Popular Wooden Toys
Answering the most common questions about buying wooden toys for your baby.
I am a woodworker, and recently a first time father. We have recieved many toy gifts for our child that are made from wood, and of plastic. Of course there are laws governing what kind of toys can be made for kids to play with, but how do you know if the toys are really safe? So after doing a little bit of research, I found out a few things about childrens' toys.
I put together this website to help other parents make informed decisions about what their children play with. Obviously I am in favor of wooden toys.
Why choose wooden toys?
Wooden toys are naturally beautiful, durable, practical and environmentally responsible! Children love the smooth textures, and the satisfying weight of wooden toys. Even tasting is allowed! High quality wooden toys and puzzles can be durable enough to withstand years of use and may be passed down to your children's children. If a wooden toy breaks, it can generally be repaired, unlike most plastics. And in the end, if a wooden toy is no longer useful or is broken beyond repair (if it's chewed up by the family dog, for example), Mother Nature can work her magic and take it back!
What about lead paint?
Most toys are manufactured with the proper materials. It is rare that lead paint is used anymore. Of course, when it is found to be used in a toy, it makes big headlines. So people get scared. But, toy hazards exist in any toy, not just wooden ones. Wooden toys in fact have less problems than other toys made from plastic.
What about Wooden Toy Recalls?
Here is a list of toy recalls compiled by the US government. You can do a search for all the wooden toy recalls by going to Edit, Find, and type in 'Wood' into the search field. As youwill see, compared to the number of recalls, recalls due to lead based paint are rare.
Where is the best place to buy Wooden Toys?
You can always find wood toys in the regular toy stores such as ToysRUs. But try looking in the smaller independant toy stores. Some of them specialize in importing beautiful wooden toys that you would not find in the big stores. Check in your yellow pages to find these smaller stores. I am sure they will appreciate your business.
What are the best Wooden Toy makers?
Without choosing favorites, here is a list of some wooden toy manufacturers:
Glückskäfer
Guidecraft
Imagiplay
Melissa & Doug
Plan Toys
Selecta
Shure
Spiel & Holz
Chelona
Sassy
Haba
If you see a toy made by any of these manufacturers, they will be approved as safe.
