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Baby & Toddler Toys at Greenpicks

Baby and toddler toys ecological & safe!

First of all: In a gender-neutral sense, baby and toddler toys are equally suitable for girls and boys. Greenpicks strives for gender-sensitive notations. Unfortunately, this cannot always be guaranteed with regard to the readability of the text for humans and search engines.

For Greenpicks, baby and toddler toys must be both pedagogically valuable and child-friendly as well as sustainable, meaning neither the little earthlings nor man and nature are burdened with pollutants when playing and producing toys. Like parents, we trust and test common seals and labels for safety and for the ecological quality of baby and toddler toys. Pay attention to the age statement of the toy manufacturer and to test seals such as GS (tested safety) and TÜV (German Association for Technical Inspection). All toys distributed in the European Union must bear the CE mark. CE Marking on a product is a manufacturer's declaration that the product complies with the essential requirements of the relevant European health, safety and environmental protection legislation, e.g. Standard for the safety of toys EN 71.

In addition to the safety aspects, organic labels provide information about the ecological quality of toys for baby and toddler. For parents, it belongs to safety, that the toys are non-toxic and their offspring can safely take rattles, bricks, teething toys and teething rings into their mouths.

What characterizes eco toys for babies and children?

Basically, you should follow your common sense in toys. One of the first sense perceptions of children is by means of the mouth. The little ones take everything in their mouth what they can lay in their hands. Therefore, you should dispense with compartmentalized toys, especially up to the 3rd year of life. Does the toy have rounded corners and edges? Do individual parts fit tightly to the toy so that the little ones cannot swallow up tiny pieces? Is the musical clock not too loud? Is the toy safe to saliva and is it made of non-toxic materials? Photos and product description will answer these questions.

The Greenpicks sustainability criteria provide information about the sustainable quality of toy for babies and toddlers. Seals such as FSC® for "Forest Stewardship Council®" and PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes) certify wood from sustainable forest management or recycling material, from which, among other things, wooden toys are made. The aim is to preserve the forests and biodiversity.

Especially wooden toys such as railways, bricks, rocking horse, dollhouse and toy shop are sturdy toys. It is sturdy and natural so that even the siblings or even succeeding generations can still play with it. This eco-friendly wooden toy conserves natural resources and can be recycled at the end of its useful life. High-quality wooden toys do not splinter and are free of pollutants. The most suitable is waxed, unpainted wood. Colours are water-based.

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Ecological and organic criteria for toys

Baby toys such as mobile, balls and stuffed animals are predominantly made of fabric. This should necessarily be from non-toxic organic cotton or wool from certified species-appropriate husbandry and have been dyed with non-toxic colours. The organic seal such as GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) ensures that the substances used for toddler toys are grown and processed according to organic criteria. According to strict ecological and social criteria, the entire production chain from the extraction of raw materials to the labeling of finished textiles is recorded, checked and certified. In comparison, the OEKO-TEX® standard seal "only" checks for inadmissible pollutants. But even here parents can assume that toys with the seal “textiles Vertrauen ("textile trust") are significantly less harmful than conventional baby and toddler toys. The Fairtrade seal stands among others for a social responsible production.

Last but not least, the “spiel gut” award is a decision aid for parents. The non-profit association “spiel gut" puts to the acid test from the baby rattle to outdoor games. If it has passed in the fields of education, psychology, medicine, design, engineering, environmental protection and the practice test with children, toys can get the seal “spiel gut”.

The right organic baby toys for every phase of life

For parent’s guidance, toys for babies and toddlers are categorized by age and stage of development. These are to be understood as recommendations and not as a benchmark, which the offspring would have to be able to do. Baby toys combine business with pleasure: it entertains the little ones and promotes its sensory and motor skills in a playful way.

Baby toys 0 to 6 months

In the first two months of life you do not need to bother your baby with baby toys. Of course, young parents are happy when godparents, grandmother and grandfather have already given a mobile or grabbing for birth or baptism. The baptismal gifts are at about 12 weeks of age a welcome entertainment for the baby. First and best friends are pacifier cloths and soft toys made of organic cotton or organic wool. The soft journeymen donate comfort and security and are always there when baby needs its buddies. Unfortunately, they also have to participate a lot and often land on the floor or in the roadside ditch, which the favourite stuffed animals do not always survive unscathed. Make sure that the plush toy can be washed in the washing machine.

