Following is a smorgasbord of toys that I researched and felt comfortable having my daughter play with – or would have felt comfortable with, had I bought them. Please note that I don’t receive any compensation for recommending these products!
Swings
During the early days of the pandemic, it wasn’t clear whether it was safe to bring our kids to the playground. So we decided to bring some of the playground into our home, in the form of a swing.
Solvej – We chose a Solvej swing because it looked to be a company that is conscientious about the materials it uses. Their core product uses non-chemically treated wood, and the textiles used are synthetic (acrylic for the cloth of the swing and polyester for the ropes) because they need to be able to withstand rot if used outdoors. They do offer another product for babies that uses wool felt for the main part of the swing. We have the swing for 6 months-6 years, and they also offer a swing for child through adulthood.
Finn and Emma Macrame Swing – I haven’t tried this swing, but it looks beautiful and is made with 100% organic cotton and a solid wood bar. Finn and Emma are a company focused on using non-toxic materials like organic cotton, eco-friendly dyes, and all natural wood, and on sustainability.
Play Kitchens
Milton and Goose – After researching the many different play kitchen products on the market, I settled on Milton and Goose because of their attention to quality and non-toxic materials. Their creations are handmade in the U.S. (Amish woodworkers in Ohio) and use largely solid wood and non-toxic finishes. They also test their products: “All of our products are tested for lead, heavy metals, and phthalates, in addition to complying with the stringent California Prop 65 threshold for hazardous substances.” We have loved our play kitchen. Note that when we initially took it out of the packaging, it did need to be off-gassed – even though the finish is deemed non-toxic, it still had a bit of a smell that needed to dissipate. But now it smells fine. The company also sells other products including dollhouses and some playroom furniture like bookshelves, tables, and chairs.
Tender Leaf Toys – We didn’t go with the this product, but Tender Leaf Toys also offers play kitchens made from rubberwood and using formaldehyde-free glues and paints free of lead and heavy metals. Their products meet the European, American, Australian and New Zealand standard safety of toys according to EN71, ASTM and AS/NZS ISO, and that they carry the CE marking and are tested to the highest standards.
Wooden Toys
Bajo – This Polish company is makes its products in Poland and specializes in a range of wooden toys, including push and pull toys, rocking horses, walkers, four-wheel cycles, games, and more. They use local suppliers for wood who are compliant with European eco-standards and non-toxic paints and their final products comply with both EU and US safety standards. You can see their wide catalog of offerings here. My daughter has loved her rainbow flower push toy (above) and I’m sure would love many of their other products.
Plan Toys offers a broad range of toy products focused on child development and that are sustainably made in Thailand with chemical-free rubberwood trees, formaldehyde-free glues, organic pigments, and water based dyes. Product line is for 0-3+ years.
Grimm’s is a German company offering a range of gorgeous wooden toys and decor. In product development, they are guided by the principles of Waldorf education and other educational approaches, such as Montessori. Their toys are made in small, independent workshops in Germany and Bosnia, with attention to high working standards. The wood is sourced from sustainably managed forests in Europe and includes alder, lime, beech and maple wood. All colours and oils used are certified in accordance with the safety requirements of the European (EN71-3) and American (ASTM) Toy Safety Standards. Colors used are non-toxic, water-based stains and they oil their wood products with a mix of different natural oils, with linseed oil as the main ingredient. This blend consists of linseed oil, olive oil, thistle oil, walnut oil and soybean oil. They say on their website that, “Any discoloration, for example due to intensive contact with saliva, is extremely rare and harmless and poses no health risk to babies, toddlers or adults.” On top of it all, they “love animals” and do test on animals.
Nobodinoz is a Spanish company offering a range of children’s products, including wooden toys. Their wooden toys are made of 100% natural wood (beech and hornbeam wood) and have no chemical coating – the paint and varnish are non-toxic and comply with the European EN71-3 regulations, which limits the amount of heavy metals that can migrate off of the toy. They are handcrafted in Jura, France.
