# Melissa & Doug toys



## dogretro (Jun 17, 2008)

My friend and I are trying to get an answer on this question that arose after reading the toy articles in the latest Mothering:

Why were none of the toys shown by the company Melissa & Doug? We are wondering this mainly because every other toy pictured needs to be ordered online while we can go to our local Target, toysaurus, or Hobby Town USA and pick up Melissa & Doug toys. We understand that none of theirs may have been the best toy of 2008, but surely at least one could have been shown in the toxicity article. It makes more sense to us to drive 10 minutes and buy something than to pay $5+ to have it shipped to us. I know there is a webinar on this coming up, but Im not interested in talking over the web, and it is a couple weeks away and I want to know now









As far as we have understood over the years, Melissa & Doug toys have been wildly popular and easy to find quality non-toxic wooden toys. This makes us suspicious that not even one of them was featured.


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## mama2004 (Nov 14, 2007)

I haven't seen the article in Mothering and I'm not sure what the answer might be with regard to that specific question, but for what it's worth, I thought I would toss in my .02. We have had a few Melissa and Doug toys here at our house and haven't really been impressed with them. One of them broke only a month or so after my mom sent it for Christmas last year (it was a car shaped "keyring," the middle fell out), and the others we bought or were given (sushi set, stacking train, rainbow stacker) have all been heavily painted and really prone to chipping and peeling which made us a little uneasy since their stuff is MIC, and I'm not very confident in anyone's oversight there.

We have decided to make a real effort to find things that are local and/or unfinished or finished with something more like a stain, and so far, we have been really pleased with those choices. Of all the wooden toys that we have accumulated thus far, Melissa and Doug have been our least favorite and most prone to breaking or generally degrading quickly and we decided that we wouldn't spend money on them any longer.

I agree with you on the issue of availability, and it is really nice to see some wooden alternatives to all the plastic stuff, the M&D stuff just hasn't really held up for us.


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## lawschoolmama (Mar 12, 2008)

Wow, speaking from only personal experience, we love our Melissa & Doug stuff, and haven't had any problems with it. We have several of their puzzles, along with a set of wooden blocks for DD. She loves them, and they've held up great, no chipping or anything like that. I'm sorry that hasn't been the case for everyone, though! I, too, don't know anything about why they weren't listed in the Mothering article, though...


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## lizabird (Jan 19, 2004)

We have several M&D toys too and generally my kids really like them. THey are easy to find locally, and we haven't had any issues with any of them falling apart. I am told the company has good customer service and if you have something of theirs that fell apart because you think it was poorly made, I would call the 800 number that's printed on all their stuff and tell them about it. The paint does chip with effort, like when my son took some things outside and dragged them around on the cement, but that would happen to anything. The stuff that's been inside still looks perfect.


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## Mimi (Oct 8, 2008)

I don't know about that, but I jsut wanted to say that, we absolutely ADORE our Melissa & Doug toys, they are brilliant & dd plays with them for hours & hours!


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## Pumpkin_Pie (Oct 10, 2006)

I have a few Melissa and Doug pieces for DS, and the paint chips horribly. We have never taken the toys outside, just played with inside on wood floors and the linoleum kitchen floor, and all of them are so horribly chipped. They definitely make me nervous and I will not be buying anymore for him. I am glad some people have had positive experiences with them, but I just don't like the chipping paint.


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## reducereuserecycle (Jan 16, 2007)

they are dangerous!!!! here we go again....i think i better get my usual Christmas siggy back on.. BAN M & D...they are not safe-do not trust them!! they are MIC, and once they had a European recall for lead paint. sorry to break this news to those who thought they were safe....also, they are really cheaply made of pressed wood and the list goes on...simply put: Melissa and Doug is not a chance i would take with my child.


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## Tilia (Nov 18, 2006)

I also had a bad experience with Melissa & Doug toys. I bought DD the mini-band. The paint chipped off in big pieces. We only had it for a couple months. She had the shape sorter and the same thing happened. The paint would not stay on. That happened during all of the recalls so I threw away all of the Melissa & Doug stuff. I just don't trust it.

