Which toy castle for a three year old?

[mayflowers9]

DS turned three in September and I wanted to get him a toy castle with knights and a dragon for Christmas. I can't decide between the discontinued Imaginext Eagle Talon Castle with the interactive dragon, which I found second hand, or a wooden castle by Melissa and Doug or Papo, which we would use with Papo Knights/Dragon.

I prefer the Papo figures, but I wonder if a three year old would have more fun with an interactive castle that lights up, makes noise, etc.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

We had the Melissa and Doug one and it was fantastic. Really study, even when sat on. Fits playmobil figures or Schleicht/Papo. Doesn't need assembling when it arrives. And it's big enough for two dc to play at the same time.

thank you! I love the interior of the M&D castle, lots of opportunities for imaginative play

I'd go with one of the wooden ones. I tend to think the lights and sounds on these sorts of toys are usually pretty gimmicky – the novelty of them is fun at first, but they rarely really add much to the imaginary play long term.

Does he already have any playmobile?

Last year my son (3, nearly 4 at Christmas) got the playmobile castle and generally speaking its been a great hit, and has been used throughout the year.

It is a bit fiddly to make though - his grandpa spent most of Christmas day putting it together, and it comes with a lot of smaller pieces. That is a good thing in that my son loves all of the little furniture, animals, weapons, ladders etc. but they also get lost easily.

I’m glad he’s enjoying it! I’m looking forward to getting Playmobil toys eventually, but we also have a baby so avoiding small parts for now.