Where Do You Buy Toys?

[CMwanderer]

I've only just moved to Thailand and my daughters 2nd birthday is coming up in a few weeks and I am starting to look for gifts for her. Where do you buy your toys from? I am in Chiang Mai and there is a Robinsons and Central departments stores. And then there are the cheaper toys in China Town which are good for a giggle but I imagine they will fall apart after using them a few times. I am wondering what other options I have or if I should ask for visitors to buy stuff at home (Australia) and bring it over with them, or buy online even. Anyway, just wondering where everyone else shops for toys?

[bow]

It depends on what you want.

When my daughter was 2 I bought most of the toys in the local Thursday evening market. 100 baht bought a small mountain of toys.

[tutsiwarrior]

if you want to buy toys suitable for a 2 year old you may have to extend your search...any large Tesco-Lotus will have two isles fulla toys but most are designated as for 3-4 y.o. and above as they are cheap and have bits that fall off that can be swallowed, etc...those nice sturdy wooden toys that don't fall apart are hard to find...

then...you can always build a sand box (so long as you don't have a cat) with pots and pans, ladles and spoons, etc...

[a99az]

The thing to look for is the small bits that can kill. Toys from the market are ok for the big kids but do buy safe toys for the little ones. And make sure the battery is looked in.

[Niranut]

We have a couple of vendors at the local market near our house as well. They do NOT sell the cheap toys that are readily available pretty much everywhere. Rather, they sell second-hand, name brand toys from abroad. Prices are very reasonable, about 25% of what you would pay for something new at Toys 'R Us or somewhere similar. I've seen similar vendors at other markets, but there is usually just one or two and you will have to walk up and down every aisle to find them This last week I spent 300 baht for a set of eight Thomas the Tank trains (the wooden kind with the magnets)-- they cost 500+ baht each at toy stores. Stock varies depending on what they have, so if you do find someone like this at a local market, you may need to stop back regularly for things appropriate for a 2yo.

My other favorite source for good second hand toys is the BAMBI website classifieds section. But a word of warning, you'll need to know the actual retail value of whatever it is your looking at, as prices on the BAMBI site are often not much of a discount and it may be better just to buy new. But there are great deals to be found here if you can check regularly.

Then there are the international branch stores that also have nice things (at prices that are much too high for us, I'm araid). Examples are Mothercare, Toys 'R Us, and the like. All of major shopping complexes like Central, The Mall, Emporium, etc. also have nice toy sections, but again, prices are a wee bit too high for some. Generally, things from abroad cost about twice as much as they would if you bought them abroad. But I have seen things that are 5 times as expensive (my mom just bought us a Leapster handheld game unit from the U.S. for $30 (about 1,000 baht); the same things is available at the Paragon for 5,000 baht, and someone on BAMBI was selling one for 2,500 baht and claiming they are 7,500 baht new in BKK). So if you're on a budget, make sure you know true retail values and good luck with your search. If budget is not an issue, there are plenty of new toys readily available at higher end stores.

As mentioned, toys for a 2yo aren't readily available at Big C or Tesco, as most of those toys are not rated for little ones. And the ones that are, often seem a bit dubious (i.e. paint, plastic quality, etc.)

HTH

[CMwanderer]

Great reply Niranut - thanks! I will keep my eye out for this type of store.

[Niranut]

Great reply Niranut - thanks! I will keep my eye out for this type of store.

Glad it was useful. Also, just to expand on tutsi's suggestion about the sandbox, the inexpensive, do-it-yourself type toys are the kinds of things my kids have enjoyed the most (I've got a 5yo, 4yo, and 2.5yo). We did try a sandbox for a while, but gave up cause it was a hassle to keep it properly covered and if it was left uncovered just overnight, it was invariably infested with ants or cat poo or something else by morning. So now we have a rice box which is just a big plastic bin (with a locking cover) that is full of rice. I'll set the rice bin out in the middle of a big tarp with a bunch of spoons, cups, etc. and let them have at it. When they're done, just fold up the tarp and pour any rice back into the bin and keep it inside for next time. I've had much better luck with keeping it picked up and clean with the "rice in a bin on a tarp" setup.