Now I stick to unpainted wood for blocks. We also have some Plan Toys, Maple Landmark, and I buy stuff from oompa.com.


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## maddycakes (Apr 14, 2008)

Although their toys are really cute, we are among those parents who have been less than impressed with M&D toys. We had one frog face rattle given to us as a gift and when I went to get my DD out of her car seat after a ride to the store, her mouth and fingers were covered in flecks of lime green paint. It was flaking off without much effort, and at that age (even still) everything goes in the mouth so we had to toss that one. We also had a 3-piece puzzle that gave my DD her first splinters. It too was a gift and I did not notice that the main board of the puzzle was splintering near the bottom in a major way -- and we had just opened it the day before so I guess I assumed that it was fine. She got three good sized splinters in the palm of her hand and I was so nervous having to use tweezers to get them out while she was wriggling all over! I kept that one meaning to send it back for a replacement, but I'm not sure that I'm inclined to do so given our and others' experiences. Too bad too because they are really colorful toys that appear to be a good choice given that they are wood.


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## Pumpkin_Pie (Oct 10, 2006)

I forgot, DS had the frog rattle, and I too found paint on his hands and lips. It totally freaked me out and I tossed it.

We have the geometric stackers that DS received for his first birthday. I just broke them out about two weeks ago and they are already horribly chipped up. I am pretty sure they are going to "disappear" right after Christmas.

I will say that I do like the puzzles though. They held up really well, and I like that the knobs on the big ones are really large for little hands to hold onto easily. I also put sticky sheets of magnets on the backs of all the pieces, so they make fun fridge toys too.


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## Cinder (Feb 4, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *annalivia* 
have all been heavily painted and really prone to chipping and peeling which made us a little uneasy since their stuff is MIC, and I'm not very confident in anyone's oversight there.

plus, some of the more heavily painted items smell horrible when you first open them, which isn't very comforting to me...


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## alysmommy2004 (Jun 23, 2006)

We have a few M&D toys and have had problems with the paint chipping off everything. A few have broken so they ended up tossed. I have a friend who swears by them and she will call and tell them the paint has chipped and they'll send her a replacement. For me it's too much trouble, I'd rather just avoid it.

I am very fortunate though, we have a local baby store that carries Plan, Wonderworld (Thailand), and Haba toys. We also have a Home Goods that occasionally has Heros (Germany).


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## henny penny (Mar 26, 2008)

I'm glad this was posted before my Christmas shopping. I was starting to soften on M & D and think the stuff might be ok. After reading all the posts I'm boycotting them again. We have a couple items that were gifts and they are horribly chipped with only gentle playing. The thick paint is gross especially since mic. Nova Naturals, here we come!!


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## plantmama (Jun 24, 2005)

With the exception of the giant cardboard floor puzzles all our M&D stuff is also crap. I mean really crappy quality. Especially when compared to some of the other wooden stuff we've gotten. I think peeling paint and splintering wood is a pretty basic no no for children's toys and if they can't even handle that then to me it's not worth buying. Pressed wood and the peeling paint probably contain toxins even if they are lead free.
As another poster commented, we should have lost our trust in things made in China anyway. They obviously care very little about toxins in their exports and because of corruption there is know oversight on the part of the Chinese.
That's most likely the reason mothering didn't feature any M&D.


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## momslittleangel (Nov 5, 2006)

I use to love M&D until reading here. It's hard to avoid MIC. After reading about the problems with pet food and baby formula it is hard to trust MIC.


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## lasciate (May 4, 2005)

We have a Melissa & Doug food puzzle - the board warped and separated, and one of the food pieces actually had a nail sticking out of it.


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## ElaynesMom (May 24, 2008)

I can't answer why Melissa and Doug toys weren't featured in the article you mentioned, but I can tell you why I don't use them.

