Review on Janje Montessori Toddler Busy Board - Wooden Activity Toy for Gross & Fine Motor Skills, Cognitive Growth, Language Development - Safe & Calming Sensory Boards - Travel Busy Toy by Jennifer Brown

Fifty dollars is a huge price, so my standards for this toy are high. My grandchildren love this toy and we have to make sure they take turns walking or they will fight over it. So far, so good. There are tasks of different levels of difficulty, there are things that a child of almost 4 has not yet mastered, but a child of two is enough to become interested. But here are my complaints. The lock and key are too small to be safe for this age group. I took them off and put them away. A bigger key with a lock is better but I still want the key to be attached to the board or it will be lost in a few days. Parts of the mold can be easily lost and this isn't suitable for a car unless you like crawling under seats and looking for lost items. Finally, the gears appear to be very thin. I'm afraid they'll break soon, but we'll see. I like the wooden door but there is nothing behind it. So I plan to finish this toy to be what it should be and could be. On the back I glue another layer of thin board and insert a laminated picture that is behind the door when you open it. I ordered laces and plan to attach the shapes, oversized wrench and screw to the board with relatively short laces - too short to choke, but long enough to be usable. So I'll finish. I have a great toy for my grandchildren that they will continue to enjoy when they are in my home, but I wish it arrived in this condition rather than having to make these modifications to make it safe and useful. Photos will come when I'm done.