{"product_id":"wooden-gear-toy","title":"Wooden Gear Toy — 7 Interlocking Spinning Gears","description":"\u003ch2\u003eWooden Gear Toy — turn one and the whole board turns\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere's a particular moment with a gear toy that nothing else quite does. A child turns one gear, and a gear on the far side of the board turns too — something they aren't touching, moving because of something they are. Cause and effect at a distance, and the first mechanism most children ever work out for themselves.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSeven gears on a 26.7cm round board, three big and four small, dropped onto posts wherever you like. Three animal heads then drop onto posts on top of the gears, and those are what a child holds to turn the whole thing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003e⚙️ Different sizes, different speeds\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe four small gears spin fast and the three big ones turn slowly, which is visible the moment the board is running — one animal whipping round while another rotates in a stately fashion. That's a child's first encounter with gearing, and nobody has to explain it. It's just there to be noticed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003e🦊 The animals are the handles\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is the bit the photographs don't make obvious. Each animal head has a hole in its base and sits on a post on top of one of the gears — and that gives a small hand something to grip and turn. A flat wooden gear is surprisingly hard for a two-year-old to drive: there's nothing to hold, so fingers slip off the teeth. An animal standing proud of the surface turns it into a knob, and the board goes from fiddly to easy.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThey're not standing figures, though, and we'd rather say so — they only sit on the posts, so they won't stand up on their own to be played with separately. Worth knowing if you've seen the Dino and Garden puzzles in the same range, where the little animals genuinely do stand free.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd a small confession: Speedy Monkey never say what the animals actually are. We think they're a deer, a koala and a fox — and if you look at yours and decide we've got one wrong, do tell us.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003e🧩 Why it's from two, and not one\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGears only turn if their teeth meet. Put one on a post that's too far from its neighbour and nothing happens at all — which is the whole puzzle, and it's also why this is a two-year-old's toy rather than a one-year-old's. A toddler has to work out that \u003cem\u003ewhere\u003c\/em\u003e a gear goes matters, not just that it goes somewhere. The feedback is instant and unmistakable: either the board spins or it doesn't.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003e🌳 Wood and paint\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSpeedy Monkey design their toys in France and make this one from wood. The paints are non-toxic and child-safe, and it carries UKCA and CE marking.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eWhat we like about it\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTurn one gear and the rest turn — cause and effect a child can see across the board\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThree big and four small gears, so the speeds visibly differ\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePosts rather than fixed positions, so every arrangement is a different puzzle\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThree animal heads that drop onto the gears and work as handles, which is what makes it turnable at two\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eInstant feedback: it either spins or it doesn't, with no grown-up needed to referee\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDesigned in France, wooden, non-toxic paints, UKCA and CE\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eSpecification\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSuitable from:\u003c\/strong\u003e 2 years, as stated on the packaging\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eContents:\u003c\/strong\u003e round board with posts, 3 large gears, 4 small gears, 3 animal heads\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eAnimal heads:\u003c\/strong\u003e holed in the base, so they sit on posts on top of the gears and act as turning handles. They do not stand independently\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSize:\u003c\/strong\u003e 26.7cm diameter x 7cm high\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWeight:\u003c\/strong\u003e 717g boxed\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMaterial:\u003c\/strong\u003e wood with non-toxic, child-safe paints\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDesigned in:\u003c\/strong\u003e France\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSafety:\u003c\/strong\u003e UKCA and CE\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCare:\u003c\/strong\u003e clean with a damp cloth only, no detergents\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003e❓ Frequently asked questions\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMy child put the gears on and nothing turned. Is it faulty?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nAlmost certainly not — it's the toy working as designed, and it's the single most common thing people get caught by. Gears only drive each other if their teeth actually mesh, so a gear dropped onto a post too far from its neighbour will sit there doing nothing. Shuffle it one post closer and the board comes alive. That gap between \"nothing happens\" and \"everything happens\" is the puzzle you're buying, and it's worth knowing before you decide something's broken.