Friday, 18 March 2011

Wooden Toys Are Not Just For Christmas, They Are For Life

Looking for inspirational gifts for kids? Or a unique gift to buy a little niece or nephew? You know the drill, when on Tuesday morning, you work 40 hours a week, and it is your third cousin's birthday on Saturday. You've no time to go to browse the shops and the thought of a large children's store just a little too much to bear. The answer? Shop online for a traditional wooden toy.

A range of varied and colorful wooden toys are currently available in the marketplace . Sturdy shaker rattle for cute, young children is a thoughtful alternative to the mass production branded plastic toys. The price range of wooden toys is from £ 10 to £ 100  and that there will always be something suitable for your budget.

Firstly, do your research to make sure that you buy a toy online of high quality and suitable for the age of the child.

Shopping for baby
Generally, the term includes children ages 0-18 months, and there is an awful lot of difference in age. A newborn will not be able to lift the toy and an 18 month old will probably try and dismantle the toy. A wooden toy is a gift of love and it's important to buy for the the proper stage of development.
0-3 months, look for a bright and colorful wooden toy which is entertaining for the baby, something like a wind-up music box is ideal.
3-6 months, this is the stage when your baby will learn to hold objects, and sit up, so I can go for wooden toys to shake and rattle, bang while sitting still.
6-9 months, your baby is learning to crawl, and he never wants to sit still. Push along toys and balls are fabulous for this age. For boys, it sounds like a cliché, but you can not go wrong with a set of wheels.
9-18 months, development is increasing at a rate of knots. Learning to walk, in a few short months learning to speak and understand the different shapes and colors, the choice of wooden toys becomes overwhelming. Firm favorites are ride or push along toys, such as Wheelybug or Spinny Walker. If the baby is 18 months of demolition derby, you can try using a wooden toy wooden xylophone or drums.

Toys for a toddler
The term early childhood (for those who do not like the parent's book of phrases!) Covers the age group 1-3 years (some say 4 years), so a bit of overlap with the baby. Basically it is when they start walking, when they begin to answer back!

The main purpose of young children at this stage is to consider all the things they saw as a baby, but are no longer available, and now they are more mobile and want to touch. When pulled along, the game spins and rattles and keeps them interested, allowing the mother or father enough time to prepare for dinner.

Preschool
3-5 year old child has mastered walking and in most cases, children have also mastered the English language well enough to be independent and confident. Now they have much time on their hands - time to invest in wooden toys, which feed the imagination, is important in this day and age, and helps them discover play.
3-4 years, do not begin to distinguish between the sexes. In this day and age, parents are more aware of gender differences and become quite stereotyped in their choice of toys. Girls want to dress up and play parties, vanity cases, and perhaps cakes made of wood, for use in role play. The boys, fighting dragons or rescuing endangered friends will need a wooden toy castles, fireman and police cars and fire engines.
4 -5 years old. Learning and motor skills are high priorities for preschoolers. They are active and a  pedal-less bike and toys depicting the world around them are good preparation for the start of the school year.

Spend wisely!
Buying a child's major access to all stages of development and interest is unique, so buying the most expensive baby rattle for a 3 month old  is usually not a good economy if you have a hunch that the parents will have lots of kids!
You'll have plenty of time and opportunity to lavish on your favorite goddaughter as they get older, so consider before you buy, how long the child will play with the toy. More reason to go back to the years of baby toys like wooden blocks, maracas, and push along or ride on toys, new and inventive ways to play, so they are also an ideal gift for the little ones, and still fun years later. Equipping an 18 month old with a carefully bought a wooden toywhich they can still ply with when 4 years old can be very satisfying.

Wooden toys are excellent value in my experience, because of their nature as they usually are not too childish, thay are durable or "baby-proof" and will last for years in good condition.

The last words, why should you buy wooden toys.
Apart form the above reasons, there are some great advantages in wooden toys.

Re-use and gender-free.
Wooden toys very rarely come in pink or blue so gender is irrelevant. Parents know that boys and girls love anything with wheels and to play with. There are wooden toys which are for boys, but the majority are sexless which makes them ideal for passing on to them toa sibling or friend. They may also help the child see that there is more to life than dressing up or playing in the car!

Batteries not included.
The child hates nothing more than when a toy does not work, and the reason most of my children's plastic toys do not work (except for those taken to bits and having lost the parts) that I will never keep up with the purchase of batteries needed to run 70% of the toys. To date I have not seen a wooden toy that needs batteries.

If you hunt around on the internet Make sure you research the safety aspect of the toy and ensure they are appropriate for the child's age. Online retailers of wooden toys come in many shapes, sizes and speciality, but look at delivery times, online credit card purchases and a money-back guarantee to ensure you are not disappointed. A gift wrapping service can be very useful for those short on time.

Make your child feel special with a hand-made wooden toy or unique gift!

Parents often complain about the amount of money spent on toys for their children because the games are all the same and the cheap plastic quickly disintegrates. Worse than just the lack of quality, safety and the materials of the current game can sometimes be a  health hazard to children. Fortunately, both problems can be solved with handmade wooden toys.

Handmade wooden toys are a unique gift for every child. Since made by hand, no two toys are completely identical. In addition, the toy does not look like the toys currently available from retail distributers. For example, a wooden train does not look like a mass-produced plastic train. Wooden toys stand out from the rest of the toys children can play with.

