We established our business, Thinking Toys, with the hope of increasing the awareness of a range of products that can bring specific benefit to children with special needs or learning difficulties.
It is a family business inspired by our eldest child, who has Sturge Weber Syndrome and who had major brain surgery when she was 2 years old. The frustration and difficulties we endured in trying to source suitable products that would assist in her development was a catalyst in deciding to try and reduce this frustration for other parents in similar situations.
As parents who have “been there and bought the tee-shirt”, we have a few simple philosophies that we aim to achieve in our aspiration of creating a One Stop Shop for Special Needs Toys and small scale specialist equipment in Ireland, namely:
- Most extensive range of products available in Ireland (c. 4,000 products on our website)
- Most competitive pricing (please compare!)
- Products in stock and available for immediate shipping (not easy with a range of c. 4,000 products but we succeed most of the time)
- To constantly liaise with therapists, parents and children to identify gaps in our product range and then strive to fill them
- Every product has as much potential importance as the next (we invest as much time and care in sourcing and promoting a €1 whistle as we do a €100 weighted product)
Availability of Stock
As parents of a child with special needs, we have experienced first hand the frustration in having to wait weeks or months for a recommended product to arrive. We aim to eliminate this frustration by carrying sufficient stock levels to ensure that products are dispatched within 2 to 3 days of receiving an order. Sometimes we fail in this, but we will always let customers know if there is going to be a delay at the time of placing an order. Products that are out of stock will be placed on a back order and delivered as soon as possible. To confirm our commitment to having products in stock at all times, all back orders are delivered with no delivery charge.
Displays
We will also gladly demonstrate and display our products anywhere in Ireland to groups including therapists, teachers and support groups. There is no charge for this service and all we ask is that you try and make the display available to as many of the local service providers, schools and other groups. Please be aware, that as our product range has expanded it is impossible for us to bring the whole show on the road.
Ages
The “suitable ages” listed throughout the website are the manufacturers recommendations. Customers should use these as reference points when trying to determine their suitability for their children.
Therapist Recommendations
There are certain products for which we strongly recommend that you only purchase if you have received input from a professional therapist. These products include weighted products, deep pressure products and some of our oral motor and vibrating products.
VAT & Pricing
We deliberately show all prices including and excluding VAT. This should assist readers when comparing prices, as some suppliers only show prices excluding VAT on their catalogues and websites with a note in small print that VAT needs to be added to the cost!
Delivery Charge
We send all orders out by courier and the VAT inclusive cost of delivery is €5.
Please note that if an order can safely be sent by post at a lower charge then we dispatch by post and charge the lower postage charge.
Our delivery charge is a one off charge and is the same regardless of whether the order contains one item or two or three. If an item is out of stock and is placed on a back order, we will deliver the back order at our expense.
We can also arrange deliveries of gifts anywhere in the world. Please contact us for prices.
New Products
We are continuing to build up our range of products and part of this process involves liaison with parents and relevant professionals in order to try and provide as extensive a range of products as we can. All requests and inputs from parents or professionals are welcome and we commit to using best endeavours to try and meet specific needs as they arise and source required products if at all possible.
What to do if the product you want is not on the website?
Please contact us. We have built up relationships with many of the world’s largest suppliers of small scale specialist equipment and we will use these contacts to try and source your required product.
Finally, we hope that you consider that some of the products on the Thinking Toys website can make a difference, no matter how small.
Don’t forget, if you have any queries at all, just contact either of us.
Regards, Aine
