Meland Magnetic Drawing Board

By Ariel

My daughter is an artist, and pen on wall is her medium of choice. If she is asking me for something, it is usually for a pen. “Give me pen?” she plaintively asks. Ten minutes later I am staring at a wall in need of a good magic eraser-ing. Even when I strapped her into her high chair! She somehow used her toddler voodoo and scooched over to the wall, because it was obviously in desperate need of sprucing up. Thanks Bean.

I have been on the hunt for creative activities that 1) don’t involve too much damage to property and 2) aren’t susceptible to little chompers. The Bean is not actively teething at the moment, but still feels the needs to chew on everything. One of many options that I came up with was a magnetic drawing board. I remember loving mine as a kid! Plus a magnetic drawing board is easily mobile. This is a huge plus for our family; we seem to constantly be returning from or packing for our next road trip.

The Magnetic Drawing Board from Meland is currently doing the trick. It is a no-frills, bare-bones magnetic drawing board, which is exactly what I wanted. Some boards had magnetic stamps which I ruled out, because the Bean likes to shove tiny objects in her mouth while I am not looking. Some had lights and sounds which frankly seemed like overkill. I just wanted something she could draw on. The Magnetic Drawing Board from Meland delivers in this regard. The pen is easy to grip for tiny hands. The slide eraser along the bottom moves easily, so she can successfully start over on her own. This makes the drawing board the perfect activity to keep her quietly occupied while I do what needs to be done around the house.

But while it meets all my current criteria, I do not think the Magnetic Drawing Board from Meland will withstand the test of time. The plastic framing the drawing board is not what I had hoped for. It isn’t thin and flimsy but it also isn’t the hard rigid plastic that you hope for in a toy meant to withstand toddlers. It will last through one kid, but maybe not a second and a third. The flip-side of this, however, is that this design choice makes the drawing board exceptionally light for our teenie beans – allowing the toddler autonomy to take their projects wherever they go.The Magnetic Drawing Board from Meland is three eggs. The Bean is convinced; it is only me that has reservations about the quality. If what you are looking for is a simple drawing board without bells and whistles for an inexpensive price, it will not disappoint. If you are looking for the magnetic drawing board to end all others, then look elsewhere.

Brianna’s two cents: The perfect magnetic drawing board is shockingly hard to come by!  So far Monkey is playing with tiny, cheap boards.  She thinks they’re great, but I find them too small to really unleash her creativity, as well as too flimsy.  The bigger boards do come with the magnetic stamps, which Monkey likes encountering in waiting rooms.  I worry that the stamps will get lost, and I think they limit her creativity, too.  Just give us a big old magnetic board and a sweet stylus, please!  And what is going on with some of the boards being divided into four colors, with one in each corner?  Back in my day, magnetic doodle boards were monochromatic affairs. Please, excuse me while I escort prematurely 90 year-old Brianna back to her rocking chair.  But seriously, the point of these things is free doodling, not meticulously structured stamping and sketching.  Ariel, I’m thrilled to see you’ve found a decent board.  Please update us if you find a superior product.  

If you want to buy the Meland Magnetic Drawing Board, click the cover below.  This is an affiliate link, so Busy Nest News will get a little something from your purchase, which will help keep us running.  Thanks!