We also have a "water table" which is just a big plastic bucket (which is similar to what we use for bath time). I've got it up on top of some cement blocks so it's just the right height. Use the same spoons, cups, etc. and any 2yo will have hours of fun with this.

And our last fun (and inexpensive) item is our "swimming pool." We've gone through several of the plastic, inflatable pools-- all of which died rather quickly. Even the expensive thick plastic which was supposed to last "a long time" didn't stand much of a chance. So we went to a plastic supply shop where they have all things plastic (lots of coolers for shops, boats of all sizes, etc.) We got our "pool" which is 2 meters across and about 70cm deep. They have all different sizes, with the smaller sizes starting at less than a meter across. Ours is a thick plastic that is fine in the sun forever and has it's own drain hole. We rarely fill it up, but rather use is as a little puddle pool, and it's great! Easy to drag it around to wherever you want to play without worrying about tearing the bottom, and when your kids do outgrow it you can always dig a hole for it and turn it into a fish pond or something

[khaowong1]

Great reply Niranut - thanks! I will keep my eye out for this type of store.

Glad it was useful. Also, just to expand on tutsi's suggestion about the sandbox, the inexpensive, do-it-yourself type toys are the kinds of things my kids have enjoyed the most (I've got a 5yo, 4yo, and 2.5yo). We did try a sandbox for a while, but gave up cause it was a hassle to keep it properly covered and if it was left uncovered just overnight, it was invariably infested with ants or cat poo or something else by morning. So now we have a rice box which is just a big plastic bin (with a locking cover) that is full of rice. I'll set the rice bin out in the middle of a big tarp with a bunch of spoons, cups, etc. and let them have at it. When they're done, just fold up the tarp and pour any rice back into the bin and keep it inside for next time. I've had much better luck with keeping it picked up and clean with the "rice in a bin on a tarp" setup.

We also have a "water table" which is just a big plastic bucket (which is similar to what we use for bath time). I've got it up on top of some cement blocks so it's just the right height. Use the same spoons, cups, etc. and any 2yo will have hours of fun with this.

And our last fun (and inexpensive) item is our "swimming pool." We've gone through several of the plastic, inflatable pools-- all of which died rather quickly. Even the expensive thick plastic which was supposed to last "a long time" didn't stand much of a chance. So we went to a plastic supply shop where they have all things plastic (lots of coolers for shops, boats of all sizes, etc.) We got our "pool" which is 2 meters across and about 70cm deep. They have all different sizes, with the smaller sizes starting at less than a meter across. Ours is a thick plastic that is fine in the sun forever and has it's own drain hole. We rarely fill it up, but rather use is as a little puddle pool, and it's great! Easy to drag it around to wherever you want to play without worrying about tearing the bottom, and when your kids do outgrow it you can always dig a hole for it and turn it into a fish pond or something

You sound like a really cool Mom.

[Niranut]

You sound like a really cool Mom.

It comes from 5 years of practice now and definitely born of necessity-- you have to figure these things out when you're home all day with a bunch of toddlers!

One final thought for the OP, as I forgot that he was in Chiang Mai. I can't remember what company it is, but one of the big wooden toy companies (I'm thinking Voila, but it could be something else) has their main factory up there. We lived in Chiang Mai for a year when my youngest was born, and there were export quality wooden toys available at local outlets there. I don't remember any of the details, as we ultimately didn't end up buying anything at the time. But I know that kind of thing is readily available there with plenty of 2yo-friendly options. If I remember correctly, the pricing was similar to their overseas retail, with some available at a slight discount. And you can't go wrong with wooden toys produced from renewable trees and painted with kid-friendly paints that meet/exceed all international safety standards.

Good luck!

[SteeleJoe]

We have a couple of vendors at the local market near our house as well. They do NOT sell the cheap toys that are readily available pretty much everywhere. Rather, they sell second-hand, name brand toys from abroad. Prices are very reasonable, about 25% of what you would pay for something new at Toys 'R Us or somewhere similar.

