Top-selling wooden products, my last blog, listed the first five of those that sell best. I was a little surprised to find that natural toys took only 5th place on this list. Then, when I gave it a second thought I realized that due to their durability and longevity, they are inherited or sold second-hand rather than bought new from the store.
Generations of kids share the same wooden toys. If they are properly taken care of, they can last very long. In case the colour wears out, kids can easily fix it by practising their artistic skills, imagination and creativity. There is always room for practising skills and learning something new with wooden toys.
Surprisingly, teethers have taken up the second place very recently and wooden trains take third on the top 3 list of the best-selling wooden toys. Building a railway station and the whole town around it has always been not only kids’ but also adults’ passionate hobby. Let us have a look at the starter train kit for the youngest population.
General Review of Macaron Colour Three-Section Wooden Pull Train for Kids 12 Months +
Product: Macaron Colour Three-Section Wooden Pull Train for kids 12 Months +
Price: $42.00
Cheapest Place to Buy: imooore.com
Material: wood
Packing Size: 37*8.5*11 cm + 60 cm pull rope
Recommended Age: 12 months +
My Rating: 9/10
Toy Description
This Macaron Colour Three-Section Wooden Pull Train consist of an engine and two carriages each of them carrying different, brightly coloured building blocks. The blocks have different shapes and colours, too, so children can learn shapes, colours, numbers, counting, combining, animals and train characteristics. The train also has a 60cm long pulling rope.
The engine consists of the base and six more blocks. One cube, one small and one big cuboid, one cuboid parallelepiped and a half-cylindrical shape when properly combined make the shape of a real engine with a smokestack (as a separate element) and a window printed on two opposite sides of the cube.
The next carriage has a base and three other blocks, one thin and long (cuboid parallelepiped) and the two cubes. One of the cubes has a dog print and the other has small white dots on two opposite sides.
A base and four blocks are packed on the last carriage. Two drum-shaped elements, one with the print of a cat and a flower the other, are packed on the last carriage. There are also two cuboid elements one which has the dots that match the cube from the previous carriage and the other is plain colour.
The wood used for the train is high-quality beech wood. It is hard and durable and it rarely splinters so there is no possibility of a baby’s injury. Three coats of protection are added over the wood itself, the last one being environmentally-friendly water paint. It adds up to the extra safety of this toy.
This toy is smooth and has no sharp edges.
The package is also a beautiful, colourful cardboard box with the front side see-through, so you can see the train inside.
How to Play
12 months is the earliest age for a child to start serious play with wooden trains. Until that age, kids should practice their coordination, building and balancing skills as well as safe play. Consequently, they will learn the rules to build up a tower and ruin it. By that time, they get the notion of gravity, action and reaction. It seems now they are ready for some serious job.
Stacking wooden train blocks is stage two of the kids’ play. Children have complete freedom to stack the blocks as they want, to express their imagination and creativity. However, the engine itself is a little demanding for this age, so maybe some help will be needed. Once they realize the shape of a train, children will manage it with ease.
The other blocks can be used and combined separately. Thirteen different shapes can make other creations from kids’ imagination. They can combine animal prints and dots and create something totally new. It all depends on the imagination and creativity of a child.
The 60 cm long pulling rope adds to the imaginative use of the toy as it can be dragged as a choo-choo train through the house or yard. Children can learn to walk and even walk safely with it as they will have to take care of their train while pulling it through the house or garden.
Pros & Cons
What the buyer has to have in mind is that it is a toy made in China. I have to point that out because some buyers find it a disadvantage. I, personally, would disagree with that, because this toy is made from high-quality beech wood and the colours used are environmentally-friendly water-based. This is a high-quality toy regardless of the country it is produced in.
Although safe and environmentally friendly thermal transfer print that doesn’t peel off is used, I would rather choose a hand decoration with safe, eco-friendly, non-toxic colours and preserve wood texture as much as possible. Pure nature is always my preference, which does not mean that every toy should be left paintless. Children love colours and colours are needed in life.
Another thing that I would like to mention is that I prefer handcrafted toys. They are rare, especially trains as they consist of a lot of elements to be handmade. We have to make use of what we have in offer.
These are the reasons for rating this toy nine out of ten.
Conclusion
In the end, I must say that If I were to choose a present, either for my kid or someone else, this would definitely be my choice number one. I know kids love these shapes, colours and designs. It is nice to the eye and hand and at the same time, it is an exceptional, non-toxic, eco-friendly and safe product for our children.
The multi-purpose of any toy is very important information when choosing one. If you are not sure, read about the skills that children are able to develop while playing with the toy. Never buy a ready-made toy that children can only look at and do nothing with it. Choose the ones that include assembling, dissembling, and creating, some that demand attention, creativity, imagination and many other skills. This world needs skilful children that can use their brains more than the others.
I never make my choices according to the country of production. My choices are made according to the quality of the product and the rates and reviews of the people who already bought the product or are specialized in this matter.
Before you decide to buy something, read reviews and always ask if you don’t understand something. When all is clear, then you can proceed and order the thing you like.
For more quality wooden toys, you can take look at the imooore.com site.
You can also use this coupon code to get a 20% discount – MyWoodenBlocks.
