As a former preschool teacher who's currently a nanny to a 2-year-old toddler, I basically nanny the same way I taught, but with FAR less children. ???? Each month, we have a theme of the month and last month was "Space!" I was thrilled when I purchased this puzzle for the toddler I care for because the family prefers their child's education to be full of diversity, as do I. This puzzle certainly fit that! It's important for every child to see a reflection of themselves doing something great. It's important for all children to see that any person of any race can achieve their dreams. Along with other learning tools and toys, this puzzle also helped me educate the toddler I care for about the solar system, astronauts, and satellites. To be precise (and because I'm proud), by the end of the month, they fully knew their planets and some facts about planets, the basics of what an astronaut's job entails, what a rocket is, how the planets revolve around the sun, and what a satellite is. For a young 2-year-old, that's outstanding! Unfortunately, the tiny tot is still at an age (they only recently turned 2) where the puzzles with pegs are best for them due to fine motor skills not being mastered yet, but also because the peg board puzzles tend to be thicker. The other issue is that, at this age, most toddlers are teething, so everything goes into the mouth. The pieces were as thick as I hoped for, but I miscalculated because they were no match to newer "chompers" that cause the mouth to produce a larger amount of saliva with it. That certainly wears a thick cardboard puzzle piece down fairly quickly. ???? Needless to say, we weren't able to use it as much as I would've liked. It's still a beautiful puzzle that I think we'll bring back when we rotate back to the "Space" theme in 8 months. By then, our precious toddler should be better about not putting everything in their mouth. It usually happens around 2½ years old and 3 years old. In my 22 years of education and experience in early childhood development, I wouldn't recommend this for a toddler who is a "new" 2-year-old. I'd honestly say it's better suited for 2½+. Every toddler is different, of course, but it's important to truly know the child you're caring for. I consistently stay by the toddler's side, but as a warning for precaution, because I know how easily adults can become occupied by something else while a toddler is playing with something they deemed safe, it could've quickly been a choking hazard due to how easily a piece came off when bitten. Fortunately, I have every certification a preschool teacher and nanny can have, but I still don't like to take risks just because I have the skills to help in case of an emergency. It's even more frightening with toddlers at this age because it's usually silent due to them not understanding what's happening or knowing how to tell you. With that in mind, I'd still recommend this puzzle as long as it's for a child who is no longer teething or doesn't put everything in their mouth. It truly is a beautiful, educational, and fun puzzle! It looks EXACTLY as pictured and the size is perfect for toddlers because it's a bit larger.
