Moms who don't buy plastic toys--please list your toy stashes here

[mommyj_2]

I'm in the process of selling and/or donating the plastic toys DS has gotten as presents, and am hoping to go back to my original plan to have natural toys. So...I would love to see what those of you who don't have plastic toys have. It would also be great if you listed the age of your DC.
And, if you have any recommendations for toys for an 18 mo old, I would love that too.
TIA!

[heytootsy]

We have weeded out 95% of the plastic toys in our house. DD will be 2 in March. Some of her favorites:

Wooden kitchen from http://www.toysfromthebarn.com/products.htm
(I asked if they could give me a better price, and they did!!)
We have wooden food form Haba, Ezri, Melissa and DOug and enamel pots and pans. This gets played with ALL the time.

We also have a wonderful wooden train set that is a huge hit. Wooden puzzles. A wooden pounding toy from plan toys is well loved. Unit blocks, tree blocks, playsilks.

One of her FAVORITES is a custom made waldorf doll (hers is the top one, the blonde http://middayfaire.com/gallery_open.php?id=247&vid=13
Steph makes amazing dolls! Her website is www.dollsbynature.com

Lets see...felt balls, a dress-up trunk with lots of hats http://www.elopehats.com/littledaydreamers/kids.html
Folkmanis puppets, dollhouse dolls from plan toys, holztiger wooden animals...

When she gets a little bigger, I will get her one of these http://treeblocks.com/tree_houses.html
(DH is so excited about playing with this!)

A lot of her stuff is handmade. I am making her another waldorf doll (not that hard to make, you can buy kits at www.joyswaldorfdolls.com
I am also making her some bendy dolls and felt animals http://motherhues.com/id43.htm

I believe it is much better to buy less high quality educational toys than to have a house full of cheap plastic stuff, but that is just me.

[mommyj_2]

Thanks for all the links. I LOVE that tree house. I'm definitely going to get my DS one when he's a little older. Um...I'm with your DH on wanting to play with the tree house myself.
I love her Waldorf doll and the kitchen, too. Now hopefully someone will buy some of my cloth diaper stash so I can buy some nice wood toys :)

[heytootsy]

Mommyj,
pm for you!

[Judegirl]

We're not entirely plastic-free, but we're working on it...so this isn't just stash, but also near-future plans. Dd is 9 months old.

I love the Haba & Selecta toys from www.oompa.com. We have teethers, rattles, a people-figure and a car. Also a wooden xylophone by Hero. Blocks & push/pull toys are on the way. (Oompa is my favorite toy site; great selection, with WONDERFUL customer service. :))

We have this sled from L.L Bean:

http://www.llbean.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?storeId=1&catalogId=1&langId=-1&categoryId=23757&sc1=Search&feat=sr

Play silks from Juliet's site - www.bumbershootbaby.com - are on my list, and I'm on the hunt for the perfect rocking horse.

HTH,
Jude

[brittone2]

We're pretty close to plastic free around here. Here's what we have for DS who is a year old TODAY....sniff sniff ;)

Playsilk set (rainbow of colors from Juliet here on the BBB...www.bumbershootbaby.com). These should provide years of imaginative play.

Several wooden stackers (Two different style ring stackers and a "funky" brio one that they sell on kidsurplus.com)

Instrument set (DS got this for Christmas and really enjoyed it, and I can see it being fun for quite a few more years). It has maracas, a tambourine, cymbals (those I don't like as they don't really make any nice sounds), a musical triangle, and a "clacker." We also picked up a set of 3 large jingle bells mounted to a strip of leather from a local amish bell-making company around Christmas time and we added these to our basket of musical instruments. I'd like to buy him a nice wooden drum eventually. I think instruments are fun for a toddler...have a parade, play along w/ some music, etc. A good activity for playdates too! I got our basic instrument set for something like 7 bucks at michaels using a 40% off coupon. As he gets older I may replace these items as they break, etc. with better quality ones depending on his interest. They were super cheap though. I only let him use them w/ supervision since there are some small parts to these though.

Wooden shape sorter (getting this for his birthday but he won't be ready for it for a while)

Various peg puzzles...some giant "knob" style puzzles w/ only 3 shapes, some smaller peg puzzles. DS likes holding the pieces and banging them together like cymbals for now!

