How to Select Wooden Baby Toys

Choosing a safe toy for your baby is critical. With all the emphasis on environmental hazards, it's important to have toys that are challenging, entertaining and non-toxic. Wooden baby toys are preferred over plastic ones for many reasons, including the ability to keep them clean.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Cleaning cloth

Buy Safe and Durable Wooden Baby Toys

1. Look for the CE mark on baby toys before purchasing. Marking a product with CE is mandatory for verifying that products from the European market are in compliance with the health and safety requirements in Europe (see Resources below).
2. Select a baby toy according to the age listed by the manufacturer.
3. Select wooden baby toys with totally smooth edges. Babies love to put things in their mouths, and a sharp edge is a danger.
4. Choose a baby toy that is fun and attractive to the baby, as well as educational. If the baby loses interest, the educational value is also lost.
5. Make your wooden baby toy an investment into future generations. A toy built from an excellent wood source will last for decades. Many wooden toys are featured on collectibles lists.

Discover Toys for Newborns and Toddlers

6. Recognize what your newborn will respond to. Toys with movement and noise will capture your baby's attention. Use toys to interact with your infant.
7. Realize that newborns enjoy wooden rattles that are brightly colored.
8. Embrace wooden baby toys for mobility and coordination training. Wooden spoons, stacking toys and teething rings make great toys for hand-to-mouth skills.
9. Stimulate your toddler to learn through the use of wooden alphabet toys. These toys are available in a variety of shapes, colors and sizes. Use alphabet blocks to make great towers long before your toddler realizes she is learning her letters.
10. Select wooden baby blocks with sound or visual surprises when the block is shaken or hit.
11. Create and enhance the concept of shapes with wooden puzzles. You'll find puzzles in various shapes including the shape of animals, square, round and many more. Helping your baby put a simple puzzle together will build memory skills as well.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep all wooden toys clean using a damp cloth.
• Avoid baby toys with loose pieces. All parts of wooden toys should be attached or large enough to prohibit ingestion.
• Inspect for any damage to wooden toys that might produce splinters or ragged edges.