I need wheels

March 24, 2008 1:39 PM

I'd like to buy my one year old nephew some Plan City cars for his birthday - will he choke to death?

The website lists the cars as being for kids 3 +, but is that just overkill and do you think he can safely play with them? he loves things with wheels
I've also looked at the sorting bus they have that is for 24 month olds, and that looks harmless. but the toy sorting part might be a little advanced for him. I really want to get him something great but I am not finding it, so any great ideas are welcome. His favorite gift from Santa was a Pat Pat Rocket that lit up and played music and that had plastic wheels - no signs of him choking.
I might get him some nice toy animals from Schleich also.

posted by chickaboo to human relations (9 comments total)

Ask the parents. I would think that they are 3 and up because of the wheels and other parts that could come off and become a choking hazard. You nephew will with teathing soon (if not already) and EVERYTHING goes into the mouth.
posted by Doohickie at 1:43 PM on March 24

One year old may be too young. At 1yo, my son couldn't be depended on not to put stuff in his mouth. It's just a hassle for a caregiver to have to watch so closely and then be the bad guy and take things away. We have the Plan City garage with cars and some trucks, and those wheels are quite little (about half the size of an earplug). It really depends on the kid (is he totally uninterested in mouthing stuff?) and the parents. Honestly, for hand-eye coordination at that age I think something bigger like Automoblox (with the "people" reserved for when he's older) will be a lot for fun for the little guy. The Schleich animals also sound good.
posted by cocoagirl at 1:51 PM on March 24

Uh, those age ranges are there for a reason. Don't be a dumb uncle responsible for your beloved nephew's trip to the emergency room.
posted by dhartung at 1:53 PM on March 24

My guess is the 3+ rating is for the Plan City line as a whole, certainly you'd want to keep some of the sets out of the hands and mouths of smaller kids. That said, I'd strongly second the "ask the parents" advice, and/or take advantage of the astoundingly large selection of age-appropriate toys available these days.

As the parent of an 11-month-old, I'd (while it might make me feel a bit silly and overprotective) probably not let my son play with these, just from a "why not be safe" standpoint. He really does try to put everything in his mouth - much more so than his big sister did at this stage -
posted by jalexei at 2:00 PM on March 24

They are pretty small, and a little fiddly, coordination-wise, even for my 18-monther (he plays with his brother's). If you want to get him an heirloom, how about a Playsam Streamliner Classic (the one without the people, which are also pretty small)?
posted by iscatter at 2:44 PM on March 24

little wooden cars from Bajo, are rated 1+. (search around that site to see all the varieties and colors of cars)

alligator or snail, or many wheeled clown guy, rated for 1.5 yrs
posted by LobsterMitten at 3:30 PM on March 24

I would avoid buying Plan City for a one-year-old. For one thing, the cars, etc, are too small (and therefore too dangerous) for a one-year-old.

Secondly, Plan City looks to be pretty expensive, and there's no way your nephew will play with the toys as they were meant to be played with (I found this out the hard way), and the toys will sit gathering dust, and will probably be given away.
posted by KokuRyu at 4:35 PM on March 24

I make it a rule to never give gifts to children who are younger than the age on the box. Parents (and I am one) usually prefer this, unless they have explicitly asked for the toy. (And, even then, do you want to be the person who provided the choking hazard?) My child has recently had two Tonka cars lose parts -- and they're supposed to be Tonka Tough. Trust nothing.

For wooden cars, you might like something like Bajo.

If you are open to plastic, Fisher Price has a wide range of vehicle sets that your nephew can use for the next few years. But this depends on whether you are okay with plastic. (Note that some of those wooden toy manufacturers provide little info about the lacquers and paints they use...and that they may not publicize recalls as effectively.)
posted by acoutu at 9:06 PM on March 24

I bought these from Melissa & Doug - thanks everyone
posted by chickaboo at 5:21 AM on March 25