Do you love your train table?

[mamica]

Tell me why/why not, please! Which one do you have, and what do you like/dislike about it? I checked some older posts, but would love some updated advice. Thanks in advance!

[sidmand]

Yes, but we have a made up one. It was made up by IKEA though!

They had it displayed in the kids' section--four Trofast shelving units about two feet hight that were pushed together to form a square. There is a hole in the center when you do this so they used a piece of wood to cover that hole. We're not that handy so we used a big box.

It was four of these pushed into a square: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S89842470

We have the wood colored one. Looks like there is a white one too:
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S19861419

Then they had a roadway rug in the kids' section that was the kind you usually put on the floor for kids to run cars over (with streets and trees, etc.) and that fit perfectly on top.

It has a ton of storage since it's really a Trofast so on each side you can get three different sizes of bins and it's bigger than most of the train tables I've seen and we have Geotrax (which are huge!) and we can built quite an elaborate structure on top.

I love it! We had three different train tables before but none were ever quite what I was looking for. It is pretty big though. But DS (and every kid that visits) plays with it every time they're in the playroom.

[hellokitty]

No, I think they are space hogs. My kids liked it for a very brief time when they were very little (under 2 yrs old), but after that, they were building train sets that were too big for a train table and just sprawled it all out on the floor. I can see how it might be useful if you decide to tack down tracks for a younger child, but really it's not enough space for an older child to build a decent track. For a while, they used it for their duplos, but even now it's just a clutter magnet. They throw their junk on it, but don't play with it, yet very rarely want to clean off the junk collected ON the table. I'm going to offer it up to my brother the next time he is over. My DH seems to think our youngest might like it, but I'm not willing to keep it around to find out. Ours had some storage underneath it, which was nice, however in general I think that train tables are overrated. My kids would actually prefer to bring their trains to the coffee table, which was irritating, seeing how we spent $ on a train table and I don't need anymore toys on MY table.

[ohiomom1121]

YES....love it! We have the Nilo multi activity table we got for the kids last Christmas and it still gets daily play. We just change out the train layouts and they are thrilled. When they get a little more into Legos we plan to buy lego mats to go on top. Then when they get older we can replace the legs and make it a taller table for art/homework etc. I am so happy we went with it over the Thomas table we originially wanted.
http://nilotoys.com/Images/N51_a.jpg

[SnuggleBuggles]

We don't have one but friends do and have the same experience as hellokitty- not played with, clutter magnets.

I wasn't keep on one b/c they seemed so limiting for train building.

Beth

[hillview]

I like mine. We have a Nilo. I agree with PP it is a space hog and collects clutter AND the kids use it every day for cars trains and trucks.
/hillary

[o_mom]

We have the KidKraft one from Costco a few years ago. It has a reversible top and trundles. It was extremely useful in our previous house where we did not have a playroom. The train table was our coffee table and we stored about half their toys in it. We rotated what was out for the table - trains, Shake-n-Go track, dollhouse, little people, etc. We did not have anywhere else that they could build trains since the carpet was a thick pile and tracks would not stay together. It was used every day for two years until we moved.

Now, it is in our basement playroom and doesn't get as much use. They build trains on the floor (low pile berber carpet), but we still use it when we get out the dollhouse or Shake-n-go track. It still gets enough use that I'm not getting rid of it and it provides good storage as well. The pattern side of the top is kind of scratched up, but it isn't horrible, so if you go with KidKraft keep that in mind. The price at Costco was great and it came with a train set that we still use many pieces from.

[arivecchi]

I gave mine away after a couple of months. We bought the Imaginarium set at TRU. DO NOT GET THIS SET. The table was really poor quality and took up so much room. It was a complete waste of money for us.

[fivi2]

We have the KidKraft one from Costco a few years ago. It has a reversible top and trundles. It was extremely useful in our previous house where we did not have a playroom. The train table was our coffee table and we stored about half their toys in it. We rotated what was out for the table - trains, Shake-n-Go track, dollhouse, little people, etc. We did not have anywhere else that they could build trains since the carpet was a thick pile and tracks would not stay together. It was used every day for two years until we moved.

Now, it is in our basement playroom and doesn't get as much use. They build trains on the floor (low pile berber carpet), but we still use it when we get out the dollhouse or Shake-n-go track. It still gets enough use that I'm not getting rid of it and it provides good storage as well. The pattern side of the top is kind of scratched up, but it isn't horrible, so if you go with KidKraft keep that in mind. The price at Costco was great and it came with a train set that we still use many pieces from.


