Finally: Toys That Don’t Assault Our Senses

Have you noticed most toys for little ones are made of plastic? And cheaply-made and mass-produced too, unfortunately.

But don’t despair. There’s no reason to deprive your little ones of fun toys when eco-friendly, non-plastic toys made from wood, rubber and recycled materials abound. 

World Environment Day falls on 5 June, so in the spirit of their global effort to beat plastic pollution, here’s how to help to make playtime a lot more sustainable, with adorable wooden toys that will last a really long time:

IMAGE: TOYTAG

1. ToyTag

TOYTAG operates both online and retail, so you can really get a good hands-on look and feel of their (mostly) wooden toys and games (they even have toy coaches on site to give you a full demo if you’re not sure of something). And it’s hard to stop at just one item!

Toys are categorised according to ages - Babies (0 - 2) and Preschoolers (3 - 5) - (all the way to 18+ by the way), so it makes shopping really fun! For instance, we love the educational and exploratory Kontu STEM blocks for ages 3 and up; and the Emotional Quotient Block toys for 0-2yr olds, which improve your little ones' creativity, modelling skills and, of course, EQ.

IMAGE: HOPPI LOPPI

2. Hoppi Loppi

Imagine your grandchild playing with the same great quality wooden toys that your children are playing with today! That’s what Hoppi Loppi is all about - bringing sustainable, top quality toys from Europe to Singapore.

Hoppi Loppi was founded by two mothers who struggled to find toys that durable, functional, and aesthetically pleasing for their daughters. They often found themselves resorting to ordering toys from different European locations, incurring significant shipping costs along the way. Now, as business owners, they've made it their mission to make high-quality toys more accessible to mums in Singapore!

Check out their website for a category dedicated exclusively to wooden toys. While the Play category offers different age groups a beautiful collection of toys made from diverse sustainable materials. For example, we love the Wooden Table BBQ Grill set for your kids to "cook" up their own feast.

IMAGE: PETIT COLLAGE

3. Petit Collage

Born in 2006 out of a small, considerate gesture of crafting a little animal collage using recycled materials as a gift for a pregnant friend, Petit Collage is focused on designing with the health of children and the planet in mind.

All Petit Collage products are non-toxic, and at least 80 percent of its paper products are made from recycled material. They also prioritise responsibly-sourced and sustainable materials such as bamboo, all with minimal packaging.

And rest assured that all their toys are long-lasting, beautiful and fun in equal measure, and thoughtfully designed to be repurposed as kids grow up so that you get the most use out of them.

IMAGE: LOVINGLY, YOURS

4. Lovingly, Yours

Love the Montessori method of teaching for your child, but can’t find any suitable toys? Check out Lovingly, Yours for an impressive collection of educational wood-based toys.

You can find a range of toys for kids of all ages, from newborns to 6-year-olds and up. We like this eco-friendly and non-toxic Wooden House Rainbow Stacker (for children aged 1.5 years and up), which will help your kid learn to distinguish colours and improve their motor and counting skills.

IMAGE: KEKA TOYS

5. KEKA Toys

You know you can trust a product when the owners name it after their own kids. Such is the story of Singapore-based KEKA Toys, a family-run business, named after two little girls growing up in the urban jungle who love open-ended play.

KEKA Toys offer several premium European wooden toy brands for their specially curated diverse range of toys, each of which are sustainable and non-toxic for kids, all made with non-toxic colouring and eco-friendly wood.

IMAGE: PUPSIK

6. Melissa & Doug

You can’t go wrong with Melissa & Doug’s extensive line of toys, which range from puzzles to puppets, plush to play food, magnetic activities, music and more. In fact, this #1 pre-school brand achieved 100 percent carbon neutrality for its range of wooden and sustainable toys in 2022.

Apart from wooden toys, we also like things like Melissa & Doug Magnetic Responsibility Chart, which allows parents to reward little ones for positive behaviour with a choice of 90 different magnets on an eco-friendly dry erase board.

Note: Follow the link above to choose from the largest collection of Melissa & Doug toys available at Pupsik, Singapore’s largest online store.

IMAGE: BIG HEAD

7. Big Head

Last but not least, support local with Big Head, which sells sustainable and environmentally friendly children's toys. The brand features a range of toys made from eco-friendly materials like hemp, felt, rubber, and wood.

For instance, if your toddler is beginning to take their first steps, you can bolster their confidence with the Rainbow Baby Walker & Puzzle. Aside from encouraging balance and stability as your little one finds their feet, it includes 45 durable rubberwood blocks in rainbow colours to teach colour and shape recognition.

Do note that Big Head's physical store is currently closed due to Tiong-Bahru Market being under renovation until mid-July. However, you can still purchase toys and other products from their online shop during this period.

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