Besides being MIC, not the greatest quality (paint chipping badly, etc) there were recently some recalls in Canada (Aug. 2008 and Sept. 2008) because a couple Melissa and Doug toys were found to have barium in their paint. Some forms of barium are used safely in medical testing, while other forms can be highly toxic and are even sometimes used in rat poison. I just don't want to risk it.

http://209.217.71.106/PR/recall-retr...0&StartIndex=1

http://209.217.71.106/PR/recall-retr...&StartIndex=16


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## dogretro (Jun 17, 2008)

Thank you SO MUCH for all of your replies! This has really shed some light on the issue for us! It looks like, because of the paint problem, we will not be purchasing these toys.

Personally, I am not one to instantly dismiss a company only b/c their product is made in China. For many companies, it is cost prohibitive to manufacture anywhere else. A great example of that can be found in the safety statement of the company Gollnest & Kiesel KG: http://www.threesisterstoys.com/GKSafety.pdf I think that MIC, like many other things, needs to be looked at on a case-by-case basis.

Again, thank you v much for sharing your experiences. It is such a shame that we have to get stuck paying shipping on quality toys


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## CarsonBookworm (Sep 25, 2006)

We have MD puzzles....looks like they might land on our boycott list now.


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## JamieCatheryn (Dec 31, 2005)

I'm not impressed with M&D either, not particularly scared of them and I'll keep them if they're gifts to DS but the paint does chip and things do break.


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## counterGOPI (Jan 22, 2005)

NAK so sorry for type-os.

heres a few reasons off the top of my head:
-*we had their toys,then my dd had high lead levels. we hired an expensive lead inspector and had a million tests done on our home,thigns in the home and ourselves. its about 98% sure that the lead exposure was from M&D toys. Her lead levels went back down once we ditched them all. my best friends child had the same issues,she got rid of her m&d,her child's lead went down. anotehr frined of mine many states away brought in some of her m&d toys to be tested by a professional. They had lead.*. *biggest reason for us personally to avoid them*
-they are made poorly,the paint chips off so easily, most of their toys aren't even real wood but particle board (which has formeldahyde in it) glued together then painted over.
-they are made in china in factories
-they have HORRIBLE customer service. They attacked my friend when she called askign them about lead issues. they never returned my calls and trust me i made a million to them.

I know I can come up with a lot more reasons to never support this company but these are just the ones off the top of my head. Honestly, I will leave it at this,too b/c last time I tried to tell everyone about this I was attacked (forgive me for warning other familes about this company GEESH!). I understand a lot of ppl can only afford M&D but that doesn't make them safe or a good company,kwim?
anyways,HTH!


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## counterGOPI (Jan 22, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *dogretro* 
Thank you SO MUCH for all of your replies! This has really shed some light on the issue for us! It looks like, because of the paint problem, we will not be purchasing these toys.

Personally, I am not one to instantly dismiss a company only b/c their product is made in China. For many companies, it is cost prohibitive to manufacture anywhere else. A great example of that can be found in the safety statement of the company Gollnest & Kiesel KG: http://www.threesisterstoys.com/GKSafety.pdf I think that MIC, like many other things, needs to be looked at on a case-by-case basis.

Again, thank you v much for sharing your experiences. It is such a shame that we have to get stuck paying shipping on quality toys









use code mdcmom at three sisters toys for all orders above $25 and shipping is free


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## odenata (Feb 1, 2005)

OP, like you, I don't instantly dismiss toys that are MIC. It's a case by case basis for me, and I generally buy from toy manufacturers with good records that I trust to maintain high standards - a few of those have some manufacturing in China. None have all their manufacturing there, though, and I do prefer non MIC in general.

I'm with others on M&D - I find the quality shoddy, and they aren't a company I trust. Any painted toy needs to come from a company I really trust, and M&D isn't it.


