Plastic toys seem to be the trend these days with parents often choosing them over their wooden counterparts. The reason for this is twofold: firstly plastic toys tend to be cheaper than wooden toys and secondly most of the current kids TV shows and characters seem to only be available on plastic toys. However wooden toys should definitely not be discarded as being outdated as they can provide just as much, if not more enjoyment than their plastic counterparts. Here we will look at some of the reasons why wooden toys are so much better than plastic.
It’s Safer
How often have you heard of plastic toys being recalled because they were found to be dangerous to children? And how often have you heard of wooden toys being recalled. The truth is that plastic toys are more dangerous in general than wooden toys and if you are considering buying them for young children or babies this is definitely something to be aware of. Babies and toddlers like to put things into their mouths – wooden toys are definitely the safer option here.
Environmentally Friendly
Everyone is talking about being environmentally friendly these days and there is no more environmentally friendly toy than those made out of wood. Once a plastic toy is damaged or unwanted it often ends up on a landfill site as it cannot be recycled. Wooden toys on the other hand are fully recyclable and pose much less risk to the environment for this reason.
More Durable
Wooden toys are also much more durable than plastic toys and for some reason children (especially young children) seem to be more drawn towards playing with them. Wooden toys can be bashed, knocked, thrown or even bitten and receive next to no damage. If you try doing the same with plastic toys you can almost guarantee that this won’t be the case. Furthermore, when broken plastic toys can be harmful to children as they could end up with sharp edges or even small parts which as we all know will probably end up in the mouth.
They’re Cheaper
Okay so most plastic toys are actually cheaper to buy outright than wooden toys however in the majority of cases these will break a lot earlier than wooden toys. When you consider how long wooden toys will last you will see that in the long run they are a lot, lot cheaper than plastic toys. Many parents will even pass down the toys they had as children due to how well they have stood the test of time.