Dollhouses
Plan Toys Green Dollhouse – As mentioned above, I feel comfortable with the materials that Plan Toys uses and as a company they seem to prioritize both safety and environment. We didn’t go with this dollhouse, but it was definitely a strong contender!
Tenderleaf Toys Dovetail Dollhouse – We went with this dollhouse. It is made from renewable rubber wood and TSCA Title VI compliant plywood, and it is painted with non-toxic, water-based paint. The company also claims their products meet the European, American, Australian and New Zealand standard safety of toys according to EN71, ASTM and AS/NZS ISO, and that they carry the CE marking and are tested to the highest standards. The brand also offers other dollhouse designs, such as the Cottontail Cottage, Foxtail Villa, Fantail Hall, and Hummingbird House. Their range of miniature furniture and detailed decor is extensive and fun.
Dolls and Stuffed Animals
Hazel Village – This Brooklyn-based company sells cute animal and human dolls with adorable clothing (and even some matching clothes for your child!). The are organic and ethically-made, with a focus on sustainability, and partner with artisans and social enterprises in Peru, Nepal, Cambodia, and Brooklyn to produce their adorable dolls and clothing.
Senger Naturwell – The stuffed animals made by this German company are made from organic cotton and wool. Most of the materials are sourced from around Germany, as well as from Peru and Turkey.
Pingvini – This is a seller on Etsy who I believe makes her stuffed animals in Bulgaria and sources the organic cotton from Germany and the organic wool from the UK. Adorable dolls and animals!
Maileg – a Danish brand offering toys made of natural materials such as cotton, linen, wool, wood, and metal. They do not use plastic except for the polyester filling for their stuffed toys. They state the following on their website: “Maileg is dedicated to providing our customers with complete assurance that every precaution has been taken to ensure the safety of your child. We demand that our suppliers provide testing certification for each toy, proving that rigorous and up-to-date safety testing has been conducted to meet all government safety standards. Our Quality Assurance Department conducts a full inspection and audit of all toys, double-checking construction, proper labeling, and age recommendations before any toys are delivered to our customers. All parts are safety approved – CE (EN-71) and ASTM 963 standard in the USA. All products are BPA-Free and Lead-Free.”
Puzzles & Books
Puzzle People of California – We – and especially our daughter – love these puzzles. They are handcrafted in California, made from wood (cherry, oak, maple, and walnut). All materials are non-toxic: the wood contains no formaldehyde, due to California passing strict controls dictating zero emissions, and the stains and finishes used are water-based. They offer puzzles of varying complexity, including wonderful maps of the U.S., Europe, Africa, South America, and Mexico. We have about 5 of their puzzles and still use them.
MudPuppy – All Mudpuppy products adhere to CPSIA, ASTM, and CE Safety Regulations. They offer double-sided puzzles, wooden puzzles, glow-in-the-dark puzzles, among others, and anywhere from under 50 pieces to 1000 pieces. MudPuppy also offers many other types of games and books.
Usborne Publishing – My family has loved Usborne books, activity books, and puzzles since our daughter was a baby. Their content and imagery are high quality, imaginative, and engaging. Usborne, a British company, does not put front and center as part of their identity that they are eco-conscious and focused on child safety, but when you dig further into their website, it is clear that they make this a priority. You can see some of what they do to ensure safety here, including a video of the founder speaking about how they have a full time team doing nothing but safety testing of their products, including tests for toxicity, choking hazards, and general safety, and how they go above and beyond requirements of a wide range of governments since they sell their books around the world. So it seems they pay more than lip service to this concern. They carry a CE and a UKCA marking, showing that these products meet the requirements of European Commission and UK legislation, which tend to be more rigorous than those of the U.S.
UnCommon Goods custom books – I always remember the Cinderella book that had my name used throughout when I was a little girl. So I made sure to get my daughter a few custom books of her own. One place with cute custom book options. While I haven’t seen anything on the website about testing the products for toxicity, what does give me some comfort is that these books are made in the U.S. and not China.
