What's the big deal against plastic toys?

[peaceful_mama]

I mean, I'm against junk too, and a lot of plastic toys *are* just cheap junk, but we do have the baby legos and a few fisher price things. I don't like toys that do everything for the kid either--dolls that cry and everything, that kind of thing. (Z's current faves are a plastic cell phone he got for his b-day and a wooden rocking horse i got for 2-3 bucks on a rummage...)
But I see a lot of ppl on here do all wooden toys....why?

[lisac77]

I have never understood this prejudice, either. Surely there are wooden toys out there that don't "stimulate the brain" or whatever. I have seen plenty of junky wooden toys that are poorly made and look bad. Wooden toys can also be very, very expensive in comparison to their plastic counterparts. Obviously if you like wooden toys and only want to buy wooden toys, that's great - for your family. But my son gets a huge kick out of his plastic toys (Legos, Little People sets, Little Tykes, a peg board, and after Christmas, a kitchen, etc.). We go for quality over what the toy is made from... just my .02 of course!

[PhoenixEternal]

I know one of the reasons is that wood is biodegradable. A lot of mom's I know are concerned about the environment and want to "tread lightly" on this planet.

PE

ETA: I think that sounded wrong. I was no implying that mom's who don't buy or make wooden toys and what nots are not concerned about the environment...sorry.

[annettemarie]

Offgassing? Leeching of chemicals?

Also, neurologically speaking, the more sensory experiences a child has, the more "connections" are made in the brain. Plastic will always only feel like plastic. Toys made from natural materials, however, offer a unique and diverse sensory experience.

[peaceful_mama]

I hadn't thought of the sensory aspect of it...very true there, the younger the kid especially, the more they are getting simply out of feeling something, because well *everything's* new...

There is the environmental aspect of it, I never did put much thought into what happens to the toy when I'm done with it...but then, I'm not a thrower-awayer type if there's still use left in it. I'm the person who will give the outgrown stuff to Goodwill or like a children's shelter or something. But what happens to plastic in the landfill? interesting...

Personally, my son does have the LPeople mechanic garage that *I* bought, it's really the only thing i've bought that does much for him, it has a few noise-making buttons. Other than that, there's the blocks and stuff, I'm all for toys that require the kid to add the fun--you know, a basic set of blocks, toy cars, a basic doll and clothes, doll crib and stuff, but no crying noisemakers and crap.

[Spock]

Regarding the safety of plastic toys, it's really only the soft ones that are a concern. The hard ones don't leach the chemicals that the soft, PVC ones do. http://www.oregontoxics.org/toys.html

I think there are some good plastic toys and some lousy wooden toys. I try to judge each toy individually.

I've gotten the impression that some people are so anti-plastic toys because they see them as "mainstream" rather than because there is actually anything wrong with the toys.

[peaceful_mama]

So, if I'm getting this article right, most likely the book I've been ENCOURAGING DS to teeth on has these PVC chemicals? (It has those soft plastic corners and a plastic deal on the top with water in it--designed for a teething baby...) And I should throw the book in the trash...
I got it from a baby shower, so I have no idea what store it came from or anything.

But my baby Legos are fine because that company doesn't use PVC's...and hard plastic like Little People stuff is OK....

[annettemarie]

I've gotten the impression that some people are so anti-plastic toys because they see them as "mainstream" rather than because there is actually anything wrong with the toys.

I don't know, that seems a bit suspect to me. I don't breastfeed or cloth diaper just because of an inherent need to go against the mainstream, and it's not the driving force behond my toy choice, either.

Two other reasons to think of-

1- Plastic toys are often made in other nations under poor conditions and line the pockets of large corporations. Wooden toys are often handcrafted by small local companies.

2- There is, for us at least, a spiritual aspect as well. A toy made from wood, or wool, or cotton seems to have a "life force" in it. It was often made by hand from a "living" material. Plastic toys don't have that. They were conjured up from a chemical soup by a machine. I think wooden toys are beautiful in a way plastic will never be.

[annettemarie]

A few more articles on plastic toys and toxicity:

A general info article
http://www.checnet.org/healthehouse/...sp?Main_ID=138
http://www.checnet.org/healthehouse/...sp?Main_ID=559

Plastic toys may affect boys hormone levels
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1529145/posts

Greenpeace article
http://www.greenpeace.org/internatio...oxic-toy-story

And a Mothering article
http://www.mothering.com/articles/gr...toy_story.html

[Attila the Honey]

Thanks for the links, Annettemarie.

Another reason that I didn't see mentioned is that I like the idea of having the toys to pass down. I don't see many plastic toys that would qualify as heirloom quality, kwim? There are some, but most plastic toys are the type that you would have no problems throwing away (and leaving them to sit in the landfill forever and ever).

