Safe, Non-Toxic Toy Guide

Toys, like evvvvverything else, can introduce toxins into your home, to say nothing of the environmental impact of producing and disposing of ALL THAT plastic.

I’m certainly guilty of buying my fair share of cheap plastic toys, but I am always trying to do better. After researching and writing this non-toxic toy guide, I am especially motivated to buy only sustainable toys.

3 Tips for Choosing Safer, Non-Toxic Toys

If you want a truly toxin-free toy box, you will need to:

1. Avoid painted wooden toys, unless they’re made in the United States or Europe or by brands you’ve vetted. Lead paint continues to show up in Chinese-made toys. Lead has been banned from toys produced in the United States, so you can be reasonably sure that toys that are made in America will be lead-free.
2. Avoid Chinese toys. Unfortunately, lead paint isn’t the only thing to fear in Chinese toys. Many Chinese-imported toys have also been found to be contaminated with brominated fire retardants (including notorious PBDEs). Although these chemicals are banned for most uses in Europe and Canada, and no longer produced in the U.S., a legal loophole allows finished toys that contain these toxins to be imported and sold here. Since more than 85% of toys are made in China, they are not easy to avoid! Being made in China doesn’t necessarily make a product Bad Stuff; in some cases, a company will be based in Europe but may have a devoted manufacturing facilities located in China (or elsewhere in Asia). In general, when companies go to the trouble to use organic cotton, real wood, water-based paints, etc., they are also the companies that maintain close control over their production facilities–wherever they are located.
3. Avoid toys made of vinyl (PVC). Phthalates are typically added to PVC toys as a softening agent. You can find phthalate-free PVC, which is safer than conventional PVC, but I would still avoid it where you can. One study by HealthyStuff.org found that 78% of toys tested contained PVC in one or more components, so again, avoiding this entirely is easier said than done.

Here’s a quick non-toxic toys cheat sheet:

The Worst Stuff in Toys

Some types of toys are consistently found to more toxic than others in study after study. Be especially cautious when purchasing:

• Sidewalk chalk, which has been found to be contaminated with asbestos. Here is safe chalk.
• Play jewelry, which may contain lead. Here’s safer toy jewelry.
• Rubber duckies, which usually made of PVC and contain phthalates. Here’s a safe duck.
• Plastic play food, which can contain high levels of chlorine). Here’s some safe play food.

Earth-Friendly, Non-Toxic Toys

For the purposes of this guide, I am not going to designate any toys that are entirely made of plastic as “Good Stuff.”

That said, there are some plastics that are likely completely inert and therefore don’t present a health risk. See “The Okay Stuff” below for a bunch of safe plastic toys.

From an environmental perspective, I would love to see us all support those companies who make high-quality wooden toys that can be passed down rather than thrown away.

The Good Stuff: Truly Non-Toxic Toys

 

Ailefo Organic Modeling Clay

This natural dough from Denmark lasts forever, and is made without perfumes, dyes, or parabens.

$26.00 – $36.00Buy Now

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Apple Park

Apple Park makes sweet plush toys made with 100% certified organic cotton and OEKO-TEX 100 toxin-free dyes.

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Begin Again

Begin Again makes great bath toys of natural rubber. They also make a range of safe wooden toys, blocks, and puzzles.

$3.99Buy Now

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Camden Rose

I love Camden’s amazing line of wooden toys and teethers. Camden Rose uses a beeswax/jojoba finish or a food-grade mineral oil on all of their toys.

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Haba

Haba produces most of their wooden toys in Germany, and they use nontoxic paints and finishes. Haba’s timber comes from sustainable forests from Germany, Finland, and Russia. Their paints are water-based and free of all solvents.

When Haba uses plastic, it’s polypropylene or ABS, both of which are among the safest plastics out there.

I’ve assembled a collection of my kids’ favorite Haba toys here, all of which are produced in Europe.

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Hevea

Hevea makes an awesome line of natural rubber balls, bath toys, and teethers (along with pacifiers), all of which have been a big hit with my kids, and none of which contain PVC.

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Holtztiger

Made in Germany of hard maple and beechwood, Holztiger wooden animals are colored with water-based paint and finished with a water-based sealants.

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Kleynimals

I had two key-obsessed babies, and I was freaked out when I learned that not only are your set of house keys filthy, but they also often contain lead. Kleynimals 100% stainless steel toy keys are made in the USA.

You can see the whole lineup of stainless steel toys here.

$34.99Buy Now

 

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Uncle Goose

This brand makes my very favorite wooden letter blocks, which are handcrafted in the USA out of basswood and printed with nontoxic ink.

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Under the Nile

UTN is my go-to source for organic cotton toys and teethers (as well as adorable clothing!) because they use 100% GOTS-certified organic cotton. I am obsessed with their line of Waldorf dolls in particular.

