Go Play Green - Eco-Friendly Toys For Today's Kids

Looking for a unique gift for a baby or a toddler? There's definitely no shortage of options out there! Here's a fresh idea - why not do something good for the environment and purchase an eco-friendly toy? Eco-friendly toys, also known as green toys, are made from safe and natural materials and are available everywhere toys are sold. Below you will find some types of eco-friendly toys available and some popular manufacturers that produce them:

• Eco-Friendly Play Sets: Wonderworld makes a series of quality, educational wooden toys, specially designed and created for children ages one to five. These play sets will provide hours of entertainment for children and help keep their minds active. Choose from a play washing machine, complete with working knobs or a carpentry set, including a hammer, screwdriver and other accessories. All play sets are made of durable and natural rubber-wood.
• Eco-Friendly Stuffed Animals: Challenge and Fun Inc. produces a line of natural and organic stuffed animals, designed to encourage interaction and open-ended play in children of all ages. Challenge and Fun Inc.'s soft, stuffed toys are made with 100% organic cotton, pure wool and all dyes are certified to meet strict Oeko-Tex standards. Some of the stuffed animals feature a pull-cord music box, while others are simply cuddly soft toys designed to bring out the imagination in your child.
• Eco-Friendly Building Blocks: Kapla creates high quality building block sets made from 100% natural pine wood, produced from certified renewable forests in France. These building blocks are ideal for pre-school builders as well as for older children. These toys allow for the development of logical thinking skills, building techniques, the ability to follow instructions, hand to eye and spatial coordination and fine motor skills. With these quality Kapla sets, children can build simple towers, bridges and even whole cities!

These are just a few examples of eco-friendly toys that are out there. There are many options to choose from, just do some research before shopping and you should be fine. A couple of things to look for:

• Buy stuffed animals made from organic cotton and pure wool
• Buy natural wood toys
• Make sure that all dyes used are water-based dyes or otherwise natural or organic
• Toys made of fabric should be labeled as flame resistant or flame retardant
• Make sure painted toys are covered with a lead-free paint