Hi everyone,
I was reading our local paper yesterday, and was not surprised to see the following …
“Green your kid’s toys. It might sound odd to suggest wooden toys, but wooden toys not only usually last longer than plastic, they are safer to chew because they don’t contain PVC (polyvinyl chloride). PVC is a dioxin producing powerhouse, releasing toxins into the environment its entire lifecycle from production to disposal”.
There are other concerns with plastic toys too. Various soft plastic toys have been banned in the US for containing phalate, another toxin.
It confirms something I have known all along. Wooden toys are fantastic!
Are wooden toys betters than plastic? In order to answer this question, we would need to define ‘better’. I have to admit to being biased towards wood so I’ve been pondering why this is the case.
When it comes to your children, nothing’s too good for them, although some things are certainly too good to be true. These days, literally well over 99 percent of the toys offered for sale to your children are made of plastic and metal. Natural wood toys are nearly non-existent. That’s sad really. They’re an important part of our heritage and culture, and chances are they’re safer than plastic toys as well.
How many times have we been told that a plastic or painted toy is safe, only to see it recalled or find out it has lead in the paint or plastic body or is unsafe for any number of other reasons? This holds especially true for very small children and babies. These little ones will be putting whatever they play within their mouths, and plastics, painted toys, and metals probably aren’t high on the list of things you want in your baby’s mouth.
If we are considering the environment and the ultimate destination for many toys (which is landfill) then wood is clearly the better material. If we are thinking about robustness and the resilience of the material to the treatment that toys receive at the hands of their owners then both materials can perform well, depending upon the toy.
When it comes to plastic toys and wooden toys, there is more of a chance that plastic toys will be purchased. However, consumers don’t seem to consider buying a wooden toy for their kids instead. In a few ways, it would be more worth the while to get.
Let’s think of a few differences between the two. Plastic toys: they can break easily and the edges could harm little children. Wooden toys, on the other hand, are more durable. If you were to stand on a toy truck made of plastic, there is a great chance that it will break, possibly leaving sharp edges that could cut your child; and be fit only for the rubbish.
Wooden toys on the other hand encourage your kids to use their creativity, when either they make the toys themselves or play with them. Simple activities such as making cookies at their own toy kitchen, or riding a wooden Arabian horse, and so on, boost a child’s creativity and visualization.
You probably wonder why parents opt to offer their children the common wooden type of toys instead of the cheaper plastic toys commonly produced in China. Many consider that having plastic toys is more practical than wooden toys because of the cost factor. Although plastic toys are cheaper compared to wooden toys, long-term consideration proves that the latter is better than the former.
Wood is a naturally made material that can be subjected to recycling. This means that aside from providing entertainment for your child, you can also proactively help in preventing further degradation of the environment. Moreover, children appear to be more attached to playing with wooden toys.
Play is an essential part of a child’s learning and emotional development. Wooden toys are a sensible choice for the very young. Children’s wooden toys include toys such as miniature farm animals sets for infants and dollhouses for young girls and boys. Many wooden toys are also educational toys for young school children, such as puzzles, building blocks, and more.
Wooden toys are also more durable than their plastic or metal counterparts. Thus with proper care, it is possible to make these toys last a child’s entire childhood and maybe even hand them down to their children.
How are wooden toys invented? Wooden toys are invented because wood is the only easily available material where one can make toys with simple tools. Sad to speak, it’s hard to find wooden toys in toy stores these days.
Online toy stores offer a wide variety of wooden toys to choose from. And sometimes, it’s easier to find what you want because modern toy stores these days mostly sell plastic toys.
Have you ever seen a child in a room full of the latest toys and found the child to be playing with old-fashioned children’s wooden toys that were a big hit when you were young? What is it about this sight that is so comforting? Is it because the child’s wooden toy makes us feel nostalgic or is there something else at play here? In our world of plastic throw-away goods, it is comforting to see lasting goods lasting. It is especially comforting to see goods that are felt to be worthy enough to be passed on from generation to generation. The latest gadget on the latest toy has not made traditional children’s wooden toys any less desirable to children, or even to adults for that matter.
Children’s wooden toys are toys that are made using a natural product as opposed to a product like plastic which is a product that we are trying to recycle but nevertheless remains a product that costs less to produce new than to recycle. If a child’s wooden toy is made from a sustainable forest that’s even better as it is actually helping out our troubled environment. This is only one of the reasons we feel better towards wood than towards plastic. There are also many emotional reasons why wooden toys feel better.
To touch and explore is often considered as one of the most important aspects of most educational programs that help a child develop different capabilities. Letting your kids play with wooden toys would unmistakably encourage them to learn by touching and exploring. Moreover, you could even purchase wooden toys and games specially meant to educate the kids.
Plastic toys come in all shapes and sizes so there are bound to be lots of brightly colored playthings that attract the attention of your child, no matter how old they are. They are durable, washable, and usually pretty safe, but as with all toys, there are toy safety checks to watch out for when you are buying the perfect toy for your child.
The most important toy safety check for all toys, including plastic toys, is that they have the appropriate safety marks. Although the CE Mark is not in fact a consumer symbol, it does mean that the toy you are looking for will have passed stringent safety tests and conform with a list of essential safety requirements. If any plastic toys that you are thinking of buying don’t have the CE Mark, you should avoid them because you can’t be sure whether they will be safe for your child to play with.
==>Next Wooden Toy Idea ==>
⚡⚡⚡ Want To See More Educational Wooden Toys For Toddlers & Kids Development? ==> Click The Images Below To Explore!
