As parent, we know how hard it can be to fall into the trap of buying mass produced plastic toys. Especially as your kids grow older and they aren’t as impressed by traditional eco-friendly toys such as wooden blocks and sock puppets anymore!

But as hard as it can be to break the cycle of buying these mainstream toys, it’s now more important than ever to start looking for zero waste alternatives and using our purchasing power to buy more sustainable gifts for kids.

Making the Change from Plastic to Environmentally Friendly Toys

Kids are surrounded by plastic these days. Think of all the little trinkets they collect throughout the year – at Easter, birthday parties, Halloween, and Christmas. And don’t even get us started on the plastic junk from Fast Food chains and inside cereal boxes. It’s never-ending.

And where do most of these cheap plastic toys end up? More often than not, it’s the trash can. And then landfills, where they can take around 1000 years to break down.

Even the better quality children’s toys cannot be recycled, and while some can be gifted, or sold on to other children, you may be surprised to learn that the large majority actually end up in the landfill, or worse still, in the ocean.

The toy industry is incredibly wasteful. For the earth’s resources, and on your pocket. And if we pause to think about the message we’re sending to our kids by buying into this cycle, I think we’ll all agree, we can do better for the next generation.

Sustainable Toys For Kids

Making sustainable eco-friendly choices can be quite tasking as an individual. It becomes much more complex when you have children to make the same choices for. Children are constantly looking for activities to engage in and different ways to have fun. There are a variety of toys in the market to pick from but many of these are made of plastic and other environmentally toxic materials. However, with an increasing consciousness of sustainability, eco-friendly toys are now available.

What are Eco-Friendly Toys?

Eco-friendly toys are toys made from non-toxic materials within a sustainable production environment. This means that the process and products involved in its making are environmentally friendly, and do not pose any hazards to the health and environment. Sustainable toys are usually made from natural biodegradable materials like wool, wood, recycled paper, bamboo and cotton. How they are made also matters because sometimes companies claim they’re making sustainable products but they use manufacturing processes that emit a lot of toxic gasses and liquids into the environment. And of course an eco-friendly toy should not be packaged in non-eco friendly materials. It should stay true to its name from start to finish.

Why Should our Children Use Eco-Friendly Toys?

One exciting part of buying eco-friendly toys is how much change it can cause. We believe that buying eco-friendly toys for your children can lead to a ripple effect that will help drive the Sustainability movement forward. Children interact with each other in the classroom, playground, ballet classes, sleep overs, family events and visits. And one thing they’re always eager to do is to show off their toys. When you buy eco-friendly toys for your children, they’ll talk about the cool toys they have with their friends and even show them. Before you know it, there are parents asking you where to get that same toy. If we all choose eco-friendly toys, we’ll boost the demand of sustainable manufacturing companies and reduce the demand for plastic toys. It’s a win-win situation!