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I love wooden toys
Filed under: Toys
Wooden toys . . . I wish we had
more than we do, but there have been times we have cheaped out because the wooden toys are more expensive than the
plastic versions. That's no excuse, but I had to come clean. Some of my favorite wooden toy features:- The musical wooden toys, like the Brio Plan Xylophone Owen has, for instance, have such a lovely sound. It is a refreshing change from the usually obnoxious sounds of the electronic plastic music makers.
- They are non-toxic, or mostly (the paint of wooden toys from Europe has been questioned). Plastic toys, on the other hand, often contain dangerous phthalates and other toxins that leach into the air and your child's lungs.
- For some reason, wooden toys seem to expand the imagination rather than stifle it. They are designed either to help a child learn a skill in an open-ended way (like a shape sorter) or they have no limit on the number of things they can be used for (like blocks). Either way, they do not think for the child, nor do they only do one thing, and they have no unnecessary lights and sounds that can be distracting.
- Wooden toys are timeless. From the simple styling to the skills involved, they are never dated. Can wooden pull toys ever wear out? How about a little work bench? Compare those with the plastic, electric versions with the accompanying lights and music, and it is easy to see the short shelf life of the latter.
Wooden toys are just so darned classy, from the nostalgia to the present day warm-fuzzies and the everlasting quality.
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
3-10-2006 @ 8:58AM
Jen said...Oh, I love them too. I may be biased, but I swear my daughter goes to the wooden toys first and plays with them longer than plastic ones.
In fact, all of the toys we've put away from non-use are plastic jobs that really only do one or two things or make a lot of noise.
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3-10-2006 @ 9:02AM
Ms. Mama said...I only buy wooden or plush toys. I hate the look of the plastic toys, and find the quality of the wooden and plush toys so much better. They may be slightly more expensive, but we do not buy too many toys - focusing more on books - and feel the slightly higher cost is worth it, they will last through all our (future) kids too. An option is always to buy used wooden toys, they often look as good as new and are cheaper...
We do have plastic toys though 'thanks' to relatives who tend to buy the flashiest, loudest, bulkiest thing imaginiable. Man do those huge fisher price plastic things drive me nuts!!!!
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3-10-2006 @ 9:12AM
Mandie said...Check out http://backtobasictoys.com
Great wood toys new and classic concepts.
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3-10-2006 @ 9:23AM
mamaloo said...We get the vast majority of our wooden toys from Value Village. I've gotten some handmade boutique toys, antique toys and toys lovingly created by grandfathers and dads.
When all of the other toys get donated out as Kieran grows out of them, the wooden toys will go up on shelves in his room as a little legacy for his own future children.
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3-10-2006 @ 10:12AM
jenn_mama said...I couldn't agree more! What is up with all those toys that make unnecessary sounds and light up? It drives me crazy. Needless to say, we have many toys (lovingly given by relatives) that have never seen a battery! My MIL thinks I am too lazy to put them in. She just cannot believe that most of the time all that extra *flash* is superfluous and distracting. I guess to that generation, the flashier the better!
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3-10-2006 @ 6:45PM
ChristineCJ said...Wow, I had never heard that plastic toys can be toxic. What about all the other plastic products in our lives? Yikes! But isn't there a difference between plastic toys? Flashing lights and obnoxious, meaningless sounds from poorly conceived toys are not great. But there are some wonderful plastic toys out there that really do stimulate the imagination. Playmobil, for example. And I remember playing for hours and hours with the Fisher Price Little People sets (not to mention plastic action figures and sets) when I was growing up, creating vast worlds and dramatic situations. If the toys work for the child's imagination, I don't think there's any reason to worry about buying wood vs. plastic...?
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