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## reducereuserecycle (Jan 16, 2007)

PHP Code:

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[CODE]<span style="color:#000000;"><span style="color:#0000BB;">They attacked my friend when she called askign them about lead issues</span><span style="color:#007700;">. <br></span> </span>
```
 [/CODE]

this is also what happened to me. i called just to inquire about the lead reacall in europe on their clock toy. they denied it several times, then admitted it was true, then said i shouldn't worry since the recall was not in the US.

they need to get their act together!


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## BF124497 (Mar 29, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ElaynesMom*
Besides being MIC, not the greatest quality (paint chipping badly, etc) there were recently some recalls in Canada (Aug. 2008 and Sept. 2008) because a couple Melissa and Doug toys were found to have barium in their paint. Some forms of barium are used safely in medical testing, while other forms can be highly toxic and are even sometimes used in rat poison. I just don't want to risk it.

http://209.217.71.106/PR/recall-retr...0&StartIndex=1

http://209.217.71.106/PR/recall-retr...&StartIndex=16

I'm so glad I found this thread. I just bought the stacker linked here at a discount store in the US.

What should I do with it? I know that sounds naive, but we compost or recycle almost everything, and have very little "trash" at our place...


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## Flor (Nov 19, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *annalivia* 
and the others we bought or were given (sushi set, stacking train, rainbow stacker) have all been heavily painted and really prone to chipping and peeling which made us a little uneasy since their stuff is MIC, and I'm not very confident in anyone's oversight there.
.

Same here. Chipping paints, MIC. Also, I think that it is weird that their wooden puzzles have a fake woodgrain sticker over them so they look more "wooden."


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## Pumpkin_Pie (Oct 10, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ElaynesMom* 
I can't answer why Melissa and Doug toys weren't featured in the article you mentioned, but I can tell you why I don't use them.

Besides being MIC, not the greatest quality (paint chipping badly, etc) there were recently some recalls in Canada (Aug. 2008 and Sept. 2008) because a couple Melissa and Doug toys were found to have barium in their paint. Some forms of barium are used safely in medical testing, while other forms can be highly toxic and are even sometimes used in rat poison. I just don't want to risk it.

http://209.217.71.106/PR/recall-retr...0&StartIndex=1

http://209.217.71.106/PR/recall-retr...&StartIndex=16

Yowza! We have that stacker and the train. I think I am just going to ditch all of the painted stuff. I am going to hang onto the puzzles until they start to fall apart, as they seem to be holding up pretty well for now. Thanks so much for that link!

I realize that my stacker and train are most likely not from the batch that were recalled, but I still feel funny about letting DS play with them.


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## Lemon Juice (Jun 6, 2005)

Ugh..we've had issues w/ chipped paint on wooden toys. I always wonder..why do they have to ruin it and paint it???

We do have M and D toys, mostly puzzles and a wooden doll house we got used off CL. We have a huge problem w/ family buying us cheap plastic crap toys too and it is really frustrating! When we move back West we plan on leaving lots of toys behind!









Oh another thing about pressed wood...it also has layers of chemical glue in between each layer of wood. So..anything in that glue is also in the toy and in your child's hands and/or mouth. Ick! Odds are the adhesive in the glue is synthetic and not natural. And just found that Formaldehyde is an ingredient in pressed wood adhesives as well..which emits from the products. Now how to tell if M and D use any of these ingredients? You probably won't be able to...and are much better off not buying from them and looking into a more natural product.

But if someone can find info on what they use in their pressed wood, I really would like to see it, please







:


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## dogretro (Jun 17, 2008)

counterGOPI ~ Thank you SO MUCH! I am ordering toys from 3 sisters for dds xmas & that code will come in handy! Although they are actually one of the more considerate companies and have that fabulous $5 shipping









