With a 2 year old and a 5 year old, we play A LOT around here. As you can probably guess, I’m pretty picky about making sure that what we bring into the house for them to play with is totally nontoxic. Don’t get me wrong, we still have a plethora of Little People and plastic dinosaurs, but I try to go for more classic, non-plastic toys when I can. I also avoid some things, like Play Doh, like the Plague. The fragrance alone in that is a major strike. There are lots of safer options though, so I’ve rounded up some of our families favorites and we’re giving one of the items away!
Play Doh
Just say no. Seriously. This is extremely easy and way cheaper to make on your own. I long suspected their use of artificial fragrance (the smell fills up a room in seconds). After some digging I found that it’s 2004 United States patent indicates it is composed of water, a starch-based binder, a retrogradation inhibitor, salt, lubricant, surfactant, preservative, hardener, humectant, fragrance, and color. The water and the salt are safe and thats about it.
Swap it out for a super easy homemade recipe or you can purchase ready-made nontoxic play doh. I’ve heard great things about Eco Dough and the price isn’t too bad. We also use and love the Melissa and Doug Shape, Model and Mold set to use with the play doh. It’s all real wood. It does come with a small amount of their version of play doh, but we tossed it and just use the toys. My kid’s preschool does use real Play Doh sometimes and I try to just let it go and focus on what they play with at home.
Miscellaneous Toys
I really can’t stand plastic. Not just for the health reasons, but also because the toys often look cheap and flimsy, pieces break off, they fade and just generally aren’t classic toys that get handed down. We try to get wooden toys when we can and one of the brands we really like is Hape Toys.
They are committed to sourcing eco friendly materials for their toys and most of their toys are made out of bamboo or wood. They’re all well made and the kids really seem to like them. You can buy them direct, but Amazon sells a lot of their toys (hello Prime shipping..). Here are some of our favorites from them:
Hape dollhouse furniture– We gave Annabelle her first real dollhouse this past Christmas and what else does a doll house need, but all the furnishings to go with it. These are affordable, all real wood and completely nontoxic. I’ve noticed that some of the doll furniture at Pottery Barn Kids is an exact replica of this, just painted a different color. I’m pretty sure this must be their source.
Pound and Tap Bench– This was a favorite in our house for a long time. Both my son and daughter liked it and it seemed to be a big hit from ages 1-3. My daughter is still 2, but when she got into dolls, she became much more picky about what she’ll play with.
Kitchen Toys
Playfully Delicious Mighty Mixer Set– Both of my kids love playing in our play kitchen and “making” food. Since baking cookies is a favorite activity around here, the mixer is a big hit.
Chef’s Choice Food Playset– Speaking of food, my kid’s absolutely love pretending to slice of food and cook it and serve it. And I get the task of pretending to gobble up everything they serve to me :).
Tooth Brush
Lastly, this isn’t a toy, but it is one of our favorite nontoxic children’s products. These toothbrushes are made from bamboo, making them nontoxic and biodegradable. I love the shape and design of these and of course, I love that they’re not plastic.
Lookout for more nontoxic favorites in the future and soon I’ll be sharing all of our favorite nontoxic baby products. What are some of your family’s favorites? xo
Great list, Molly! I’ve been in a similar position trying to find and buy safe toys for my kids ( mine are 3 and 1). I ended up getting them the Hape play Kitchen which is adorable ( though I almost got the Plan Toys version because I’d read it was higher quality. But the Hape one looked too cute in the pics). And I have the exact same food play set. Have you tried Plan Toys?- most of them are made from solid (rubber) wood as opposed to composite. I’ve been buying a few pieces by them to try them out and they seem high quality ( not affliated).