How to ditch the plastic toys

Do you want to make a switch to quality open ended wooden toys, but friends and family keep buying you plastic stuff, or do you have a heap of it already and it seems wasteful just to get rid of it??

Here are my tips to avoid plastic gifts:
Set the scene with family and friends over a period of time.  Whenever you can, drop into a conversation the benefits of wooden toys and open ended toys, and why you love them.  Some of my favourite points are: wooden toys are more eco-friendly, open ended toys are better for kids and they get longer out of them as they don’t get as bored, open ended toys are wonderful for creativity and imagination, wooden toys generally last longer than plastic, simple toys are better for kids to learn with, toys with batteries are not great for the environment, plastic toys are not recyclable (generally) and never break down in landfill and wooden toys can break down in landfill in as little as 5-10 years.

When it comes time for birthday’s and Christmas, not too many people get offended if you offer a suggestion or two for gift ideas, as long as they still have some choice in the matter.  So try offering a category of item eg. Wooden blocks, wooden vehicles, wooden puzzles.  That way the gift giver can still choose something they like within the category.  I also find it helps to give a reason behind the suggestion, such as that is a current favourite of your child, or using that toy will help them develop a certain skill.  If they ask your opinion on an item they are thinking of buying, see if you can suggest a similar product but in a better material.

As for all the existing plastic stuff you have, here's a few ideas:
Only have a few out for the children at any given time, rotate them around and over time remove the ones they don’t seem attached to.  With the ones they are attached to, try packing them away in a box or cupboard that is still accessible to you for a while, when they ask for the toy get it down, but put it away when they are finished.  Over time you might find they become less interested and attached to it, especially as you acquire more desirable options.

Once you’ve removed the bulk of the items it’s up to you if you try to sell them off at markets or online, or just donate them to a worthy cause (there are many out there).  As for the ones the kids are attached to, it depends how badly you want them gone and how much the kids still love them.  You can try talking to them about other kids who don’t have any toys, and seeing if they would like to pass them on, or you can call it a ‘sometimes toy’ that only comes out occasionally.

At the end of the day, a few less desirable toys in the mix of a great range of other items is not the end of the world, unless it is the only item they will play with, I would focus more on not adding to the plastic pile!

When people visit your house, it will also become clear to them, hopefully, your preferences due to what they can see on display.  And over time you will find you will naturally talk a lot about what your children are doing and that might include references to particular products they are using so it should become apparent to those in your circle that plastic is not preferred.


We still have a variety of plastic toys that have their place in our collection, toys for water play, paint play and we also have a large collection of plastic moulded animal figurines we use for role play and small world play. So being a fan of wooden toys and understanding the benefits, doesn’t mean you need to have zero plastic toys in the house!

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