Nothing. Started off as a more specialty band but now available everywhere and lower-priced. Nicer and more expensive wood toy brands are Plan Toys and Hape. Wood doesn't necessarily mean good and plastic doesn't necessarily mean bad.

Nothing. They are wooden toys (sometimes with plastic parts). China-made toys are fine. Plastics are fine. Do not overthink it.

Citing the brand is just trying to tell you that the toy is nice quality. There are so many inexpensive items, so I wouldn't say it's a particularly exclusive thing. There are many, many more expensive toy companies.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They're wooden, simple, fairly inexpensive, most don't make noise, seem to encourage more imaginative play versus pushing buttons and the toys do everything, aren't based on commercial characters, pretty sturdy compared to most of the plastic toys out there.

They're mostly made in China, though, so there's that.

Yea, they used to be made in the US before they became really popular. Disappointing...

OP here. Thanks for the insight. So what US-made toys would you recommend? And what is wrong with being made in China? How is it different than US?

I asked my original question because a bunch of people on my neighborhood listserv are always trying to sell or give these toys away, and it seems like they think it's such a great brand.

Well, for one thing toys made in China have been found to have lead paint in the past. They are supposed to be held to US standards, but China has shown time and again that they cut corners. You can often find Melissa and Doug toys at TJMaxx, Marshalls and Home Goods so I wouldn't say they're an exclusive brand.

Anonymous wrote:I don't really get the draw of Melissa and Doug. They are wood, yes. But the quality and durability is not as good as other (usually higher priced) wooden toys. I love the toys at Nova Naturals much better - http://www.novanatural.com/

But the price is the draw. All things being equal, I'd choose Haba and Hape toys but the prices are really high. M&D has a large selection of affordable wooden toys.

Nothing. Like my china toys.

I don't really get the draw of Melissa and Doug. They are wood, yes. But the quality and durability is not as good as other (usually higher priced) wooden toys. I love the toys at Nova Naturals much better - http://www.novanatural.com/

There was a time when people got caught up in these toys. It was a sort of bragging right. I found them expensive and I've never needed toys to be so durable that they last forever - my kids rarely broke toys before they grew out of them. My kids weren't all that big of a fan. Given the option of a Melissa and Doug version and another brand of the same type of item, they never chose Melissa and Doug and rarely played with the Melissa and Doug that they were given.

Another thing that people end up trying to sell is their Thomas the Tank Engine toys. Now, those, all of my kids loved (girls included). But I always found we got enough for gifts and I could get them on sale for as cheap as I could buy used and then I didn't have to clean them before I gave them to my kids to play with.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They're wooden, simple, fairly inexpensive, most don't make noise, seem to encourage more imaginative play versus pushing buttons and the toys do everything, aren't based on commercial characters, pretty sturdy compared to most of the plastic toys out there.

They're mostly made in China, though, so there's that.

Yea, they used to be made in the US before they became really popular. Disappointing...

OP here. Thanks for the insight. So what US-made toys would you recommend? And what is wrong with being made in China? How is it different than US?

I asked my original question because a bunch of people on my neighborhood listserv are always trying to sell or give these toys away, and it seems like they think it's such a great brand.

I actually don't really like them. They need to be sanded better. They are really rough.

They just have a nice big selection of durable toys that are not too terribly expensive-- plenty of under $10 items, which is nice if you're giving a lot of gifts to various children. Things are colorful without being garish and tacky.

The reusable stickers are awesome starting at about 1yo. I did have a problem with paint coming off the cutting fruit, and they replaced them immediately.

Anonymous wrote:They're wooden, simple, fairly inexpensive, most don't make noise, seem to encourage more imaginative play versus pushing buttons and the toys do everything, aren't based on commercial characters, pretty sturdy compared to most of the plastic toys out there.

They're mostly made in China, though, so there's that.

Yea, they used to be made in the US before they became really popular. Disappointing...

They're wooden, simple, fairly inexpensive, most don't make noise, seem to encourage more imaginative play versus pushing buttons and the toys do everything, aren't based on commercial characters, pretty sturdy compared to most of the plastic toys out there.

They're mostly made in China, though, so there's that.

Some people like wood - but there are much higher quality brands out there if that's what you're going for. They also have a wide selection of toys, often more than the other wood toy manufacturers.

I'm a new mom with a 6mo, so I am on the cusp of discovery about toys for kids. Just wondering, what's so great about Melissa & Doug?