Train Sets for 3 yo - need guidance

[Cindy's Mom]

I need a bit a assistance, our DS 3.5 yo loves trains - Santa is thinking about getting him a train set, but Santa knows NOTHING about trains. We would like for him to have a nice train set that is age appropriate for now, but something that we could build upon. Is it realistic to think we could get something to start for under $100? What brand? Is Lionel the only one. Like I said, any guidance would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[tiggersmom2]

I need a bit a assistance, our DS 3.5 yo loves trains - Santa is thinking about getting him a train set, but Santa knows NOTHING about trains. We would like for him to have a nice train set that is age appropriate for now, but something that we could build upon. Is it realistic to think we could get something to start for under $100? What brand? Is Lionel the only one. Like I said, any guidance would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Toys R Us had a huge train set (Imagestation) with table on sale for 129.00. I think it is a great deal and it is similar to the Thomas the Train sets.

 

[ntburns22]

Geotrax are great! My kids love'em.

 

[pattyT]

I don't remember the exact price -
but I got our table and starter train set at BJ's
and it was reasonable
and all the pieces interlock and work well with the Thomas ones...

(we started with the Thomas figure 8 set for $40 but then spent another $300 on pieces before we found the deal at BJ's)

 

[ChrisnSteph]

My sons really love the Geotrax by Fisher Price. You can buy different sets and accessories, and it's durable and age appropriate. My dh enjoys getting on the floor with our sons and playing with it!

 

[Cindy's Mom]

My concern is that he will "grow out" of them. That's why we were kinda thinking of getting adult train starter kits. What do you think?

 

[momo3hods]

My 3 1/2 year old loves his Geotrax trains. He plays with them more now than ever and his 5 1/2 year old sister plays too. There are so many accessories you can't get 'bored' with it and the track is easy to put together and it stays together.

 

[Bob Slydell]

My concern is that he will "grow out" of them. That's why we were kinda thinking of getting adult train starter kits. What do you think?

Are you looking for something he'll play with or have as a hobby?

As far as toys go, I agree with the others that GeoTrax is the way to go. If you're looking for this to be something that he'll have for a lifetime, then buy him the beginner Lionel set. Honestly, I think 3 is too young to start a hobby like trains, but if it's something that your son and his dad are going to do together, that could be fun.

 

[cardaway]

As far as toys go, I agree with the others that GeoTrax is the way to go. If you're looking for this to be something that he'll have for a lifetime, then buy him the beginner Lionel set. Honestly, I think 3 is too young to start a hobby like trains, but if it's something that your son and his dad are going to do together, that could be fun.

As long as an adult will always be around, you can go with the Lionel. Otherwise I think a 3yo is way to young to be around Lionel sets. The amount of power, and the way it is distributed, is way too much for a 3yo to handle safely.

edited typos

 

[Bob Slydell]

As long as an adult will always be around you can with the Lionel. Otherwise I think a 3yo is way to young to be around Lionel sets. The amount of power and the way it is distributed in way too much for a 3yo to handle safely.

ITA My son got the Lionel set last year for Christmas from a family friend (he was 4). We'll only let him play with it if we're around and without a permanent place to set it up yet (it's too big for his play train table), we only set it up every now and then.

Sometime soon, I hope to set up a permanent train table (basically a sheet of plywood covered with green felt) and make it an ongoing project.

 

[ChrisnSteph]

My concern is that he will "grow out" of them. That's why we were kinda thinking of getting adult train starter kits. What do you think?

I think 3 is much too young for a starter adult train set. I would go with something that he can play with and that's durable enough for a child his age. The geotrax are great for kids up to 6, so it would last him a while.

 

[cardaway]

ITA My son got the Lionel set last year for Christmas from a family friend (he was 4). We'll only let him play with it if we're around and without a permanent place to set it up yet (it's too big for his play train table), we only set it up every now and then.

Exactly. I can imagine a child wanting both. A battery operated toy he/she can play with all the time AND and a Lionel hobby set that mommy/daddy helps set up and supervise.

The Lionel sets can be a huge WOW deal for the kids, they love playing with the controls, but they should never be left alone with it.

 

[cardaway]

Sometime soon, I hope to set up a permanent train table (basically a sheet of plywood covered with green felt) and make it an ongoing project.

Be careful of synthetic and highly flammable fabrics. IMO people shoud stick to the stuff the hobby stores sell as ground cover.

 

[Bob Slydell]

Thanks for the tip, Mike. I haven't started putting the table together yet, so I'll make sure to get the material from a hobby store.

 

[becka]

We got DS started with Geotrax last year for Christmas when he was 2.5 and he LOVES it. We have really started to build on and he has gotten so many hours of play out of it. I like that it is easy enough for him to put together and I don't have to worry about how rough he will be with it. It is has been money well spent. When he gets older and starts to outgrow his Geotraxs then we will look at hobby trains at that time.

 

[Cindy's Mom]

We got DS started with Geotrax last year for Christmas when he was 2.5 and he LOVES it. We have really started to build on and he has gotten so many hours of play out of it. I like that it is easy enough for him to put together and I don't have to worry about how rough he will be with it. It is has been money well spent. When he gets older and starts to outgrow his Geotraxs then we will look at hobby trains at that time.

What pieces did you start with, I'm looking at amazon and I'm not seeing a starter set. Any suggestions?

 

[Bob Slydell]

I believe there's 4 or 5 main sets (they're all interconnectable). Any of those would be a good start, along with maybe some accessories. Just make sure you get one with a controller (they're color coded with the set) -- that's the best part about the toy for kids, being able to use the controller to make the trains move.

 

[kldmom2000]

My 3 yr old DD loves trains and got her sister's Thomas hand-me-down set last year to play with and for Christmas last year got the Geotrax set. She likes them both.... we got her the train table from BJ's this year that Santa will be bringing (no idea where it's gonna go though!LOL!) It's compatible with the Thomas wooden set we already have, so she'll have lots of options! GL!

 

[cardaway]

This appears to be the starter set I've seen around and it does come with the basics including controller.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t.../104-0727299-0733566?v=glance&s=toys&n=507846

Now why couldn't things be this cool when I was in pre-school.

 

[Bob Slydell]

Now why couldn't things be this cool when I was in pre-school.

This is why I'm glad we had boys!

We're all still playing with DS' ESPN GameCenter (it's like Pop-a-shot basketball, plus other sports) from last Christmas.