I inherited some of my favorite childhood toys–wooden toys that have lasted decades. These toys are still holding up well after being played with regularly by dozens of kids, and I have confidence they will last for years to come. Contrast that with many toys available today, those that break after only a few uses.
Wooden toys are an excellent choice for babies and toddlers. They are sturdy, durable, and fun to play with. You can’t go wrong with a high quality wood toy for young kids.
Why Buy Wooden Toys for Kids?
With all of the electronics and fancy toys out there, why go with a wooden toy for your toddler or baby?
- No harmful chemicals. If you get an organic or solid wood toy, it doesn’t have the harmful chemicals that can be found in plastic. As young children like to put toys in their mouths, this is really important. That doesn’t mean that any wood toy is safe from chemicals. Clearly, toys made with treated woods might fall into this category. However, you can purchase wood toys that come untreated without oil, wax, or ink. The type of wood you purchase is more important for your baby or 1-year-old as they still put things in their mouth.
- Quality. Wooden toys also tend to be of better quality and more resilient and therefore make a good gift idea that will last a long time. My wife and I have had countless plastic toys get chewed over, broken, and eventually thrown away. A good quality wooden toy may last through not only all of your children but passed on as well.
- Helps with development. Wooden toys allow your children to develop their young imaginations. This is one of the most important stages of their entire life for brain growth, creativity, and development. Plus, getting your toddler away from the annoying plastic toys with buttons and sounds is something you’ll thank me for when she’s quietly playing!
14 Great Wooden Toy Gift Ideas for Toddlers, Babies, and 1-Year-Olds
| Product | Features |
|---|---|
HABA Magica Wooden Clutch Toy | |
HABA Rattling Max | |
HABA Kringelring Wooden Baby Rattle | |
Infant Wooden Teething Rattles | |
Janod Circus Box | |
Hape Pound & Tap Bench | |
Janod Wooden Farm | |
TOP BRIGHT Wooden Race Track | |
Super Rocket Magnet Kit | |
Melissa & Doug Shape Sorter | |
Grimm's Rainbow Stacker | |
Carrots Harvest Sorting Game | |
Wooden Alphabet Puzzle | |
Melissa & Doug Wooden Blocks | |
Melissa & Doug Wooden Shapes Puzzle |
Looking for a good wooden toy for your toddler, baby, or 1-year old? Below, I’ll go over some toys that are not only fun to play with, but safe too.
4 Fantastic Wood Toys and Wooden Teething Toys for Babies and 1-Year-Olds
Ready to start your wooden toy collection? Here are some good wooden toys for your young child.
1. HABA Magica Wooden Clutch Toy
German manufacturer HABA makes this fantastic clutching toy. It can be placed in the mouth as the paint for it is extremely durable. The beachwood from the toy is taken from sustainable forestry in Germany. The toy is non-toxic, lead free, and uses a safe water-base stain.
The clutching toy features 8 ping pong-sized balls that can be moved around and played with by your baby or even 1-year-old. In terms of size, it lines up to be around 4″ x 3″.
2. HABA Rattling Max
This cute rattle is a great teething toy. It bends in the middle and uses similar safe materials as the HABA clutching toy above. You can attach it to your stroller or car seat with the ring. The bright colors and cute face are engaging for babies, and the smooth wood is soothing on sore gums. Infants enjoy chewing on and playing with this teething toy.
Overall, it’s a fantastic wooden toy and one of several that I’d recommend from German manufacturer HABA.
3. HABA Kringelring Wooden Baby Rattle
Here’s another great toy from HABA for your baby. It’s a wooden baby rattle that doubles as a teether and a clutching toy. Like the products above, it’s made with renewable beachwood and is made with safe water-based paints. This gender-neutral toy is great for boys and girls. The base is made of wood and the small rings are made of safe plastic.
4. Infant Wooden Teething Rattles
If you’re looking for a wooden retro teething ring for your baby, you will treasure this handmade teething bracelet! Made with beautiful neutral colors and natural beech, it is sure to soothe the discomfort that comes with teething. Once your infant tries this teether, you won’t be able to leave home without it!
It is a well-made product so the beads won’t fall off. The beads are 100% silicone-free, BPA-free, and organic so it’s absolutely safe.
10 Good Wooden Toys for Toddlers
Toddlers are all uniquely different and like to play with different types of toys. So, here are a few different toys that your little one will enjoy. Not only are these toys fun to play with, they also improve fine motor skills and promote early literacy.
5. Janod Circus Box
Janod is a French company that designs some fantastic traditional toys. This one is a circus that has 19 wooden pieces that all fit into the hardy circus tent cardboard box. These pieces are made from real wood and work well together. The little people can be moved around so your toddler can perform their very own circus.
6. Hape Pound & Tap Bench
As a global award winning toy, this wooden xylophone is both educational and entertaining! Toddlers pound three balls through color coordinated holes to see them slide over the keyboard. They can also pull out the rainbow keyboard and use the wooden mallet to play on the keys. This brightly colored, well-made wooden toy is an excellent introduction into the world of music for young children and really is a must for your home toy collection!
