Curating our first train set (and not spending a million dollars on a brio set ;)

Wow, who knew there were so many train sets out there (for so much money)?

When my son was around 12 months old, we observed his growing obsession for trains, so we wanted to begin building his first set. So, the googling, Claude-asking commenced... and my god, I am constantly amazed at how much time a search like this can consume... when I should be sleeping. Or moving my body. Or doing something that isn't reading reviews on the internet.

Anyway... I hope I can save you some headache and am here to share with you what I ended up with, why, and how it's all working out.

I wanted:

• something that could grow with him.

• the first set to avoid overwhelm and encourage independent play.

• something very good quality that would last.

Here's exactly what I bought and how we grew the set:

1. Started with the Hape Figure 8 Safety Train Railway Set

   1. This was a perfect way to start. We put the smaller figures away for later, but he absolutely loved learning how to push the trains on this track. We used it alone for about a month and helped him learn how to simply push the car on the track. It was fascinating watching him learn this skill! I think starting so simply (as you see in the picture) was absolutely key to helping avoid overwhelm (which was likely to have happened with a big set and a bunch of trains or scenery) and helping him learn to play with this independently quickly. After just a few days of showing him how it worked, he was ready to explore on his own.

2. Next, we got more trains and a bridge! My mom bought him the LILLABO3-piece train set and it was (and still is) a HUGE hit. He loves taking the trains apart and reconfiguring the pieces on top. She also got him this 5-piece IKEA bridge set and for a while, he loved practicing pushing his trains only through the bridge... no other tracks needed. 😆 Side note: Ikea has some AMAZING children's toys, for WAY less than other brands. I have been very impressed with the quality, too!

3. Then, by the time he was about 15 months, we knew he was ready for more actual track. He was getting much better at pushing the trains along the track and keeping them on course. And.... my husband was ready to design more complex systems. ha! So, we got the IKEA 50-piece track set - it's very inexpensive and it has been perfect. (We actually got it 50% off which seems they do frequently... for $13...)

4. FYI: We store the train tracks in this basket and all of the above pieces fit.

Train Set Curation: The most important things I learned

• Focus on simplicity and helping him learn the very basics of pushing one or two simple cars around the track first.

• Contrary to immediate assumption, IKEA is not only a place to get a couch.... it's a wonderful option for train sets!

• This was another reminder to start small while focusing on long-term use! Everything we bought at the beginning he can still use for many, many years... win!

♡