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDo the animals stand up on their own?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nNo. They have a hole in the base and sit on posts on top of three of the gears, which is what makes them useful — they're the handles you turn the board by. Lift one off and it won't stand on a table as a figure. If you want small wooden animals that do stand free and can be played with away from the board, the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/dino-surprise-puzzle\"\u003eDino Surprise Puzzle\u003c\/a\u003e and \u003ca href=\"\/products\/garden-surprise-puzzle\"\u003eGarden Surprise Puzzle\u003c\/a\u003e from the same range are the ones for that.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat age is it really for?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nThe box says 2 years and up, and we'd go along with that. A younger child will enjoy spinning a gear you've placed for them — the animal handles make that possible from well before two — but working out \u003cem\u003ewhere\u003c\/em\u003e gears have to sit is the part that needs a two-year-old's patience.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow many loose pieces are there?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nTen — seven gears and three animal heads — on a board that stays in one piece. Worth a shelf or a box, and worth a count at tidy-up time, because a missing gear leaves a gap in the chain and the board won't drive all the way round. Losing an animal is more annoying than it sounds, too, since you lose a handle with it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAre the gears easy enough for small hands to lift on and off?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nThey drop onto posts rather than clip or screw, so they lift away cleanly with one hand. No force needed in either direction, which is the right call for an age that hasn't much force to offer — and the animal heads give something to grip while turning, which a bare gear doesn't.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow do I clean it?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nA damp cloth only, and no detergents. Painted wood doesn't take kindly to sitting in water.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDoes it make a good gift?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nA good second-birthday one, and a good choice for a child who has plenty of toys already — a gear board isn't something most households have, and it's quiet, which grandparents and parents tend to appreciate in roughly equal measure.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003e🔍 Three ways to buy gears from us\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGears turn up in three places on our shelves, at three prices and three levels of commitment:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003ca href=\"\/products\/wooden-gear-puzzle\"\u003eWooden Gear Puzzle\u003c\/a\u003e by jumini — the cheapest way in, and a simpler board. The one to try if you're not yet sure gears will land.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWooden Gear Toy\u003c\/strong\u003e — this one. Seven gears, free placement on posts, three animal handles, and a proper round board to run them on.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003ca href=\"\/products\/5-in-1-wooden-activity-cube\"\u003e5 In 1 Wooden Activity Cube\u003c\/a\u003e — where a gear puzzle is one of five activities rather than the whole toy. Better value per activity, less gear.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf gears are the thing, buy the gear toy. If you're testing the water, start with the jumini puzzle. If you want one toy to cover several bases, the cube.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003e⚙️ More things that turn, spin and click\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003ca href=\"\/products\/hedgehog-clock-game\"\u003eHedgehog Clock Game\u003c\/a\u003e — also Speedy Monkey, also a board, and the next step into numbers\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003ca href=\"\/products\/wooden-monkey-family-stacker\"\u003eMonkey Family Stacker\u003c\/a\u003e — the quiet sit-down companion to this one, with counting built into its structure\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003ca href=\"\/products\/travelling-busy-board\"\u003eTravelling Busy Board\u003c\/a\u003e — latches, dials and spinners in one portable board\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003e❤️ From our family to yours\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCarefully chosen products for babies, toddlers and parents. Browse more of our \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/toys-for-2-year-olds\"\u003etoys suitable from 2 years\u003c\/a\u003e and the rest of our \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/wooden-toys\"\u003ewooden toys\u003c\/a\u003e — free UK delivery on orders over £25.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Speedy Monkey","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54270755242331,"sku":"SP1030","price":18.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0891\/3626\/7611\/files\/Speedy-Monkey-Gear-Toy-Wooden-Gears-_-Construction-Toy-BTL-Diffusion-UK-LTD-173346455.jpg?v=1791557574","url":"https:\/\/forthebaby.co.uk\/products\/wooden-gear-toy","provider":"For the Baby","version":"1.0","type":"link"}