7. Janod Wooden Farm
Janod also makes a 23 piece story box farm that’s really cute. It’s set up similar to this one with the varying pieces allowing for your child to pretend that they’re on the farm.
Overall, these are two good wooden toy sets I’d definitely recommend for your toddler. That being said, some of the pieces are small, so don’t let your younger children who put things in their mouths play with them.
8. TOP BRIGHT Wooden Race Track
This wooden race car track comes with four cars which start on an upper parking lot then slide down a rainbow race track, flipping at the end of each ramp to continue to the next. It’s sure to be a hit with your toddler who will develop social intelligence as they play with a friend or parent and practice taking turns.
Not only is the toy is compact and sturdy, but also fully tested to the highest toy safety standards. It’s constructed with BPA wood and non-toxic paint. There’s no need to worry about the pieces falling apart and becoming a suffocating risk for toddlers.
9. Super Rocket Magnet Kit
This is an amazingly decorated rocket with great color. It’s awesome for that kid dreaming of their future space adventures!
No, this piece isn’t entirely wooden. It has some magnets that hold it’s five wooden pieces together. There’s also a little guy that can be put right in the middle. It’s a puzzle with just the right amount of difficulty for this age.
The Super Rocket 3D play set is recommended for young kids and toddlers around 2 years old.
10. Melissa & Doug Shape Sorter
This wooden toy is your basic shape sorter, but it’s one your toddler will love. With 12 different brightly colored shapes, it helps teach shapes and colors as well as improving fine motor skills. This is great for your young toddler or 1-year-old.
For those who aren’t familiar with the benefit of these types of toys, they help your child to develop not only their hand eye coordination but their motor skills as well. A toy like this is also great for bonding with your baby and teaching her while you play.
11. Grimm’s Rainbow Stacker
Known for their great quality, Grimms makes this fantastic set of wooden toys for young kids. With 6 different colors represented by 6 layers of the rainbow, this toy is great for learning colors. It can also be used for stacking and nesting.
Not only are these good for concrete learning, they can also be used in imaginative play. Overall, this is an excellent choice for toddlers. While this toy is more expensive than some others, you can be sure you are getting excellent quality toys that will long outlast your child playing with them.
12. Carrots Harvest Sorting Game
Montesorri lovers will appreciate this darling, well-made wooden carrot sorter. It comes with seven holes of various sizes and corresponding carrots to fit into each. Your toddler will feel proud when they find all the matches and you will see their dexterity and fine motor skills develop as they play. This toy is the perfect size for little hands and will keep young children engaged!
Aitbay truly made this wooden toy with safety in mind. The surfaces are smooth without any sharp edges. Also, it’s made of eco-friendly natural pine wood and non-toxic paint so teething babies can suck safely.
13. Wooden Alphabet Puzzle
Here’s another great wooden toy piece. The pieces are solid wood and teach your child to learn the alphabet as well as object orientation and recognition. All pieces are painted in a bright colors. Each letter on the board has a picture of an object beginning with that letter. The name of the object is also printed on the board.
This is an excellent toy for early literacy and will help kids get excited about reading.
14. Melissa & Doug Wooden Block Set
I don’t recommend all of Melissa & Doug’s wooden toys. Some of them aren’t made up to the standard that I look for. However, their wooden block set is good and affordable. It comes with 50 traditional wooden alphabet blocks with varying colors and shapes printed on them.
This toy is great for a toddler or two-year-old and not only helps them to learn their ABCs but also allows them to match stack and sort however they want.
For storage, this set includes a pouch as well. For all this it is a great value.
15. Melissa & Doug Wooden Chunky Shapes Puzzle
This is another excellent wooden toy from Melissa & Doug. Perfect for toddlers, this shape puzzle features eight pieces which are easy for little hands to grasp and move around. It will help them develop hand-eye coordination and problem solving skills, as well as introduce them to basic shapes and colors.
You’ll be impressed with this high-quality puzzle. Not only are the wooden puzzle pieces are thick and durable, but also brightly colored on all sides. However, the paint may start chipping after a few months of heavy use.
FAQs
What are the advantages of wooden toys?
One advantage of wooden toys is that, unlike many plastic toys, they are free from harmful chemicals as long as they aren’t treated with oil, wax, or ink. This is an important feature to consider when looking for toys for young children who are prone to put everything in their mouth. A good quality wooden toy can also far outlast plastic toys.
Are there safety precautions that should be taken with wooden toys?
Although wooden toys are generally safe, parents should monitor them to watch for damage. If splinters or sharp edges arise, simply sand them down. Furthermore, wooden toys should be regularly cleaned with a wet cloth. This will ensure they are sanitized and safe to play with.
Do wooden toys last longer than plastic toys?
Wooden toys often last longer than plastic toys for several reasons. First of all, they are better quality because they don’t break as easily. Additionally, there is no need to keep replacing batteries. Finally, they have a timeless look and feel which will ensure their popularity for years to come.
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