The main reasons we prefer to stick to wood are because it's biodegradable and because a wooden toy is less likely to 'play itself'. My biggest pet peeve with toys are the ones that will spin, play music, light up, talk, etc. when the child presses a button. the easiest way to keep friends and family from buying those types of obnoxious toys is to specify that we prefer wood.

Another reason - it's easier to support smaller owned business if you stick with natural materials. All the big toy manufacturers use plastic, I think?

Many plastic toys are also garish. Not at all pleasing to the eye, imo. I like simple, handmade toys that require creativity and are made from natural materials.

(This is not to say that all plastic toys are garish or play themselves, and I am also not saying that we don't have any plastic at all. My dd has a plastic ball, some playmobil things, little plastic animals and plastic food. I think Legos are another good example of a creative plastic toy. It's just that we prefer natural materials when natural materials are available.)

[lizabird]

We have a few plastic toys that DS loves (Fisher Price big-wheel type car, some nice plastic cars, and a marble track) and some wood toys that DS loves (train and track, some hand crafted folk toys, a few pull/push type toys), so for us it's really trying to find nice, good-quality toys, pleasing to look at, fun to play with, and no batteries required. We also love books and running around outside.

I know some people are totally against plastic, and given a choice, I tend to be more attracted towards wood toys myself, but we have found a few plastic toys that we really like too. Now that Christmas toy ads are all over the newspaper, I hve been looking through them and really really really disappointed with the toys that are out there. Seems like EVERYTHING is bright and ugly and plays music and flashing lights and total sensory overload (and plastic, of course)! Bleeeech!

-lizabird

[peaceful_mama]

Hey I just had a dumb thought....this ball DS is throwing around,...it's probably the 'bad plastic' too. Then again, it's pretty big and not likely really to get chewed...
I think what I'm going to start doing as far as plastic junk is following 'High/Scope' theory--it's the preschool curriculum we use. They're really pro 'real' things in the classroom as opposed to plastic or even wood toy models--like if you have a choice in play kitchens, your first choice should be a real small apt. size oven and stove, a *real* dorm fridge--minus the plugs. Maybe ones that are broken and would sit in a landfill anyway. Second choice wood third choice plastic. (and if the kids can't reach it, you get a stepstool--much like people did back in the days when most all moms were at home and kids helped in the kitchen because they didn't have 100 videos to sit and watch and junk like today...)

Anyway the theory is if you start using their curriculum, you should not just throw out your plastic play kitchen and run out to buy replacements--when it wears out, you replace it with a more 'real' thing.

I also really like the idea of supporting a craftsperson-maker rather than a corporation if I'm given a choice. The thing is, some of the toys are so darn EXPENSIVE--like the wooden puzzle I got last summer for DS at an art festival was 20 bucks I think? Now, it IS really cute and the guy painted his name on it for him....but still, non wood ones are cheaper....but it's the same reason i go to the farmer's market, I like supporting people trying to have a business...that and I'd rather he have a few basic imagination-required toys that are going to last than a billion plastic junky things....

Anyway...does anyone have a good non-plastic alternative for a ball? Something fairly soft and light that can be played with inside?? I guess I *could* find some fabric scraps somewhere maybe and some quilt batting? I'm not at all craftsy like that, but maybe I could make one??? Just a thought. I do have craftsy friends who get invites to his b-day parties, maybe i could get the word out I'd prefer something like that to walmart? (I LOVED how I got 4 homemade blankets for him when he was born, and a little sweater, booties, and hat set...those will be around FOREVER.)

[MaxiMom]

Isn't plastic made from petroleum, a natural product? It is definitely overused, but still an invention that I think we all take for granted.

It does seem that the plastic toys now are directed toward overstimulation rather than creativity or learning. I'm all for natural products, but sometimes one just can't get away from plastic, darn it.

I agree with pps, take each toy into account, durability, interest of the child, etc.The wooden tool set my son has is splintering from overuse (the hammer especially ). Not safe for putting in the mouth or stepping on, ouch!

P.S. Gund (I know, a large company, but...) makes a great fabric ball. I'm sure you could make one, or find someone that would. Also less worry about things getting broken or getting smacked in the face with a plastic ball, another ouch!

[annettemarie]

Well, technically, isn't everything made from some sort of natural product? I mean, unless some of you are out there splitting atoms and creating something from nothing.

[Attila the Honey]

Originally Posted by zakers_mama

I also really like the idea of supporting a craftsperson-maker rather than a corporation if I'm given a choice. The thing is, some of the toys are so darn EXPENSIVE--like the wooden puzzle I got last summer for DS at an art festival was 20 bucks I think? Now, it IS really cute and the guy painted his name on it for him....but still, non wood ones are cheaper....but it's the same reason i go to the farmer's market, I like supporting people trying to have a business...that and I'd rather he have a few basic imagination-required toys that are going to last than a billion plastic junky things....

