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.

tori0609 I agree.
My children play with wooden toys, natural cloth dolls and felt handmade fruit and veg for the playkitchen. They also have little glass jars for their play kitchen...and before MN's start slating me, no, none of it has ever got broken and the kids haven't cut themselves on it, the whole downstairs area is carpeted so it won't smash when it's dropped (not that it is usually dropped) Oh, and they have enamel pots and pans for their play kitchen.

It only takes a bit of imagination not to immediately reach for the plastic, often characterised, tat.

I agree poppyboo, i suppose it's easier to go to the local toy shop or buy the toys advertised on tv, or buy what friends have. It's so much better for children to have less but good quality toys, where each one has a meaning instead of rooms filled up of toys that are no longer played with, such a waste of money and a child' imagination!

I'm with tori0609 and poppyboo!

Thanks lolalotta!

back to my last thread - if the children don't watch TV then they don't know what they're missing by not seeing the adverts!

(oh here we go!)

Oh, my two are TV free 99% of the week, so tori0609 is right, it helps if they don't get bombarded with toy adverts.

Right, I am going to hide under the table now

I'm with tori and poppy too :) Nice to see a few more!

perfumed ponce. Great phrase. See 'Withnail and I'

I was the same as you; nolw my house is full of crap I'm afraid. I actually think plastic is more hardy and easy to clean. Not so easy on the eye though and bad for the environment.

you assumed wrong poppyboo but i'm not surprised your brain immediately went there.

knock yourself out with your 99% no tv and your wooden child.

tori0609
what has wood bedding for pets got to do with the safe, natural toys that we are discussing?!

That's me illustrating that wood does not necessarily equal toxin-free, after Poppyboo referred to wood being toxin-free.

Obviously you did not read the link, as you are saying balderdash like "natural toys", as if it's a meaningful, reassuring thing. Arsenic is natural. Cedar and pine trees certainly are.

Here's a quote:

The acids given off by pine and cedar shavings are very damaging to the respiratory tract. These acids can actually destroy cells that line the lungs and trachea (2). For a complete summary of the respiratory toxicity of pine shavings, go to Respiratory toxicity of cedar and pine wood. This has significant implications for rats since the most common diseases in pet rats are respiratory infections. Many owners of pet rats have reported the improvement of respiratory problems when they have switched their pets to a bedding other than pine or cedar shavings.

Pine and cedar toxins also affect humans and other animals. People who work in cedar and pine sawmills have a much higher incidence of asthma compared to workers in other dusty environments or those without any dust exposure (3, 4). Another study found that chickens kept on softwood shavings had a higher incidence of respiratory infections (5).

Now, I very much doubt that any child is going to develop asthma just because they had a cedar wood toy, but that doesn't mean that cedar wood can't be dangerous. And therefore it is simply inaccurate to call wood necessarily non-toxic.

Another example of dangerous plant life is the Yew tree. Don't chew on yew bark. Seriously, don't.

However, to anyone reading and still worrying about the beautiful toys their children were given last Christmas, I would like to quote an HSE factsheet.

Toxicity
In bulk, wood is unlikely to give rise to toxic effects. The hazardous forms that may give rise to health risks are:
Woodworking Sheet No 30
●
dust;
●
sap, latex or lichens associated with a wood"

Italics mine.

Another 24 hrs and no one has said why it is better play value for the DC-it is all adult based as in 'I don't like tat' etc.
I really don't think that good quality plastic breaks. We still have Fisher Price in the loft that has gone through 3 DCs and all their friends (and was often second hand when I got it).
What is fairly clear to me is that most of you have very young DCs, and many of you are on your first DC, so you have complete control and very often can even control friends, grandparents and other family.
No one has said how they are going to manage when the DC has pocket money or birthday money to spend or what you are going to do when they have a party where friend's parents have used their initiative and gone for plastic tat. I have to say that mine have loved the plastic tat given to them at parties and I would be a very mean mother to send it to the charity shop because it offended me.

Having pondered this thread, I had a look at some of my dc's favourite toys to see if there was a wood equivalent.

Can anyone source a wooden fake dog turd for me?

I'm sure someone could custom-make you one on Etsy if you asked nicely!

Ooh- a hand-carved bespoke dog turd- now THAT has a certain classiness about it

Heehee! :)

piscesmoon , play value of wooden toys over plastic, some ideas:
-wood feels nicer to hold for DC, heavier, natural, warming in the hands
-wood toys are likely to be more passive then plastic toys (especially mechanical, blinking, flashing ones which are designed to directly entertain a DC and all they need to do is press buttons) So, if a wooden toy is more passive, the child will get more involved in playing with it as their imagination is stimulated. Like wooden blocks for example, they can be turned into anything (obviously the same can be said for lego)
-If a child has wooden toys, they are likely to have less toys because of the expense, so a greater value is placed on them and they become more precious and loved and played with to a greater extent.

thanks bubbleymummy

oh, and just for the record we've been plastic free and the kids have been 99% TV free for the past 3 1/2 years so it's not just a flash in the pan thing for us

blinks does that mean you have a plastic child?

ROFL @ poppyboo: "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."

Judgey much? [hhmm]

I bet your kids fall over themselves when they go round to other people's houses and are actually allowed to ... you know ... play. With toys they like, rather than the ones you 'think' they should like.

HeadlessLadyBiscuit you think I'm being judgey? What about the poor OP who was absolutely slated and laughed at for at least 5 pages for daring to choose a different material for toys then the usual plastic?

and, ummmm, they do actually, like, play with their wooden toys...you know....they are children after all and they love their toys!Isn't that the most important thing?

and about what I think they should like...so parents can choose religion for their children, choose what they eat, choose what school they go to, choose what time hey go to bed, have input about what they wear....but apparently aren't allowed to have an input about the choice of toys in the house? that makes sense.

my dd has mostly wooden toys - about 80%, and a few plastic ones that others have given her. she also has lots of fair trade/unbleached cotton stuff.

unless your family are v awkward they will prob respect what you want - least it cuts down the choice when they need to choose gifts.

google 'natural baby shower' they have lovely wooden stuff.

also wooden toys can last just as long as plastic. dd is playing with both 30 year old wooden bricks and jigsaws and 30 year old plastic fisher price toys which belonged to me :-)

also OP - google tatty bumpkin - if you like eco friendly toys - they also do baby yoga classes which dd loves :-)