As parents, we want the best for our children. When choosing toys for our little ones, we tend to focus on educational value or entertainment quality. But we should also be mindful of the materials used in toy construction. For example, while plastic is widely popular due to its durability and low cost, wooden toys are often considered safer and more durable than plastic toys, not to mention more environmentally friendly. Wood is a renewable resource, whereas plastics are derived from non-renewable fossil fuels.
Choosing a Safe Wooden Toy
Wooden toys may be safer than their plastic counterparts because they don’t have any loose parts that can break off and pose a choking hazard to small children. Of course, you still need to make sure that the wooden toy itself is safe for your child’s age group. Wooden toys are typically made with one of three types of wood: softwood, hardwood or composite wood.
Softwood is the most common type of wood used for making children’s toys and furniture. Hardwood is stronger and more durable than softwood but can also be heavier and more expensive. Composite wood is a manufactured material made from sawdust glued together with glues or adhesives that contain formaldehyde.
There is something very special about a wooden toy. Wooden toys, that can be passed down from generation to generation, natural materials, educational and safe. A wooden toy will be enjoyed by a child long after they have outgrown other toys.
Many of the wooden toys found in the shops are mass produced using a variety of woods and paints which may not be environmentally friendly. It is always best to purchase a toy made from natural wood and painted with water based paints.
Many parents are coming back to the old fashioned toys for their children, as many of the plastic toys on the market today are made from toxic material and may not be safe for children to play with.
Toys made from wood are considered safer than plastic ones, this is because there are no sharp edges and the paint used is non toxic.
Choosing a wooden toy for your child can be a lot of fun, but it can also be confusing if you don’t know what you should be looking for and what type of wooden toy would suit your child best.
It’s always a good idea to choose toys that will encourage your child’s imagination, as well as help them develop their cognitive skills.
Take your child to the wooden toy shop along with you when choosing their new toy and let them decide.
