I am torn in reviewing this toy. Here's why: The toy is definitely well-made, will not come apart, will not break unless subjected to massive violence. It definitely builds motor skills, hand-eye-coordination, and even thinking skills--as deciding which colors should be up or down or evenly matched in height requires some intricate choice and physical application. So, the toy is a great toy!
But . . .
You are basically giving your child a miniature of Thor's hammer. Not a hollow plastic hammer, mind you. No, no. This is a toddler weapon the great god of thunder would approve of. Two solid wooden pieces held together very well. The head of the hammer is sculpted to allow attacks from many interesting angles. Great for the toy. Not so great if your little one might decide to go "a-viking" during a playgroup, family get-together, or school function.
Like the mighty Mjolner, this hammer throws well, flies fast and far, and can kill the mightiest of trolls. Or televisions. Or PC's. Or Grandma.
So . . . the only reason I take a star off is because of the deadly weapon that comes with this awesome toy. Maybe it should have been fastened by a cable to the toy, Melissa & Doug? It's not cool that parents have to do this thinking for you. But we love Grandma. Having our toddler turned Thor send her to the hospital is not our idea of fun.
If your child is meek and kind and dependably non-violent, go for it. GREAT TOY! If your little one may just be a conqueror of lands reincarnated into this tiny body, please beware the hammer!
First let me start by saying I generally love all Melissa and Dog toys. They are simple, great quality products. I had been thinking about getting some sort of peg-pounding device for some time and figured approaching 2.5 years old was probably a good time - especially since my son is currently intent on "fixing" everything in the house (including the dogs and myself) by beating them with plastic wrenches and screwdrivers.
I've seen so many of these toys where the pegs go through too easily (so really what's the point) or are just about impossible to pound down (requiring the child to "practice" by hitting it harder and harder and harder - thereby developing a sense that full strength is needed for every endeavor and endangering the health and lives of all living and non-living things crossing their path). These go down pretty easily but the mechanism that keeps the pegs always attached to the bench at least creates a little resistance - making it "just right"
Now, when I decided to purchase the toy, I thought the idea of keeping the pegs attached to the bench was a fabulous idea. I am an older parent and the little one doesn't understand that I have to bend much farther to pick up the 43 billion toys that inevitably end up just under the couch, the radiators, the cabinets, etc. I was looking forward to keeping this particular device all together all of the time. And then we get the toy. When you pound down a peg on one side, the opposite peg pokes it's little face up. Once I actually experienced the toy - I panicked. There was no way he is going to enjoy this! How frustrating - You can never pound all of the pegs down! How is he going to take out his frustration? Will this very solid wooden toy be thrown across the room, shattering windows, cracking skulls? Am I dooming him to a life of suffering - creating a young Sisyphus? Depriving him of any hope for the future? Any chance for success? Only time will tell.
We've had it for a few days now and he absolutely loves it, he gets to pound down four colored smiley faced pegs and then, magically, there are four more different colors to pound. He calls it his "work tool bench" and as soon as he wakes up he asks to go downstairs and play with it.
I leave him to it and go in another room - It's too stressful for me ;)
My 20 mo old sits and plays with this thing often. He doesn't like the hammer too much, so instead he pushes the pieces down one by one with his hands. He laughs when the opposite side pieces pop up.
I'm glad the pieces don't come out of the little wood table, so no pieces to pick up at the end of the day. It looks sturdy enough to last even though the pieces are plastic. My son has dropped the table so many times and it still looks new. This is one of the toys I use to teach my son colors and counting. Since my son is happy with this toy, I am happy too.
I got this for my son for his first birthday and he LOVES it. The pegs don't come out, which is one of the main reasons I bought this thing, the last thing I need is to step on another stupid little toy thing. The pegs, the top and the sides are all made of wood, and the underside is made of plastic. The plastic is like a seesaw underneath so the pegs pop-up when they get bopped with the hammer. The hammer is made of wood, so even if the little isn't exactly strong enough to hit them hard, the hammer will do some of the work. BUT...a warning to any parents of a babe like mine, who will bang everything together, the hammer is also super good at hitting the mirror and making horrible promises to one day smash into a million bits...
Good Luck Everyone!
