wooden train set for 2 yo DD - help me choose

[titferbrains]

I want one that:

has wooden tracks
comes with a set of trains, a bridge and a tunnel and other extras

BUT

I'd also like to get non-wooden train for it that will has a little button on top that you push to make the "CHOO CHOO" noise.

And ideally, I'd like the tracks to be able to take Thomas the tank engine and friends.

Do I just get a Brio - can you run other train brands on the tracks? Trying to figure this out is making my brain bleed. Can you tell it's my first kid? I just don't want to have to buy another set of tracks/train set if I can avoid it, but I have a feeling that she will love thomas. Just worried that the Thomas sets are not as nice as plain wooden brio.

all the wooden stuff fits together with each other (although ikea is slightly different and can be a bit stiff).

tesco is always good for a basic set, and they do battery trains that have a choo choo button (or they used to).

Well- I've just gone for a Brio starter set and a few bits and pieces to add on. I think technically they all work with each other but lots of people have said get the Brio as it's better made. Haven't a clue whether it is but John Lewis did a good set!
We have some metal thomas trains and they work fine on the Brio track.

oh brilliant that's all I needed to know.

To be clear - the brio starter set works with all the more advanced bit of track and more complicated brio trains then?

Gosh I really hope she likes the train after all my hemming and hawing!

I think Ikea do a cheaper (but almost identical) version now, might be a good way of getting lots of track and then adding nice trains to it.

I bought some second hand track (not Brio, no idea what brand) and have just added a basic wooden track from Toys R Us. From looking at all the boxes on the shelves it all looks pretty much the same.

although looking at tesco direct they dont seem to have the massive range they used to - I am obviously out of date on wooden railway :)

thanks meglet, not sure if I'll be able to face ikea now it's december....

Our (very basic) Ikea one was a bit rubbish to be honest...

Ds got a Brio wooden train set for his 3rd birthday and it's now been augmented by:

A Tesco set which cost about a tenner
An Ikea set which was £6.99
and a John Lewis set which was about £25

They all fit together and you'd be pushed to tell one from another tbh.

The wooden Thomas trains fit on any wooden track.

I'd say that the John Lewis set was possibly the best buy because you got a tunnel, drawbridge, level crossing, engine shed and bricks to make into a station as well as train & carriages, various trees and animals plus the usual bits of track. But they're all good.

This is the JL one

My (2 year old DS) now has a mix of Tesco, Brio and Bigjigs train tracks (all compatible).

I'd rate Bigjigs over the other sets and if I was buying it again I'd just buy that. They have the most exciting bridges, tunnels, points etc and if you shop around its far better priced than Brio (which trades on its name now as far as I can tell! seems overpriced and poor quality IMHO).

ooh the john lewis one is lovely!

just checking out big jigs now.

may be bigjigs vs brio tho because I've already got a few items in my basket from amazon...lazy online shopper...

I can also recommend the John Lewis one, my DS got that as his first set 2 years ago - it now takes over our living room with various Thomas/Brio/Ikea/Bigjigs and secondhand from the market bits added to it (but keeps him and DD happy for ages so I am not complaining!)

I haven't got brio as it's too pricey but we got starter sets from Ikea (actually 2 as she got 1 as a gift!), Chad Valley and Tchibo.

The best thing about the wooden sets is the variety - if you get starter sets from different companies you get different types of bridge, train, tunnel etc and all sorts of buildings, trees etc. And different shaped track pieces so you can make enormous and intricate tracks!

And you can add to it now and again, I got some buffers and a turntable (BigJigs) for DD's stocking, and I expect when she's old enough for pocket money she will add to it herself too.

Honestly this is the best toy she's got!

TBH I think brio is a rip off, there is no need to buy such expensive track when other tracks are fine. Same with the Thomas one. You can get cheap track and then get nice accessories.

Here's a thought though - as your DD is only 2 she may not have much attention span to set up the track at first (IME with DD) - if you get bits from different companies, what about not wrapping the boxes up - could you set up the track on Xmas eve when she's asleep? Maybe around the tree... It would be magical for her waking up to that.

FGS I'm getting all excited and it's not even my present

I can also recommend the John Lewis one - ds had it last Christmas when he was just turning 2 and it is great as a starter set.

We've got a Brio tunnel that makes tooting sounds when you push the Brio engines through it, DD absolutely loved that when she first started using it as soon as she could sit up (it was older brother's).

Just been in TK Maxx- they had lots of Brio starter sets

hi,we have just bought the chad valley train table from argos for our ds' second birthday,(59.99)its FABBY,
it has a huge train set included,
we have an extra thomas the tank which makes noises too (he was about £10)

Yay, am really pleased that everyone is as excited as I am about this gift!

Will look in TK maxx - but still loving the john lewis one - lots of nice detail.

At the moment she is screaming and crying because the program on Cbeebies isn't the one she wants to watch. So feeling slightly less warm about the giving of gifts atm!