If you have a handy relative, I'd ask them for some wooden blocks, simple rattles, etc. Or if you know someone who sews maybe some bean bags, baby chewing knots, or simple dolls. If you wanted to learn to sew, I'd recommend it!

Little Alouette (http://www.littlealouette.com/) makes beautiful wood teethers, rattles, and toys. That's usually my go-to baby present.

We have toys from each company below. I think they are a good value because they are Safe, Made in the US, and Open Ended. They also have a decent resale value used:

Maple Landmark - infant teethers, great trains
Uncle Goose Blocks - blocks
Tag Toys - puzzles and others
Various Etsy sellers

I wouldn't limit your research to just the US. There are safe well designed toys produced in many other countries. The key for me is that they need to have high standards and good regulatory oversight. Standards in the EU for toys/goods used by children are actually higher than in the US. China, the producer of most toys in the US, has neither high standards or strong regulatory oversight.

I've had very good look with Haba, Selecta, Schylling, Lego Duplo, and Plan Toys. Good design, good manufacturing practices, safe materials, and good oversight. Schylling uses a special high tech welding process so that they can avoid using glues with their plastics.

Also think about materials. It doesn't matter if the product is wood if the paint used in low quality. Several of my toddlers wooden toys were recalled in Canada because of toxic paint. The same models were sold in the US, purchased by me, chewed on by my kid, not recalled in the US, and now thown away by me. I do not trust Melissa and Doug. They may make wooden toys but they are not good quality.

Sorry, I did not mean to recommend Schylling. I don't know anything about Schylling. I meant to recommend Spielstabil. They made very high quality products in Germany and have a two year warranty.

I second judiAU's comment. I have had a lot of luck with haba and plan toys. my daughter had a couple of melissa and doug things that she got as gifts and the paint chipped really quickly.

as for finding them cheap--keep an eye out and consider joining some of those online shopping "clubs." I got some great haba puzzles and some blabla stuffed animals recently from gilt.

I don't have any experience with them, but I have noticed that some of the big box stores have green baby toy lines--babies r us and target. primarily the toys are plush, but they might have wood ones as well...

These Anamalz are recommended for ages three and up due to having small parts that might come off but they're adorable, organic and affordable at $5 each. You could always decorate the nursery with them until you think your child is old enough to play with them.

http://www.amazon.com/Educo-Hape-Inc-Anamalz-Characters/dp/B000PETJ76/ref=pd_bxgy_t_img_b

Anamalz are cute but it is worth noting that they are made in China, just like all Educo/Hape products.

These are all wonderful suggestions! Thank you!

I like Plan Toys. I don't know if they are made in the US- but we've found them to be very high quality!

I've been looking for the perfect wood train for my son and I think the one from Plan Toys is perfect! And way cheaper than the others I've found! This was a great question, I'm so happy to know of all these companies now, thanks!

Plan Toys are made in Thailand.

Leah - I know that it's hard but don't be afraid to ask for things that aren't cheap! Just tell your family/friends your plans (quality vs. quantity) and they'll probably be on board. The reason all of the plastic stuff (and even the wood stuff) at Target and WalMart are so cheap is because they ARE cheap.

Our Haba and Maple Landmark toys look virtually new while our Melissa and Doug stuff has either been thrown away or donated.

Anyway, to add what is made in the USA from the list above, here are some etsy sellers. You can create a 'wish list' easily on many third part sites, like Amazon (even for stuff not on Amazon) which you can cull things found all over the web. Most people wait to the last minute or are used to buying their gifts and their toilet paper at the same store though. :) I'd found that it's sometimes easier to ask for books!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/Imaginationkids
http://www.etsy.com/shop/palumba (Camden Rose toys sells wholesale and I believe they're a reseller)
http://www.etsy.com/shop/littlesaplingtoys
http://www.etsy.com/shop/pinkhouse

I am sure you can find more under the keywords of 'waldorf' and 'montessori'

Bella Luna Toys is a wonderful shop that is committed to providing parents with a wonderful selection of safe, eco-friendly natural toys and wooden baby toys. The store is run by Sarah Baldwin, an experienced Waldorf teacher who offers great personal customer service! She also has a great blog, Moon Child, on which I've learned a lot about choosing the best kinds of toys for my little ones.

http://www.bellalunatoys.com/naturalbabytoys/index.htm
http://www.blog.bellalunatoys.com

I registered on Amazon.com because you can add many of the toy brands listed above (Haba, etc.) on your registry, and they also have a function that lets you add products from other web sites like etsy, etc. (since they don't have registries). Plus then you can also register for tons of great books!

