To think the ALDI wooden toy event is actually a bit shit?

[Monj]

I've seen all the hype on social media and people talking about queuing first thing, and I just don't get it.

I've got some of the toys before-they are fine, but really not that robust. Ours had the dowels broken easily and needed wood gluing together, before the whole thing was forsaken a few months later. They're too flimsy and poor quality wood, not made to last. I don't see that they are any better than budget toys elsewhere.

Am I being a misery? Can someone explain the hype?

I think there was a stage when wooden toys were just back in / making their mark as the new aspirational MC parenting thing. (Now it’s greige.) And they were generally pricey, pricier than the plastic stuff certainly. So Aldi’s promotion got a lot of new customers through the doors. Now that you can buy pastel coloured wooden everything in most stores, it’s less of a draw.

I’d add though - I bought some of these things for DD back in 2018 or so and it is still holding up three kids later. The wooden kitchen is starting to fall apart but has survived a house move and daily play, and we have most of the wooden fruit and vegetables. That’s pretty good going for £59, as it was.

The Lidl wooden toy event is where it’s at. Last year we got a toy kitchen, vets/baby medical centre (as big as the toy kitchen), road track that was compatible with brio style trains, a brio style train set, a marble run, a rainbow puzzle and a car falling tower all for under £120. Kids were delighted at Christmas and it was all really good quality stuff.

The toys are essentially limited edition.
If you don't buy now you won't get any.
That's what the fuss is about.

I actually have had some toys off Lidl and found the quality to be much better!

I don’t mind it, but I do think Lidl need to try and stop the resellers. One of the school mums bought 5 wooden fridges last years and sold them on eBay for nearly double.

Did you have to queue for the lidl wooden toys?

Had the Aldi dolls house around 5 years ago and it was such nice quality as was the furniture.

They are cheap rubbish that people end up moaning they break when played with.

Sadly, more social media hype, than quality toys.

FOMO!

Give me Brio, still being played with 27 years later ( by the grandchildren not the child😆…then again…😂)

God I am surprised at people saying the quality is poor. We got a wooden activity cube thing a few years back, it got loads of use and was spot on. Also a wooden reversible shop/theatre and a little trolley - all perfect condition years later.

Interesting, the things we were bought last year were at the tip by Easter

Lidl quality is much better, in most things, particularly middle aisle IMO.

Did your children play ridiculously rough with them?
Have you contacted Trading Standards to report the toys are not fit for purpose?

It’s mothers who are desperate to be mummy influencers that need every toy to show off for their TikTok page. Too dumb to realise you can
buy wooden toys all year around at other retailers.

They aren’t selling anything you can’t get elsewhere.

Exactly this - they used to be at a novelty price point, but now Lidl / Smyths / Frasers / The Entertainer etc are all selling similar products for a similar price. Now it’s just a tiktok marketing trend, rather than genuinely missing out on an opportunity to buy nice wooden toys for a reasonable price

Yes very true.
But the whole point of the Aldi/Lidl middle aisles is products being sold at low prices at limited times - that's their "thing".
Does it matter how and where people choose to purchase toys?

I don’t do tiktok, but bought some toys from Aldi for my little grandson last Christmas when he was 9 months old, and his mum gradually got them out as he got bigger, he loves everything and it all seems very solid, so I’ve been really looking forward to this year

I’ve got him a tool bag, a car transporter, a gorgeous circus train set, and an advent calendar.

I know other places sell them (Frasers have really nice things at great prices) but these are great

we haven’t had any issues with quality, even on some handed down stuff he was given, and he’s quite a rough boy

I’ve done the Aldi wooden toy even the last two years. I was pregnant last time but at the time I couldn’t find a Pikler triangle cheaper than Aldi’s version other than no name brand ones on Amazon which I don’t trust. I think part of the issue for me is a lot of online stores have opened their stores to marketplace selling without it always being super obvious, so I could be thinking I’m getting a bargain but actually the paint has lead in, and it’s a massive choking hazard or danger because it’s not made to our standards. People will have different perspectives and experiences of Aldi quality but at least i feel assured the products are safe. It’s also convenient because I need to do food shopping anyway so why not on the morning of the wooden toy sale when I don’t need to either go to toy shop or pay for postage. Also helps with decision fatigue online only having two ranges to look at.

My baby is only six months so not really using them properly yet but the items we bought last year (pikler triangle, racing ramp, push along walker) feel good quality to me. I went to both Aldi and Lidl this year (on the same retail park) but more from Lidl because I liked their stuff better. At Lidl there were only three other people outside at opening and loads left at Aldi when I got there after doing a weekly shop at Lidl too.