While rocking toddler toys might be the perfect gift for your little one, there a couple of very important things you should keep in mind before actually buying the toy. It is vital to remember that buying a rocking toy for a child between the age group of 1 and 2 years will be different from what you will buy a child who is 3 years of age. Toddlers in this age group are still trying to perfect their balancing and coordinating skills and therefore care must be taken to ensure that the toy is sturdy. Care also has to be taken to ensure that the toy is low so as to facilitate easy dismounting and mounting. You should also check to see that the feet of your toddler touch the ground when he or she is sitting on it. This is important to prevent accidents. The ideal height for the toy would be if the seat is 10 inches above the ground. You might want to ensure that the toddler toy has a wide enough arc at the base as well.

Buying rocking toddler toys for this age group is an easier task as these are easily available in the market. If you are buying this toy online however, it is important that you check the measurement of the toys as most toys that are made for the age group 1 to 4 years usually land up being small for 3 to 4 year olds. The glaring difference will be that a rocking toddler toy for a 1 to 2 year old will be shorter and wider than a rocking toddler toy for a 3 to 4 year old. These are generally taller and thinner. Today the market is filled with rocking toddler toys of various non toxic materials, like wood, plastic and fabric. The ones made of fabric are referred to as plush rocking toys. 1 to 2 year olds will be happy with simple rocking toddler toys. These come is various shapes and vibrant colours. A slightly older child however might prefer a rocking toddler toy that has a closer resemblance to the real thing. They also tend to prefer rocking toddler toys that have some sort of activity or sound linked to it. Wooden rocking toys are perfect for this age group.

In the 19th century, as a result of the industrial revolution, these toys started to be made in abundance and were accessible to families from all walks of life. However, the vintage rocking horse design so collectable today did not become popular until it was given “royal approval” from a very special young queen. Unlike other toys, as time went by, love for these horses did not dwindle, but rather grew and spread. The horse toys collected today range from elaborate carousel designs of the 18th century to more modern models which were mass-produced and purchased in the 1900s. If you are a collector interested in purchasing a vintage rocking horse, do your homework and enjoy the history! After all, it is the story behind a collection which really makes the magic come alive.

It was a joy when we used to ride the mechanical horses for a quarter in department stores or the carousel horses at the amusement park. With the right tools and the horse plans, you can build your child or grandchild a toy that they will have hours of fun on and be proud that it was hand made, just for them. Some people think that the skill level is just too high in order to build a rocking horse. Not so. You don’t need to be an expert in the field of woodworking for a rocking horse project and what better way to learn when you know that the finished product will bring so much happiness to a kid. With a great set of rocking horse plans and a little patience this can be a great first project.

Of course, you will have to put some thought and preparation into this project. You need to know what type of wood is needed and the tools to do the work. If you have any kind of basic tools that are used for normal repairs around the house you may have everything needed. If you get serious about taking up woodworking as a hobby, the investment in the few extra tools will soon pay for it self easily. A few basic tools used will be a hammer, a sander, some sandpaper and a couple of saws. You may could get by with a handsaw but you will need jig saw to cut curves. You will need a bench or table to work on and layout your rocking horse plans. This is one project that you will continue to enjoy as you see the kids having fun and the pride you have, not only in the workmanship but in the knowledge that your work is supplying all the fun and laughter in your yard.

In a land up high in the sky lives a special breed of winged rocking horses. They spend their days frolicking and playing in airy meadows. They lead a happy life up in the clouds, but each winged rocking horse dreams of the day they are called upon for a very special job—to safely fly a newborn baby to its loving family on Earth. The winged rocking horse also carries treats and delivers a special message to welcome the new baby to the world. Once the baby and family are united, the winged rocking horse assumes a special place in the nursery to keep a watchful eye on the little one.

Sending one of these winged rocking horses to celebrate the birth of newborn baby has been a tradition since the 1980s. It has gone through several incarnations over the years, but the wooden horse has always been handpainted with care. Each winged rocking horse is personalized with the newborn’s name, birthdate, and height/weight information on one side, and has a touching poem on the other side of the horse: Babies are Angels that fly down to Earth, Their wings disappear at the time of their birth. One look into their eyes and we’re never the same, They’re a part of us now and that part has a name. That part of your heart and a bond that won’t sever, Our babies are Angels, we love them forever.

Others theorize that the concept of the rocking horse began much earlier and during the Middle Ages. Knights in training would often construct horses to practice jousting and other skills. Of course, the children of that era would want to emulate their heroes on horseback, and it’s possible that smaller versions of the knights’ contraptions might have been toys.

Queen Victoria was the woman responsible for making the rocking horse famous. She had given her children dapple-gray rocking horses. Once the rocking horse obtained the young royal seal of approval, everyone had to have a dapple-gray rocking horse. At first, only the wealthy could afford these state-of-the-art toys. They were hand crafted in small numbers until the industrial age hit and mass production made the rocking horse available to the public.

Up until 1880, rocking horses were mounted on a pair of bowed slabs of wood like a rocking chair. During this period, Philip Marqua of Cincinnati invented the “safety stand”. The safety stand works on the same principle as a gliding rocker. The wooden horse is set on a stand that stays in one place while the safety swing mounted to the frame provides the rocking motion. Overall, the safety stand offered far more stability and appealed to safety-conscious parents. These days, both options are offered on the market. For most people the elegance of a traditional bowed rocker is still part of the attraction of a rocking horse.

The skills for crafting wooden rocking horses almost disappeared during the 20th century but today are making a comeback as parents across the world recognise the durability and basic beauty of wooden toys rather than mass produced plastic artifacts. In many families the quality of the wooden rocking horses are such that they are heirlooms which are passed from generation to generation, along with memories of childhood.

Rocking horses can be as simple as a few flat boards and some stain or as ornate and beautiful as a carousel horse. Some rocking horses have real saddles too. If you’re handy in the workshop, you can make your own rocking horse. There are sites on the internet that offer plans and instructions. This could be a fun project for you and your child to work on together. You can make your rocking horse as fanciful or as simple as you like. In fact, the “rocking horse” doesn’t have to be a horse at all. Some rockers look like swans, unicorns, cars, and motorcycles!