Toys that don't require batteries, are made with an eye to design, and won't be forgotten after the first play: what more could a parent want? I've rounded up some of my favorites below.
1. Nesting Bowls Children of all ages love containers for sorting, counting, carrying, helping in the kitchen, building, you name it. These nesting bowls from Bella Luna Toys are solid wood and colored with vegetable dyes so baby can even teeth on them safely.
2. Building Blocks Every imaginative playroom needs a set of building blocks, a toy that allows the whole family to get involved; even baby can join in once the smaller pieces have been removed. The maker of these blocks, Plan Toys, kiln-dries its wood to seal it without chemicals and has won several awards for its unique craftsmanship.
3. Animals These precious wooden animals from Snapdragon Fortress are sealed with beeswax to stand up to years of play. They are also safe for baby and would be great sandbox toys, dollhouse inhabitants, or citizens for a building block city.
4. Bucket and Shovel This sand play set comes in gorgeous colors and is also great for gardening, play-kitchen cooking, or treasure collecting. Green Toys makes all of its products from recycled milk jugs and colors them with non-toxic dyes.
5. Playstand A playstand is a Waldorf staple and can be mixed with play silks or even old sheets to create a fort, house, castle, cave, classroom, or anything else your child can imagine. This beautiful stand is also from Bella Luna Toys, is made from solid wood for long life, and is finished with a non-toxic lacquer.
MORE TOY ROUNDUPS ON APARTMENT THERAPY:
• Wooden Toys
• Handmade Toys
• Wooden Marble Runs
• Favorite Toys for the Bath
(Images: As linked above)
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We have those nesting bowls, and they are great. My 3 year old uses them for everything. They are one of the few toys in her bedroom, and she plays with them almost every day.
We have playstands too, though ours are from Camden Rose, and I kind of regret getting them. They are beautiful, and the girls play with them occasionally, but not nearly enough to justify what we paid for them. I thought they'd love them, but they'd rather build a fort out of blankets and chairs.
Ditto on the nesting bowls. I'll add to the list the simple animal and people finger puppets from Ikea, $1.99 for six. Maybe not 'beautifully crafted' but the most used and loved toys in our home, still going strong after two years and two kids.
I love Grimm's, the maker of the nesting bowl above. We have the four elements and some blocks as well. One of my kids played with these daily for several years.
A more affordable and space saving alternative to the canopy are some wooden play silk clips and a jumbo play silk. My daughter uses these daily in her play and they pack up small enough to take to gandma's (who likes to point out that they didn't sell neat stuff like this when we were little).