Active discussions

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Parenting

For free parenting resources please check out the Early Years Alliance's Family Corner.

Original poster

Which toy garage should I buy?

14 replies

FreddoBaggyMac · 03/02/2011 10:17

I'm posting this here as I thought I might get more responses than a Products thread.

I'm looking for a toy garage to buy DS for his 4th birthday. I want it to be something that him and DS2 (nearly 2) can play with together.

All the reviews/ advice seem to point to the ELC big city garage hereso this is top of my list at the moment. However, in an ideal world, as it will be going in our living room, I would like something smaller and more attractive Smile - something like this. From the reviews it seems though that all the wooden garages that look nice are just not sturdy enough Sad

So please can anyone tell me:

  1. is the ELC big city garage a good buy?
  2. Can anyone recommend any alternatives (suitable for 'normal' metal cars, not the big plastic ones)that will stand up to some (very) rough play from a four year old and two year old?

THANK YOU in advance for any help!

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Set a reminder
jenroy29 · 03/02/2011 12:23

This one is still at my dcs nursery so it has survived for 7 years with god knows how many little people playing with it

chocoholic · 03/02/2011 12:27

The best plastic one is the Fisher Price Big Action garage but I think they have stopped making it now. I got ours off e-bay. It's big but really sturdy. It copes with being sat on and has plenty of space for 2 to play with.

beanandspud · 03/02/2011 12:41

The ELC one has been fantastic for our DS. He plays with it constantly and it seems pretty robust. The take-along city that clips onto it is also good for expanding the set and for taking away to Grandparents etc.

Not the prettiest thing to have in your front room though and I have to keep reminding myself that the plastic toy stage doesn't last forever!

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

General parenting Toys
joh75 · 03/02/2011 12:58

Hi-we also have the ELC one. My ds1 who is now 5 got it for his 3rd birthday. I also have a 19mth old and they have just started to play with it together.
I agree it is not the most attractive but it is robust and it is the small metal cars that my two use with it. You get some metal cars with it but they have boxes of extras which all suit.

Have to say they play with it daily, has lights/sounds for helipad/carwash/lift etc!!

sparkle1977 · 03/02/2011 13:06

Another vote for the ELC big city garage. We have it for our DSs who are also 2 and 4. It has even withstood DS2 when he was aged about 18 months to 2 years climbing up its different levels! and also using the top level as a chair!

neolara · 03/02/2011 13:14

We have the one jenroy linked to. IMO, it's not that good. You have to hold the handle for the lift to stay up. So if you turn it, then take your hand off to push the car out, it goes crashing to the ground before you've moved the car. Also, the cars that came with the garage were too big to fit into the lift.

It has, however, been a very good step for the children to stand on to turn the TV on.

jenroy29 · 03/02/2011 13:19

Yay multifunctional by accident.

Original poster
FreddoBaggyMac · 03/02/2011 13:25

Thanks everyone! Yours is certainly more attractive Jenroy and I'm sure whatever we buy will be stood upon and climbed upon Smile Seems like the ELC Big City is getting lots of votes though... I just wish it was more pretty... perhaps I should just buy a nice Cath Kidston blanket to throw over it in the evenings Grin it does sound like it's going to be the one for us...

OP posts:
LadyBiscuit · 03/02/2011 13:35

Yep the ELC one is very sturdy - it has survived repeatedly being stood on over the last two years. It's huge and fugly though - it has to live in his bedroom

angel1976 · 03/02/2011 14:05

My in-laws bought this for my DCs for Christmas (DS1 - 3, DS2 - 15 months old) and they LOVE it. It's a pain to put together (took the two of us the good part of 3-4 hours putting it together on Christmas day!) but it looks really nice and the kids love the elevator bit... And yes, DS2 has tried climbing on it quite a few times and it's very sturdy.

SunshineOnARainyDay · 03/02/2011 14:11

Another vote for the ELC Big City Garage. DS (4.7) received this for Christmas, along with the take-along city bit that attaches to it.

Massive hit, he's played with it everyday since, even his sister likes it and she's nearly 7. It's sturdy and was dead easy to put together. Yes, it is big and plasticky but as it lives in the playroom it's fine!

Original poster
FreddoBaggyMac · 03/02/2011 14:35

Thanks again everyone! Angel I do love the look of the Le Toy van one, I had assumed it might be a bit flimsy like many of the wooden ones seem to be... you may have convinced me!

Has anyone else any experience of a Le Toy van garage? we already have a le Toy van pirate ship which is great.

Sunshine, it's good to here the ELC one is so popular, I just wish we had a playroom to put it in! our garage will be a feature of our living room!

OP posts:
angel1976 · 03/02/2011 14:57

We did think about getting the ELC one for my DSs and I'm glad in the end the decision was taken out of our hands. The ELC looked just massive and very plastic-ky... I know most of the kids' toys are plastic but still... This Le Toy one is so gorgeous (and I secretly loved putting it together! Blush).

coldtits · 03/02/2011 14:58

Buy a wooden one, I don't say this lightly.

They will sit, stand and jump opn the garage. Cars will be crashed. Most plastic ones will not tolerate this level of abuse, ours dind't.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page