As far as "not being able to afford" other toys, I was doing a side-by-side comparison this afternoon between the Hasbro catalog and Oompa toys, and many v nice natural toys are comparable in price. Some are even cheaper. I know that for me, when I initially saw the $20+ price tags on so many things, I got upset. But when I started looking at more mainstream toys, I noticed that action figures are $7 ea, Disney baby dolls (that fall apart after a month ~ personal experience!) cost $20, a motorized baby zoo costs over $30.. I think I need to put together a spread sheet or something else easily readable for others, cuz the more I look around, the more buying well-made natural toys seems to be cost-effective!


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## AaronsMommy (Nov 18, 2007)

GGGGGRRRR!!!! I am so frustrated that M&D toys have been recalled for barium. My son has SO MANY of these toys and I simply can't afford to replace them. And, since M&D isn't recalling them in the states, I have no choice but to throw them out!!!!

Anyway, does anyone know where to get wooden puzzles that aren't made by M&D??? My son loves puzzles and I think they are a really important skill for him, but I can't find any that aren't M&D. Please help!


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## Flor (Nov 19, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *AaronsMommy* 
GGGGGRRRR!!!! I am so frustrated that M&D toys have been recalled for barium. My son has SO MANY of these toys and I simply can't afford to replace them. And, since M&D isn't recalling them in the states, I have no choice but to throw them out!!!!

Anyway, does anyone know where to get wooden puzzles that aren't made by M&D??? My son loves puzzles and I think they are a really important skill for him, but I can't find any that aren't M&D. Please help!

http://www.oompa.com/cgi-bin/category/WoodenPuzzles

Also, check out Selecta, Haba, Speil and Holz and Ravensburger puzzles. Mostly online, but I've been able to find some at teacher supply stores, too.


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## BekahMomToOliver (Oct 31, 2008)

I work in a large-ish daycare centre and we have quite a few M&D toys there. Mostly puzzles, but they've always held up well and they're used very frequently. I've never noticed any paint chipping but perhaps it happens less in puzzles... anyway, I just bought DS the stacking cardboard letter blocks and I can't imagine they'd be dangerous, would they? We also picked up the construction puzzle but I'll be keeping a close eye on it for breakdowns... I'm really sorry to hear this because I was so happy to find some un-plastic toys for christmas! I've literally never seen them anywhere but secondhand stores in this area before and getting our hands on them is difficult. I'm thinking of taking up felting to make him some toys myself. It's so crazy, you can't even trust toys nowadays...
Thanks for this thread!


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## dogretro (Jun 17, 2008)

With Christmas fast approaching, and this new info about M&D, I have had the chance to talk to some of my family members about our toy decisions for dd, and they have gone v well! Here is one fun lil tale: My mom and I were at toysaurus & I was telling her that M&D were now on our "no" list b/c of the info you all had given me. I was sad b/c I had wanted to get dd their stacking train. Well, Imaginarium brand had their own stacking train, so my mom wanted to buy it. I said "I dont know" b/c I knew nothing of the brand. She said shed buy it & if it was unsafe, she would bring it back. I looked it up online & some reviews said the paint chipped. It was MIC & Imaginarium had one lead recall last year. Called my mom up and said, "NOPE". She took it back to the store & the girl asked why she was returning it. Mom told her and the girl said, "Isnt this all so scary?" My mom said yes, and that it is coming out that M&D are not that safe, either. The girl was shocked and said that they sell "so many" M&D toys. So, yeah for my mom, becoming a toy activist, heehee!!!! Im so proud of her







AND dd is still getting her stacking train as toysaurus has an un-finished/un-stained one in their new line of eco-friendly toys! It is still MIC, but w/ no finish on it, I dont have to worry about lead paint.

Again, thank you all for the info and support!


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## alysmommy2004 (Jun 23, 2006)

Do you have a link to the unfinished train? And do you know where it's made?

DS just received the M&D stacking train for his birthday a couple of weeks ago. I am hesitant to let him play with it, but he LOVES trains, he goes nuts for them. Last year for his birthday we were given the Imaginarium one and against my wishes my SIL ripped it out of the package and handed it to him where he began to promptly chew on it (it was his first birthday, oy!). Long story short, by the next day a 2.5" piece splintered off and he almost choked on it. TRU refused to take it back because I didn't have the receipt and told me to "take it to Walmart because they'll take anything back."


