Non-Toxic Gifts for the Baby/Toddler in Your Life
My youngest munchkin turned one last week. In his honor, this week I am featuring a list of great non-toxic and super fun toy and gift options for the one year old in your life! Happy birthday Federico!
For a guide on what to look out for and how to purchase safe toys please read our blog post How To Choose The Safest Toys For Your Munchkin : What Chemicals To Look Out For And How to Identify Them
BLOCKS
cityBLOCKS Stacking Blocks
These brightly colored and beautifully illustrated blocks are great for kids 1 - 4+ Both my boys love playing with them.
Their large surface area and light weight makes them ideal for the littlest munchkins who are still learning the art of stacking
Skip Hop Alphabet Zoo ABC House Blocks
These wooden blocks are chunky but light weight and, thus, easy to grip for one year olds. Another toy that will be around for years.
Melissa and Doug Unit Blog Cart
My son loves to put these in his mouth - I mean to build big towers! They are on the smallish side for little hands to stack but the colors are great as are the shapes and the little cart can be pulled around the house. Like I said, right now they are either in his mouth or being carted around the house, but eventually they will be great for building!
(Ikea has a very similar model available too!)
PULL AND PUSH TOYS
My son took his first steps at 9 months (probably inspired by his energetic older brother!) so by the time he turned one this week he was a walking 'pro' and LOVES pulling and pushing toys around. Even if your munchkin has yet to take his/her first steps.... it will be a matter of time before they do so these toys are always a good bet. Here are some options:
Sevi Mini Pull Along Toys
I had actually never heard of this brand, but I now love them. Sevi is the oldest (1831!) wooden European toy company; their toys are designed in Italy. Their toys are adorable (my sister in law gave my son the zebra pictured), they use non-toxic vegetable based paints and finishes on their wood.
Orange Tree Toys Lion Push Along
Before receiving this as a gift, my little one was walking around 'pushing' his older brothers play hockey sticks. Now, he loves walking around with this little lion (they have cows, ladybugs, dinosaurs and some other models available as well!) As with all the other toys in this list, there are numerous push toy options to choose from just make sure they use no-toxic paint and, ideally, are made in the US, Canada or Europe.
This is a company which I love. Their toys are spectacularly designed and made using environmentally responsible and safe methods. I love Plan Toys and my boys love them too
DOLLS AND STUFFED ANIMALS
These are usually great gift ideas and great for imaginative play. When choosing a doll for your baby girl avoid plastic dolls (if the toy smells like plastic it is not a healthy option) clothes dolls are ideal for this age group
These might not be organic, but they are cotton made and, I think, adorable. Easy to clean and ideal for babies with allergies.
Handmade in Europe and super soft they are small (8 inches) and ideal for little hands.
My oldest never used a lovie blanket buy my youngest loves his so much he carries it around the house with it in his mouth ("like a lion carrying his cubs around " is what my husband says...) MiYim makes soft organic ones in various animal models.