Customer Reviews

Melissa & Doug Stacking Train

5 star:		(51)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

At first, I wondered if the Stacking Train was ever going to entertain my son. You see the cars slide off the linking dowels, if pushed down too hard. Well, at least when traveling on carpet, which is the main playing surface in our home. What's more, the order in which the blocks stack onto the cars is essential for movement. The blocks don't have to stack in perfect order, but certain blocks must be stacked in the appropriate places, otherwise the wheels cannot rotate. My husband and I noticed how aggravated Will became when he first started playing with the Stacking Train; thus, we intervened as the toy frustrated him so. Once he became familiar with the puzzle, (2 weeks later) he began to enjoy playing with it. The Stacking Train soon became a favorite, and now, 7-months later, it still amuses him for 30 minutes or more a day.

I have found that sometimes the age recommendation on toys is not always accurate. This plaything is appropriately labeled for 2 and up, and will probably continue to entertain my son for another 6 months or more. As a side note, the stacking order is quite complex for little minds. Although this does not take away from the fun-factor, it can add to the level of frustration. This mommy had to go on-line to see the stacking sequence so she could teach her son.

The Stacking Train is a well-built puzzle! It has been tossed around, stepped on, and even chewed upon, yet keeps on rolling. There are NO sharp edges on this toy, but we have had a few minor mishaps when my son, who plays rough, has pulled the dowels off the cars. We glued them back with wood glue, and the following day this choo choo is back to rolling around on the floor. Recently, my son lost one of the blue dowels, which links the cars together. I called the customer service number, found on the bottom of the toy, and the company replaced the entire train for nothing. Now that's excellent customer service! Overall, I recommend the Stacking Train as it's engaged my son for hours on end, plus the educational values are significant.

Other Points of Interest:
· No batteries required
· There are NO safety concerns with this plaything, i.e. strangling, smothering, cutting, or swallowing
· Gender neutral plaything
· No assembly
· Lifetime guarantee

Happy Playing,
Mary

My almost 2 year old daughter received this for Christmas this year (1 month ago).

She loves to play with it as a train - she lets her stuffed animals ride it and even tries to ride it herself.

As a puzzle, she has mastered the 'take it apart' aspect, and is learning to put it back together. It is a well designed puzzle that will be challenging for younger toddlers - some of the reasons that you'd choose block X over block Y are subtle - but it is still a serviceable train most ways you can put it together, although it might look odd.

It is very durable and safe. My daughter has sat upon it, stood on it, and dropped it on a wooden floor. So far it is still completely intact. Nothing has chipped or come loose.

This is another great Melissa and Doug product that will be enjoyed for many years, provided we can avoid losing the pieces. Toddlers can play with it on a simple level - it is a train - or a more complex level as a puzzle.

I bought this toy for my little girl last year. I was shocked to find that there had been a recall on it in Canada..they have stricter testing methods than we do in the US.

"this train has been recalled in Canada for containing high levels of barium. Apparently barium can cause (according to Health Canada), nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and cramps as well as more severe symptoms."

There was also a recall on their geometric stacker.

The Melissa and Doug representatives were AWFUL!! The said it was an isolated incident and not a big deal!!! It is dishonest and wrong that they never issued a recall here and there was hardly any information on this recall available. DO NOT BUY THESE TOYS!!!

Like the M&D pounding bench, ,my son enjoyed playing with this and yes, sucking on the pegs. But my daughter won't be because I read that this was recalled in Canada for toxic levels of chemicals. M&D didn't bother to recall it here because the American market is full of suckers who accept lax toy standards. I'll be replacing it with a stacking toy that is NOT MADE IN CHINA and NOT MADE BY M&D.

Thank goodness my sister let me know that this train that we have and loved has been recalled in Canada for containing high levels of barium. Apparently barium can cause (according to Health Canada), " nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and cramps as well as more severe symptoms."

I've never even heard of barium in toys. I had never been concerned about Melissa and Doug toys until my sister told me that they were all made in China. It isn't made clear that they are and a number of good toy sites (and Whole Foods) sell them. However, since then I have noticed the paint chips off of many of the toys, and I am no longer confident that the paint is completely non-toxic and safe.

My daughter has gnawed on this Melissa and Doug toy and many others and it was with sadness yet relief that I have thrown them all out.

My son ended up getting 2 sets of these trains. I can't tell you how much he loves them. The first set he got as a gift last year when he was 10 months old. He got a second set as a gift a month ago (at 20 mos) and we were going to return it, but he became so excited when he saw them, we let him keep it. I am so glad we did, he has combined the trains, can now sort the blocks by color, "parks" the trains and takes them everywhere. Our Parent Teacher Educator commented that he plays really well by himself, ESPECIALLY with the trains. They look simple, but they are great for children to develop imaginitive play.

We bought this for our youngest son last Christmas. He is now 2 1/2 years old and still plays with it almost every day. It is very well made, and very reasonably priced. In the beginning, we had to sit with our son to show him how to put the train back together, but now he's a pro. This is a toy we'll be pulling out for a grandchildren in the years to come, as long as he doesn't feed any of the blocks to our dog!! I highly recommend this toy; it gets more "play time" than our leappad, lego table or Vtech toys.

After only 1 week of normal child's play - blue parts of this train started to stain my daughter's hands. Also paints is chipping off of several parts of this train.
Shouldn't the childn't toy be more durable???

Well we just got rid of the first set I bought at Big Lots when my son got a second set for his birthday. He seems to more into now than last Christmas and I saved the picture that came with it so that *I* can remember how it goes together. I think it's a little frustrating because the pieces HAVE to go just *SO* to make it fit properly.

We have had this toy for nearly 6 months now. It is a timeless favorite that looks as though it will hold up beautifully to years of play. The pieces are brightly painted and smooth, so as not to scratch little hands. The train is sturdy and best of all, requires NO batteries! Our train's 23-month-old engineer gets in a lot of play/learning time with this fabulous toy! This puzzle train will undoubtedly grow with your child, as she or he discovers how to configure the blocks on the train cars and use the finished product for hours of imagination-powered play. HIGHLY recommended for ages 18 months to 4 years!

Some of you might like to know that this train is now available in BRIGHT NEON colors! I have not been able to find it online yet, but we recieved this newer, neon version as a birthday present, and love it just as much as the original. Now we have one for Grandma's house and one for home!