Can We Talk About Things NOT To Buy??

[misspollywog]

I don't know about you all, but I usually am very good about researching things online before I buy them. However, I was in Toys R Us the other day and found a lego table I thought would be perfect so I popped for it without doing my homework.

Ugh. BAD MOVE!!

It was so flimsy and it came with 100 "lego type blocks" which did NOT stay on the table top like they were supposed to. Also, on the box, it showed the big duplo-like blocks, but the ones it came with were tiny (hello, choking hazard!). Regular legos won't work with it either.

I'm so mad now and have to drive 20 miles back to Toys R Us to return it. Grrrr.

What items have you bought and had to return? I thought maybe we could help each other avoid BAD BUYS for our dcs.

Here's the link to the lego table you should NOT buy :

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3331903

(I'd like to think I got a defective one, but after reading the online reviews, well...)

[Zoe]

My husband built a lego table and we bought the Imaginarium wooden train set. Wonderful! I'm trying to think of stuff I bought that was flimsy/crappy. Hmmm.....

For those who do dollhouses, I've read that the Barbie brand ones are AWFUL! Think wobbly plastic that breaks right away. Better off (again) with a wooden one. That's all I can think of right now!

[misspollywog]

My husband built a lego table and we bought the Imaginarium wooden train set. Wonderful! I'm trying to think of stuff I bought that was flimsy/crappy. Hmmm.....

For those who do dollhouses, I've read that the Barbie brand ones are AWFUL! Think wobbly plastic that breaks right away. Better off (again) with a wooden one. That's all I can think of right now!

Oooh! I bet if I asked the hubs he'd make me one, too! Men are so handy, I swear. ::

I agree on the dollhouse thing. We have a wooden one now and it is awesomely durable compared to the plastic one we had before.

[Zoe]

Oooh! I bet if I asked the hubs he'd make me one, too! Men are so handy, I swear. ::

I agree on the dollhouse thing. We have a wooden one now and it is awesomely durable compared to the plastic one we had before.

I don't know what I would do without my Renaissance Man/Mr. Fix-it! DH is fixing the seal on our toilet right now and will be patching the hole in the ceiling caused by the leak. Then when he's done, he's going to make a lid for our sandbox so leaves/snow/the dog won't get into it! ::

It's a very simple design for our train table, it's just a square table big enough to make an awesome train track design with a slight lip around it so things don't fly off. Oh. And a sliding drawer for all the stuff. Love that guy!

[nannyde]

Melissa and Doug kitchen

The worst toy buying mistake of my career.

I bought it in 2008 and I'm still mad about it. Don't get me started ::

Pro's: Square with flat shelves. It accomodates the wooden bins I have for the Melissa and Doug fake food.

Cons: It's a total piece of crap materials. Hinges ****, nails ****, plexiglass ****s, takes for bloody EVER to put together.

I bought it without seeing it because it looked SO nice in the catalog. HUGE mistake.

I love their products. I have a ton of their puzzles, their fake food is awesome... but the kitchen is a HEAP. I bought a little tykes country kitchen when I first started doing care and it STILL is in perfect condition. This one started falling apart within a few months.

I've already had my neighbor come over and help me replace out the nails and repair the plexiglass door. The hinges **** SO BAD but I can't find replacements that fit it.

It's a total heap and frankly I wish you wouldn't have brought it up....

[misspollywog]

Melissa and Doug kitchen

The worst toy buying mistake of my career.

I bought it in 2008 and I'm still mad about it. Don't get me started ::

It's a total heap and frankly I wish you wouldn't have brought it up....

:: BUT I NEEDED TO KNOW AND NOW I DOOO! ::

To get your mind off of it, look who's at the watering hole!



Do they have coyotes in Africa? A jackal maybe? I honestly don't know but he's cute .

AND... the other day we watched this guy for over an hour:

[Michelle]

Don't buy any play food that is made of paper boxes!
They look good in the package but get destroyed in a day.

Also, those cheap folding doll strollers from toys r us, they fall apart, and pinch the kids hands.

I only buy Little tykes, and step 2 now.

[countrymom]

right now I can think off, is the stupid hot wheels that comes with a million pieces. Sure it looks so neat till you try and set it up ( and I mean try) I'm pretty picky now with toys, I like little tykes (good customer service) fisher price, step 2, leapster. I now look at how durable something is and can my kids break it and what is the customer service.
acually matel is pretty good too.

[countrymom]

note to self, must call step 2 for replacement parts

[misspollywog]

I only buy Little tykes, and step 2 now.

DITTO! Their stuff would live through a nuclear holocaust, I swear!!

Also, I won't be buying these wall play thingies again anytime soon: http://www.wallies.com/play-house-pr...p?page_id=1069

They are really cute on the wall but not very durable. If they made them to where each piece wasn't cut out but rather printed on a clear, circular background so they didn't break so easily...

At least I bought them on sale so it cost me half price to learn that lesson.

[Danielle]

We have that table! Legos (my son plays with them after daycare hours) and Duplos don't stick tightly on it but it doesn't seem to bother the kids. I love that it doubles as a regular table.

We also have a Melissa and Doug kitchen. We even bought it second hand. It's holding up great. It's just huge!

A tip for paper boxes for kitchens, cover them in packing tape. They last a lot longer. I'm actually starting to save real food containers for the kids to use in the kitchen...juice jugs, yogurt containers, pasta boxes, ect. Then if they do get messed up, oh well, it didn't cost me anything.

[DaycareMama]

any matchbox car other then matchbox brand is a waste