We purchased this for our son when he was quite young at around 5 months. He couldn't do much with it at the time, but loved looking at it and watching me spin the hive or drop the balls through the maze. Slowly he started to be able to utilize different parts. First he was spinning the hive, then playing with the knob on the shape sorter. A little later he was moving the animals on the tracks. He is 11 months now and loves using this to pull up on and also using the hammer and playing with the balls. I really think the bead maze on the top was one of the things that encouraged him to start pulling to stand. He still has room to grow with using the shape sorter and the ball maze in a more traditional fashion, but already 6 months later and he is still enjoying it.
The minimal assembly required was easy enough and fairly quick to accomplish. Also, no paint chipping or anything like that even though it sees extensive daily use and abuse, especially from the included hammer. Both my son and his play group friends enjoy this quite a lot. One mom has since purchased this because it has been such a hit.
We could have waited until about 7-8 months realistically, but we still found ways to utilize it younger than that. I have put the small shapes away and won't bring those out until he hits 12 months because they are a bit small.
I can see this being well loved for a long time, and longevity is key with baby/toddler toys. We spent the same amount on his jumper at 6 months and it has already been put away, while we have had this longer and he is using it tons still. I am very happy with this purchase. Hape toys seem to be winners in our home.
UPDATE:
My son is 17 months old now and STILL uses it every single day. Whenever we have other babies and toddlers over, they enjoy it too. We have now given him all the shapes for the sorter and he is able to put most of them through the correct hole. The plus sign shape and heart give him trouble still. I love that he is still using and learning from it. I don't see it being put away any time soon!
UPDATE #2:
My son is now 28 months old and again, STILL plays with this daily. Of all the toys that have been purchased for him, this one has had the most "legs" in that he has spent the most time playing with it over the longest period of time. It still looks just like the day it arrived too! Even though he is able to do all of these activities, he is still engaged by the variety of challenges/activities.
- Amazon Business : For business-only pricing, quantity discounts and FREE Shipping. Register a free business account