It's true, they are more expensive and our funds are definitely limited, but I think this has helped us reevaluate how much 'stuff' our dd needs. If we accepted plastic, mass produced toys it's very likely my dd would have about 5x the toys she has now. I can't tell you how many of my friends have kids with bedrooms and playrooms that are essentially "toy soup", zillions of toys covering the floor in a big mish mash.

For us, because we've made a point to stick to quality toys it's automatically cut down on the quantity of toys my dd has. A happy little side effect.

[2GR8KIDS]

As for non-plastic balls, my daughter has a beautiful felted wool ball. Also, the Gertie balls are made of some sort of rubber or latex- no idea if that has similar toxicity issues.

[joandsarah77]

does anyone have a good non-plastic alternative for a ball? Something fairly soft and light that can be played with inside??

Yep, right from the cheap shop (dollar store or whatever you call them)
Mine is made from lots of small small hexagons in some kind of fleecy fabric. Over what I think is a foam ball. it was only one or two dollars.

Plastic toys don't worry me. I just look for toys that I think encourage imagination and look sturdy. Just as well I don't mind, because my dh bought an enormous box of mega bloks at the markets yesterday as ds's Christmas presant. Theres like 4 diffrent sets in it, serously enough plastic in there to fill my lounge room . I would not have bought that much.

Wood is nice, but hard to find and expensive. But why pay out for wooden velcro play food when I can get the plastic version with velcro for $10 less.

[mollyeilis]

My issue with most plastic toys I see out there is that they involve batteries and are LOUD. There's only limited things to do with them...pushing that button will ALWAYS make that noise or have that colored light.

I'm against Legos because they hurt like hell when you step on them, and I'm not yet willing to make that sacrifice for DS. I'm the eldest of 5 (3 are brothers who were intensely into Legos) and have stepped on enough Legos for a couple lifetimes....

I totallly want a simple little phone for Eamon ,and plastic would be fine. But they don't seem to make SIMPLE phones anymore...

I love the wooden toys we bought for E last year, and they still look brand new.

Now, if only I knew what to do with the plastic Leap Frog phonics noisy thing the stepgrandparents just sent.... :

[WuWei]

We have tons of second hand plastic toys. We generally only buy consignment toys. So, I feel better about "recycling" the plastic toys by using them, instead of them ending up in landfill. But the 'wooden/natural' products are more basic, simplistic, ambiguous and provide more creative multi-use due to their ambiguity. A generic "vehicle" could be an ambulance, car, van, truck, firetruck, bulldozer, etc. The child's imagination provides the imagery. A wooden building could be an office building, a school, a hospital, a store, a home, etc. Same with a generic four-legged animal. A cloth doll with no painted on "happy" expression could be a baby, a doctor, a mama, a sister, a friend, a teacher, a princess, a fairy, an angel, etc. The doll can have emotions (happy, mad, sad, sleepy, laughing, etc.) projected from the child's imagination instead of directed by the manufacture.

Surrounding a child with natural materials introduces them to things of beauty from nature that have the visual, textural quality retained and/or crafted into them. Rather than manufactured by machines from artificial materials with toxic colors and chemicals. But natural materials means that part of nature was used/removed/destroyed to produce them too.

So, I guess it depends upon your and your child's priorities. We introduced plastic before I had been introduced to the benefits of wood. We have both. The other plus of natural products is that they are generally child "motorized", rather than battery operated. (Which adds many used batteries to the environment.) Child activated toys provide more interactive potential. But I have seen ds utilize plastic toys in his own creative ways. So, the utility value of any toy resides in the imagination of the child.

Pat

[peaceful_mama]

for a phone you want simple and noiseless? How about somebody's old cell phone? DS has my non-working phone, and he loves it. The only thing it 'does' is flip open like mine LOL. He has to do the rest since it doesn't work anymore.

I'm all for 'used' too with toys and clothes--only a few of ds's clothes have been bought new. Why? Because I discovered the joy of buying name-brand barely worn clothes, sometimes new with the tags still on them(!) on other people's RUMMAGE SALES!! Seriously, a baby does not wear out clothes before they're outgrown. Nearly everything I've bought that he's outgrown I've got in a box for future babes...
and toys...we don't really have a *lot* and the ones that look like I should've probably spent 30 bucks on them probably came from a rummage where I spent 3 bucks or less!
I too look for 'fun factor' and quality over material--I just have a few more arguments *for* buying what I see at the arts festival next summer! Like the clothes, I'd like to have the toys around for more than one kid...