10+ BRIO TRAINS Gift Guide 20202 Beginner’s Guide to Buying Wooden Trains! SO HARD TO CHOO-CHOO CHOOSE!

The holidays are here and gift buying is in full swing! I have compiled a great list of my top train picks for 2020 by BRIO trains! 

The number one toy my toddler and son have asked for this year is more train pieces, specifically sets by BRIO. 2020 has been a year full of surprises - from up and downs to twists and turns, and I’m not just talking about our personal dilemmas, I’m talking about trains! Both my sons, ages three and seven, have grown to love playing with trains. Honestly, I never played with trains as a kid, and now that I have two children, I realize now how much I missed out on - the play value and the overall educational value. 

Train play is true hands-on play, and provides a lot of critical thinking, and will make you explore and unlock so much creativity! I am always impressed by what my boys create with their train set-ups, and I am so happy to get a little me time during their playtime, too. 

 

Train sets are a timeless toy and hobby! 

Train sets and their many pieces, buildings, and tracks can also be costly, plus there are hundreds of designs and sets to choose from. The gifting task can be a little daunting. For toddlers and children, I would go with wooden as they are easy to "click" together and many wooden train set brands are compatible with one another. I see train sets more as an investment now rather than just a toy I will end up donating later. 

Train sets, especially wooden train sets, have legacy value and can be handed down generationally, so think of your purchases as being the start of a family heirloom. 

BRIO toddler train sets grow with your children! 

Most train sets are for ages three up, but BRIO has a wonderful line for children as young as 18 months old as there are no small parts, they are brightly colored, and have the same learning and educational benefits. The best part is that you can incorporate these toddler sets by BRIO into play for older kids as the pieces are compatible! 

Brio World 33710 My First Railway is a battery-operated 25-piece wooden train set suitable for little ones as young as 18 months! Brightly colored and battery-powered for a motorized train look, the My First Railway is the best starter set for your little one! I love that BRIO’s high quality also translates into high safety standards, the train cars have hidden magnets to attach to other BRIO trains allowing for ease of use. The magnet is also hidden under a secure cover, and built into the frame to prevent small parts from loosening. The train tracks and archways are Alsop compatible with sets for older kids, so your little one can keep their first train set! This set is on sale for $44.96 on Amazon! Regular price on Amazon $64.99  | Walmart $59.99 18 months and up 

BRIO My First Farm is the perfect toy for curious toddlers! Toddlers will be able to hone their fine-motor skills when connecting each wooden rail piece. Each animal can take a ride on the train and then hop off to the farm meadow where they nestle in the base to sound off three distinct animal sounds. The animals are chunky wooden pieces that are easily distinguishable by look and sounds, plus very easy to hold for little hands (starting at ages 18 months and up). My First Farm is a wonderful teaching tool as well as a busy toy. Connect the My First Farm set to other BRIO World products where the fun continues and imagination flourishes. BRIO products provide a great starter to pretend play and mix educational time with playtime. BRIO, Amazon $59.99 18 months and up 

BRIO Farm Train - Toddlers know the ins and outs of animals by age three. This train set is the perfect way to include a teachable moment. Learn animal sounds, learn animal names, and the mechanics of stopping and going. Tour the BRIO Farm with the Farm Train. This set is perfect to combine with any of the BRIO World sets, especially the My First Farm Set that really plays animal sounds. Amazon $24.76 18 months and up 

We have a few different brands of wooden trains and accessories, and they are all compatible with BRIO. My youngest son has always gravitated towards the train sets by BRIO, too, as they are the most interactive, especially now with BRIO’s new Smart Tech line with lights and sounds.

Smart Tech Action Tunnel Circle Set, Amazon Exclusive - This set is a lot of fun, and is a great addition to starter sets, and can be used solely as a starter set! Use the free app to use the pre-set sounds that are activated when the train travels through the Smart Tech sound tunnel. The train will also pick up the sensor to reverse when going through that Smart Tech tunnel. Go full steam ahead with the toggle on the free app, to go faster, slower, forward, and reverse, as well as play sounds! You can also record your own sound using the train itself, and your child will hear their voice playback when traveling through the sound tunnel! Amazon $99.99 3+

