Modern kids have so many toys and distractions bombarding them from every direction that it might be difficult to find some that are really worthy of your and their attention. Every parent wants to give their kids toys that will be not only loved and played with, but also useful and educational.

I can really identify with that because while both of my kids are not toddlers anymore, they were 3 year olds seems like just yesterday. While I was raising them wholesomely with long walks in fresh Californian air and feeding them homemade organic foods, I wasn’t always happy with the toys they got from relatives and friends for every occasion. All the plastic and plush toys were enjoyed for just a few days and forgotten, which was a waste of money and space in the playroom.

With time, I discovered that wooden Melissa & Doug toys were not only my favorites, but also loved by kids. They were more natural, educational, hands on, and generating interest for long periods of time.

Eventually I started asking all family members and friends to consider gifting age appropriate Melissa & Doug toys for my toddlers. People gladly complied because who doesn’t love when parents make gift suggestions that they know will be loved by kids?

Eventually I amassed quite a collection of Melissa & Doug toys and then as time went on I gave them all away to my friend’s kids who were reaching the age when they were interested. Ever since my kids were little, I have a soft spot for those toys and can talk about them for hours.

My favorite stores to buy Melissa & Doug toys were Walmart, TJ Maxx, and Barnes & Noble. All three retailers always had a nice selection, good prices, and plenty of extra ways to save.

Walmart

This retail giant knows a thing or two about selling toys, so you know you will find a many of them, especially online. Melissa & Doug toys are categorized, so you can browse based on that or look at everything available in one place, but be aware that there are 25 pages of toys to scroll through.

The fastest and best way to pick a toy, in my opinion, is to go through categories:

• Baby and toddler
• Craft kits
• Learning toys
• Puzzles
• Pretend play

See Walmart Coupons:

• 30% OFF Your Order
• $10 OFF Purchases of $50 or more with code WOWFRESH

TJ Maxx

This store is one of my favorites because of its ever-changing products, including toys. Prices always make me happy too. I visit the store pretty frequently and always stop by toys department to see if I could score something from Melissa & Doug. While selection there was never 25 pages, like at Walmart, many of my favorite toys came from TJ Maxx online.

Barnes & Noble

This is another one of my favorites for toys and books. I could bring my kids there from early age and let them get lost in the world of books and natural toys, like Melissa & Doug. The selection online is not quite like at Walmart, but you still have about 20 pages to look through or you can go by categories:

• Top matches
• Best sellers
• Newest to oldest
• Oldest to newest
• Highly rated
• Price – Low to high
• Price – High to low

Barnes and Noble also offer various discounts and coupon codes that can be found on the top of home page. Some of those discounts can be used on Melissa & Doug toys when available. You can also look for their toys in the Outlet section, but don’t expect to find many, if at all.

See Barnes and Noble Discounts:

• 15% OFF Your First Order
• Free U.S. Shipping on all Orders Over $25

Here is a short list of our favorite toddler Melissa & Doug toys:

• Stack and Sort Board ($17.99) at Walmart – my kids both enjoyed stacking brightly colored shapes for a long time. It was actually kind of fun and calming activity for me too.
• Farm Friends Hand Puppets ($19.95) at B&N – the cute animals are great for imagination and role playing. I think we still have them somewhere after actively enjoying the toy for a long time.

• Pretty Purse Fill and Spill ($24.99) at B&N – we got this as a gift from a friend of ours and my daughter really used the cute cell phone, mirror, wallet, and keys. My son also loved them when his time came 2 years later because at that time he still didn’t care about this toy being too girly.
• Farm Animal Wooden Puzzle, 24 pieces ($18.99) at TJ Maxx – this toy is for 24+ months, but my daughter started playing with it even earlier. I credit this toy for her love of puzzles that lasted for years. At 8 years old she was the best in our family at putting 1,000 piece puzzle, until books took over and puzzles got forgotten.

• Caterpillar Gears ($27.95) at Walmart – this one was my son’s favorite because he was attracted to anything moving right from the start. The toy is easy to work with and gets repetitive after a few times, but it was played with every day for a few minutes for months.
• Standard Unit Solid Wood Building Blocks with wooden storage crate ($69.99) – I say this toy is the best we have ever owned! My kids are 7 and 9 and they still make castles from these blocks and let their LEGO characters, LOLs, Hatchimals, and crystals live in and on those castles. The best investment ever!

• Add & Subtract Abacus ($27.99) at Walmart – this toy was never really used for addition and subtraction purposes, but thanks to bead-like appearance and bright colors, our kids and guests alike loved playing with it.
• Beginner Wooden Pattern Blocks ($20.95) at Walmart – this is a wonderful toy with a few different double sided scenes and plenty of shapes to share for a brother and a sister playing to together. Even though this toy is toddler-friendly, older kids can find it fun too.
• Frolicking frog Pull Toy ($20.95) at TJ Maxx – many toys are long gone from our house, but this frog is proudly displayed on my son’s shelf together with his model planes and trucks. I love the frog, remember how kids used to toddle around dragging it behind them, and would like to save it as their childhood memory.