ebeanstalk website and Melissa & Doug Puzzle Review

With retail toy stores and all the stores online, it can be hard to choose where to buy from. Well ebeanstalk is one company that I have really grown to love and I haven’t even ordered from them yet! With them it is just one thing after another that amazes me about what a great company they are!

First off, they send emails out that feature actual questions answered by an expert. So for example, the latest email was the question “Why is singing with a child so important?” and it was answered by a Speech-Language Pathologist. I have really learned a lot from these emails and love that are questions that are relevant and not focused on toys.

Second, ebeanstalk sells only expert-selected developmental toys from baby to 7 years old. All of their toys promote child development that were checked from well-known manufacturers around the world and from 10,000 toys only 600 of the best learning toys were selected, tested, and approved with the ebeanstalk Seal of Approval. The toys are then matched to the 7 core skills of development – Imagination, Education, Language, Dexterity, Locomotion, Emotion, and Social. So no more toys labeled for a child 2 and up, but rather the toys are matched to 3-month incremental stages.

Not sure what to get a child, they have a Gift Series you can purchase depending on how much you want to spend. The Gift Series consists of 4 expert selected toys that are delivered 4 times a year to your selected child.

To go above and beyond, each toy comes with a custom instruction card that provides a description of the toy, why ebeanstalk chose it and offers great Graduated Play ideas. This way your child can get the most use out of the toy!

What I love about ebeanstalk is how organized the website is and how easy it is to navigate. You can shop by age, category, baby gear or check out their Grow & Learn Series. What is great now too is that ebeanstalk offers a “Happy Kid Guarantee” which means that if the child is not happy with the toy or it is not age-appropriate you can return it within 30 days. Also, if you are a grandparent make sure you call and ask about their grandparent discount!

I received the Melissa and Doug Jumbo Knob Pets Puzzle for my youngest son and he loves it. It is for a 1 year old, but I have even found my 32 month old playing with it. The knobs are just so easy to grab and the pieces are so bright and fun. I love that it is so simple and a great beginner puzzle. The puzzle also has a picture under the pieces so it is easier for the children to put the pieces where they belong. If you have never tried a Melissa and Doug puzzle before, you don’t realize what you are missing either. The puzzles are made with high quality wood and they really are durable and long lasting. I really am amazed though as how much Gavin loves this for how simple it is and I really think it is helping him with his coordination and matching skills.

Here are some of the other toys I like (or should I say I think my boys will like!):

Overall, I was really impressed with ebeanstalk from their website to their customer service to their product. Oh and did I mention that their prices are reasonable and really I haven’t found a boring toy yet!

BUY IT: Use the code FREESHIP$65 to receive Free Shipping at ebeanstalk for orders over $65.