BRIO 33972 Smart Tech Sound Action Tunnel Travel Set - Like the Action Tunnel Circle Set, kiddos can use the free app to operate this train! The app responds quickly, and since the app is guided by pictures, both toddlers and new readers can use the app without any help. This set features dips, turns, and a quick zoom through a tunnel to promote pretend play, spatial awareness, and creative thinking! Amazon $179.99

BRIO World 33874 Smart Tech Smart Washing Station - This set is loads of fun and really interactive! The Smart Tech Washing Station is a fun way to get your engine cars clean as a whistle! With BRIO’s Smart Tech technology, watch the rollers roll to scrub away engine dirt, and listen to the sounds of bubbles and water play to enhance this experience! In the end, the train rolls forward to the drying station and then rolls back for the track to be manually shifted. This is such a neat set, and a great way to see Smart Tech in action! Amazon $64.99

BRIO World 33827 Smart Tech Railway-Harbor Crane Help load those shipping containers with this cool set! This set is a great addition to any of the two Smart Tech Action Tunnel sets. Connect any of your BRIO engines to the included car, and start doing some manual labor! This set also includes a STOP tunnel that works directly ith the Smart Tech app and compatible with all BRIO sets! Amazon $34.99

 

Disney Magic, Hands-on Play!

Make way for the beginning of something great! I am in love with the Disney BRIO collection! They nailed it these sets! My three-year-old has these sets on his Christmas list, and it's good that Santa Claus has an Amazon Prime account (get one for yourself too!), as Disney BRIO train sets are exclusive to Amazon. They rolled out with three sets, and I am hoping that this is the start of a beautiful friendship. We need more sets! I am thinking a Disney Castle by BRIO, or a replica Walt Disney World Railroad, perhaps? See what trains do to you? They get you thinking, imagining, and creating! 

Disney Brio 32270 Disney Mickey and Friends: Mickey Mouse Record & Play Station Mickey and Minnie Mickey and Minnie are going “train crazy” with this adorable set! Kids can record their voice and hear the sound when pressing on the button. No app required. This set is compatible with the other Disney Brio sets and all BRIO playsets. For Disney historical buffs, locomotive no. 23 is a no-brainer at 1923 is significant to the start of Disney cartoons and “Alice’s Wonderland.” Amazon $49.99  

Brio 32260 Disney Mickey and Friends: Donald & Daisy Duck are joining their pals Mickey and Minnie on this train adventure! I love this set because of the locomotive no. 34! 1934 is when the #1 Donald Duck debuted. Keen Disney collectors and train hobbyists may consider this a collector’s piece as well as a wonderful train to play with!  This set is not battery powered as Amazon’s listing states. This is a manual train, but it connects magnetically and is aesthetically pleasing and simply adorable! Amazon $23.99  

BRIO 32665 Disney Mickey and Friends Mickey Mouse I love this set for nostalgia and play value. Keep in mind there are no track pieces included with this set, however, you get the iconic train no. 28 - Mickey’s number! Mickey debuted in 1928, so having this particular locomotive number is iconic and would be collectible to train hobbyists and Disney enthusiasts alike. It is battery powered and can be turned on and off by simply tapping the top of the smokestack. Amazon $34.99

Create a more dynamic track with specialty track pieces, landscape, buildings, and accessories by BRIO.

BRIO World 33402 Expansion Pack Intermediate Wooden intricate track pieces Amazon $31.06 

BRIO World 33401 Beginner's Expansion Pack 11-piece wooden track pieces Amazon $18.87 

BRIO 33213 World Remote Control Train Engine This is a neat addition to a train collection. The Remote Control Train Engine will give you a real feel of powering a model train set. Amazon $39.99 

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

BRIO World 33306 Airplane Send your BRIO citizens on an adventure. Take flight and land to your next destination via train! Amazon $29.99

 

BRIO 33204 Parking Garage This set will expand storytelling and your little one’s collection as it is compatible with BRIO sets and other wooden train track brands. This set includes 2 cars, 1 car transporter wagon and ramp tracks. There is a car ramp that I would imagine be used as a slide for anything that will slide by a toddler or child! Amazon $87.93 

 

Like what you see here? Consider following my blog! Thank you to BRIO for sending us the latest Smart Tech set for us to review! Check out my YouTube unboxing video to see it in action! Thank you so much to BRIO for sending us the Smart Tech Action Circle for free! 

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