A very nice German-made wooden truck with a natural finish found at Tuesday Morning for $5!!!!!! (this is a pretty large one too).

A handmade wooden pull toy (horse) my mom got him for his birthday

We have started a Thomas collection although DS is a bit young for it yet. We have some cheap-o tracks and a basic train from Ikea. We added a Hero brand (german toy company I believe) set we picked up at Tuesday Morning, and some "real" Thomas pieces picked up on sale from Michaels. This is a good item to "add to" as the years go on and for people who just don't get the "no plastic" preference as it is still sort of "mainstream" thing to buy, iykwim?

Holztiger dinosaurs

Schylling wooden animals (about 1-2 bucks each at Tuesday Morning...pretty detailed, with movable legs, etc.)

A big ark I have from a Boyd's Bears set my MIL bought me. I plan to let DS use the ark for play once he's interested.

Blocks...we have some smaller blocks, planning on getting some Barclay blocks

Wooden food items (Melissa and Doug cutting food)

I'm on the hunt for a play kitchen and a Learning Tower with DS's birthday money.

Eventually I'd also like to buy or make him a "treehouse" style "doll house" and some felt gnomes to use w/ it (I want to get the Felt Wee Folk book to learn how to make them myself)

A simple raggedy ann type doll

A big fabric barn with farm animals from Ikea...the barn is about a foot tall and 18-20 inches long I guess, and the animals are about 3-4 inches high. Not "natural" fabrics but cute and not chokable ;) The last time I was there I didn't see it for sale any longer though.

DS loves pots, pans, muffin tins, and a big wooden spoon :)

Tons of books

Put away for the future:
A set of Tumble Tree Timbers (basically like Lincoln Logs) picked up for less than $10 for a 350+ piece set at Tuesday Morning

A set of wooden knights/castle (very simple) from a German toy company, again picked up inexpensively at Tuesday Morning (has small pieces though)

HABA food because it is still pretty tiny for my guy who still puts everything in his mouth


Would also like to buy:
Playstands (can be used as a fort, a store, castle, schoolhouse, house, etc.)
Good quality/functional broom and gardening tools for DS
Some sort of tea set (there was a cute one in the latest chinaberry catalong I got)

Plan to accumulate/collect/buy/make
Sea shells
Pine cones
Maybe make "tree blocks" down the road
Wool roving animals, felted fairies/gnomes

I would also like to start incorporating a "nature table" into our home, which is a waldorf idea. You put a playsilk on a table and decorate it w/ seasonal items (in the fall you would put some leaves on it, some acorns, maybe a "Fall Fairy" that you made or a little wooden squirrel. You add to it as you take nature walks, etc. and change it as the seasons change. It is supposed to help kids develop that "inner rhythm" as they learn about the seasons.

HTH

[mommyj_2]

Thanks for the replies! I've been having fun reading up on Waldorf play, and have made a list of toys to buy over the next few years. Thanks for all the suggestions and links!

[luvtoshop]

Hello~I love reading about all these natural toys. Can someone send me a link to a good site that will teach me more about "natural" play vs plastic toys. We have both in our house....I understand the "natural" play philosophy from having been a teacher in a developmental school and my dd goes to Montessori, but I'd love to read more.

Thanks!

[brittone2]

www.waldorfhomeschoolers.com

[sarasprings]

We are not completely plastic free, but pretty much so except for bath toys and legos.

You can easily make your own playsilks by buying blanks and dyeing them with kool-aid or easter egg dye. We made my son bark blocks by cutting tree limbs a neighbor cut down when thining his trees. For an older child, you can easily make a bolt board out of wood that has different size holes for real bolts and nuts (my son is spending hours on this lately). I made my son bean bags that spell out his name using vintage material (aka my old alphabet sheets). My biggest project was making a tepee/tent for him.

I've had good luck finding wooden puzzles and lincoln logs at garage sales.

[brittone2]

Sarasprings...that is wonderful!!! I had no idea there were so many waldorfy/natural mamas around these boards and I've been posting here for 2 years or so!!! I definitely want to make DS some bark blocks some day and the bolt board is a fabulous idea BTW. Thanks for sharing.

