Wooden toys may have that really sweet, traditional and adorable look to them, but what we really want are wooden toys that our kids will actually play with, right? Here we have combined a list of what we think are some of the best wooden toys for babies and toddlers and there are some real gems listed here! Wooden toys make SUCH great gifts or if you are just trying to be a little more eco-friendly with your purchases, then they are a wonderful idea. You could also check out my post on simple ways to be sustainable as a Mum. They can be very reasonable priced but, just like any toys, there are definitely some you will pay more for.
Before we jump into the list of the best buys, it might be worth mentioning WHY choosing wooden toys is a really good idea. And there are lots of great reasons why wooden toys are worth it.
- As we already mentioned, they are a much more sustainable option than plastic toys, so if you trying to be more environmentally conscious then this is a great way to make some small changes.
- Wooden toys are also incredibly durable, much more plastic, which makes them a really great investment. So when they are been chewed on and thrown around place they won’t be easily damaged or broken. When it comes to hand me downs they will be around for a long time, even generations!
- They are also BPA and PVC free which makes them a much safer option for babies and toddlers.
- Most of them don’t need batteries
- They spark imaginative play
- They look really good, don’t they!
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Best Wooden Toys For Babies 0 – 12 Months
If you are decorating your nursery or are looking for a gift for a baby shower, then this wooden mobile for a crib is just adorable, and the best bit is, it doesn’t require batteries! You can also choose different types of animals like puppies, lambs.
I love these wooden play gyms! We got one for our daughter and she loved it. They are very reasonably priced and fold down really easily too.
You can never have enough teething rings! And how adorable are these little ones?
Anything that makes a little noise, a baby will love. This natural wood rattle is great for little fingers to grip and is designed to encourage babies to crawl.
A musical toy, this little penguin waves his little arms as he rolls around.
This little set of teethers and rattles is made from natural beech wood and perfect for little hands to grasp.
Best Wooden Toys For 12 Months And Up
This is hands done one of my favourite wooden toys! After seeing my friend had this for her little one, I loved it and knew I wanted to get it for my daughter when she was big enough. It is such an adorable activity cube, has a farm theme and is just so bright and colourful!
This little wooden bike is from a brand called Hape. They are a well known company that have some really wonderful wooden toys. They are FSC approved (responsible forestry management) and also offer a full range of toys made from bamboo (which is a more renewable material). It is award winning and has rubberised wheels so it won’t damage your floors.
Again from Hape, Our little one was given this as a gift and it is just so sweet. The snail is a little pull along toy and ‘shell’ of the snail can be removed and becomes a shape sorter. A lovely dual purpose toy.
A perfect 1st birthday gift! This activity center is bright and colourful and has LOTS to keep your little one entertained.
This 5 in 1 wooden walker is from a fantastic brand called Small Foot and they are part of FSC and are also part of the ICTI Ethcial Toy Program, which ensures that there are fair working conditions and no child labor. This little walker is such a great replacement for the plastic walkers out there and to be honest, it is much more fun too! Your little one is sure to get lots of enjoyment out it.
Another from the great brand that is Small Foot! This wooden rocking horse is designed with a protective safety ring that can be removed as your little one grows.
A two in one toy, which is always a good thing! A pound bench with a removal xylophone. A colourful, musical wooden toy from Hape which is sure to entertain!
Best Wooden Toys For 18 Months And Up
This shape sorter has 12 colourful and chunky shapes that are designed for little hands to easily grip. A wooden toy to help with developmental skills.
Probably the most recognised brand on this list, this Melissa and Doug pull along train with rocking animals is just plain fun for toddlers!
This is one of the best selling toys from Hape this puzzle and wooden peg shape sorter is designed to aid hand eye coordination and create problem solving skills.
A 6 piece cooking set from Hape – great for pretend play. When finished playing, the pots and utensils slot into the back of the stove to ensure that all pieces stay together.
Related: How To Make Baby’s First Christmas Special
Best Wooden Toys For 2 Years And Up
Another from Melissa and Doug, these wooden blocks are such a wonderful developmental toy for kids. They create great imagination play and are carved with numbers, letters and drawings.
Rainbow stackers seemed to have become really popular and this one is awesome because it’s an extra large one! It also comes with 6 little wooden dolls. This stacker can be used by kids to make bridges, houses or whatever you child’s imagination lets them!
A colourful pounding bench that your little one is sure to have a tonne of fun with. What is great about this, is that the pegs cannot be removed with means they won’t get lost . This is a great toy to have fun with and learn colours at the same time!
These are great first puzzles – Old MacDonalds farm and the alphabet. These are not just a regular puzzles, they are sound puzzles, so as you take out each piece it sings the Old MacDonald Farm song or tells you the letter! Great for teaching you child animals and the noises they make and learning the alphabet. There are lots more different types of these puzzles, numbers, vehicles, nursery rhymes and loads more!
Best Wooden Toys For 3 Years And Up
A great toy for imaginative play, a jumbo wooden tool box. Great to keep you little one entertained or make them feel like there are taking part when you are doing some DIY around the house.
This large farm from Small Foot comes with everything you need to have hours of fun on a farm, fencing, bails of hay, animals and more. This would make an incredible gift and is sure to passed down through the generations.
A wooden magnetic fishing game, how much fun is this! Great for hand eye coordination, learning colours and it comes with two wooden fishing rods so siblings, grandparents or friends can join in the fun!
What’s better than a dolls house? A portable dolls house! This fold and go mini dolls house from Melissa and Doug is a great toy that can be brought anywhere. It also comes with 11 pieces of wooden furniture.
The ultimate wooden tool bench! This sturdy tool bench comes with 5 tools and 16 accessories and will encourage endless hours of creative play.
A Beehive Matching game to help with counting, learning colours and hand eye coordination.
A Melissa and Doug lemonade stand that turns into a grocery store, just reverse the awning! It comes with 9 bins and mini chalkboards. A gift that is sure to be a big hit.
The prettiest wooden bakers set. it even comes with a wooden scale and ingredients so your little one can bake up a storm. The wooden egg even cracks open! All the fun, just with less of a mess!
The most adorable stroller that any toddler will love. A sturdy design and is perfect for pretend play for child’s dolls or teddies
An awesome wooden ice cream stand that comes with 12 ice creams. A great way to inspire role play. The cart comes on wheels so that it can be easily wheeled anywhere.
The ultimate wooden kitchen. All kids love playing with kitchens and this is sure to create many hours of fun! It has everything, a pretend coffee maker, a microwave, dishwasher and more. Just add some wooden food and accessories to it and it will be fully kitted out!
Before we finish up our list of some of the best wooden toys for babies and toddlers, we should also mention how to properly clean them because, if you are going to purchase wooden toys, then you will want to know the best way to look after them. There are a couple of ways you can do it. For a start, never fully immerse wooden toys in water. You can either spray the wooden toy with a cleaning spray and wipe down with a damp cloth or you can use a cloth that is wet in warm soapy water (choose a mild soap). Then just let the wooden toys air dry, simple! Most of these toys will advise on proper cleaning procedures too.
