It’s never been easier to find eco-friendly toys for your baby, from wooden blocks made with water-based finishes to organic cotton dolls stuffed with sheep’s wool. Plus, your home already has plenty of safe items that will enchant your baby.

by Ruth A. Wilson, Ph.D.

Can my baby see colors? Studies conducted by the Infant Vision Laboratory at the University of California in Berkeley indicate that infants as young as two weeks of age have color vision and can distinguish a red object from a green object.

A type of green not evident to babies but with possible effects on their health and the health of the planet has to do with “eco-friendliness.” The terms eco-friendly, environmentally friendly, nature friendly, and green are often used interchangeably to refer to goods and services, practices, and policies designed to cause minimal or no harm to the environment. Eco-friendly products and services are often friendly to human health, as well. And with manufacturers' increased interest in making "green" toys, it's never been easier to engage in eco-friendly child parening.

Why organic?

Start by looking for toys that are natural and organic—that is, made with materials grown and processed without pesticides and other harsh chemicals. If paint is involved, look for toys that are painted only with natural dyes.

Organic toys are safe and fun for babies. Babies, as we know, tend to put everything in their mouth. It’s always good to be aware of what your child is chewing on.

Even toys labeled as “wood” may be finished with toxic paints and lacquer finishes that are harmful to your child’s health. When choosing wooden toys, check to see that they are made from natural or organic wood and finished only with natural dyes and finishing.

Another reason to choose organic is that organic toys are usually more beautiful and well made than the typical plastic throwaway kind. Organic toys loved during infancy tend to be kept as treasures as a child grows older.

Using what you have

Stephanie Sloan, M.Ed., a parent educator and early childhood instructor at Bellevue College near Seattle, also offered some eco-friendly ideas.

“The best ‘green’ toy for a baby,” says Sloan, “is the baby’s parents and caregivers!” Sloan suggests “talking, singing, going for walks in all kinds of weather to enjoy nature together, playing music and dancing together, reading baby board books even when the baby just wants to grab the book and ‘eat’ it!”

Sloan also suggests creating your own interesting toys. Start with a sturdy box and then gather a variety of interesting items to go inside.

Sloan also notes that a part of "being green" is not buying more stuff but using what you already have on hand, such as fabric pieces of different textures and safe kitchen items like measuring cups, canning rings, and small pans with lids.

Sloan recommends avoiding battery-operated toys, noting, “The more the ‘toy’ does for the baby, the less the baby can do with it!”

Plenty of options available

Deciding to “go green” doesn’t mean your choices will be limited. Companies today realize that being eco-friendly can be a financially wise as well as socially responsible thing to do. So today’s market offers a wide variety of green toys for babies.

Tree Hollow Toys and Willow Tree Toys, for example, offer blocks and building toys made from natural woods and organic water-based finishes. Their line of products includes shape sorters, castle building blocks, alphabet blocks, and puzzle boards.

Community Playthings is another company specializing in natural wood furniture and toys for babies and young children. They offer several sets of blocks, including unit blocks and mini unit blocks, that are just sanded wood with no lacquer or other type of wood finish. These blocks are constructed of solid beech, with corners and edges rounded for safety.

Eco-friendly soft toys like stuffed animals and baby dolls are also available. Eden Home and Blueberry Forest, for instance, make organic cotton toys stuffed with natural sheep’s wool. Some of these products are dyed with natural vegetable dyes. Others retain the unaltered, original color of the fabric used.

Here are some other places to look for green toys for baby:

• Oompa
• Planet Happy Kids
• Three Sisters Toys
• A Toy Garden

And don’t forget to use natural elements you can find right outside your door. With a little advance research to make sure the plants in your garden are not poisonous, and careful adult supervision, your baby can enjoy playing with fist-size stones, evergreen sprigs, flowers, and leaves.

Take your baby outside and watch as she runs her hands through the grass and feels the bark on the side of a tree. Chances are you’ll find that the best toys for your baby are the simplest ones.

 

Dr. Ruth Wilson is an educational consultant and curriculum writer. Her primary areas of expertise are early childhood environmental education and peace education.

Lead photo courtesy of Community Playthings; Baby in box by Ruth Wilson; Rattle courtesy of Willow Tree Toys