*Let me know if this review was helpful!*
My 2 yr old got this for X-mas, and he LOVES it! The "gears" that pop the pegs up on the other side is an EXCELLENT feature. This pounding bench can take a beating and it entertains him for a decent amount of time before he's off to some other toy. It's solid wood and very sturdy. It can take all the abuse a rough and tough toddler can dish out. It's been beat on, tossed around, and thrown to the ground and it's still in one peice. Melissa and Doug make some of the best toys available. Their toys are simple but still fun for kids, and they are always well made and high quality. I'm very pleased with this toy and would recommend it to anyone with a little one that likes to bang on things. TIP: The hammer will leave marks on wooden surfaces, little half moon rivets. It's best if used on a mat or non wooden hard surface. We learned this the hard way...
Feature Product
- Melissa & Doug
- CLASSIC POUNDING TOY: The Deluxe Pounding Bench Wooden Toy with Mallet is a classic pounding toy with a design twist. As the colorful, non-removable pegs on the bench go up and down, they play peekaboo, taking turns showing their friendly smiles.
- HELPS DEVELOP FINE MOTOR SKILLS: Our pounding bench is an exceptional learning toy that helps children practice fine motor skills. The action of the pegs helps children name the colors and provides an effective, hands-on, screen-free play option.
- DURABLE WOODEN CONSTRUCTION: This wooden toy set with mallet is made from high-quality materials. The built-in pegs are non-removable, and each component is made from solid wood - for superior strength and longevity.
- GREAT GIFT FOR 2 TO 4 YEARS: The Melissa & Doug Deluxe Pounding Bench Wooden Toy makes a great gift for kids ages 2 to 4 years. Add the Melissa & Doug Wooden Latches Board to round out the developmental play and learning experience.
- "THE GOLD STANDARD IN CHILDHOOD PLAY": For more than 30 years, Melissa & Doug has created beautifully designed imagination- and creativity-sparking products that NBC News calls "the gold standard in early childhood play."
Description
100% HAPPINESS GUARANTEE: We design every toy to the highest-quality standards, and to nurture minds and hearts. If your child is not inspired, give us a call and we'll make it right. Our phone number is on every product!
This pounding bench has been a welcome addition to our sons sensory toys.
As with all M&D toys, this is a great, quality toy. The wood is smooth with no worries of splintering. The painted pegs are vibrantly painted with cute little smily faces.
Perfect choice for those little ones who like this type of pounding toy, likes to make noise or loves the cause and effect of the push=pop reaction.
My 1 year old niece got a rainfall of new toys this Christmas, each more impressive, colorful, and noisy than the one before it.
I was a little nervous this toy would look boring next to all the vtech and Little Einstein cool toys she got. To my surprise, she wasn't even done opening the rest of her presents when she became mesmerized by the simple mechanism in this toy! She didn't quite know how to handle the little mallet, but she loved pushing the little pegs with her finger! Hours (practically years in toddler time) of fun were had with this toy over the Holidays. 5 Stars!
The colors are vibrant and eye catching and the mallet is easy for my child to grasp. This has provided entertainment for my child who is now sixteen moths for about 10 to 15 minutes at a time which is saying something because he usually loses interest in something in about five minutes. I like that even after having the product for about six months now that it hasn't chipped or broken in anyway and is completely durable. I can say that I am pleasently surprised because my child loves to chew on things and non of the paint has even come off. The pendulum motion of the little faces is nice because I love seeing him try to get all of them down and the opposite side will come up he has even tried holding both of them down at the same time to no avail. He does use his hands more often than the mallet but he does try to use it on occasion.
This toy is engaging for children who are interested in exploring cause and effect. Though it has some plastic parts, it is still sturdy wood construction. The bold but not primary colors and face painted on each peg are great details. My one complaint is the noise of the toy. Though some sound is a realistic effect and of interest to kids, there is noise not only from the wood hammer on the wood pegs, but from the plastic piece underneath knocking up the peg on the opposite side and (if hit hard enough) the peg hitting the bottom of the wooden board until it stops. I use this in a classroom for young children and added foam pieces to the mallet, plastic, and underside of each peg but think Melissa and Doug could craft a better solution!
After researching the latest recommendations for children's toys, I selected this Melissa & Doug Deluxe Pounding Bench. What I like about this pounding set, is that the nails are fixed to the unit, which prevents the possibility of losing pieces. I gave this toy to my nephew for his 1st birthday. It has been a few weeks since he got this toy, and he still loves to hammer on the nails for minutes at a time. After days of constant use, there are no visible signs of damage yet. The handle on the hammer seems narrow in my nephews hand which makes it had for him to hold onto, but he is also a smaller than most children that would play with this toy.