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## pumpkinhead (Sep 15, 2003)

We have some M&D wooden fruit and wooden pizza. The fruit is fine, but the paint is scraping off the pizza pieces. It's irksome. We have their fish wooden puzzle and it's fine.

:sigh: Back to the drawing board!


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## indie (Jun 16, 2003)

No more M&D for us either. We've had chipping paint and one toy fell apart shortly after we opened it. The stuff is junk.


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## dogretro (Jun 17, 2008)

alysmommy ~ Toys r us is lucky that you didnt sue them! I cannot believe they would not take it back when it is their own stores brand! Here is the link to the unpainted train: http://www.toysrus.com/product/index...ductId=2985592 According to the info, the wood has received the Forest Stewardship Council seal of certification. It is made in China, but since my main concern w/ China is lead, I feel okay about this product since in is decorated by burning the wood, not painting it. I am not thrilled that the new eco line is produced in China, but one step at a time I suppose :~


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## CattiBrieDourden (Nov 11, 2008)

Aw, man...I just got dd a shape sorter from M&D. I shoulda know it was "too cute" to be true...


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## beka1977 (Aug 1, 2004)

You can find lots of good deals on handmade toys on http://www.etsy.com.

We got FABULOUS puzzles from this guy:
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5438664


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## jjawm (Jun 17, 2007)

M&D toys were one of the main reasons dh and I began to make our own wooden toys. M&D have just gotten too big to adequately test their products, and I'm just now willing to risk my child's health when quality toys are available on the internet.

In addition to etsy, check out hyena cart - lots of homemade toys and dolls by moms and dads. - www.hyenacart.com


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## alysmommy2004 (Jun 23, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *dogretro* 
alysmommy ~ Toys r us is lucky that you didnt sue them! I cannot believe they would not take it back when it is their own stores brand! Here is the link to the unpainted train: http://www.toysrus.com/product/index...ductId=2985592 According to the info, the wood has received the Forest Stewardship Council seal of certification. It is made in China, but since my main concern w/ China is lead, I feel okay about this product since in is decorated by burning the wood, not painting it. I am not thrilled that the new eco line is produced in China, but one step at a time I suppose :~

Thanks so much for the link. I normally don't buy toys from their, but I have other birthday returns to do so I'll take a look at it.

I was furious with them when they wouldn't take the train! I meant to report it to the CPSC, but never got to it and DH eventually threw it away.

That's not all either. I had another Imaginarium toy that didn't manage to get ripped open so I wanted to return it too and it was bought by the same person so I didn't have the receipt. A week later, that toy was recalled! I was so glad I didn't let DS play with it. And I couldn't believe they wouldn't take back their own brand. I know it's their policy now to only take returns with a receipt, but it's their brand!! WM isn't going to let me return it there.


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## AlpineMama (Aug 16, 2007)

http://www.amazon.com/Melissa-Doug-D...7723632&sr=8-1

Adorable as decoration - worthless as a toy.


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## Cutie Patootie (Feb 29, 2004)

Yep, no way on Melissa and Doug. There are so many quality wooden toys out there, and as we get closer to the holidays there will be coupon codes galore. Just make sure you type in the store name and coupon code to see what you can find. Also, Maple Landmark makes some great wooden toys with no finish, including train track sets, etc. Whittle makes wooden trains made in the usa and are a wonderful substitute for "thomas crud" and are compatible with train stuff out there. You can find all kinds of good stuff out there.


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## MamieCole (Jun 1, 2007)

Oh man...I am so bummed. I feel like I am losing a war or something. Buying my child toys should NOT carry so much risk.
DS has a ton of M&D toys...both hand-me-down and new.


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## pumpkinhead (Sep 15, 2003)

I've been looking up descriptions on M&D toys and some of them actually say "solid wood". Obviously, not the puzzles but the wooden food.


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## Flor (Nov 19, 2003)

