Why are wooden toys so popular & why they might be right for your family

"Mommy, no battery"

Sound familiar?

We've all heard this phrase before. But how can it be? This toy is new. Now you need to add another to-do item to your list.

• Find batteries
• Find screwdriver - you almost forgot that toys for kids under 3 are all screwed in, didn't you?

Once you finally replace the batteries to your child's beloved toy, then comes the question: how do I dispose of these batteries?

Also, what is up with all these different battery sizes? I love it when I unscrew a toy and realized that I actually do not have the correct batteries on hand. These toys are the worst offenders. 

So why choose wood toys? Aren't they too simple?

The more simple and open ended the toys are, the more creative ways your child will find to play with them. These toys can often grow with your child too. When you choose a well-made wooden toy, what you get is a durable toy that is built to last for generations. Something you can hold on to and past down to your children's children. 

So what toys do I start with?

It might be tempting to start off with a wooden rainbow just because how beautiful it is. But try to wait until your child is older - 3 and beyond if you want them to show remotely any interest other than knocking them down. 

We recommend building blocks. A basic block set will do - for younger children you can offer a few simple shapes to let them stack and grasp. As they get older they can start building more and build a bigger imagination. A lot of times our own kid will pretend they are pieces of food and "cook meals" for the family.

We offer a variety of wooden blocks and we particularly enjoy the Gluckskafer brand for quality and price. 

Once they get a little older and know how to engage in imaginative play, we recommend adding trees and wooden animals. The Holztiger brand is great for this - you can start with animals they recognize or animals from their favourite books to re-enact them (this is why we own 3 pigs). Another reason we love Holztiger is for the wide budget range they can fulfill. You can start as small or as big as you like. This is also a great way for grandparents and family to get involved. New animals can spicen up a story line - and don't worry about duplicates, if anything it's encouraged so that they can go into pairs or be grouped together as they would on a farm or in the wild.

Another toys great for both boys & girls are wooden cars. At around 1, you'll notice they love pushing around cars, lining them up. They're a great variety of wooden cars on the market for kids. For kids around 1, the cars are usually more simple and as they get older you can start of offer trucks and tractors. 

Ending notes, end of the day your kids are still young so go for what excites you and what you think they may enjoy. If they don't show interest at first, put away the toys and bring it out on rotation another time, you'll be surprised by how their interest change. We'll be blogging more on that in the future.

Hope this was helpful. If you want personalized recommendations, give us a shout via email or instagram.