Iseeme books – This is another company that makes fun custom books. Their books are also printed in the U.S., though again, I don’t see any information on their website about product safety/toxicology.
Play Mats and Activity Centers
Wee Gallery offers a range of products for babies and toddlers with a focus on sustainability and on use of organic and natural materials where possible. In addition to activity mats, they offer other products like art cards, teethers, crinkle toys, swaddles, books, and other soft toys. All cotton, cotton canvas, and linen items are made in a GOTS certified facility in South India and are 100% organic cotton and linen. The products which have polyester fiber fill (like the activity mat) is OEKO TEX certified for baby products. They select this for certain products because it is baby safe and is more functional for washing certain products than cotton fill. Their crinkle toys are quite popular with babies because of the crinkly noise they make when handled. Their product range is for 0-3+ years of age.
Finn and Emma – I have not tried this activity mat, but as mentioned above, I really appreciate Finn and Emma as a brand and their focus on non-toxic, natural materials. It looks like a beautiful and comfortable mat.
We did get the Finn and Emma Play Gym, which our daughter made good use of as a baby. I felt comfortable with her handling the wood, which is untreated Indian hardwood (for all of their products, the stains and lacquers used as finishing on frame are free of lead, phthalate, nickel, mercury, and VOCs), and also the soft toys, which are G.O.T.S. certified 100% organic cotton knit, have non-toxic, eco-friendly dyes & wax, and are made in Peru & India.
Tents
Nobodinoz – This is a Spanish company that makes a range of children’s home decor, play items, and other baby products. Their tents are lovely – they come in different styles and colors and are made of organic cotton that is Oeko-Tex class 1 certified fabric; Safe for kid’s skin and the planet. You can add some of their organic pillows in fun patterns or an organic cotton mattress or futon or playmat. Not all of the pillows are organic; many are Oeko-Tex certified, and some are GOTS certified, so you need to read the description for each one.
I Love TeePee & TipTopTeePee are two sellers on Etsy who make organic, non-chemically treated (flame retardant-free) teepees. We have one from I Love TeePee, which came with a fun LED light with a remote control that can change colors. Our daughter loves her tent – we’ve filled it with lots of pillows.
Cars and Cycles
- Baghera speedster – A fun item for kids who like to push themselves around on wheels. They styles and colors have a vintage look to them; they are made of high quality metal and rubber tires. Each product complies with European safety standards.
- Hape Wooden Bike – My daughter has enjoyed scooting around on this one quite a bit. I don’t know what type of wood is used, but the company claims it is formaldehyde-free and uses non-toxic finishes. I’m a little on the fence about Hape in general, though, as they do make their toys in China, even if they maintain control of their factory and source most of the materials (paints, etc.) in Germany.
Tunnel
Lovevery Organic cotton play tunnel – This was another good toy to have on hand during the pandemic (though sometimes I would find myself being asked to crawl through the tunnel too!). It folds up easily and can be stored under couches or other tight spaces. It’s made of organic cotton.
Blankets
Dou Dou – What a special little company, producing beautiful, personalized baby blankets. The yarn used in the blankets is 100% Italian Organic Cotton yarn from partners in Milan, Italy, and is guaranteed by the certification Global Textile Standard (GOTS). The blankets are knitted ethically with love by a family-owned small knitting mill in Brooklyn, New York. Doudou blankets by their very nature have an extremely limited impact on environment. Each blanket is made-to-order, eliminating waste and excess inventory. The blankets come in a crib size and a smaller bassinet size. We now have two of these blankets with our daughter’s name on them – one in a gorgeous purple and the other a rich green. She uses them for naps and at night.
Robbie Adrian – This was our daughter’s first blanket, as a baby. It is certified organic and made in the US, and super soft. She loved it to the point that she wouldn’t go to sleep without it. Now she has moved on to the DouDou blankets.