Encouraging the child to use their imagination and stimulate their intellectual development, wooden toys are essential accessories. The toy does not automatically perform any action or sound of the child, so the children are encouraged to make up their own games. The limis of a game are determined by the child's own imagination, as there are no manufacturer's instructions, children often engage in play with wooden toys for hours.

In addition to being unique and stimulating, wooden toys come in a variety that includes something for everyone. Little girls fall in love with a hand made baby cradle, while the boys get excited when they see logging trucks and tools. There are push and pull toys for young children, and alphabet block toys for the little ones. Wooden trains, helicopters, trucks and cars, great fun for any child who likes toys that move.

Wooden toys for children are often of higher quality than the games that are mass produced. Since each piece is crafted individually, the maker checks the design during the construction process, as well as checking for potential errors in the toy. Wooden toys are much harder to tear apart and are less likely to simply fall apart. Wooden Toys are often similarly priced to other toys, and they also can last a lifetime.

Since there are quality standards in Europe and the United States you do not have to worry about the safety risk. Parts are not too small, and small pieces, like the wheels are much more difficult to remove, so the wooden toys are less likely to present a choking hazard. Corners and edges are rounded, and the wood thoroughly smoothed and sanded, taking away the risk of injury due to sharp edges.

There are health risks in mass-produced toys which do not present themselves in handmade wooden toys. For example, there are no games that are recalled because of lead-based paint being used. All the paint used on wooden toys is completely lead-free and safe for children, as laid down by government standards being non-toxic. For those who do not want to risk even these paints, there are natural organic paints also available.

Handmade wooden toys are a unique, unforgettable gift, and perfect for every child. Because they are hand made parents can rest assured that the toy does not contain harmful substances, and are safe for children. Finally, wooden toys are the best value because they are made with love and can be enjoyed and treasured for a lifetime.

Wooden Toys of Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

Wooden toys have been favorite toys for years...... do not be fooled by TV commercials! Long before plastic came on the scene children played with wooden toys. Today some of the same favorite wooden toys are still favorites for kids and parents. Many parents believe all the TV commercials and buy what their children have seen on the television only to find it broken at the bottom of the toybox a short timelater and, of course,..... never ending buying batteries!
I'll demonstrate a few favorites that I have noticed that fit in the catergory of being a favorite wooden toy fit for yesterday, today and tomorrow.
Wooden building blocks have been probably one of the oldest favorites and today. Give your child a stack of blocks of various sizes and view the creative work of the mind.
A wooden barn and fencing. I know that many a father or grandfather have built a barn for Christmas. It is one that is not just a toy, but one that passes from generation to generation and stories that go with it too.
A wooden doll crib is your favorite girl's toy together with a wooden kitchen set. I remember a wooden doll crib that my great-grandmother had. Some wooden doll cribs are even sold with handmade blankets and pillows to add that soft look like home.

Wooden push toys are a benefit to a growing child. Wooden toys stimulate the push while trying to control a walking toy and provides mental stimulation as well. There are many, but one that I like best have little pegs in the middle which roll and knock when it is being pushed. I have seen many children play with the old toys of their time and as soon as one child has outgrown it another child takes it up.

Last but not least, there is perhaps a favorite toy yesterday, today and tomorrow. It would be an old-fashioned marble cylinder. This product is already very old, which, like other wooden toys, to prove a point...... Kids love them! How much fun can be to put a few balls at the top of the cylinder, remove the stopper and watch them roll down fighting all at once. Or maybe two kids having fun and having a contest, to see which marble will get to the bottom first.

These wooden toys have time and again proved to be the favorite of children, not only children but also parents. Have thought for the child and to buy wooden toys that do not require batteries and are not advertised on television, but will provide hours of fun, creativity and stimulation.

Choosing Wooden Toys for Children

Wooden toys are one of the best alternatives for the huge number of toys made of plastic and other synthetic materials that you find in all toy stores.

Moreover, most children like handmade wooden toys. They look beautiful. Not only that they are great toys for children, but they are also incredible works of art.

Wooden Toys in the Past

People started working on producing toys for their children many thousands of years ago to keep the children occupied while parents worked.

Because modern materials like plastic and rubber had not been discovered, the only material available for use in creating child toys was wood.

Though at first rudimentary, children's wooden toys became very popular with children from rich families in Egypt and the Roman Empire.

One such case was that of a ten year old girl from a wealthy Roman family. She was mummified and laid to  rest in her grave along with her favorite wooden toys.

One of her personal objects found was a beautiful wooden toy doll. It was really carefully carved and varnished, proving that parents in the Roman Empire were concerned with the quality of the wooden toys they choose for their children.

It is not known whether materials other than wood were used to manufacture toys in that period.

Wooden Toys Today

Nowadays, toy manufacturing is a huge industry. Although wood is no longer the main material used to make kids toys, wooden child toys are still very popular.

The reason is simple: wooden toys are great toys.

They have many advantages over other types of the child's toy. Here are just some of them:
     
Wooden toys are ecological.
Wood is a natural product and is biodegradable.
Manufacture of wooden toys does not involve as much pollution as other toys.
Also, because wood is a natural product, wooden toys are not dangerous to the health of a child.
Wooden toys are more resistant to shocks than other toys.

Some children destroy toys regularly. Because wooden toys can not easily be damaged and can be easilly repaired, their life expectancy is greater.

Wooden toys look wonderful. wooden toys for children are often handmade, which means that parents who like handmade objects can consider these toys works of art, and toys.