Organic Baby Toys:
For Worry-Free Playtime

When your baby starts putting everything in her mouth, natural and organic baby toys can bring you peace of mind. Imagine being able to relax when she plays instead of worrying whether you've brought lead paint and chemical leeching plastics into your home.

Rather than hearing, "no," every second, your baby can be free to discover her world and soothe her teething gums if she wants to. Here are some ideas for incorporating organic baby toys into her playtime.

Soft Toys

Organic cotton baby toys make great teethers and rattles for infants. Under the Nile makes 100% organic Egyptian cotton fruit and vegetable teethers. Perhaps this is a way to instill those healthy eating principles early.

Plush organic baby toys also make great puppets, dolls, and are great for cuddling at bed time. Stuffed animals can also be tools for practicing animal names, sounds and the alphabet.

When shopping for plush toys, look for the 100% organic cotton label and for fillings of wool. Hemp and wool are other outer fabrics that do not contain pesticides and chemical fertilizers. You'll also want to look for labels that ensure nontoxic, colorfast dyes were used on the outside of the toy.

Lana Organics and MiYim Baby toys are some of our favorite plush organic toys.

Bath Toys

Choose rubber, rubber duckies. You probably haven't thought about the fact that most rubber duckies and other bath toys are made out of plastic. The plastic is a problem if it is made from PVC or contains phthalates. Neither is good for babies to ingest. One exception is the Sitting Duck Bath Toy by Rich Frog. This natural latex rubber duck is made without BPA or PVC.

Natural Wood Toys

You can find almost any type of toy in natural wood. Look for labels that indicate non-toxic paint, seals and dyes were used. Wooden toys make great musical instruments, teethers and are great for open-ended play.

Other classics include pull toys, building blocks, trains, trucks and sit and ride toys. Melissa and Doug, Plan Toys and Haba toys are some of our favorite wooden toys.

You can find many of the above suggestions at Amazon.com.

Natural Toys are Good for Nature

Natural toys have another positive aspect. Their manufacturers are generally environmentally conscious in the selection of their materials, how they dispose of waste, and how they run their operations.

If you are looking for extra assurance that your baby's toys are chemical free and eco-conscious, choose toy companies approved by the Fair Trade Federation.

Companies abiding by fair trade principles not only care for the environment, but they also care for mankind.

Fair trade supports workers in developing companies and promotes good working conditions. They don't use sweatshop labor. Instead they pay fair wages and tend to reinvest in their workers' communities.

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10 Green Gifts Under $20
Educational Toys and Games
Wooden Toys
Choosing Organic Baby Toys
Under The Nile Organic Fruit Basket Teethers

Toy Profiles and Reviews:

Green Toys
Imagiplay
Kenana
Kallisto
Lana Organic
Maple Landmark
MiYim
Natursutten
Pastel Toys
Plan Toys
Under The Nile Organic Toys
Vulli (Sophie the Giraffe)