Toys are your toddler’s first playmate. Therefore, it is essential that you get him toys that promote his well-being. Toys made out of wood are a wise choice. They give ample stimulation, improve growth and provide many years of useful service. Since wooden toys are manufactured using natural materials, it is safe to say that they are durable, safe and healthy for your child.

Wooden toys for children come in various designs, shapes, sizes and colors. However, these toys are not created alike. Thus, knowing which wooden toys are good and bad for your little one is important. Keep these tips in mind to help you choose the right products the next time you go toy shopping.

How to Select The Right Wooden Toys

Check Durability and Playability

In order to ensure you get only the best for your toddler, first, you have to know how to identify the difference between genuine wood from fake wood. To help you with that, touch the toy with your hands. Most wooden toys are handmade. If the toy’s exterior is smooth and the wood is thick, the more exquisite the workmanship. Wooden toys that have a thin wood veneer with jagged and pointed edges suggest poor craftsmanship which only puts your toddler in grave danger if the toy is broken in the process of playing.

Inspect Safety Hazards

Next, safe wooden toys must not contain any poisonous elements. Meaning, the scent of the toy must be of the wood itself. Smell the toys. If the scent is too overwhelming, it might be due to the toxic paint which contains a lot of chemicals. Or, there might be surface paint errors. Always check the label of the toy, see to it that there are no benzene and lead used in manufacturing the product. Verify the label, it must specify in the safety standard checklist that non-toxic paint and harmless toy special paint were used.

Consider Your Child’s Age

Not all wooden toys are suitable for your toddler. It pays to check the label of the toy to help you determine if it suitable for your toddler’s age. If your little one is between 4 to 8 months old, go for wooden building blocks. Blocks are big enough to fit your toddler’s tiny hands and mouth eliminating the risk of choking. If he is 10 to 15 months old, pull along wooden toys and wooden train sets are perfect for him. Once he reaches the age of 2, switch to wooden puzzles.

Know His Type

There are a lot of wooden toys available, the key to choosing the perfect one for your toddler is to identify his preferences. Here’s a tip – select toys based on the activities he does the most on a regular basis. From there, you can start honing his skills and gradually introduce new sets of wooden toys once he has mastered them. Here are some of the most popular wooden toys for children:

• Building Blocks. Blocks are the best wooden toys to help your toddler easily discern different types of objects. A set of colorful blocks with shapes of a triangle, cube, rectangle, oval, star and so on is a good way to help increase his retention skills which in turn boosts his cognitive abilities. Traditional wooden blocks with letters of the alphabet and numbers are both fun and informative. Simple to complex creations of these blocks improves his motor skills as well.
• Interlocking Wooden Toys.  Interlocking wooden toys are linked wooden toys that assist in stimulating your toddler’s imagination encouraging creative and pretend play. It also aids him in learning basic problem solving skills.
• Puzzles. An all-time favorite toy, a simple ten-piece puzzle of his favorite animal or fruit allows him to combine his knowledge and operating skills. Choose colorful puzzles to make sure your toddler is entertained for hours.
• Pull Toys. Pull toys are useful in helping your toddler learn how to walk as he can easily pull his wooden car or duck toy using the leash attached to it.
• Wooden Sequencing Sets. Sequencing or sorting games are great in helping your toddler exercise his reasoning skills and hand-eye coordination.

Wooden toys are proven to be the most versatile toys for toddlers. It helps children form new games each time they play with them. Hence, it is equally important to only buy quality wooden toy products to ensure your toddler years of secure and creative play.

Toys always have a great influence with children especially those who are still in their early stage of growth and development. Toddlers have different perceptions when it comes to their toys, some can easily get bored while some can be so pushy that they easily destroy their toys. While electronic toys are very in demand, it can hinder a toddler’s ability to think beyond the rules of these devices. Thus, wooden toys are still the best toddler toys to give to your little one.

Wooden toddler toys have a lot of features, making it the most coveted toy of toddlers. These fine old handcrafted toys are unique and have a very promising potential to amuse and educate toddlers at the same time. Especially made to be a durable children’s toy, wooden toddler toys are easy to use and can handle hours of old-fashioned fun.

Why It Stands Out Above The Rest

Toys made from wood have been around before plastic toddler toys were invented. Here are some reasons why wooden toddler toys are the best among the rest:

More Durable and Affordable

Most modern toys available these days can be easily damaged and destroyed by your little one. Wooden toddler toys on the other hand are more resilient since they can endure rough play and constant battering. These toddler toys are made from the finest wood materials assuring quality, form and function. Because these toys are very durable, they are more cost-effective. You no longer have to replace broken toys every now and then.

More Educational

Your toddler becomes more inquisitive and curious when he hits the toddler stage. Wooden toddler toys allow him to channel his thoughts into a more productive source. With the different kinds of wooden toys available, discovery and learning are well stimulated. There are wooden toy puzzle sets for the alphabet, shapes, colors, sizes, numbers and so on that helps boost his motor, problem solving and hand-eye coordination skills. He learns how to reason and his mind retention increases as well.

Wooden toddler toys also unleash your toddler’s creativity through imaginative play. It provides ample room for his thoughts to develop and flourish beyond what he sees in his computer games and the TV. With his short attention span, these toys give unlimited possibilities for playtime. He can play with them or make something out of them. Because of the positive effects of these toys, his overall development is enhanced increasing his chance to be a highly capable adult in the future.

More Safe

Since these toys are made from natural materials that are free from any synthetic chemicals, they have passed the standard safety measure of toys, proving they are much safer for your toddler’s health. You no longer have to constantly worry if your toddler chokes or injures himself.

Improves Self-worth

At an early age, your toddler’s self-esteem must be nurtured. Wooden toddler toys give him freedom and independence to create and solve things on his own. Once he is self-resilient, he grows confident and strong allowing him to be emotionally stable to cope with the people and the world around him.

Beyond money and durability, wooden toddler toys greatly mold a toddler’s personality which he can carry on throughout adulthood. The benefits it gives on a physical, mental, social and emotional level is beyond exceptional making it the best toy for toddlers.