In the name of Allah, the most gracious, the most merciful
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Let’s address the elephant in the room “Why 4?!” I was really trying to make this title “5 Plastic Toys…” but I couldn’t come up with a fifth toy!
As you know, if you’ve been around here for a bit, I really try hard to limit the amount of plastic we have in our home! This stays true even with toys! I can’t fully guarantee that there won’t come a time when this list is a little bit longer but we shall see! Although, as time goes on, I am noticing more and more how few toys our children really need to be happy and enjoy themselves!
Between my desire to limit plastic and my intention to keep our kiddos toys to a happy minimum, I try to aim for quality when choosing the toys we buy! I definitely prefer wooden and cloth toys. They are made from natural materials, they tend to have less toxins in them and from my experience at least, they seem to be more open-ended! They tend to be more durable and therefore last longer. They’re also more aesthetically pleasing (in my opinion). And…lastly, they help me to keep firm in my resolve to not bring a whole bunch of battery-operated, flashy, sing-songy toys.
Now I understand that this can be difficult! Especially when it comes to family and friends wanting to get gifts! I think this is an area, like most parenting things, where you have to tune into your motherly instincts and lean into your child’s needs and interests…and figure out what’s best for you and your family! But if this is important to you – whether that is limiting plastic, not having battery-operated toys for your young children, being intentional about the toys you choose, or all of the above – you have to be clear about your boundaries and stick with them!
Without further ado, these are 4 plastic toys that I let slide even as I’m working toward being plastic-free! 4 toys that we actually buy for our son and we all enjoy!
1. Duplo Legos I feel like legos are a real classic toy! Legos were a big part of my husband’s childhood and it felt special to him to pass it down to our son. We got him the duplo legos which are a bit bigger than the normal size legos but definitely smaller than the usual HUGE toddler size legos! They are perfect for his little hands but still gives him plenty of time to enjoy it for a couple more years! Legos make a great fine-motor activity. They are definitely open-ended and a great way to get creative! Plus…they’re fun for the whole family!
2. Mr Potato Head We actually didn’t purchase the potato head set that we have now, we got it from our previous “Buy Nothing” group and in the near future, I plan on purchasing some extra pieces at a second-hand store. But, Mr Potato head is a toy that I would buy and that I definitely enjoy with my son (and he loves it too)! This is another classic toy that is super cute that is great for working on fine motor skills! It can also be used for helping to identify different body parts and where they go in relation to one another. Also, if you want to take it a step further, mr potato head figures can be used to boost conversational skills!
3. Good quality animal figurines I think animal figurines are one of the few toys that I’d say every child should have! They are so fun for imaginary play and they are also a great learning resource. You can use them for learning names of different animals, the sounds they make, the different animal families, and more! A few good brands I have found are “Boley”, “Terra by Battat” and “Safari LTD”. We don’t have a lot although we’ll likely add some more to our stash as we go along.. But you really only need a few. Our son has so much fun with these and you can play with them practically anywhere! They also make great bath toys!
4. A very select few, second hand plastic vehicles. Because it is so easy to find alternative vehicle toys, we very rarely buy plastic! Almost to the extent that I wasn’t going to add it to this list…but the truth is, we have bought some plastic cars and trucks and we do enjoy them. When we do dip into this, I tend to be particular about the brands that we choose and go for either O-ball or Tonka. The thing that helps me feel less guilty about getting these on the rare occasion that we do, are two: 1. When we buy plastic vehicles, we buy second hand which means we’re not really putting any new toxins into the world. 2. We simply rotate them out as our son loses interest and/or we replace them with wooden or metal vehicles.
If I’m being completely honest, I don’t think we’ll get rid of legos and I know we’ll be hanging on to our animal figurines but we’ll see about the other two things that made this list! I also want to clarify a few things before ending this post! For one, I’m not saying that you must minimize plastic or get rid of it. I’m not saying you have to choose any particular toys. These are choices that we’ve decided to make for our family and I know that you will be able to make the best choice for you and your family! This post is simply sharing some toys that we make an exception for and that we enjoy as a family.
Question for the comments: Do you have an alternative for any of these toys? Do you have a favorite plastic toy for your family? I’d love to hear from you in the comments!
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