I registered at babiesrus and target for the basics - diapers, towels, etc. - so older non-internet savvy relatives and people who like to shop at big box stores would have something to get, and then was happy to discover a lot of people did shop my amazon registry.

good luck!

I, too, love etsy for eco-friendly recycled baby items. The wooden teethers are on my wishlist. There are also great baby shoes and clothes on Etsy. A seller called Kaboogie makes hot baby moccasins, that I am about to buy for the second time.

I can't believe no one has mentioned our favourite toy company yet -- Vilac!

Vilac toys are still, by and large, made in the French Juras (and only 40 minutes or so from where we live). They are very high quality, and our kids have always enjoyed the Vilac toys we have bought them! (all lacquered toys are made in France; others are made in China, but to very high standards and controls -- they are the only toys made in China that I actually trust!)

http://www.vilac.com/home.php?lang=en

http://www.oompa.com/VILAC

We also own a lot of PlanToys, and also like Pintoys, which like PlanToys, are made in Thailand.

Apart from that, we have bought Czech wood toys (puppets, walkies, etc.) and find them to be good quality.

http://www.woodentoys-shop.com/toys.php3?toy=Original%20Toy%20Ramp%20Walking%20Animals

http://www.woodentoys-shop.com/toys.php3?toy=Wooden%20Toy%20Push%20Pull%20Along%20Toys

One of my favourite toy source is Romp Brooklyn (no longer in Brooklyn, but still has a web presence)...

http://www.rompbklyn.com/category.php?categoryId=84

We own quite a few toys made by Spiel & Holz, Glückskäfer, Selecta, Naef, Schaaf Spielzeug...

I've bought many of our toys through these sites:

http://thewoodenwagon.com/

http://www.finewoodentoys.com/waldorf_toys.html

And for softies, we really like ZidZidKids animals / pillows.

Have fun!

Two more Etsy shops with high-quality toys are:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/beneaththerowantree
http://www.etsy.com/shop/asherjasper

They both make wool toys, and Beneath the Rowan Tree also does playsilks. So, most are not in the "below $10" range, but they are toys that will last for MANY years and are beautifully made. If you know they will last in quality past 6 months of use, AND they will last through multiple development stages, you have a winner in my opinion.

Vulli toys (especially Sophie the Giraffe) are also great. Made in France, and some of them are natural rubber. My favorite safe toy store is Kangarooboo (www.kangarooboo.com). They have a huge selection of toys made outside of China.

As you can probably tell from my toylist (!) we went pretty heavily into wooden toys. Our kids don't have as many toys as their friends, but I find that they play with them much longer, through more stages of development, then I thought possible.

Even when a toy may not seem open-ended, my kids find creative ways to incorporate it into play. And they cherish their toys -- I don't see the same thing happening with plastic toys -- the Pet Shops and My Little Ponies which my daughter's friends all have wind up broken or lost in a corner somewhere...

So, although wooden toys may seem expensive at first, they are good value in the long run.

Check out http://www.hazelnutkids.com/ for a wonderful selection of wood toys!

Spiel & Holz was another great recommendation. We have some of thier puzzles and those terrific wave/rock/rainbow/fire shapes. Those shapes get played with EVERY SINGLE DAY as building blocks, as housing for animals/puppets/Plan Toys people, as bridges and turnnels for train plays. Amazing toys. Not really cheap but the best value possible.

And Haba blocks are really worth the expense, both the plain and the colorful. So attractive to children, tolerant of abuse, and so pretty to hold.

Check out reviews of toys and infant products on Good Guide online.

My shoppe www.NonToxicTots.com carries some lines that meet all your requirements. The Vermont School House and Camden Rose items I have are all made in the US with safe materials. Yes, they tend to cost a bit more, but I try to carry a wide range of prices and run sales throughout the year.

a small company in louisville ky hand makes wooden teething rattles that are eco friendly for the earth and baby safe too with a modern design. they are called "bad daddy rattles" and the company name is multiplemediums, they make other stuff too.