To think most toys are utter shite

[babysoupdragon2]

I have two winter born children and with Christmas as well we've had a new influx of toys. The general quality is dreadful.

Why can big brands/ shops get away with this?

Examples include-
A playdough hairdresser set where the mould doesn't fit together without constant help from an adult
Craft kits where it is physically impossible to recreate what is on the box.
A remote controlled car which broke after 3 days
A chad valley doll which is meant to drink and wee but is so impossible to make work that you end up with a frustrated child and water everywhere

Please could I have some recommendations of quality and consistent brands for a 3 and a 5 year old?

So far I can think of Lego, magnatiles and maybe sylvannian families (although we only have older second hand bits.)

Brio, wooden train set.

Melissa & doug are good

that bloody play doh hairdresser is the bane of my life!

I do like Brio - we have 30 year old hand me down stuff that’s perfect.

I have just been throwing loads of stuff in the bin today - they don’t play with over 75% of it

I got wooden toys for the younger kids, they lasted through multiple children and have been put away now still looking great. I used myriad.co.uk for most things. Wooden marble run is brilliant.

Plus knex and Lego.

My kids are grown out of toys now but the only ones that ever gave good value I think were:

Lego
Soft toys
A small pushchair for dolls/teddies
A wooden train set (and some other wooden vehicles like a bus and a plane we had)
A Fisher Price Little People dolls house and figures I got in a charity shop

Yes we also have a hand me down brio- the quality is great but they never really play with it.

I found it much easier when they were toddlers and would happily play with the lovely wooden open ended toys that i kidded myself would be all we would ever have 🤦‍♀️

Just annoys me so much how places can sell things that aren't fit for purpose

Yes we also have a hand me down brio- the quality is great but they never really play with it.

Probably a daft question but do you set it up? Sometimes children need to be reminded how great a toy is before they play with it. A train set that's been made up ready to go is a lot more exciting than a train track in pieces in a storage box.

Other toys that are popular with this age are a toy kitchen, dolls house, plastic animals (such as schleich) and a box of paper and drawing supplies.

3&5 is actually quite young to set brio train track up. They are only just getting to the age where the open ended stuff comes into its own.

I think the issue might be your expectations are a bit ahead of their actual developmental stage.

Ah we love playdoh here (and the cheaper alternatives!) But I try and avoid the machines and stick with cutters, moulds etc.

Playmobil is great.

We love hot wheels here too so have loads of tracks etc.

Brio is really good and long lasting.

Boardgames are a winner too, things like twister and hungry hippos

Yes of course we've set the brio up - many, many times. We've even taped little characters on it to go on train rides. we've had it in the garden, inside, built cardboard tunnels for it - it's just not a favourite and they don't choose to return to it often- all kids are different.

They do huge amounts of imaginative play. Current favourites props are blankets, carpet squares, empty cardboard boxes and sellotape.

But they get given toys for birthdays/ Christmas and they get excited by them and they are just crap. I'd love to be able to suggest things that are actually decent.

Happyland was always a big hit in our house.

Science kits are nearly always a disappointment too. Most remote control cars are rubbish unless you spend £££.

The best toys I ever bought was a massive pack of wooden blocks. Lego, Playmobil, knex, hot wheels are others that have stood up to loads of playing. Our wooden train tracks too, they don’t come out often these days but are much enjoyed when they do.

Playmobil sets are a winner with my DGSs as are Melissa and Doug

If they like imaginative play the wooden animals (forgotten the brand) in the myriad catalogue are lovely, they cost a fortune so you don't get too much bulk, can collect over time.

Do they have a play kitchen or shop?

Orchard toys games and puzzles are good quality too.

The Melissa and Doug ice cream set is lovely

My 3 year old likes simple board games now, orchard toys and the like

Agree with you on the quality of toys! Watching with interest.

I've just handed down to DNephews - played with hard but still in perfect condition:
Brio
Playmobile castle, pirate ship (though the fiddly rigging has gone) and lots of vehicles
Lots of board books (seemingly bombproof)
Schleich animals

Playmobil is generally good quality. I agree with a PP, play dough is better off with simple accessories, we’ve always found that the contraptions break!

Around that age (mine are teens now):

Those drawing water mats that go on the floor
Happy land - they loved this so much it was always set up
Dressing up stuff - like a mix of princess, knight shields, ninja turtles that they created random outfits with
Stacking cups (yes the ones for babies!)
Little tiny soldiers and a fort

Playmobil and hot wheels noted, thank you.

We have the Melissa and Doug ice cream set and it is fantastic. (It sounds like we have vast quantities of toys, we really don't!)

I feel like sticking to simple things is the way forward- anything branded or too restricted in how it's played with the quality seems to go down.

Another vote for Playmobil. It’s what the kids always go for when they visit. Plus our IKEA wooden kitchen gets tons of use, and the “Spooner” (skateboard training balance board).

Brio! We have loads of it. By far the most played with toy we've owned, DC 5 and nearly 10 still both play with it together all the time

My DS are 6 and 5. The youngest version knex is played with every day our house, they love it. The hot wheels things are regularly played with too. These are both good and have lasted well.

DD loves her barbies. They are used everyday. She just likes dressing them and brushing their hair, she doesn’t have any of the houses or camper vans or anything like that. She is quite rough with them but they have lasted!