Also beware that you need to assemble every little sticker and object yourself. The pieces are TINY--I would not give to a 2 yo.

I would stick to the critters and some furniture. The houses are crap.

If I was making a list for grandparents for my 2 1/2 year old -
Calico Critters would not be the thing on it. Also the playmobile take a long series is really too small for the little hands. (We have the school and the )

If your daughter likes the doll house - get a fresh set of Ryan's Room / Plan Toys furniture

If you do not already have a play kitchen - this is a great item for 3 year olds.

My other rec would be magnatiles - the largest set they could afford.

We bought dollhouse furniture from here when our daughter was about three:
https://www.bellalunatoys.com/collections/wooden-dollhouses-accessories/products/plan-toys-classic-childrens-bedroom

I agree with other posters that the Calico Critters furniture might be frustrating at 2.5

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We got my 9 yo a house for Christmas and some of the pieces are teeny that I can't even place them back in the house properly (like a tiny little pencil holder with pencils) but my daughter is super neat and loves playing with the set. For your younger child, you could hide some of the smaller pieces until she is older.

+1 I think the animals and larger pieces would be fine for a younger kid. They are sturdy plastic. However, part of what you are paying for with CC is the the tiny pieces and elaborate set ups. Maybe get a basic set that you can add onto as she gets older if she is into them.

+1

My DD loved the animal families but we ended up using them with her plastic dollhouse at first because she (I) got so frustrated with the small, teeny tiny pieces that get knocked over and lost. But she played with them all the way through 6-7 yrs old (and then they became "stuffed animals" for her American Girl dolls) so the sets eventually got lots of use.

I ended up liking the Target plastic sets best for the cost and the Calico Critter animals for the quality and cuteness.

Anonymous wrote:My kids loved them - especially the babies...the furniture and playsets are plastic trash but I will admit to loving the critters.

See, if you can find them used. Also a good birthday present option for relatives - easy to buy!

This.

My kids loved them - especially the babies...the furniture and playsets are plastic trash but I will admit to loving the critters.

See, if you can find them used. Also a good birthday present option for relatives - easy to buy!

Anonymous wrote:We got my 9 yo a house for Christmas and some of the pieces are teeny that I can't even place them back in the house properly (like a tiny little pencil holder with pencils) but my daughter is super neat and loves playing with the set. For your younger child, you could hide some of the smaller pieces until she is older.

Sorry didn't answer the rest of your question. Yes, everything moves. Drawers fall out, etc. This level of detail is fun but can be frustrating to parents of younger children. When my kids were your child's age we had the Fisher Price Loving Family doll house. More plastic,but small pieces were secured and it was less frustrating. That house got plenty of use up to kindergarten.

Anonymous wrote:We got my 9 yo a house for Christmas and some of the pieces are teeny that I can't even place them back in the house properly (like a tiny little pencil holder with pencils) but my daughter is super neat and loves playing with the set. For your younger child, you could hide some of the smaller pieces until she is older.

+1 I think the animals and larger pieces would be fine for a younger kid. They are sturdy plastic. However, part of what you are paying for with CC is the the tiny pieces and elaborate set ups. Maybe get a basic set that you can add onto as she gets older if she is into them.

We got my 9 yo a house for Christmas and some of the pieces are teeny that I can't even place them back in the house properly (like a tiny little pencil holder with pencils) but my daughter is super neat and loves playing with the set. For your younger child, you could hide some of the smaller pieces until she is older.

Anonymous wrote:The calico critters are cute but expensive.

Why not dolls for the existing dollhouse?
https://www.amazon.com/Wooden-Poseable-Family-Dollhouse-Familly/dp/B073J3M3Y1/ref=asc_df_B073J3M3Y1/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=309875729163&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=17570016338746396404&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1014895&hvtargid=pla-570142513561&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=65715448310&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=309875729163&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=17570016338746396404&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1014895&hvtargid=pla-570142513561

Or
https://www.magiccabin.com/en/dollhouse-dolls/magic-cabin-dolls%26reg%3B-autumn-dollhouse-fairy/p/825948

Target sells a line of knock-off Calico Critters, and they are just fine (about about 1/2 to 1/3 the cost).

The calico critters are cute but expensive.

Why not dolls for the existing dollhouse?
https://www.amazon.com/Wooden-Poseable-Family-Dollhouse-Familly/dp/B073J3M3Y1/ref=asc_df_B073J3M3Y1/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=309875729163&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=17570016338746396404&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1014895&hvtargid=pla-570142513561&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=65715448310&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=309875729163&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=17570016338746396404&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1014895&hvtargid=pla-570142513561

Or
https://www.magiccabin.com/en/dollhouse-dolls/magic-cabin-dolls%26reg%3B-autumn-dollhouse-fairy/p/825948

My kid got a playmobil farm at age 2 and a few months (which I think is similar in size to calico critters stuff), and we just set aside the really small pieces until she was older and it was great. She wasn't a put toys in her mouth kid, so that was part of the consideration, but she loved playing with all the barn doors and animal figures. She still loves the farm at almost 4 and we've since given her all the little pieces too, which made it almost a new toy again.

My daughter loved loved them, and had them at age 2. We never had the furniture, but she loved the critters. She was probably 3 or 4 when her grandmother bought her the food truck for Christmas, and she never broke it. It does have 1,000 tiny pieces, which of course are scattered all over the house.

Super specific question I know, but I'm trying to think of Christmas ideas (my MIL wants a list for my nearly 2.5 year old daughter). DD has a Plan Toys dollhouse (kind of chunky wood) and a few pieces of furniture for it-- she loves both, but the hand-me-down dollhouse furniture (all wood, with working drawers/etc) is probably a bit too delicate for her and a few pieces have broken.

I know Calico Critters says 3 and up but it seems 3 is just a generic age for "old enough to not choke on things". If you had a 2-2.5yo, were they into Calico Critters? Do the pieces move on the furniture (it's hard to tell from amazon!)? I think the interactivity is one thing my DD loves about the stuff we do have, and I'm curious if the plastic CC furniture would both hold up to a slightly rough 2yo and have pieces that move to be engaging.