When I was pregnant, our home was almost 100% nontoxic. And then I realized that we would be bringing in/gifted baby toys and started thinking about potential toxins in toys. Toys that would make up our little girl’s first environment, help her learn and play, and would go in her mouth and touch her skin.
Buying nontoxic baby (and kid) toys are just like shopping for anything nontoxic:
Read the labels, know what to avoid and find brands you love.
Not only am I grateful for the peace of mind that my daughter isn’t gnawing on and absorbing toxic ingredients into her little body, but I also love that nontoxic toys are more minimal. Because they might cost a little more than Walmart toys, we aren’t going to have as many of them. Yay for a tidier toy area!
A few things to keep in mind when shopping online or in store for nontoxic toys:
If toys are silicone, rubber or plastic check that the label pronounces them BPA and paraben free.
Parabens are a class of toxins. (Hint: Don’t look for “chemical free” verbiage on any products. Water is a chemical! “Toxin free” is what you want to be looking for.)
BPA is a toxin that mimics estrogen in your body and that’s bad news for males and females, especially little ones who don’t have fully developed systems.
Where to find nontoxic toys:
Fact and Fiction Toys creates minimalist, organic wooden toys for teething and imaginative play. My daughter has the wooden toy rattle (pictured above) as well as several of the wooden animals. Honestly, I just want all of them!
Our Green House makes organic bamboo and fair trade rattles and stuffed animals. Nana and Pops got our daughter the bunny rattle for Easter.
Hazel Village – Oh my goodness, these organic stuffed dolls are too much. I cannot wait to pick one (or two) out for my chica when she is older.
Trades of Hope has these adorable stuffed safari animals are fair-trade and made with nontoxic pigments.
If you have a Fresh Thyme grocery near you, stroll over to their toy isle for several options for organic/nontoxic toys.
Amazon also has many nontoxic toy options. Just make sure that they are:
- Cloth/stuffed animal is organic
- Silicone is BPA and paraben free
The Nontoxic Journal 