36-Piece Wooden Building Blocks for Toddlers 1-3 Years - Large Stacking Blocks with Alphabet & Number Learning - Educational Montessori Toys for Preschool Learning & Creative Play

I'm a rocket scientist and a mom and I love these blocks. I spent a lot of time comparing alphabet block sets before choosing these for my 18 mo and I'm happy to report they are fun, safe, and sensibly educational. Most block sets are only 1" cubes, but the larger size of these blocks means they aren't choking hazards, small unsteady hands can stack them, and the letters/pictures are big enough for me and my toddler to easily recognize (not to mention it's harder to lose one when they aren't tiny!). Each letter block has the upper and lower case letter and four images of words that start with the letter. Every word/image seems age appropriate and I had no trouble identifying the pictures without the actual word being printed (except "x-ray fish", but x words are tough). I will note that I am a lifelong English speaker, but my 18 mo was also able to recognize some of the images as words he already knew. Other block sets I looked at seemed to mix different letters on the same block or had images not related to the letter or added numbers, and I think those would be at worst confusing for a child and at best just not a very helpful learning tool. With these, I can pick up a single block and show him the letter and 4 recognizable words that start with the letter, and I think that is great for learning word/letter association. I've had these blocks less than a week and I've already used them to teach him a few new words. This set also has number blocks 1-10, and while their sides seem pretty standard to me, they do feature a side with a hand(s) holding up the corresponding number of fingers, which again seems like a fantastic learning tool and I can't believe other block sets don't do the same. As a scientist, I was initially dismayed that they chose to have a 10 block instead of a 0 block, but I do think that is age appropriate since the zero concept can be tricky, and 1-10 perfectly fits with how kids start counting. Also, if I ever do want a zero, one is featured as an "image" on the Z letter block -- how perfect. I'm sure the different colors will help my toddler learn his colors, but that's pretty standard for sets like these. Quality/material seems excellent, they are sturdy, smooth, and uniform and I have no concerns the paint will come off (I think maybe it's a stain so might fade eventually but won't chip). They aren't heavy but would hurt if your toddler throws one at your face haha. Mine has violentyly knocked over many block towers and I'm never worried about injuries. I will note that the edges around the letter face of each block are not rounded, but I sort of like that since it makes for easier stacking and helps the letters stand out better. There are no sharp corners though. Lastly I'll add that these are one of the first toys I've gotten for my child that I can happily play along with. Maybe not every parent would be amused by quickly building little color coordinated block structures before you toddler tears them down, or helping your child make a tower taller than the last one, but I find myself "playing" with the blocks for a bit even when my toddler has moved on. Fun for my child AND me makes them worth every penny!