I’ve shared before that there is a specific kind of toy that I’m looking for when I shop for our kids. The toys have to be:
safe,
mostly educational,
no noises or flashing lights,
made from natural fibers,
gender neutral (not so much a political statement so much as a financial one—don’t over read this lol),
and enable exploration.
I know this is annoyingly crunchy to say (I’m rolling my eyes at myself as I write this, I promise), but in our home I try to have only natural fiber toys (mostly wood, and nothing with lights or songs). I do this because I like to keep their toys as close to the earth as possible to leave enough room for the imagination. It’s really important to note that when you’re looking for wooden toys that have been painted to make sure they were not painted with lead-based paint. You would be SHOCKED how many wooden toys still have lead-based paint. It’s super shocking to me that at this day in age those dangerous paints are still used. Needless-to-say, make sure you check for toy safety.
Last week I shared Dutch’s favorite books with you, so this week I’m sharing our favorite fun toys.
I know this is annoyingly crunchy to say (I’m rolling my eyes at myself as I write this, I promise), but in our home I try to have only natural fiber toys (mostly wood, and nothing with lights or songs). I do this because I like to keep their toys as close to the earth as possible to leave enough room for the imagination. It’s really important to note that when you’re looking for wooden toys that have been painted to make sure they were not painted with lead-based paint. You would be SHOCKED how many wooden toys still have lead-based paint. It’s super shocking to me that at this day in age those dangerous paints are still used. Needless-to-say, make sure you check for toy safety.
Last week I shared Dutch’s favorite books with you, so this week I’m sharing our favorite fun toys.
These would be great for your family or as gifts for toddlers.
All of these are safe, fun, and affordable too!
1. Crayola Bath Dropz- These fun little tablets have led to hours of bath time fun for us. Each night for bath time Dutch gets to pick a tablet and put it in the water. It is so fun to watch the colors change. We get to practice our colors and have even started mixing colors. Practicing our colors helps to make bath time education and fun. Dutch looks forward to it so much that he now asks for "blue bath" at night.
2. Stacking Animal Crayons- “Color Time” as Dutch likes to say is so much fun. These little animals fit perfectly on little toddler fingers. Now I can’t promise that the crayons will stay on the paper, but I can guarantee lots of colorful and fun scribbles that you can proudly hang on your fridge.
3. Wooden Barista Set- This, I know, would make Aunt Nana so happy! Every morning Dutch has his milk while mama has her coffee. He loves to say “cheers” as we clink our cups. Dutch is a huge fan of coffee so instead of sneaking a sip of mama’s coffee he gets to have some imaginary play with this toy. His favorite thing is to put extra milk and sugar in his cup…..he takes after his mother lol.
4. Wooden Walk-Along Puppy- Santa brought this to Dutch for his first Christmas and it took him a while to figure out how it worked (considering he was only 6 months old at the time, we'll cut him some slack lol). But now you can often find him “walking” his puppy around the house. I swear it’s the cutest thing and I hope it enables a spirit that loves animals.
5. Wooden Stacking Cars and Wooden Building Cars- I have mentioned before that I love these stacking cars: they are lite and fit perfectly in my diaper bag for toys on the go when we need to be quiet (e.g. restaurants, waiting rooms, etc.). But we also love these wooden building cars. They break into 3 smaller pieces and the child has to match the colors to put the cars back together.
6. Green Toys Airplane- I think we all know by now how much I love Green Toys (I rave about them more here). Green Toys is an eco-friendly company that makes toys from 100% recycled fibers in the USA. All of their toys pass national and international safety standards. Everything from the brainstorming and the manufactoring of the toy, to the packaging is safe for children and the planet. These are such fun toys. Dutch has the airplane and the submarine (which I often find in the bathtub).
7. Wooden Noah’s Ark- Dutch got this from the Easter Bunny this year and we have played with it everyday since. Dutch calls Noah “Santa”, but I guess the white beard is a little confusing hehehe We always read the story of Noah from the Bible while we’re playing with this. This toy is awesome because obviously it helps the story come alive, but also because we can practice our animal sounds, practice matching the animals (2 of each, duh haha), and then also matching them to their outline to put inside the Ark. This is a really great and education toy.
Don’t these sound like fun?
We have so much fun learning with these toys!
What toys do you have that you think we need to add to our toy box?
