FARM, ACTIVITIES PANEL

An activity panel that straps where your child actually is.

Hook-and-loop fasteners attach it to the side of a cot, a playpen or a travel cot at the right height, and that placement is most of why it works. A panel fixed in front of a baby gets used constantly; the same activities loose on the floor get ignored.

Press the little buttons, spin the wheel, ring the bell and open the shutters to find Paulette the hen behind them. Everything responds instantly, which is what holds attention at nine months, and all of it is pressing, turning, sliding and opening: precisely the fine-motor practice a baby needs at this stage.

A small Ignace the donkey plush is included, so there is a character to bring into the story.

Made from beech wood and polyester rather than moulded plastic, which makes it both better looking in a nursery and considerably quieter.

Lilliputiens is a Belgian brand, founded in 1995 and designed by a team largely made up of parents working alongside early-childhood specialists. Tested to EN71 and ASTM standards and screened for AZO dyes, cadmium and phthalates.

IT STRAPS TO THE COT OR PLAYPEN - Hook-and-loop fasteners attach it at your child's height wherever they spend time. A panel fixed in place gets used far more than a toy on the floor.

BUTTONS, WHEELS, BELLS AND SHUTTERS - Press the little buttons, spin the wheel, ring the bell and open the shutters to find Paulette the hen behind them. Each element responds instantly, which is what keeps a nine-month-old at it.

BUILT AROUND FINE MOTOR WORK - Pressing, turning, sliding and opening are exactly the movements a baby needs to practise at this stage, and each one here has a reward attached.

WOOD AND FABRIC, NOT PLASTIC - Made from beech wood and polyester, so it looks and feels considerably better than the usual light-up plastic panel, and it is quieter to live with.

A small Ignace the donkey plush is included, so there is a character to bring into the story. Tested to EN71 and ASTM standards and screened for AZO dyes, cadmium and phthalates.

9 months and above

Beech wood and polyester with hook-and-loop attachment straps