safe toys for babies + toddlers

Last weekend we went to the flea market and I found a really cute vintage Fisher Price Circus Train set from the 70's. And then, after doing a little research on Google I quickly discovered that most toys from the 1970's used lead paint!! Children who are exposed to lead can develop headaches, stomach pain, behavioral problems, and anemia. Lead can also affect a child's developing brain. We all learned about the dangers of lead exposure for children after the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, but I didn't think I had to be worried about lead in children's toys! I found this information about toys from the CDC really interesting:

Paint: Lead may be found in the paint on toys. Lead was banned in house paint, on products marketed to children, and in dishes or cookware in the United States in 1978. But it is still widely used in other countries and therefore can still be found on imported toys. It may also be found on older toys made in the United States before the ban.

Plastic: The use of lead in plastics has not been banned. Lead softens the plastic and makes it more flexible so that it can go back to its original shape. It may also be used in plastic toys to stabilize molecules from heat. When the plastic is exposed to substances such as sunlight, air, and detergents the chemical bond between the lead and plastics breaks down and forms dust.

Needless to say I won't be buying any more vintage toys, and in the future I'm going to try to do a little more research on where Vi's toys are manufactured and what materials they use. I found some great non-toxic and environmentally friendly toy options:

• Plan Toys makes all of their toys in a sustainable factory in Thailand, and they only use non-toxic paints and materials.
• Grimm’s Spiel and Holz is a wooden toy company based in Germany. They make high quality, handcrafted toys from sustainable hardwoods and then finished the toys with water-based stains and/or linseed oil.
• EverEarth toys are made from sustainable, FSC-certified wood, and water-based dyes.
• Maple Landmark has made eco-friendly, educational wooden toys, games and gifts in Middlebury, Vermont since 1979.
• Bannor Toys is based in Iowa, they make non-toxic handmade wooden toys either left unfinished or finished with beeswax and/or flaxseed oil.
• Under the Nile specializes in 100% fair-trade, GOTS certified, organic Egyptian cotton toys and clothing.

for toddlers: Plan House Dollhouse (I'm adding this to Vi's Christmas wish list!) / Plan Toys Farm Animal Toy Set / Plan Toys Camera (Vi plays with this all the time) / Plan Toys Fruits and Veggies (I like how you can cut the fruit apart) / EverEarth Jr. ramp racer race track / Grimm's Pastel Rainbow Stacker Set XL size ( a smaller Rainbow in Primary Colors is also available)

for babies: Natural Maple School Bus / Plan Toys Stacking Ring / Under the Nile Scrappy Cats / Grimm's Rainbow Bead Rattle / Plan Toys Dancing Alligator / Bannor Toys Heart Rattle

Green Toys is another great company! Their toys are made in the USA and use 100% recycled plastic from milk jugs that are free of BPA, PVC and Phthalates.

for toddlers: Tea Set (Violet got this set last year and she still plays with it all the time) / Airplane / Dump Truck / Farm Playset (on Vi's Christmas wish list) / Sand Play Set for babies: Shape Sorter, Elephant-on-Wheels

Do you have any more eco-friendly / non-toxic toy brands that I should check out?

-xo-

Jillian

p.s. See my toddler toy picks from Etsy here!