Breaking news on the toy front: one little trip to an unlikely store can yield a bounty of wooden train tracks at a bargain price.
Ikea, college dorm room outfitter and inexpensive furniture retailer extraordinaire, offers a range of cute, cheap kids furniture, accessories and toys, including wooden train tracks that sync with beloved Thomas & Friends wood tracks and trains.
The best part is the Ikea tracks are a fraction of the cost of the Thomas variety. The "Lillabo" 12-piece train set with bridge pieces and a tunnel cost $9.99. A package of additional tracks is just $6.99 and a pack of three trains is $3.99, according to Ikea's Web site.
While the Thomas sets are undoubtedly cool, the steep costs can cause heart palpitations in many parents (including this one). Here's an example: a Thomas & Friends "Thomas and Percy" Starter Set is listed at $29.99 on Toys R Us' Web site.
It includes Thomas, Percy, the Sodor Line Caboose and 10 pieces of track.
I bought two sets of the Ikea tracks for my son, who loves playing "train tracks" with the Thomas sets at Grandma's house. He hasn't stopped playing with the Ikea set since.
They fit perfectly with the few wood Thomas tracks and trains we have and he gets a kick out of building elevated railways and hills with the special block lifts that accompanied the Ikea set (writer's note: the set I purchased at the West Sacramento Ikea came with wood blocks to serve as lifts and a handful of trains for $14.99, but the store's Web site doesn't currently show that set for sale).
Have you ever stumbled upon a similar deal on toys and want to share your findings? Post your tips and tricks in the comments section below.
