Fitting a train table in play room

[sethsmom]

Does a train table have to go in the middle of a room or can it go against a wall? I saw one up against a wall in a picture before, but I thought a child had to be able to get to all four sides in order to push the train around. If not, that makes placement MUCH easier...

[sidmand]

Ours is almost against the wall, but with enough room for DS to get by on all four sides (if that makes sense). He's pretty small so there doesn't have to be a lot of room on that fourth side, but if they can't get all the way around, they're going to try to climb across! DS does that now even though he can get all the way around.

Debbie
http://b3.lilypie.com/WT7Im4/.png[/img] (][img)

[kellyotn]

We've had ours in two different rooms. We put it with the narrow end up against the wall. He's been playing with it since he was 2.5-ish and it's been fine. He'll push it as far over as he can reach, then walk around to the other side.

It would have looked nicer with the wide side against the wall, but then a drawer would be covered up, and he would have had a hard time playing with it.

[table4three]

Ours is very close to the wall, but with enough room for him to walk around the table and play with the trains on all sides. Otherwise, he'd be crawling on top of the table to reach them and I didn't want that.


DS - 2
DD - coming this summer!

[wolverine2]

We've got ours against a wall- it is a little hard to reach the back, but honestly, DS's favorite thing to do is sit on the table in the middle of the track and push them around, and I think ours is sturdy enough for that. If you don't want them to climb up on the table, I might bring it out from the wall...

[shilo]

i think it depends on the kiddo and the stage they're at w/ their train play. when we first got DS's nilo at xmas time, he was thrilled with it up against the wall in our LR. he would push the trains along the exposed sides. but it didn't take long for him to get frustrated with that and stop playing with the table. he'd periodically show interest in it, but as soon as he couldn't take the train around the track at the wall, he'd leave it and move it onto something else. but i knew he really wanted to play with the trains b/c he started pulling out track and building lengths on the floor to play with. we started moving the table out away from the wall and he started playing with it again all of the time. but that didn't work well for the traffic pattern in our living room since it stuck out now a fair distance into the 'entrance' to the room. so ours now permanently resides in the center of the room as our coffee table and gets played with multiple times a day.

if you need it on an edge of the room then just pulling it out 10 or 12 inches from the wall should be enough if your kiddo is one that likes to build and play 'in the round'.

hth, lori
Sam 5/19/05 How lucky I am that you chose me.

[hillview]

DS needs his so he can get all the way around it. Agree with PP just a little away from the wall works fine.
HTH
/hillary

[taraalissa]

We've got our train table set in the middle of the room with all sides accessible as well as another table for coloring, playing, etc.

Here's a pic-

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f391/davesmommy/playroom.jpg

[rlu]

DS can only get to 2 sides of ours so he just reaches over. He's around 36" tall though so not a problem for him. We have simple layout, nothing elevated, so he doesn't knock anything over when he reaches.

[tlw]

What kind of "other" table do you have for coloring, etc? I really like it~