Toddler Busy Board,Montessori Toys for 1-3 Year Old,Musical Educational Toys,Learning Toys for Toddlers 1-3,Christmas & Birthday Gift for Kids

I was very hopeful for this busy boards design. Had a good amount of variety, including locks and how to complete a circuit. The tissue pull and street lights so far have been a favorite. Parts of the locks are already breaking off so they aren’t terribly study. Additionally I did have to take a slide lock piece off right away as it was not secured, was basically two beads with a string between them. I didn’t feel that was a safe option for us.

I have never compromised on my reviews when I find safety concerns, I will explain. If it weren't for these issues, it would definitely be a 5 star, it is interesting and sturdy. Now for the safety issues, when I first took it out of the package I noticed the hinge. The thin rod that is holding the hinges in was out about 3/4 of the way and I was able to slide it all the way out in less than 3 seconds. The rod on the other hinge was not sliding out, but there's nothing on either end of either hinge that would prevent it from coming out when you least expect it. So basically, in my opinion, it would be like letting a small child play with a 3 or 4 inch nail, just no head, not only choking but puntures potential. The next big safety issue, is that on the front there's a string with a type of bead on each end. One end goes into the hole slot on the door and the other end goes in the slot next to the door. As soon as I picked up the string, the door end came right out of the slot and then I wiggled the string a little and sure enough the other bead came out of the other slot. These 2 beads are pretty small and are connected by a string a few inches apart, it could be devastating if a small child swallowed the beads and they tangled up inside them. There is one more thing to note, and that's the shoe strings. The strings are thin and theres nothing to hold them in. So, if they do come out, the holes are so small and at an angle that you likely will never get them back in. So, if you want the shoestring, then you need to tie really good knots that won't slip apart in order to keep them in, or do what I did and just remove both and toss them, just like the one for the door with beads. I cant really think of a way to keep the hinge rods in place because they are needed to access the inside, unless you remove those too and just play with pieces separately, I cant give an honest good review of this toy due to the safety issues, and I would not advise to give it to anyone as a gift, who wasn't aware of this review. The only reason it gets 1 stars is because, if you remove all the safety issues and use it in separate pieces, then it would be a decent toy. But, who wants to spend money on something you have to take apart, or throw parts away before allowing it to be played with, or worse, having a small child hurt. Therefore, my bottom line, I do not recommend this toy. I hope this info has been helpful.