Don't forget to check out the HUGE thread in the art/crafts forum here about making your own toys. I've made some great things for ds lately. Now that I'm knitting, I've made a lot of stuffed animals, dolls, finger puppets and knitted play foodn(ice cream cones, pizza, fruit and veggies, donuts-- there are a ton of free patterns out there!). I'm knitting him a light saber now! I also found blank wooden peg people at Micheals (2.50 for two adults and 3 kids sized) and I'm painting him a family to look like our family for Christmas. I also bought a blank board game set at Bare Books ($7!) so I think I'll make the people to be our family going on some game board adventure.


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## dogretro (Jun 17, 2008)

Catti ~ If you havent opened the shape sorter yet, Toys r Us has an unpainted on in their eco line.

beka ~ Those puzzles are awesome! I just bought dd some playsilks for Christmas from this etsy store: http://beneaththerowantree.etsy.com They are v nice. I decided to get all natural or handmade toys as gifts this year. I bought play food from here: http://gingerblossoms.etsy.com but havent received it yet so I dont know if it is as cute as I think it will be









Although I always knew I would monitor dds toys, I didnt know that I was going to become this interested & concerned. It also helps that I LOOOOVE toys. I think I need a toy activist icon/smilie


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## dogretro (Jun 17, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MamieCole* 
Oh man...I am so bummed. I feel like I am losing a war or something. Buying my child toys should NOT carry so much risk.

Mamie, you are so right! Although this is pretty much how I feel about everything (soap, plastic, food, etc), there is just something so sacred about toys.. This is why Im glad to have started now while dd is still a baby. This way she will not know any different. Once she is school age, I am going to ease up. I know I adored my My Little Ponies and dh loved his Transformers. Part of the joy of childhood is being able to have the toys that you want, but until she is 1) not mouthing every toy and 2) able to ask for for specific toys I am going to be vigilant!

It really is such a shame about M&D. This whole thing w/ them makes me sad. I remember when I first saw their toys and how awesome and beautiful I thought they were. And they are available everywhere! What a waste.


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## syd'smom (Sep 23, 2008)

ACK!! Here I thought suggesting M&D was a good way to avoid plasstic, lead, etc. crap for DD's birthday and Christmas. We have a couple of puzzles and I wasn't impressed with the quality, but FIL just bought DD the M&D train set for her birthday (at our suggestion). My DH is making a train table, and we were trying to avoid Thomas (b/c of precious recalls and b/c I just think it is too expensive for super marketed stuff) - but what should we do??????

DD loves trains and DH has been working so hard on this train table. We are in Canada and don't have the best selection and with our dollar low and shipping high, it is super expensive to order from the US.

Is there a train set (like the Thomas/M&D size) that isn't coated in lead paint?? HELP!


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## Pohuehue (Apr 9, 2007)

Ugh, I knew M&D was crappy (from experience).... I'm extra frustrated because my MIL thinks she's doing such a great thing getting "wooden" stuff for us. I thought so too with the first few M&D things I bought. She just gave the train to my son and he loves it. It came from Ross, so I'm thinking it's a good candidate for being part of the recall. I hate having to tell her again, "nope, we're gonna have to get rid of that." Poor woman loves to buy stuff for us but I'm always shutting her down!

So frustrating!







:


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## syd'smom (Sep 23, 2008)

Any thoughts on the M&D train set? Any other options (other than Thomas)? Help please. DD's b-day is in 2 weeks!


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## counterGOPI (Jan 22, 2005)

theres a great ma and pop company that makes trains here inthe US

http://www.maplelandmark.com/

definately do NOT get the m&d one!!!


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## Alison's Mom (May 3, 2007)

Ikea also has a wooden train set. It's made somewhere in eastern europe, I believe. We haven't had any issues with chipping paint, or anything, and they are not expensive. We also have a Plan City one, but it's too complex for my DS right now.


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## syd'smom (Sep 23, 2008)

Does anyone know anything about Heros toy trains made in Germany? Here is one set.

