Green Toys: Better for kids, better for the environment!

Kids put things in their mouth. It’s completely normal behavior, since it’s part of how they discover and expand their world, but it can get kind of gross. The amount of times I fished a pebble out of my niece’s six-month-old mouth would be concerning if she wasn’t the happy, healthy, and too-smart-for-her-own-good eight-year-old that she is today. And while we would really all love to be their helicopter, stopping them from putting things like pebbles or leaves or clods of dirt in their mouth (experience tells me this will be inevitable), we can’t be there all the time. But we can, at the very least, choose toys that are safe for kids to munch on, responsibly made, and environmentally conscious.

Enter: Green Toys. I should come out and say it: I adore this company. I think everything they have created has been brilliant. Their age range is 6 months – 3 years, but I feel like these products really shine for the 1-2 year age range. They are always my go-to for suggestions for a 1-year-old’s birthday.

Green Toys is an eco-friendly company, meaning their products are made from 100% recycled materials. Milk jugs, to be specific. And they’re based out of San Francisco. So they’re 100% green AND made in the US! Because they’re made out of recycled plastic, they’re also dishwasher safe! So when your child’s favorite toy gets super scuzzy (as toys are wont to do), you can pop it in the top rack of your dishwasher and it comes out brand new.

As I mentioned, Green Toys products are dishwasher-proof, which means there are no batteries involved: these toys are purely powered by imagination! They have dump trucks, fire trucks, and school buses, all big enough for little hands. They have stackers for teeny kids, and a rocket ship and even a train set for slightly older kids. Even play food and dishes! All made from the same material! I’m a sucker for the dump trucks (which come in red or pink – yes, pink!), because what kid doesn’t love a dump truck? All kids love toys with wheels, and it’s a bonus when you can push other things inside of the thing with wheels. Trust me on this, any kid of any sex/gender is going to start pushing around a toy with wheels. Even adults can have a hard time NOT pushing around an object on wheels. Wheels never stop being fun! Even as I’m writing this, I’m watching a co-worker play with one of our remote control cars.

I’m also a huge sucker for their bath toys. There’s a ferry boat and a submarine, and they float AND pour water; they’re basically the perfect toy. And again, if they end up getting scuzzy, just throw them in a dishwasher. These are nearly indestructible toys in mostly bright primary colors. And while we can have a whole other conversation on “boy vs girl” color choices for the toys, I think these are among the most gender-neutral toys out there. Boy or girl, I’m going to suggest the school bus every time.

If you’re in the area of one of our stores (specifically Brookline!), you should stop by and listen to me gush about Green Toys. Because they’re worth gushing about!

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