing the tempest power within her. She uses her ferocity in a brilliant and powerful rainbow that can be seen throughout Skylands. As well as these exciting characters, Nintendo have included trading cards, stickers and posters, adding an exciting touch to your game.

So if you already have a Portal of Power connected to your Wii, PC, PS3 or Xbox 36, make your child’s day with this Skylanders Triple Character Pack – at only £24.97, Curry’s will send your popularity points with your child sky-high!

Get this sweet ceramic baby set including bowl, spoon, mug and plate from Argos for only £14.99! Previously marked at £19.99 that’s a welcome saving of 25% - PLUS Argos will deliver to your door for free!

• Click here to save at Argos*

My nephew is being christened in a couple of weeks and I’ve been racking my brain trying to come up with a gift that he’ll use. Porcelain Bunnykins sets are lovely but will never be used in a house full of energetic boys who think they’re Zorba the Greek as most meal times their plates end up on the floor.. Then I found this little nugget from Argos! Ceramic (so it’ll bounce when thrown!) and featuring a cute design of a bunny, mouse and puppy I reckon I’m on to a winner! It’s dishwasher safe (can’t tell you how many plastic plates Ive thrown away after the Princess peels off after a wash in the dishwasher!) and suitable for little hands and at only £14.99 I’m sold!

So if you’re stuck for a gift check this out – not only are you saving 25% but you’ll get a mug, plate, spoon and bowl that’ll be used and loved for years.

If you're in the market for a kid's character backpack, then you need to get yourself over to Tesco - they have a few, starting from £3, up for grabs at the moment.

• Click HERE to take a look at the kids backpacks*

Back packs are handy things to have around the house and I came to the realisation, many years ago, that one is just not enough.

My youngest has a back pack for his swimming kit, a back pack that he likes to keep his Skylanders in and a back pack for carrying general 'stuff' around with him when he goes out.

I can't stop myself from teasing him about having 'man-bags' at the age of almost seven, but he doesn't care - man-bags are COOL, and I know nothing! 

What is very cool is that he carries his own things around; my niece, by the way, also has a REAL 'thing' for all things 'bag' - whether they be backpacks or otherwise, she won't be seen out without one; she's only just turned five.

There are a few different character designs available for you to choose from: Thomas and Friends, Disney Princess, Disney Princess Fairies, Disney Cars, Fireman Sam, and even a couple of plain ones, if none of the character ones take your fancy.

Obviously, the cheapest way to get your hands on your backpack is to pop into your local Tesco store and collect it, that doesn't cost anything.  Otherwise you're looking at an additional £3 for home delivery, and then your backpack bargain won't be such a bargain any more.

Thanks to samzam at HUKD 

The Book People are selling this Doctor Who: Who-ology, in hardback, for £3.59 when it's recommended list price is £12.99.

• Click HERE to take a look at the Doctor Who: Who-Ology *

I love Doctor Who - although, I have to confess that I still haven't warmed to Matt Smith.  After all the episodes he's played the Doctor for now, I'm guessing I never will - BRING BACK DAVID TENNANT!

This Doctor Who: Who-ology is a must for any Doc fan and reveals all sorts of facts and trivia about everyone's favourite Time Lord, such as: Who are the members of the Doctor's family? What are the 20 best ways to define a Dalek? What are the galactic coordinates for Gallifrey?

Then there are the ins and outs of the Tardis to discover, and a complete listing of all the scary monters and bad guys that the Doctor has defended planets from, for the last 50 years.

You'll need to use a couple of codes: one, to bring the price down from £3.99, to £3.59 and another to bag yourself free delivery - they are MAYWEL and TENWIN - don't forget them, otherwise you'll end up paying more than you need to!

Thanks to andywedge at HUKD

Amazon are selling bags of pink Mega Bloks Buildable Bags for £9.50, including free delivery - the usual price is £14.99.

• Click HERE to take a look at the pink Mega Bloks

From experience, and I have plenty, I can promise that this bag of Mega Bloks classic building blocks will be played with over and over and over again, for years and years and years to come - if you could work out how the cost per play, I'm sure they'd work out to be one of the best value toys you can buy.

The bag contains 60 Mega Blok pieces in bright purple and pink, they come in PVC-free packaging (if that's important to you) and are compatible with all the other Mega Bloks First Builders blocks, so you can easily extend your collection.

They're ideal for little ones aged one year and older, and if anything like all of my children, they'll spend many happy hours building towers and other kinds of Mega Blok creations.

Here are a couple of reviews for you to consider:

"Building blocks aren't just for boys, my little girl loves them! (She's 17 months) Brilliant for hand eye coordination, counting and learning colours :-)" 

"Although this does suggest 1-5 years of age I have these for my six month old. She absolutely loves playing with them and knocking over the towers that I build. The bag is great too, it means you can tidy these away where they'll stay clean and out of the way.

Great for learning about colours, a very durable multi use sort of product. Perfect size for small hands to grasp. It's also great if you have friends round with slightly older children. Brilliant way of entertaining quite a wide age range."

Thanks to thomascomer at HUKD

Get 20% off full price items using this French Connection promotional code. Promotional codes for French Connection don't come along that often, so finding a 20% one is pretty cool.

Click here to use your French Connection promotional code*

• Discount: 20%
• Promotional code:  STYLE20
• Expires: 25th May 2013

To use this code go to the Shopping Bag page, and enter it in the Promotion Code. Click on the update button and it will be applied automatically. This is done in a slightly different way to other sites. On the left will be the price as advertised on the website, and on the right will be the reduced price.

Now, I know that the French Connection aren't exactly a budget line of clothing, but I do so love their stuff. Nice to treat yourself to something nice too, especially with summer fast approaching.

Thanks to X4N at HUKD!

If you like making your baby and toddler food from scratch, this pretty new book from Ella's Kitchen has 100 recipes for mums and dads who want to cook for their toddlers. (I'm assuming it's all food anyone can eat though!) The book has an RRP of £14. 99 and is still selling at Amazon for £8.69. The Book People are selling it for £4.99, and there's a 10% off code too, and a free delivery one, both of which work together.

Take 10% off at the Book People

• Discount: 10%
• Discount Code: TENWIN

• Discount: Free Delivery
• Discount Code: MAYWEL

I''m sure we've all seen the Ella's Kitchen baby food products in the supermarket? Well, this is a book produced by the makers of the same.

It's their first book aimed at creating nutritious, convenient home-cooked food that the whole family will love.

The book includes 70 recipes including snacks, light meals and filling dinners like Salmon Fishcakes, Blueberry Pancakes, and more detailed Pasta Weekend meals.

Along with being a recipe book, there' are als0 vegetable prints, colouring-in and sticker pages too, to keep the little ones busy.

Thanks to jammy1012 at HUKD