Educational Toys and Games:
Inspire Creativity, Not Clutter

When choosing the latest educational toys and games it's easy to get overwhelmed. Here are some tips to help you cut the clutter and keep life simple for you and your baby.

• Consider durability.
  
  If your toddler can break or rip a plastic toy apart, it creates clutter in your home and ends up in a landfill. You may hope to pass your baby's toys on to her future siblings or a favorite charity. Wooden toys tend to win in this category.

• Electronic educational learning toys can be noisy and toxic.
  
  They also increase your child's exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMFs). EMFs have been linked to headaches, digestive complications, memory problems and other chronic health problems.

  You won't be able to eliminate your child's exposure to EMFs entirely as you probably have appliances, outlets, computers, phones and televisions in your home.

  However you can minimize the number of electronic gadgets in your baby's nursery and toy chest during the first few years and place them far away from where your baby is sleeping.

  Also remember to dispose of dead batteries and broken electronic toys immediately to prevent unnecessary exposure.

• Open-ended baby toys require imagination.
  
  In The Natural Toy Guide presented by Natural Moms Talk Radio, Carrie Lauth says toys like wooden blocks with letters and numbers allow a child to play with it a number of different ways.

  Rather than telling your child how to play with them, these toys encourage children to come back to them again and again with a different approach as they master new skills. Non-toxic art supplies also give your toddler a blank slate to express himself.

• Don't count out traditional infant toys.
  
  Some examples include stackable wooden rings and wire bead mazes. Not only can your child be stimulated by these toys for several years, but they also learn without knowing it.

  Without feeling pressured they enhance their spacial, motor, counting and color association skills.

• Natural toys are generally more aesthetically pleasing.
  
  Classic educational toys and games tend to complement a simple and minimalistic setting. Wooden toys painted with one or two pastel colors make great nursery accessories when your child is not playing with them.

  On the contrary bulky plastic toys with many parts make you feel like you always need to clean up.

Related Articles:

Choosing Organic Baby Toys
Wooden Toys: Make Play Time Sustainable

Return from Educational Toys and Games to Infant Toys

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