Melissa and Doug toys are wooden, reasonable priced toys, they have anything you could think of.Some toy stores carry them, Target always has some on their online store, I'm not sure if they carry them in the regular stores, and the are all ver the net, just google them and you'll come with many links. http://www.learningexpress.com/educa..._and_doug.html
They are made of wood, not sure about the paint. Sold online at quite a few places and at toysrus. They make all sorts of things but I like the cute puzzles, and fold and go kitchen.
Originally Posted by Monkeyfeet
Marshall's and TJ Maxx sell them cheaper than you will get them most places.
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I bought all of my Melissa and Doug items at a local independent toy store this yr since I am trying to boycott Target. I think their stuff is great and I highly recommend, they are well made and usually have an educational twist.
Can I ask why your boycotting Target, AMB? Anything I should know? I do avoid Walmart, but for household stuff, I must say, Target has pretty good prices, and I need to save money...
Some folks are boycotting Target because of their alleged stance on prescribing RU-486; Target's response is that they are being unfairly targeted by Planned Parenthood, since they are in compliance with the local laws and most other pharmacies have the same practice.
I find the paint chips very easily on painted Melissa and Doug toys. Sometimes you get what you pay for.
I love Target and this decision has been very hard for me. The issue is that Target and other businesses allow their employees to refuse to fill birth control prescription due to moral objections. I don't think everyone has to boycott but, writing a letter will help.
I buy them at Ross. I love wooden toys but can't afford all of the good ones. We shop Ross first for everything. Watch the wooden backed jibsaws, though, they chip.
I have only had one Melissa and Doug toy set, a train set with pegs and blocks that stack on the pegs. It was terribly made. Three of the eight pegs have fallen out (toy had not been thrown, or roughly played with, it happened before my son became a toddler!). Also, when I accidentally dropped one of the blocks on the tile floor it busted and broke. I have no idea what the substance was inside, but it was not solid wood . It may have been compressed wood or composite or something, I dont know, it was black and crumbly, not solid wood like I thought it was!
Their toys are so inexpensive that it makes me wonder about how they treat their labor force creating the toys (wages, factory conditions, etc). Does anyone know about these issues?
i bought a really nice one at Marshalls. I had never heard of the company though and was just excited to see a reasonably priced wooden toy. I am interested to hear about the concerns pp have.
I've also found some of their toys at the Carters outlet nearby. They were very reasonably priced (about 30% off regular retail). If you have one nearby, you can find them there. I've also found them at TJMaxx and Marshalls.
just chiming in with another you get what you pay for comment.
The paint does chip off very easily and the toys tend to be cheaper imitations of more expensive items made with real hardwood
I think their toys used to be of higher quality--the things I had from ds1 seem to hold up better...
I pretty much avoid their toys now. I'd rather save up for one special toy that costs more than 3 or 4 cheaper M&D ones....
If you have ANY problems with Melissa and Doug toys they replace them at their cost. They have excellent customer service. There is an entire thread relating to this http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=351969. We have loads of their toys and had trouble with two - one was roughly played with and I wanted to buy the replacement piece. They shipped out two brand new toys (complete sets).
Originally Posted by abranger
and they are all made in china
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yep. you can find comparably priced wooden toys made in the US or in europe at rosiehippo.com, kidbean.com, holegatetoy.com. selecta (a german company) makes a lot of wooden toys.
I found a great site that has haba and brio toys. I don't know much about brio, a friend has some and says they are good. There are many other types of toys too so you have to scan through the pages but you can get some at discount. www.kidsurplus.com. This site also has a M&D toy.
I have also found great toys on ebay, things like finger puppets and waldorf inspired dolls at lower costs, and my purchases supported at home moms!
The thing is with most wooden toys is that they are expensive because if you think about what it costs to pay employees a decent wage and use good materials, you can't afford to sell them for cheap. I prefer my daughter have less toys that are quality and condone an environment of creativity.
I LOVE wooden toys, but my babe likes to bang them on nice furniture and stainless steel appliances and leave nice little marks. So, nnnnnnnOOOOO more wooden toys for him! hehehe
Originally Posted by ceilydhmama
If you have ANY problems with Melissa and Doug toys they replace them at their cost. They have excellent customer service. There is an entire thread relating to this http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=351969. We have loads of their toys and had trouble with two - one was roughly played with and I wanted to buy the replacement piece. They shipped out two brand new toys (complete sets).
This has also been my experience.
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