Great posts from what sounds like a great mom!

Can you tell me where the market is that you refer to? (Or any like it?)

[meatboy]

i know where you can find car-toys.

[seriouseats]

find a thai to find you thai websites.

Crap at Central and other dep stores are shitty chineese toys as well. Most toys i have bought there for 2-4000 baht i found later on thai websites(50% cheaper)(sometimes the same, sometimes just different stickers on them)

And some of them i have even found at the outlet shopping (WB store and next door) for cheaper.

Some stuff on ebay you can buy for 5-15$ you get for 100$ here and there is no duty on this items if you use REGULAR mail.

Just last week i went to see a pool for 30 000baht at toy r us with a filter.

My gf just found it yesterday on a large thai website .. 18000baht.. one double the size at 30 000baht

[CMwanderer]

I guess these sites are only in Thai? Can you tell us some of the better ones you found?

[Monkey Fish]

Great thread, keep those ideas coming.

My contribution: Tape up empty boxes and let the kids use them as big building blocks. My kids are 6, 3, and 1, and they all love to play with them. A row of boxes magically transforms a corner of the room into a house, school, zoo, etc. 1 mostly just likes to knock them down, which cause some problems with 3 and 6, but delights his parents to no end.

Cost: A few baht for a six pack of packing tape from Makro.

[seriouseats]

i dont have the good ones but the ones i saved are

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Toys from Thailand. Educational Toys, Cuddly Teddy Bears, Dolls, Kids' Furniture and Musical Instruments.

[Niranut]

Agree about the "box city"-- we love those You can always buy boxes at the post office, if you can't find anything lying around.

And for those with younger kids, Chasing Cheeriosis a favorite blog, where I can often find good ideas for things to do with kids. A lot of her cooking/kitchen projects don't work since we don't have many of the ingredients here. But I love her arts & crafty type things, as well as many of the Montessori-type activities she does with her kids.

Also, I did get one PM asking about the exact location of the local market where I get most of my toys, so here are the details:

I live in Lopburi (about 150 km north of BKK). It is the local market (talad nat) located directly behind Lotus in Lopburi; it's open on Tuesdays and Fridays from 15.00 - 22.00. The toy vendor is usually there by 17.00, and gets everything set out shortly after. If you're coming from BKK, just take Highway 1 (Paholyotin Road), all the way to Lopburi. As you come into Muang Lopburi, you will see Makro on your right. A little bit past that you will see Toyota on your left, and the entrance to Lotus is about 200 meters past Toyota (also on your left). You can park anywhere at Lotus and walk to the market which is located behind the store.

For the location of the toy vendor, he is located in the section that is furthest back. You will see that the section right next to the store is mostly food. There is another section that is further back (behind the outdoor parking lot). The toy vendor is in this section in the back. As you are walking toward the back section, you will see a small traffic circle with a big tree in the middle-- enter the back section of the market by this circle. There will be vendors selling small plants and dog food on the left at this entrance. You turn right to go down the first narrow aisle right at the entrance-- you will pass a rather loud VCD vendor on the right. Then you turn left at the first aisle (just past the loud VCD vendor). You walk down this aisle almost to the end and you will see the toy vendor on the right. It's a husband/wife team, and they set up their things in front of their van, which is parked right behind the toys.

If anyone is planning to coming, feel free to PM as I'd be happy to meet you at Lotus and take you to the toy vendor. (We are regulars )

Also, keep in mind that the stock is always changing. I have found that there are often plenty of small figures (for boys & girls), cars (also things that appeal to boys & girls), and other smallish type things. Other items like building blocks, baby toys, puzzles, English books, and larger items come & go.

[CMwanderer]

With Christmas on the way I am bumping this up the list ...

[thaiIand]

Malaysia has lots of western toy stores at better prices than thailand

[nocturn]

Malaysia has lots of western toy stores at better prices than thailand

is that in Chiang Mai?

[whistleblower]

If anyone wants to PM me I work for a company that makes educational toys and games for children.

[krisb]

At least toys from places like Australia are tested for parts that cant be chewed off easily and eaten by 2 year olds op.