$59.00Buy Now

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Maple Landmark

This company’s Schoolhouse Naturals line is free of any kind of finish. Note that the other toys made by Maple Landmark do have petroleum-based lacquer and urethane finishes and would not be considered Good Stuff.

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Bannor 

Bannor offers range of non-toxic toys, all handmade in Iowa, with wood from local lumberyards. Their paints are non-VOC.

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Ostheimer

My favorite wooden animals are those by Ostheimer, mostly because of simply how pretty they are. They are hand-carved in Germany, and use only non-toxic paints and natural oils for finishing.

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Eco-Kids

Eco-Kids makes great art supplies, such as crayons and modeling dough. Their materials include natural wax, mineral pigments, and 100% pure beeswax.

$19.99Buy Now

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Grimm’s

This German brand also goes by Spiel & Holz, and is admittedly expensive, but their wooden toys are absolutely stunning. The non-toxic stains (rather than paints) means that you don’t have to worry about these toys chipping.

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Natural Earth Paint

This is a great brand of safe, natural paints and face paints. Ingredients include simply organic corn starch and natural mineral pigments.

Shop Natural Earth Paint

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Petit Collage

In addition to their great backpacks and, Petit Collage makes adorable paper dolls, magnet sets, wooden pull toys, stickers, coloring books, and other non-toxic toys. Everything is made without PVC, and using recycled paper and vegetable inks.

$13.99Buy Now

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PlanToys

Plan makes all of their non-toxic toys in a sustainable factory in Thailand, where they maintain control and employ solar power.

PlanToys wooden toys are made from natural rubberwood trees that no longer produce latex. To keep the wood pure, no fertilizer is added to the soil for at least three years prior to harvesting the wood, and the wood is strengthened via a chemical-free kiln-drying process.

Plan’s printed materials are made of recycled paper and soy ink, and assembled with zero-formaldehyde-free glue. Plan’s dyes are free of heavy metals.

Shop Plan Toys

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Tegu Magnetic Blocks

Tegu blocks are made of solid wood and coated with water-based paints with water-based pigments.

My kids have tons of Tegu blocks and they don’t emit any odor, and hold up well after years of play.

$37.00Buy Now

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The Okay Stuff

Battat/B. Toys

A lot of you asked about this brand, and while their toys are made in China, they are all free of lead, phthalates, and BPA. This company is also committed to environmental sustainability in their packaging.

 

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Bruder

Bruder vehicles, which are made in Germany, are constructed of ABS plastic, which is non-leaching and safe.

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Green Toys

Green toys are among the best plastic toys you can find. They are made in America of recycled polyethylene, which is a non-leaching and safe kind of plastic.

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Hape

While Hape does make their toys in China, they maintain control of their factory, and most of the materials (paints, etc.) are sourced in Germany. The wood they use comes from forests that Employ sustainable forestry practices and are FSC certified. Their paints are solvent-free.

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Ikea 

The Swedish giant has phased out PVC from all of their toys, but don’t offer a lot of info on the paints or glues used. Many of Ikea’s toys are made in China, although some are made in Sweden. The plastics in Ikea’s toys conform to EU laws, but Ikea does use some synthetic rubber and some lower-formaldehyde particle board.

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KidKraft

Many of you have asked me about the play kitchens made by KidKraft. These kitchens are made mostly of wood, but they do employ some particle board (though it’s CARB II compliant), and some plastic.

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Lamaze

This company didn’t get back to us with any certifications to back this claim up, but they assured us that none of their plush toys are treated with flame retardants.

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Lovevery

This newer brand uses solid wood, non-toxic water-based paints, and organic cotton for almost all of its toys. I like their play kits.

 

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Legos

Legos are made of ABS plastic, which is a safe, non-leaching type. This is great news for moms like me, who often feel like we are drowning in a sea of Legos! Unfortunately, Legos are not recyclable, so I still don’t consider this an eco-friendly toy.

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Magna-Tiles

Magna-Tiles are one of my boys’ favorite toys, and while they are manufactured in China, they do not contain any BPA, phthalates, PVC, or other toxic materials. The clear Magna-Tiles are made of non-leaching ABS plastic.

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Spielstabil

This line is under the Haba umbrella, and produces high-quality, nontoxic, plastic toys. All Spielstabil items are made in Germany and are all free of phthalates, BPA, lead and PVC. Spielstabil products are made of food-grade ABS plastic and anything that needs to be joined together is done so using hygenic ultrasonic welding rather than glue. I am tempted to call these Good Stuff, but am sticking with my rule that nothing plastic gets categorized as such!

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Steiff

While not organic or certified as non-toxic, I think Steiff is the best brand for more realistic stuffed animals. Steiff animals are made from higher-quality materials, like mohair, alpaca, cashmere, 100% cotton, and wool felt.

Browse Steiff Stuffed Animals

The Bad Stuff

The Sneaky Stuff

Don’t see your favorite toys in any of the Good, Okay, Bad, or Sneaky categories? Comment below and let us know!

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