child friendly transformers (cant believe i wrote that title...)

^Good call. I would add Commanders with that too. :)

Another thing to be mindful of is child safety standards. Transformers toys that are intended for infants are also built with their safety in mind; e.g. less smaller parts that could become a choking hazard etc. Non-preschool TFs aren't designed for this, hence the Ages 5+ or 8+ thing. I would especially avoid giving Masterpieces or any other high end collectible Transformers to infants because TakaraTOMY engineer them explicitly for adults and in Japan they're marketed as "Ages 15+," which exempts them from child safety laws. MP Seekers' fingers come in mind in terms of parts which are easily detachable which could become a choking hazard for babies and toddlers.

I personally didn't let my daughter start playing with G1s and MPs etc. until she was four. Before then it was all the stuff that everyone's been recommending here; Rescue Bots, Legends, plushies etc. I don't know why, but she immediately knew that the PlaySkool TFs were "her" TFs and that all the other TFs were daddy's. I never had to tell or teach her this. One prevailing theory is that she might've been more attracted to the cuter designs and brighter primary colours of the PlaySkool TFs. <shrugs> :confused: But if your child is naturally attracted to your G1s and MPs, I'd recommend keeping them on higher shelves until you feel that s/he's old enough to play with them. :)

But what I used to do would be to play with my TFs and my daughter would play with her TFs alongside me. So for example, I'd be playing w/ my Voyager and Deluxe Class TF Prime TFs while she played with the Happy Meal ones. Or I'd play w/ my MP Optimus Priem while she played with her Rescue Bots Optimus Prime... etc. ;) At first, our toy campaigns were separate, but then they started joining together. Now she'll mix together Leaders, Voyagers, Deluxes, G1s, Rescue Bots, Power Rangers, Lego, Cinderella, Barbie etc.


http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y22...ps61318dc6.jpghttp://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y22...psa66d551f.jpghttp://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y22...ps59439cb1.jpg
L-R:
* An example of how my daughter played with TFs at age 2. Optimus Prime vs Optimus Prime. Although back then she couldn't pronounce "Optimus Prime" correctly and kept on calling him "Apple Pie." :p
* Age 5 play: G1 x Happy Meal x Rescue Bot x Revenge of the Fallen Deluxe. It's an ice cream shop.
* Age 5: Playing w/ an MP

I just trained my Kids from Babies to now 6 and 9 year olds just not to touch them. I can leave things around and they still dont touch them. My son can have friends come over to play and he stops them from going near my bots. I keep my 3rd Party and MPs in the lounge room and not behind glass. And they are perfectly safe :D Problem solved ;)

I have 4 kids :o Yes I know what causes it :p

6yr
5yr
3yr
22mths

My eldest (now 6) when he was 2, had my Henkei Cyclonus (my wife didnt realise how much it 'was' worth) and he proceeded to rub his new teeth all over his wings :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

I have since then bought all of my kids various Transformers;

Animated Bumper Battlers - By far the best IMO, they have lasted the longest with vigorous play. The electronics are awesome and the correct voices. The kids love them and even though they are few years old now the kids love playing with them.

Legions (DoTM, TF Prime, Beast Hunters) - These are the worst for kids I found besides the figures that I have rescued all are missing arms, legs & weapons some are missing their body.

Commanders (TF Prime & Beast Hunters) Better but as same as above.

Bot Shots - Pretty good, the kids do love smashing them together and they seem (so far) pretty durable unless the step on one.

Rescue Bots - The kids love anything Rescue Bots anything from this line is good.

Mash 'ems - I just bought some for the kids, but they haven't played with them yet as they will be Christmas presents but they look really and have cool playability being able to swap parts.

AoE 1 steps/flip and change - I haven't actually bought any for the kids yet, but they do look very simple to transform, but I think that they wouldn't last to long with my kids rough play, but at the end of the day they are toys and meant to be played with, so the kids might find some in their stockings this year.

e gad it looks like i have started a how to parenting thread! Thanks for all the suggestions guys.

I know this is really old but my one year old enjoys the old Playskool First Transformers from back in the 80s.

I had the jet from when I was a little kid and when I dragged it out of storage and cleaned it up my 1 year old loved it. He can't transform it yet but enjoys the noise it makes when you move it across the ground and laughs when I transform it in front of him.

The joints are large and there are no small pieces. Great starter transformer for him I hope. I ended up tracking down the other 2 original ones on eBay for him.

http://i473.photobucket.com/albums/r...pstd8sqfjf.jpg

http://i473.photobucket.com/albums/r...pscmzz3saj.jpg

!@##$!@##$$#

My son finally got excited by the rescue bots show and loves the "fire truck". Why did no one tell me these things sell for $150+??????? Purpose defeated :(

Quote:

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Originally Posted by maraach

!@##$!@##$$#

My son finally got excited by the rescue bots show and loves the "fire truck". Why did no one tell me these things sell for $150+??????? Purpose defeated :(

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Pop into Kmart and Target etc, they sell small rescue bot toys for +/-9, larger ones for $19 & an Optimus Prime with trailer for $39.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MayzaPrime

I have 4 kids :o Yes I know what causes it :p

6yr
5yr
3yr
22mths

My eldest (now 6) when he was 2, had my Henkei Cyclonus (my wife didnt realise how much it 'was' worth) and he proceeded to rub his new teeth all over his wings :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

I have since then bought all of my kids various Transformers;

Animated Bumper Battlers - By far the best IMO, they have lasted the longest with vigorous play. The electronics are awesome and the correct voices. The kids love them and even though they are few years old now the kids love playing with them.

Legions (DoTM, TF Prime, Beast Hunters) - These are the worst for kids I found besides the figures that I have rescued all are missing arms, legs & weapons some are missing their body.

Commanders (TF Prime & Beast Hunters) Better but as same as above.

Bot Shots - Pretty good, the kids do love smashing them together and they seem (so far) pretty durable unless the step on one.

Rescue Bots - The kids love anything Rescue Bots anything from this line is good.

Mash 'ems - I just bought some for the kids, but they haven't played with them yet as they will be Christmas presents but they look really and have cool playability being able to swap parts.

AoE 1 steps/flip and change - I haven't actually bought any for the kids yet, but they do look very simple to transform, but I think that they wouldn't last to long with my kids rough play, but at the end of the day they are toys and meant to be played with, so the kids might find some in their stockings this year.

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That is a detailed test regime. You should sell your toy testing services to Hasbro!

I gave my daughter Happy Meal Animated Optimus Prime to play with when she was about 3 yrs old. She's 7 now and the toy has been passed onto my son who is 4. For a toy that cost $2 to last 4 yrs and not show any signs of play-wear, that's unheard of. What more could you want ;)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 5FDP

I gave my daughter Happy Meal Animated Optimus Prime to play with when she was about 3 yrs old. She's 7 now and the toy has been passed onto my son who is 4. For a toy that cost $2 to last 4 yrs and not show any signs of play-wear, that's unheard of. What more could you want ;)

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Better paint apps! Moving tyres! More accessories! :p

To be fair though, he's one of the strongest of the Animated Happy Meal line. Especially compared to Megatron.