Ideas For Toddlers’ Outdoor Summer Play With Natural and Organic Push Toys

Tommy Turtle. Photo courtesy of Earthentree.

With the weather warming up, it’s a great time for the little ones to get out more, and pull toys are a great way to make it more fun.

Pull toys are great motivators for walking, promoting stability, and bring a sense of joy, self-confidence and control in being able to pull something around.

But as with all toys, it’s also important to make sure that they are safe for your child to use. Things to consider include whether there are removable pieces, their size (choking hazards), and the paint (toxic poisoning) because little kids are always putting everything in their mouths.

Always looking for things that are good for people and the environment, I found three great online boutiques – Earthentree, Maya Organic, and Little Zen Minds – that work with traditional artisan communities that create beautiful handmade pull toys that are non-toxic and made with sustainable materials.

Earthentree

Engine Stacker. Photo courtesy of Earthentree.

Earthentree prides itself on providing toys that are safe and beautiful. All of the toys are traditionally handmade by an artisan community in the city of Channapatna in southern India, where the company stresses that “absolutely no form of child labor is employed in its production process.”

Also, the materials used in making the toys are all sustainable, and the dyes are made only of natural materials. The toys are made of hale wood and rubberwood because they are lightweight with fine grains and the company assures that “the wood does not contribute to deforestation.”

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Fun and Educational Eco-Toy Ideas That Kids In Kindergarten and Younger Will Love This Season

Skip Hop Hug and Hide Activity Bear.

If you are still doing your holiday shopping, looking for things that your kids will love to play with, learn without realizing it, and still be safe for them and the environment, then I have some great ideas for you!

I came across a really great eco-online toy outlet called Peapods Natural Toys and Baby Care, that’s a one-stop-shop some of the best and most popular eco-toy brands, including: Skip Hop, Green Toys, BEKA, and Uncle Goose.

Skip Hop

Skip Hop Hug and Hide Activity Owl.

Skip Hop has a particular stuffed toy called the Hug and Hide Activity Owl (there is also a bear version available) which I really like that’s featured on the site. The owl arms open and reveal a mirror and a baby owl inside.

The toy also has other developmental activities including rattles and squeakers. The dimensions of the toy are: 8 inches high, 7 inches wide, and 4 inches deep. The toy – made in China – is ideal for babies that are three months old and up.

Peapods specifies that the toy meets safety standards that include the following: ASTM, CPSIA, and EN71.

Green Toys

Green Toys – also previously featured on GreenVitals – has a lot of toys on Peapods worth mentioning. Everything from Green Toys is made in America, and packaged using recycled and recyclable materials and printed with soy inks.

Green Toys Submarine From Recycled Milk Bottles.

Among the noteworthy toys from Green Toys is the Submarine From Recycled Milk Bottles, which features a spinning rear propeller, a flat bottom that adds stability for floating, a big handle, and a wide mouth opening that’s great for scooping and pouring water. The dimensions of the submarine are: 10.5 inches long, 5.5 inches wide, and 4 inches high.

In addition, some great news for parents is that the submarine’s cabin can be opened for easy cleaning, and the whole toy is dishwasher safe. The toy also meets safety standards in that it has no BPA, phthalates, PVC, external coatings, and also meets FDA food contact standards.

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Play Gyms Play A Crucial Role In Developing Babies Minds, Muscles, and Fine Motor Skills

Finn + Emma Baby Gyms (boy version). Montage courtesy of growingyourbaby.com.

Baby gyms are definitely very valuable tools in helping babies get a head start in their development – both mentally and physically – and there is no small selection from which to choose.

There are a lot of different styles of baby gyms, but they all have some basic functions, which include:

• Stimulating the senses through combinations of colors, music, and squeaking noises.
• Developing hand-eye coordination while grasping for things.
• Developing fine motor skills when grabbing things.
• Building body muscles when pulling themselves up to grab at something.
• Developing lessons in cause and effect (to a baby’s mind, “When I do this, this happens), like when they squeeze a toy and it squeaks.
• Stimulating learning social interaction between babies and parents – teaching babies about colors, shapes, sounds, and names of things.

Baby gyms are not meant to be babysitters though, and parental supervision is always necessary. Toys can break and become hazards.

