to want my DC to only have wooden toys? (Or is this a case of PFB Syndrome?)

[LovestoLove]

I don't think I'm generally PFB - I want my child to respect adults, eat with no fussing/faddiness (or at least no reaction on my part), have no quibbles about the step, won't give copious amounts of juice/biscuits, won't give into tantrums, etc.

But I really have a thing about the bucket loads of plastic toys that I fall over when at friends' homes.

I love wooden toys/puzzles, books, cloth dolls, make-believe things, fancy dress, etc.

Is it totally unreasonable of me to ask parents, in-laws, and anyone else who's expressed interest in getting a baby gift to get something wooden/natural? I know wooden toys are generally seen as more expensive but I've found some on Ebay and other sites that aren't bad.

Or am I going to be seen as crazy? I'm 30 weeks pregnant by the way with DC1.

'wooden toys are more hygenic

How and why and is the DC bothered?

Afaik, the only guaranteed safe wooden toys are natural, unpainted and unfinished toys made in Germany and Switzerland. Others can have finishes or chemical treatments that are not safe.

Plastics can have all kinds of problems too; phthalates, pvc, lead, cadmium, etc.
Healthystuff.org list of toys and accessories that are relatively safe

Ooh I've thought of one! Natural materials are better for children because when a child manages to finally lob one over the fireguard it doesn't release as much stench when it burns.

I think that these phthalates that can often be found in plastic toys sound nasty...not sure I want my dd chewing on them! interesting article on why you might choose natural toys over plastic here:
www.hazelnutkids.com/cgi-bin/category.cgi?category=Benefits_of_Natural_Toys
plus wooden toys are just so pretty!!!

Goodness me you have a child not a 'model' who will play with postcard perfect toys that are all wooden and make no noise! Kids love plastic LOUD toys, they have FUN playing with them! I love wooden toys too but I give my children toys they want to play with - maybe u should too

When u have baby and start to see them grow u will understand - as u have not had ur child yet you are still in the 'ideal world' stage but I bet In a year's time you will look back and cringe... Especially when you come up against other preg mums to be who idealise everything...

'plus wooden toys are just so pretty!!!

To adults! It really boils down to the fact that adults find them aesthetically pleasing and don't want bright orange plastic in the house! Given the choice I would go for wooden every time.
I will leave you all too it-no one has given a satisfactory reason for it being better play value for the DC.

Perhaps its unfair lovestolove and in fact it probably is, but I have a visceral reaction to parents with too many stultifying rules. Dh has a colleague who won't let his child have a pet because they are dirty and smelly and too much trouble (what, even a guinea pig?), actually their house is a sort of sterile adult wasteland with minimal tasteful wooden toys in a wicker basket. I often ponder how utterly joyless that kid's childhood must be.

I used to be anally tidy favouring a minimalist nordic living space but have become accustomed to the mess and disorder of happy children. I would love my dd (8) to appreciate good music rather than idolise Lady Gaga whom I abhor, and to take an interest in wholesome team sports, and I would prefer it if ds showed just an inkling of interest in reading. But they are there own persons - and thank Christ for that.

Good luck with your goals

I understand where you are coming from but it's impossible to enforce. Plus it's not just about the materials, after all Playmobil is plastic but also very well designed (both from a play and a style POV). Personally I find toys that play musak far worse, it's not the noise, it's the lack of interaction that I object to. And toys that are supposedly educational because they say 'a is for apple' when you press a button, or those terrible DVDs that are suppose to make your child a genius. Oh, and pink everything for girls.

TBH I don't think kids automatically like tasteless toys, admittedly the DDs have limited access (my family mainly buy clothes and books as presents, DH's family buy nothing so I am the main toy buyer) and after three years the top favourite toy in the house is still the wooden building blocks.

I do agree with you on the juice and biscuit thing! My two have water only and my toddler has orange juice rarely watered down in a glass. And you can get great baby biscuits sweetened with fruit juice (plum, ellas kitchen etc). I don't get this obsession some parents have with giving their kids juice all the time, my two are happy with water (and breast milk for baby! :-) ) as that what they used to! And don't get me started on fruit shoots - a little plastic bottle full of shit!

Generally speaking most wooden toys that are found on the highstreet are mass produced/ factory made in goodness knows where and are of very poor quality and aren't very different from their plastic counterparts. Myriad toys however are very different. They are often individually handcarved by crafts people made from beautiful solid woods and the items actually have a weight to them when they are picked up which I think childrem respond to (and before anyone says anything no I haven't had any thrown at me...yet, lol!) They have an heirloom quality about them and will be passed from child to child/ grandchildren even rather than ending up in landfill in two years time!
What is wrong with buying fewer well made toys than heaps of plastic ones which will get trodden on and broken! Besides I don't think this debate should just be about plastic v wooden, I think it hinges on that plastic is soooooo cheap that people just buy sooooooooo much of it and fill their homes which can leave children feeling overwelmed I think.

I don't work for Myriad btw, haha, but I have found it quite difficult to find beautifully made wooden toys in the UK. I don't just buy stuff ever I make some of her toys by hand or granny knits them!

YANBU - I have a three year old and almost all of his toys are wooden. His favourites are his wooden puzzles, wooden train set, and wooden toy oven complete with wooden food and utensils. My parents and in-laws have been very happy to buy him wooden toys and most people ask me what to get him for presents and I always reply books because they take up less space and are often cheaper than nice wooden toys. DS does have a few plastic toys including duplo and little people but these are mostly ignored in favour of his wooden toys. He also only drinks water and milk except for the occasional diluted fruit juice or hot chocolate. Unfortunately he still has tantrums sometimes.

why not just get a beautifully carved wooden child?

Why so bitter Blinks?

because of the assumption that people who buy plastic toys but 'heaps' of them and that they're shit.

and that children respond better to wooden stuff.

it's pretentious nonsense.

"it's pretentious nonsense"
Blink, So i'm assuming that you only have plastic toys then and so anybody that dares buy a wooden toy is pretentious just because they choose to buy a toy from another material?

piscesmoon:"I'm sure that if giving babies plastic teething rings was going to be toxic they would have been banned. Isn't the wood treated-varnished etc?"

not if you buy them from a good website, then they will have been sanded smooth and coated in something non-toxic like beeswax for example. If cheap wooden toys are bought then, yes, they usually have some sort of nasty laquer on them.

I am happy to point anyone in the right direction for non-toxic wooden baby teethers.

InGodWeTrust:"I don't allow plastic toys in my household because a) I hate tat.
b) wooden toys are far more educational and I think forces the child to use their imagination
c) I don't approve of the child labour that goes into making toys in China and South East Asia.

I haven't given in, yet, my ds loves the play with plastic pegs...despite me hiding them.

YANBU"

I agree. I haven't given up either. My children have the most beautiful playroom, it's calm and beautiful for them and for the whole family and doesn't look like you've just tripped into a charity shop. Plus, I know I am supporting artisans who make/carve them, they are often made in the UK and they won't just end up on landfill. Plus they are not full of disgusting toxins which are going to disrupt my kids growth etc etc and all the problems that go along with kids playing with plastic.

Surely everyone can agree that it's best ofr a child to have a range of textures/toys in order to find them more stimulating? if you have only plastic toys, then they seem very similar?

YABU, you perfumed ponce.

Just for the hell of it...

Wood is not necessarily better than plastic, because there are different kind of trees (and therefore wood), and different kinds of plastic.

For example, pine and cedar wood bedding is EXTREMELY bad for pet rodents. Look here

What's a perfumed ponce exactly?

perfumed ponce?!

what has wood bedding for pets got to do with the safe, natural toys that we are discussing?!