Best Wooden Toys and Playroom Furniture?

My daughter (2.5) also loves her Melissa and Doug wooden play food and puzzles. I thought I'd also mention that Amazon has a large selection of wooden toys - if you search "wooden toys" you'll get something like 15,000 results, but then on the sidebar you can narrow it down by age range, brand, department (educational, arts and crafts, puzzles, etc), and more.

Lakeshore learning for the furniture...http://www.lakeshorelearning.com/seo/ca|productSubCat~~p|...

They sell to day cares and schools, and also have some good basic manipulatives and other toys.

Here's another online resource: http://www.bellalunatoys.com/

And my sister-in-law always finds nice things for my kids at the Children's Museum of San Jose and Hicklebee's, also in San Jose.

I love Plan Toys, we have a number of the city components and they have been a lot of fun over the years. We also do trains with wooden tracks, but not necessarily Thomas. There are a number that are lots of fun.

We also have Quadrilla Twist Marble Maze Wooden Toy and love it. We are just getting to the point where my six year old can set it up himself, but it was a blast earlier we just had to help with the set up.

This is "big time" play area furniture... but check out Cedarworks.com for indoor playsets (Rhapsody), playroom furniture, and playbeds. We have a Rhapsody set and absolutely love it--makes for awesome playdates.

Cedar Works is American-made in Maine from white cedar. Their outdoor playsets never splinter and never need to be stained.

Melissa & Doug toys are wooden and very nice quality. I have seen them in upscale toy stores and also places like Carter's and Kohls. I really like www.fatbraintoys.com You can shop by age so you know the toys are developmentally appropriate. Everything they have is educationally-based, well made and the prices are pretty reasonable.
KidKraft also makes sturdy toys. We purchased a pink, wooden kitchen set for my 2 year old daughter for Christmas and it has held up nicely.
My favorite furniture is from Pottery Barn, but they can be $$$. Still the craftsmanship of their items is solid and well crafted so it tends to last longer than other furniture that is out there. Hope this helps!
A.

I haven't read the other answers, so forgive me if I am repeating, but Melissa and Doug are my favorite. They are handmade and painted. We have a ton and then hold up very well.

Melissa & Doug and IKEA. Safe and well made. Good luck!!

Haba toys and oompa.com are great places to look.

I sell Discovery Toys and we have a few excellent wooden toys. You can view all of them at http://www.discoverytoyslink.com/karenchao Search for:
1. Build It (a great set of wooden blocks)

2. Playtown Restaurant / Playtown School / Playtown Pet Hospital - these are on sale through the month of July. Each one is like a small wooden house with a bunch of pieces surrounding the theme. They are great for pretend play, expanding language and creativity, and are fun for both boys and girls - only $22.50 each in July (regular price is $35 each, so it's a great savings)

3. Caterpillar Shape Sorter - fun wooden puzzle / block set for younger toddlers

4. Tree Puzzle - wooden puzzle / block set for older toddlers and preschoolers

All Discovery Toys are high quality and they come with a lifetime warranty! We have many other products on sale this month too and opportunities to get your toys free. Contact me for details or shop at http://www.discoverytoyslink.com/karenchao

Thank you!
K.

I also try to buy wooden toys because they are much more durable and I can hand them down to my nieces and nephews. I also love the look of wooden toys that gives them timeless vintage appeal.

I think that the best option is to buy online. I live in SF so there are quite a few stores such as http://www.thearktoys.com/.Also, Ikea has some really great wooden toys, but not sure if there is one near you.

Some of my daughter's faves are the wooden food from Melissa and Doug as well as their magnetic dress up dolls. There is also a wooden pull dog that she had since she was 9 months old and still loves to play with it, she is now 4.5 yrs! Sorry, couldn't find it online. Another favorite brand is Plan Toys http://www.thefind.com/family/info-plan-toys my daughter loves the drumset from them. Love that Plan toys are made from rubbertree wood, a renwable and fast growing tree, leftover from the rubber tree plantations formerly used for rubber/latex. They also have eco-friendly socially responsible manufacturing practices. There are more and more stores are carrying this brand these days.

Hope that is helpful!

hearthsong.com, great wooden toys and more :)
Ikea has the BEST playroom furniture, cheap and durable. You can't order online but there's one in Emeryville and Palo Alto, totally worth the drive!

My kids (and I) love anything by Haba and Plan Toys. The Plan dollhouse and heliport are fantastic. Haba has fantastic wooden fruits and vegetables for a play kitchen. We also have a Melissa and Doug train set. No need to spend Brio money for wooden trains.

I find wooden toys at www.oompa.com, www.mookla.com, and Amazon.

I've gotten wooden furniture (craft table, rocking chairs) from Amazon. The brand is KidKraft. It's acceptable quality, but if you're willing to spend ,ore, Pottery Barn has fantastic kids furniture. I love their craft tables and huge shelving sets.