They sound much better and I can order from within Canada (including shipping - whoo-hoo). I need to order asap for DD's birthday. Why can't they make safe toys!!!!


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## alysmommy2004 (Jun 23, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *syd'smom* 
Does anyone know anything about Heros toy trains made in Germany? Here is one set.

They sound much better and I can order from within Canada (including shipping - whoo-hoo). I need to order asap for DD's birthday. Why can't they make safe toys!!!!

Yes, they're awesome!! Do you have Home Goods nearby? Our Home Goods gets Heros toys every few months. Last year I snagged a train set there, in perfect condition and original packaging, and it was 60% off the regular price. I bought another set from Moolka to expand. My kids love them and they've held up very well. We have one piece of one train that broke when it was stepped on, but that's it.


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## syd'smom (Sep 23, 2008)

I'm in Canada, so buying options are limited. I'm willing to spend the money on this, but I'm sad the M&D set isn't great b/c FIL already bought it. How has the stain/paint held up?? The concern with M&D seems to be paint chipping (and obviously kids put these things in their mouths, so...I can see the problem).

Would you mind taking a pic of the set and sending it to me? I'm trying to figure out the size of the pieces, etc. Is it pretty much the same size as Thomas and M&D? I love to get opinions from people who have the toy b/c the pics from the store are hard to relate to. Thanks mama!


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## alysmommy2004 (Jun 23, 2006)

The paint has held up great, I don't think there are any chips. The way they do the paint is kind of like it is on Plan toys... I don't know how to describe it, but it's not a thick coat slathered on like on M&D toys. It's much thinner, almost like a stain. IMO the trains look smaller than Thomas, but according to DH they fit on the same tracks. I can try to snap some pics of a few in a bit. I'll have to dig some out, they're a little scattered across the playroom right now (it's a disaster!).


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## lovbeingamommy (Jun 17, 2007)

I will not take a chance buying my DS ANY toys MIC. It is way too much of a risk for my concern. I actually thought M&D toys would be a good choice when I first found them at Whole Food natural food store, but when I read the label MIC I immediately put it down and started doing research on the internet. There are so many excellent, quality wooden toys made in the US or Europe that I don't have trouble finding anything. However, the prices are generally a little higher. DS doesn't have tons of toys, but the ones that he does have are of exceptional quality and he loves them all. I'm also the same picky mama when it comes to clothes, food, and natural supplements MIC - won't buy from there unless/until there's reassurances that the toxic lead, melamine, and other horrible stories I've heard about chemicals are corrected.


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## Amila (Apr 4, 2006)

BRIO has really cute train sets that are pretty inexpensive.

http://gifts.barnesandnoble.com/sear...=9781400662906


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## alysmommy2004 (Jun 23, 2006)

I'm fairly certain BRIO is MIC.

syd'smom, I wasn't able to get pics yet, but I will try tomorrow for you.


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## Lina W (Apr 10, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Alison's Mom* 
Ikea also has a wooden train set. It's made somewhere in eastern europe, I believe. We haven't had any issues with chipping paint, or anything, and they are not expensive. We also have a Plan City one, but it's too complex for my DS right now.

We are thinking about getting the Ikea train for Christmas but I can't find much information on their website about paint, glue or where it's made. We have three of the train cars already and haven't had any problems with chipping paint or anything, but it would be nice to get some kind of confirmation on that the paint is non-toxic. The Ikea train set being so cheap of course has me a little worried, but maybe it's ok?

Great thread with all this information on M&D. We too were telling the grandparents that M&D was a great alternative to the plastic toys they usually get. Hmmm....


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## Cutie Patootie (Feb 29, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *syd'smom* 
Any thoughts on the M&D train set? Any other options (other than Thomas)? Help please. DD's b-day is in 2 weeks!









You really should check our Whittle Shortline Railroad. They are made in the USA and are gorgeous. www.woodentrain.com


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