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Wood Alternatives to Popular Plastic Toys

Ahhh, the age old battle: plastic vs wooden toys. 


*dramatic music begins*


Pick your fighter: On the left we have the type of battery powered, land-fill filling, easily broken plastic toys you'll see all over TV and in big box stores.


On the right we have timeless, eco-friendly, heirloom quality, educational AND entertaining wooden toys. 


And today they go head to head. 


*dun dun dun*


In all seriousness, it can seem a little intimidating to quit the toys-that-come-so-wrapped-in-plastic-it-takes-a-lightsaber-a-PHD-and-a-few-tears just to open. It’s especially hard to stop buying these toys cold turkey, so that’s where we come in. 


I am here today to show you wood alternatives to popular plastic toys that you can slowly start incorporating in the hopes it will seem a little less intimidating, AND to prove to you that for every plastic option, there’s an even better wood one. 


Let the games begin: 


Toys that stack

These types of toys are a household staple at this point and they come in many shapes and sizes, most of which are plastic. Plastic rings, plastic cups, plastic shapes - the list goes on. But what if I told you we have an alternative? Our  square stacking toy comes with 5 naturally colored layers that are great at helping refine your little one’s fine motor skills. We also have our super cute  smiling moon balancer which is the perfect addition to any playroom.

smiling moon balancer 

smiling tree toys smiling moon balancer

 

Toys that move

This is a big one! Kids looove toys that can be pushed and pulled and rolled in any direction their little heart desires. What they don’t love is when these toys quickly get broken, run out of batteries and simply stop working. But again, we have you covered! From our  3-piece vehicle set - which also can be bought as single cars - to our wooden  push bunny, we have the perfect range of durable, sustainable and hand crafted toys that are sure to keep up with the everyday playtime demands.

old school truck

smiling tree toys old school truck

 

Toys that are meant to be chewed on:

We pride ourselves in making  teethers that are customizable, 100% safe to chew on, and come in almost every shape, animal, letter or state you could imagine. We also love saying,with confidence, our wooden teething toys are naturally antibacterial, non-splintering, and non-toxic. I mean, does it get any better than that?!

elephant teether

smiling tree toys elephant teether

 

Toys that promote learning: 

This one’s for you mamas! Of course we want toys that are fun and entertaining - someone needs a few minutes to fold the laundry - but if they can also be educational, that’s an even bigger win. We have a few options that check all the boxes: our  name puzzles are great for helping little ones recognize their names and the letters in them. When it comes to shapes and numbers thelacing and  tracing toy is a fan favorite! Also, our  uppercase,  lowercase and  numbersets encourage hands-on letter/number recognition, spelling, reading and counting. Check out our entire educational toys collection too! 

lacing toy

lacing tracing toy from smiling tree toys

 

I think the real winner here is clear - it’s the kids when you choose well-made, long-lasting, wooden toys over plastic ones. This change doesn’t have to happen overnight, but if you’d like it to and want a little extra incentive,feel free to sign up for our email list and receive 10% off your first order! 


But wait, there’s more! Here are a few other blog posts covering similar topics with helpful tips and tricks:  How to Request Plastic-Free Toys and  Why Wooden Toys are Better than Plastic


Have any questions or comments? Shoot us a dm - we’d love to hear from you!

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