For the environmentally-conscious parent, having a young child in need of toys can be tough. Having a variety of toys and adequate time to play with them is extremely important for your child’s growth and development, especially during early childhood, but so many toys are made without regard for their impact on the environment.
If you’re stuck in a rut of trying to balance your child’s mental engagement with your own carbon footprint, we’re here to help! Here’s everything you need to know about sustainable toys and how to find them while avoiding environmentally damaging choices.
What’s Wrong With Regular Toys?
If you didn’t know about the environmental impact of many children’s toys, though, we can’t blame you. It’s not a topic that’s commonly talked about when it comes to eco-friendly living, and is often overshadowed by bigger offenders like food waste and single-use plastics. However, that doesn’t make eco-unfriendly children’s toys any less impactful on the environment, so we feel that it’s important to make every parent aware of that impact before they make any purchases.
Many toys are made from eco-unfriendly materials that are low-quality and made of unsustainable materials. These toys are typically made to break quickly and be replaced even quicker when a child moves on to the next big thing, not unlike how the fast fashion industry markets itself. How do you spot these eco-unfriendly toys, though? Here are a few quick tips.
How to Spot Eco-Unfriendly Toys
While eco-unfriendly toys come in all shapes and sizes, they tend to have several things in common. If you know how to spot these traits, it’ll be much easier for you to avoid purchasing eco-unfriendly toys and find eco-friendly alternatives.
Unsustainable Materials
One of the easiest ways to spot an eco-unfriendly toy is by looking at what it’s made of. Many eco-unfriendly toys are built from cheap plastics to reduce the manufacturing costs, but this means that eventually, those plastic toys will end up in a landfill. Because plastic doesn’t degrade, it’ll stay in that landfill for hundreds, possibly even thousands of years, causing damage to the environment around it.
Poor Build Quality
In the same vein, many of these cheap plastic toys will also have very poor build quality. Even if the toy is something your child would play with for a long time, cheaper toys will break almost immediately, forcing you to not only waste your money on a replacement, but contributing to plastic waste in landfills as well.
Finding Eco-Friendly Toys
So, you know what to avoid, but what should you look for when trying to find eco-friendly gifts for kids? Fortunately, there are just as many positive elements to seek out as there are negative elements to avoid. Let’s take a look at some of the best ways to find eco-friendly toys!
Check if it’s Recyclable
Of course, there comes a time for every toy when it has reached the end of its life span, so naturally, the toys you purchase should be able to find some usefulness past that point. For example, plastic isn’t always harsh on the environment– recycled plastic toys are made from plastic that has already been used and recycled, and can be recycled yet again once your child no longer needs the toy. Essentially, recycled toys allow manufacturers to do more things with the same materials, avoiding waste and environmental impact.
Look For Certain Materials
First of all, try to find toys that are made of eco-friendly materials. Wooden building blocks, for example, are a very enjoyable toy for young children, will break down naturally if thrown away, and are far more durable than plastic alternatives. Though they may be a bit more expensive upfront than cheap plastic blocks, they’ll provide your child with far more entertainment for a far longer time, allowing you to get the most out of your money.
Aside from being made of more eco-friendly materials, many eco-friendly toys are build with longevity in mind, as well. They feature superior build quality that will allow them to stay intact for years of playtime to come. Plus, they’re designed to appeal to a wide age range, ensuring that your child won’t lose interest in them any time soon. Ultimately, eco-friendly toys are a better choice not just for the environment, but for you, your pocketbook, and of course, your child.
Looking for more great tips, tricks, and products to keep your child happy, healthy, and entertained? Come and visit our site at ToysCentral today!