The Sustainable Family, Green Tip #3: Toys for Baby

It's hard these days not to be drawn to the overwhelming numbers of plastic toys on the market.  They are colorful, make fun noises, and some even come with an educational tag, so most people see plastic toys as the norm.  But you wouldn't be so fast to purchase if you knew what was in that plastic.  Some plastics contain toxic chemicals such as lead and cadmium that are damaging to the brain and reproductive systems.  Soft plastics are even more potentialy dangerous because they contain phthalates that are extremely toxic.  Teethers, pacifiers, bath toys, dolls and most other soft plastic toys contain this chemical to make the plastic soft and suitable for baby's mouth.  Furthermore, plastic harms the environment through the manufacturing and incineration of PVC which sends chlorine, dioxins and other harmful chemicals into our biosphere.  And to top it all off, plastic never biodegrates.  Just think of how many plastic toys are filling up landfills or floating in the ocean.  Plastic is the bully on the playground that our kids would be wise to stay away from.  So, what are the alternatives?

Wooden Toys:  Look for unfinished solid wood toys.  These are safe for the environment and for baby.  Unlike pressed wood, solid wood won't contain toxins, sealant residues or urea-formeldehyde none of which are good for a developing child.  There are even wooden toys on the market that are made from FSC-certified wood or recycled wood.

Stuffed Animals and Soft Cloth Toys:  There are cloth toys available that are made from organic fibers such as cotton, hemp, or wool.  The colored fabrics are also nontoxic, and not chemically stained as are most conventional stuffed animals.  Cloth toys like these make a great alternative to those plastic teething rings.  Ultimately, these options are much better for a baby to put in his/her mouth.

Environmetally safe toys for baby can be found in many local organic baby stores around the Portland Metro Area. 

Comments

[Charles Heying]

Abigail:

Thanks for this post. When our children were growing up, we didn't have much money, so I made a lot of wooden toys including a wooden puzzle of our VW Bug. It had a little hinged door the kids could open and a driver they could pull out from inside the car and put back in. Lois and I also constructed a whole set of wooden blocks from recyled wood from a cabinet shop I had worked at. These were all heavily used by our children but we still have them. They are a bit battered and broken, but they have a lot of memories as well. One of the memories is from the time we made the blocks. We lived in rural Wisconsin where I was a teaching. Our only heat was an oil stove in the middle of our kitchen/living room. It was coming on Christmas eve and all three children were sick with high fevers so we couldn't travel to our families for the holidays. I remember us siting close to the stove, alternately sanding blocks, holding the kids, and worrying about whether we should take them to the doctor. We decided against the doctor (no money, long trip) but the children recovered and we did travel to family later the next week. And we did finish the blocks so the kids had something under the tree for Christmas morning. Hmm, maybe I shouldn't post this, I think my grown children (including Kristin) might still think the blocks were from Santa Claus.

Charles