Train set and table an instant hit with your kids?

[ExcitedMamma]

I thought a train set and table would be a major hit with DS. He's always loved playing with them in toy stores and at the place where he gets haircuts but it's a loser! We've had it for a few weeks now and it's largely ignored. He will sometimes rip the track apart or play with a few trains on the floor but that's about it. I really wanted and needed his to be hit since in the 3rd trimester now and very low on energy and was really hoping this would help keep him entertained now after the baby comes. Was your train set an instant hit or did your DC have to warm up to it? At what age was it a hit? If you helped them warm up to it what do you recommend?

[SnuggleBuggles]

Ds1 never liked the wooden trains at home though loved them when out. Sorry! Geotrax were more appealing to him.

[hillview]

Ds1 never liked the wooden trains at home though loved them when out. Sorry! Geotrax were more appealing to him.

:yeahthat:to some degree. That said the sure tracks were great for the wooden ones. I almost GLUED them at one point (like they do at toy stores).

[kaharris83]

DS is hot and cold with his train set and table. Lately he has been really into it though. It sat untouched for a few months when we first set it up. We really had to play with him to get him interested in it and from there he started playing with it on his own.

[twowhat?]

Our wooden one from Costco is a major miss. It collects dust. I'm hoping the girls will play with it when they're older but for now - big disappointment (along with the dollhouse!).

eta: they played with it for the first few days (novelty) but then once the novelty wore off they have barely touched it. And they go wild over train sets at the mall, etc. Grrrr.

[citymama]

My DD2 loves her Plan Toys wooden train set she got for her bday and the plastic thomas railway set we inherited. She is not quite able to set them up but helps and plays with them for long stretches of time. They were an instant hit, I assume because of the novelty factor. She likes things that go!

[roseyloxs]

Yes. Trains were an instant hit with ds. If you or your dh is handy you can try this diy to make your table do double duty.

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/convert-a-train-table-to-a-lig-163132

I did it with ours and its awesome.

[wellyes]

2.5 is very young for trains. The fun is setting up tracks and he's just starting to be able to do that (I'm guessing).

For DS (just turned 2), we screwed tracks into a piece of wood for him to play with. That what the tracks are like in toy stores and bookstores. He mostly likes to have his dinosaurs go up and down the track LOL. When he's older, I'm betting he'll be into trains "properly".

[♥ms.pacman♥]

Hmm, sorry it wasn't a hit. I dont' know if it's the age, it could just be your DS isn't into trains as much. Here, a train table/trains was an instant hit with my DS since he was 18 months old (he's now 2.5). We now have two train tables (one large one upstairs, one downstairs in the playroom he got for Christmas), and i would say combined my DS spends 4 hours a day playing with them. We didn't glue anything down...he likes to build tracks himself. He could spend hours by himself laying out tracks, on the table or on the floor. The only bad thing is that DD often wrecks his setups, or he gets frustrated when he can't close a train loop by himself. But for the most part, that's the first thing DS runs to play with in the morning or after his naps, which is great. Today we went to a indoor safari park that had slides, ball pits, etc but DS didn't want to do any of that..he just ran to the train tables and wanted to spend the whole time there (i was a little annoyed, LOL).

I would try glueing down some tracks...maybe that's why your DS likes the ones in the stores better? I guess it depends on the kid. My DS would get frustrated if he couldn't take apart tracks and build them on his own. But I know others like the prebuilt tracks.

[edurnemk]

We got one for DS when he turned 2, he was obsessed with trains since 18 months (specifically Thomas) and it was a hit. He played with it daily for over a year. First we got him a small track set, and he loved it, so then we got the table, mostly since I didn't want the tracks on the floor all the time.

Now it doesn't get as much love but still occasionally plays with it. I, like a PP, almost glued all the tracks together because he went through phases of pulling them all apart and making a mess (and later of course whining that he wanted me to put it back together)

I'm thinking I'll turn it into an activity table or something soon. It's the Imaginarium one from TRU that's compatible with Thomas, but much cheaper.

[larig]

Yes. Trains were an instant hit with ds. If you or your dh is handy you can try this diy to make your table do double duty.

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/convert-a-train-table-to-a-lig-163132

I did it with ours and its awesome.

awesome project!!!

[cuca_]

Our trains and train table were never a huge hit. I think I was more excited about it than my kids. However, I must have odd kids, because they were never into the play kitchen either.

[lizzywednesday]

I bought my DD a "starter set" of trains for Christmas - small, 8-piece oval track, Thomas, Percy and a caboose - and it's been perfect for us. The trains and track pieces go into time-out, however, because she's fond of throwing them.

I thought about a train table (we have the option of one as a hand-me-down) but I don't have the space for it ... plus, the one my nephew has feels really flimsy, so I don't see myself purchasing one any time soon.