How do you tell people (family) that you only want "green" toys for DS

[~ Zarava Flutterby ~]

Can you tell people you want old school wooden toys, suggest things you possibly had as a child?

There are great sites like Eco toys with sales pages, I'd just be upfront, make suggestions but in the long run there will always be 1 or 2 junky pieces no matter how well you get the msg through, all you can do is own YOUR decisions in what you buy, let ppl know what your looking at but let them make the final choice.




Sent from my iPhone, more than likely while I should be doing something else!

[Gigi]

if cost is an issue, wooden pegs are cheap at Coles. old saucepans at any opshop. dressups. Green Toys don't have to be new. Part of the green toys concept, is recycling toys, and things that babies are amused by. Tools for the sandpit that aren't brand new and plastic - e.g metal utensils, wooden spoons from opshops, old teapots etc.

another "green present" idea is EXPERIENCES. e.g instead of a plastic toy, to give the child a visit to the zoo, (obviously age dependant). to spend time with the child.

for families that like to each put in $20 and buy a huge plastic thing, they could instead put all those $20 together, and buy a wooden sandpit/cubby/fort/playgym type thing. something in the back yard that the child will enjoy for many years.

give the option of gift voucher, to any relative who finds it all too hard.

clothing is another area, e.g some people try to avoid franchised clothing, clothing with words, or the foam transfers (fumes) that are so popular (and seemingly everywhere). Because clothing sizes are such a pain, it's easy to blame that issue, and ask that receipts be kept, in case you need to exchange, due to sizing problem.

i chose to avoid battery operated toys, for environmental friendly reasons, and because i think they overstimulate babies (stifling imagination), often plastic toys/battery toys are all lumped together.

google "organic toys" and many options come up. you can get bamboo and organic cotton teething toys that are very safe for babies to suck on. also wooden ones.

i think buying green toys, comes down to
- shopping around
- waiting for sales
- choosing green over quantity, so your child will have less, which is not a bad thing

some relatives/friends will take your info on board, some might be offended, some might totally ignore it. but you're the parent. you get to decide what gets to stay, what gets given to the opshop, what your child actually gets exposed to each day. if you want to limit the fumes for your child's sake, that's your priority, you're the parent. It's easy to get caught up in obligation, and monetary value, but those don't help the decision you've made for your child. For the first few years, you get quite a bit of choice. That will change later, so make the most of it now!

Your child will play with what's around.

i tried to do, what you are talking about, in a half hearted way, i wish i had gone into it stronger. I look back at those early baby photos and there is so much plastic in the photos! because i didn't put my foot down strongly enough (to match my own beliefs). i was seduced into thinking quantity was better than quality. And feeling too obligated to turn away the huge amount of opshop plastic toys i was given by well meaning people (who then never visited after that, so weren't there to see if they got used or not).

and it IS true, a baby and some pegs = hours of them gurgling and being happy.
i didn't believe it until i saw it myself.

[damprye]

I didn't have quite the same problem but I did have people (one in particular) that kept giving DS toys that were dangerous for his age group. I still don't trust him with 3+ toys because he still eats everything but it never really got any easier. I used to give them away as gifts but some of them I still have stashed away for bday pressies when he is older.

[LimeSlice]

"Sorry, XYZ, wanted to let you know we won't be accepting plastic, mass-produced or Chinese made toys and gifts for our children, s please don't buy them. Take a look at Eco Toys website for some idea on what you can buy for bubs. Thanks"

Easy.

[Party-of-five]

We asked for books instead of toys for DD2 first birthday and everyone was more than happy with that

[buliej]

Party-of-five - when people asked what we wanted for DS's birth, I said books too - that's worked out quite well (for those that asked).

I guess I'm just not comfortable being so blunt with people who are meaning to be generous by buying DS something - but there's been some good suggestions and I'll give some of them a try.

Loula - haven't put together the list, but I googled various things "bpa-free toys" "green toys" "safe toys" "non-toxic toys" and you start to get a good idea of the brands etc that are good.

[KatieRabbit]

Great ideas Gigi- you have given me some ideas!
Buliej- I have found making suggestions around birthdays/Christmas etc helpful to close family members. Like "I saw some wooden stacking blocks in target that I know x would love". Or I also suggest non-toy things like clothes (again I request non licenced or printed clothing), books (again, not TV or movie related texts), art materials etc
I think one needs to differentiate between the givers. So I am not worried about a one off birthday present for my chn from a friend at their party and wouldn't say anything to the parent (but recycle the gift if necessary or put it away or let them play with it until the novelty has worn off). However for grandparents, aunts, uncles etc then they will be repeatedly buying gifts over the years so it is worth saying something. A good idea is to type up a list of suitable toys/gifts ideas and give each of these people a copy. Some cheaper alternatives will soften it!! But I wouldn't try and control what grandparents buy for their own home other than to suggest ideas or simply say I prefer my child doesn't play with plastic. Homemade toys are great and grandparents might like to make these with the grandchildren as an activity. Same with your list- suggest home knitted toys, muslin playcloths, photobooks, etc- things that the givers can make themselves. People are often hesitant in making gifts as they are unsure as to how they will be received but if you make it clear you value those type of things, they can be lovely gifts. And very few people make things from plastic!