At eHow.com, they made a point that’s obvious, but worth repeating, which is that, “It’s important that the product be used on floors only, and never high areas such as tables or beds.” Another reminder is to never place these toys near stairs or other potentially dangerous areas.

Play gyms are to be enjoyed and used for developmental growth, but when selecting a location for them, always play worst-case-scenario in your mind.

Safety considerations kept in mind, there are a lot of great options for baby gyms. Let’s look at some of my favorites.

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Toddlers Gaining Stability in Walking and Play With Natural Wood Push Toy Walkers

There are few prouder moments for parents than when their babies take their first steps. This proud time comes at about nine months old for most babies, and there are a lot of things that parents need to do to make this a safe, easy, and happy developmental experience.

At about nine months old, most babies will start trying to pull themselves up to a standing position using furniture or whatever is available, which is why a toddler walker is a good idea.

Even if you buy a walker, the first thing you need to do is toddler-proof your home. “Obviously, one of the first things you should do is to remove items that are within your baby’s reach that he could pull down on himself. If you have table lamps, place them far back out of the baby’s reach,” says learningwalker.com.

“Don’t have ornaments that can easily break where your baby can reach them, and make sure that there is nothing sharp that your baby will be able to reach when using furniture to help with balance,” adds learningwalker.com.

Dr. William Sears offers further suggestions for making your home a safe environment for a new walking toddler, which are:

• Secure lamp cords so lamps can’t be pulled down.
• Anchor floor lamps, or remove them.
• Cushion sharp corners on coffee tables, piano benches, and hearths.
• Display breakables out of baby’s reach, or put them away for a few years.
• Move plants
• Push chairs all the way up to the table to prevent climbing.
• Install latches on drawers and cabinets that hold breakable dishes.
• Push items to the centers of tabletops.

Watching your baby learn to walk will be a happier and less stressful experience when your home has been toddler-proofed. Then, the next priority is finding a walker that is both safe in itself, as well as fun and versatile enough to be used past when your baby doesn’t need the physical support anymore.

This is why natural push toy walkers are such a good idea. They are safe (using only non-toxic paints and other materials) and most can be used as just fun toys later on. But even with these toys, some additional safety considerations should be kept in mind.

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Soothing Baby Safely Using Natural Rubber Teething Toys

Having your first baby is always an exciting and uncertain time. You have this beautiful new life that doesn’t talk, but is totally dependent on you, and you want to do everything perfect. There is so much to figure out and one of the most confusing times is when your baby is teething.

Photo courtesy of Crocodile Baby Store.

Teething usually begins around six months old, but it’s normal for teething to start at any time between three months and 12 months old, according to WebMD, which says, “By the time your child is three years old, he or she will have all 20 primary (baby) teeth.”

You’ll know when each baby tooth is coming in about a week in advance because there will be some classic symptoms preceding each one.

“Some babies are fussier than usual when they are teething. This may be because of soreness and swelling in the gums before a tooth comes through. These symptoms usually begin about three-to-five days before a tooth shows, and they disappear as soon as the tooth breaks the skin,” says WebMD, adding that, “Babies may bite on their fingers or toys to help relieve the pressure in their gums.”

One of the best things to do during this time is to give your baby a safe teething toy, and not all teething toys are created equal. The best options are natural (latex) rubber teething toys or if your baby is allergic, then natural wood teething toys.

Here, we’ll look at some of the best options on the market for non-toxic natural rubber teething toys. Among the most notable places to look are: Crocodile Baby Store, Nature’s Baby Blanket, and Tiny Birds Organic Baby & Family.

Crocodile Baby Store

Crocodile Baby Store provides a strong eco-focus on baby products that fall in the range of organic, natural, sustainable, and durable.

Photo from Crocodile Baby Store.

The store has a great line of teethers from Lanco Toys that are all made from 100 percent natural latex rubber, hand-painted using non-toxic paints, and measure nearly four inches tall. They’re also completely free of bisphenol-A (BPA), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and phthalates.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says on its website that “both the National Toxicology Program at the National Institutes of Health and FDA have some concern about the potential effects of BPA on the brain, behavior, and prostate gland in fetuses, infants, and young children.”

The use of BPA has been banned in Canada and the European Union because of concerns about neurological effects on fetuses, infants, and young children.

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