Customer Reviews

Melissa & Doug Latches Board

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

We bought this for our 19 month old to take on a plane trip as the "new" toy to entertain her when needed. She *loved* playing with it through the entire trip. it's a bit big for a carryon, but we fit it in. It is now a car toy that gets swapped out upon occasion with others. The back of the puzzle says 4+, but I think it's a good challenge for younger children. There are 2 latches that she needs adult help with because they are too tough to move. I'm sure she'll grow into those with time, though.

updated 9/07:
My almost 3yo can now do all of the latches on this puzzle-has been able to for several months, now.

My daughter LOVES this toy. She got at christmas time and unfortunately, by new years eve we noticed the little pegs in the doors were coming loose. Now, we keep finding the little gold pegs all over the house. We watched her play with it and she doesnt pull them out....they just seem to come loose from the regular opening and closing. Very disappointing but she still plays with it rather the door shuts well or not. We just have to make sure she doesnt get ahold of them.

I bought this puzzle for my 2 year old daughter who LOVES puzzles. Especially the puzzles by Melissa and Doug that open and inside are hidden images or magnets.

The latch puzzle that we purchased was terrible. The sliding latch door lock simply fell out of the latch when you moved the puzzle - thus was to easy and way to loose. The most disapointing is the window latch and trunck latch. Both these two required adult hand strength to open! I had to hold the puzzle flat with one hand and grip the window latch with the other in order to manipulate it open. And I have very strong hands and it was hard for me (an adult) to open!! Perhaps it was JUST our puzzle. So I returned it. The other puzzles are sold in tight plastic wrap and so we weren't able to TRY another latch to see if it is not so HARD. So that is 3 defunct out of 6 latches that my daughter wasn't able to play with. That's half the toy that wasn't workable or child friendly - and NOT worth the money.

I bought this for my son was he was 14 months old, he is now a very inquistive 3 year old. Within a few weeks, he had mastered it (except for the one lock that is hard to turn). It is wonderful for practicing dexterity, and great for travel. The only thing is, once they master this puzzle, they can then open all the locks and latches in your home--which can definitely be a safety hazard!

This "latches" board is great practice for problem-solving and manual dexterity/manipulation for toddlers/preschoolers. I got this one mixed up with the "locks" board--much more complicated and for older children. I caught the difference just before I purchased it, so I did end up with this one--the right one. Our 15-mo-old dtr. likes to fiddle with it for quite a while--she hasn't figured out all of the latches and needs a little help, but she also likes to look at the animals inside the doors. Our 3-yr-old likes to open/close the locks and doors, and it keeps his attention for several minutes (which is good considering his short attention span). Even our 5-yr-old will play with it a little, but I don't think it does much for him developmentally. The only setback is that two of the latches are attached very tightly and so far, only the adults have been able to open those doors. Probably just a problem when it was made. Overall, a good developmental toy to have around the house.

I bought this for my 18 month old daughter. Although she can't manage to open the locks up just yet, she loves opening the doors and playing "peek-a-boo" with the animals she finds. She opens the barn door can say "Cow....Moooooooooo!" I bought this more for fine-motor-development but since her little fingers can't manage the locks, we're still enjoying it as an educational toy. I ask her where the doggie is and she opens the doors (that I leave unlocked) and finds the doggie. She's having fun with it in a way that I wasn't expecting.

My son got this as a gift for his 1st birthday and immediately took to it. He's 20 months old now and still enjoys playing with it and trying to open the latches (though some are still too tough for him to get on his own). He's kind of a "gizmo boy"...good for that type of toddler, and most preschoolers I would imagine.

Any toy that can attract the attention of a 1,2, AND 5 year old is a gem. All three of my kids saw this toy at the store and went BANANAS! There was only one available and they could not keep their little hands off of it.

It seems a little pricey for what it is, but scarcely have I encountered a toy that has this much of a draw. Especially, if you have spirited, very curious little children who like to mess with these sort of latches at home, anyway! I'm buying it for Christmas. A++++++++

My cousin is a Firefighter and he recommended this toy to us as a way to show our 3 year old how to manipulate latches. A great tool to improve moter skills, our son can't stop playing with the shiny latches (whild child doesnt love shiny metal?) - This toy is an excellent birthday present!

My daughter is 14 months and she comes back to the board again and again. It's easy to take to grandma's house and doesn't have any loose pieces. The window and toy chest locks need strong fingers; so for now, I leave the two latches unlocked. Overall, she and I love the latch board.