[redhookmom]

Any hints on the tree blocks? I have saved our Christmas tree with the intent of making blocks but I don't really know how to do it.

[brittone2]

NAK...

all I know is cut, sand, and finish w/ beeswax or linseed oil. One of the wooden kitchen makers sells a nice finishing product on their site...it is either elvesandangels.com or willowtoys.com. I think it is 16 oz for 17 bucks or something like that?

There are a lot of waldorf yahoo groups. I'm sure you could get an answer there, but hopefully the author of the PP will share her secrets LOL ;)

[sarasprings]

I just found some nice straight sections (because they are easier to cut) and y shaped sections and had my husband cut them using a rotary saw. He did about 5 of each length (1", 3", 5") plus 3 "y"s so far. The biggest limitation was that we couldn't cut wood with a diameter greater than 5" because of our saw. I'm going to check with our neighbor this summer to see if he has a larger saw so that we can do some wider blocks and discs (like the ones used with the wood tree houses -- another project we want to try to make).

We didn't put any finish on them. Good luck. It's really a forgiving project. The hardest part is getting straight cuts across so the blocks stack.

[papal]

Sorry we are a day late! Congratulations Beth!! Hope you had a wonderful day!

[brittone2]

Thanks Rashmi!! He had a great day. We had beautiful weather and sunshine, so that made it even more special. It was bittersweet though, you know? I feel sad to say goodbye to his infancy. I know there are great things to come though :) Thanks again Rashmi.

[heytootsy]

Check out Toymaking with Kids. They have complete instuctions on how to make tree blocks and lots of other great ideas.

[luvtoshop]

Thanks and thank you for the play silks idea....Just ordered some from Juliet. : )

[mommyj_2]

Sarasprings,
Do you have a picture of the teepee/tent you made? I've been thinking of making one for DS' room, and would love to see what yours looks like, or hear about how you made it.

[sarasprings]

I do have pictures. I've never posted a picture here, so I'll see if this works.

Okay, it didn't. Hmmm.

How about this?
http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/21761.jpg

[sarasprings]

Yah! It worked. The back is the same material as the front and has a square window that closes.

[mommyj_2]

How cute! Thanks for posting a picture. That looks like what I've been thinking of building, so now I'm feeling totally inspired. Did you just nail the posts together, and then sew the loops in the fabric to go around the posts? Also, do you think it would work to use bamboo poles?

[sarasprings]

My husband drilled a hole in the wood about 5 inches from the top and I used an old leather shoelace to lace them together. I'm sure bamboo would work. If you couldn't drill a hole, I bet you could loop string around the top. The fabric is then stapled to the wood (one staple toward the top of each post).

[mommyj_2]

Thanks! I'll have to post pictures whenever I finally get around to making mine. The one you made is adorable.

[sarasprings]

If you need a pattern, I think JoAnn's had a free one online. I didn't use it because it took a lot of fabric (6 or 8 yards) and I wanted to use some fabric I had sitting around the house. If you would like my rough dimensions, I'd be happy to send them to you.

Good luck.

[babynell]

We're not plastic free, but we have a pretty good wooden toy collection.

Some of our non-plastic favorites:
Haba wooden baby toys & food
Melissa & Doug wooden food with the cut apart velcro
Some rattles and puzzles from www.goodwoodtoys.com (LOVE his work).
a WAHM made waldorf type doll
a bunch of Lauri puzzles

Still saving for our Learning Tower - hopefully we'll be there soon!

Cheers,
Marilyn

[mama2galpals]

wow i love the toys on that site. the circus is incredible!


http://www.toanotoyworks.com/CIRCUSWG.JPG




rita
mommy to
olivia 2/7/97
stella 9/24/00
emma 1/23/03

There is no remedy for love but to love more.
--Henry David Thoreau

http://lilypie.com/baby3/030123/3/4/1/+10/.png

[laretce6]

Those barns would be gorgeous with the Holtzinger animals.

Caroline
Mama to Eleanor Katherine 8.2.04

[npace19147]

Thanks for the oompa link, Jude - great site!