While you want to spend as much time as possible with your baby during parental leave, unfortunately, the household must be kept. A baby cradle, also called hammock, serves on the one hand as a sleeping aid, but can also be used while emptying out the dishwasher or preparing dinner for the family. The offspring lies comfortably in the hammock and is gently rocked. That is fun!

In the beginning, especially the mouth, the ears closely followed by the hands are popular "tools" of the little ones to discover their world. Mobile and musical clocks with lovely melodies do not only help to fall asleep, but are observed enthusiastically. Various objects with different textures such as grasping toys, rattles and teething rings promote the baby’s sense of touch and motivate the gripping reflex. When the baby is 5 months old, the first teeth may grow. Teething rings have the additional benefit of relieving the pain of teething. By chewing on the various surfaces, the baby is diverted and facilitates the unpleasant teething. Ecologically sound are teething rings, rattles and teething toys made of natural rubber and wood; also made of plastic, if this is without health-damaging plasticizer, i.e. free of BPA, phthalates and PVC. With the buggy on the road, the pram chain and a dry roll entertains the annoyed baby when the teething pain bothers. You can store the most important utensils in an eco diaper bag, where baby toys, baby food and accessories can be stored separately.

With babies the activity increases from day to day. By the 6th month of life, the attention goes from the mouth much more to the hands, to grasp and thus to the hand to eye coordination. The baby likes to play with its feet and with things that make noises. Squeaky bath toys, rattles and pull toys or balls provide thrilling moments that promote fine motor skills and coordination. An activity center, a kind of personal playground for babies offers a lot of variety. The baby lies on an organic playmat under a toy arch, where various objects are close enough to touch.

Baby toys 7 to 12 months

In this stage of life, the baby learns the connection between action and result. With pleasure it shakes the rattle or it pushes the bath duck to hear the noises over and over again (sometimes to the parent’s cost). If there is no baby toy at hand, the baby is interested to explore household items such as spoons, pots, clothes pegs or storage boxes.

From around the ninth month, the urge of the little ones to explore expands. They examine all objects that are within reach. Stacking toys, building bricks, touching books, picture books and cushions are useful toys in this phase of their development. With enthusiasm they are clonking building blocks together, stacking colourful cups to knock them over again and then flipping through a book. Every gurgling noise is joyful when it discovers what squeaks, crackles and rustles. If interesting things are out of their reach, these encourage them to crawl. Motor skill toys teach playfully the perception of colours, shapes and textures, reflexes and hand-to-eye coordination of the babies, but also the skilfulness and patience of toddlers is challenged. First sense of achievement helps the child to explore more of its environment with increasing self-confidence. When in approximately the 10th month the first process of disentanglement from the mother and/or father starts, cuddle and pacifier cloths, soft toys and favourite dolls are popular comforters.

Rituals make everyday life easier for both parents and children. Whether getting out or going to bed, washing or for the meals, everyday actions structure the day and provide reliability, comfort and security. Babies love to hear the voice of the parents when they read out aloud or sing. From about the age of 11 month you may establish to sing a song to your little darling to fall asleep. Or read a story to your offspring. This promotes the language development of your baby. Even soft melodies of a musical clock can be a beloved routine every night.

Baby and toddler toys from the first year of life

Mother and father are usually the first inspiring examples for children. As an example, thus, the baby imitates their behavior and plays "to be on the phone" with grandma and grandpa. Teddy & Co, cuddly toys and dolls are popular for their first role playing games. Picture books are entertaining for the little ones and convey knowledge in a playful way. By the way, the eco label Blue Angel certifies printed material. When choosing children's books, make sure that they are free from harmful substances and materials that burden children and nature.

What do 2-year-old and 3-year-old play with?

Around the second birthday, role playing games are becoming increasingly important. Doll’s prams, a toy shop and home-made kitchen unit and workbench serve to copy the activities of parents. The fine motor skills are developed along the way. Sorting and puzzles train the coordination of eye and hand. The closer the third birthday comes, the greater will be creativity and imagination. Blankets and pillows are misused to create fantastic caves, ships and costumes. Let your child grant and be generous with praise and consistently with "No".

Promoting early childhood development properly and sustainably

Matching baby toys should always be child-friendly and promote infant development. Toys for toddlers encourage the offspring in the perception of shapes and colours, stimulate creativity, promote hand-to-eye coordination and fine motor skills and strengthen the self-confidence. GOTS certification, EU eco seal, FSC® or PEFC, as well as Fairtrade and spielgut are part of the awards and seals for the ecologically and educationally valuable quality of baby’s and toddler’s toys found online at Greenpicks

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