This is us. We use it enough, but not for trains. (same train table). We do a lot of duplo building on it. I love the storage of the trundles.

BUT - at the moment it is covered in random clutter. :)

[endlessheather]

We got a Nilo last Christmas and we love it. It's not just a train table though. Right now it looks like a Little People village for my youngest but on other days it's a train table and some days it's both! We liked the height of it and the quality better than just a traditional low to the ground train table. This one will grow with the boys.

[mariza]

We love ours, I got the Target one right afer Christmas last year for $19.xx!!! We have a large living room downstairs with half of the room dedicated to kids, but this table is set up in the middle where a coffee table should be. I can definately see how the space will get limited as DS and DD get older and build more complicated tracks, but right now it works for us, and you can't beat the price!
It is suprisingly sturdy (40lb DD has sat on it a number of times). I really really wanted the Land of Nod table (still do) but I could not justify the expense so I am happy with what we have for now.

[brittone2]

We've had the Kidkraft from Costco for 4+ years now. I've been very happy with it for the price. We use it for trains, dollhouse play, etc. There was a bit of a lull in use as DS was kind of over trains sometime around 3.5, but now that my 2 year old DD is into them, DS will play with her sometimes.

If I had the room, I think a Nilo table would have been nice. We do love the trundles on our Kidkraft...one side is most of the train stuff (a few big destinations don't fit for us) and one side is mostly unit blocks.

Ours doesn't collect a ton of clutter surprisingly. The top is scratched up, etc. but no one seems to care here.

[Mikey0709]

I have to say at big/bulky as it is... it has been a train table, lego table, geotrax table, little people table, CLIMBING table... and so on. We have had it for 4+ years and it was the one sold at Christmas from BJ's wholesale (i think it was approx $129?). I had been repaired MULTIPLE times... i'm about to move it to the basement since it's wobbling again - screws are stripped... the "street scene" on the tabletop is so faded from being cleaned 1000 times..... BUT I CAN"T SEEM TO GET RID OF IT because it is still used so often. I'm thinking of the PB Kids activity table, or the Land of Nod table.... something a step up for my living room. I just prefer the kids play on the table rather than the floor - where i seem to step on things.

[kcimato]

Nilo train table fan here too. I bought this for my grandson 2 years ago when he was 2. It was first used as a train table and now that that phase is done he uses it for all his toys. Some days it is covered with legos , building black or magnatiles. He has the stool and my DD sits and plays with him. She has him put all of the toys away in the storage bins at night.

[KrisM]

We have the Kidkraft one, no trundles. It was a train table and now holds marble runs in DS1's room. I expect it to be in the playroom again for trains again next year for DS2. It's really been great. We have dishpans that fit underneath, so it's great for organization.

[lzolandz]

I had been debating on the train table too and was planning on purchasing one around xmas... until I found the Ikea Lack coffee table. It is about 46"x30" and has a shelf underneath, and the best part is its only $40.

[neeter]

We have had the PBKids one for about 4 years --- LOVE it. Its where a coffee table would be (between two couches), and works well in our room. We got a mat to cover it and that has helped keep the top in great shape (its a watercolor-esque scene with lakes, rivers, etc etc). The trundles below are great for toys and books. My kids use it for trains, but for some much more as well (grocery store, legos, desk, etc). Its a great piece of furniture and really well made. I'm always amazed how the trundles are just high enough off the ground for little feet to fit right under so the drawers don't hit them when being pulled out.

[christiedavid3]

Great thread. My parents want to get DS a train table for Xmas and were looking at the TRU Imaginarium....we'll have to reconsider that now.

I'm going to keep an eye out at Costco for the KidKraft. I remember seeing these every year around the holidays.

[daniele_ut]

I'm going to keep an eye out at Costco for the KidKraft. I remember seeing these every year around the holidays.

I saw it at our Costco the other day. It is black this year, with one large trundle that is divided and I think it was around $150.

[christiedavid3]

I saw the black KidKraft table on the Costco site today and thought it looked really nice, almost like a piece of furniture w/ a train on top!

[kijip]

It served it's purpose. We have the trundle one that fit under the bed and yes, he soon made tracks too big for it, he would use risers and just build off the edge. It was a nice place to store the train cars, though it has less storage than it should. It allowed us to have a train table, which he really wanted, in a small apartment. I am sure it will come in handy if F turns out to like trains.

This is the one:

http://www.mytoybox.com/LC99610A.html