Little Sapling Toys - A New Gift Favorite

Image by Little Sapling Toys

I dream of a world where all of my children's toys are made of wood or some other sustainable product that is non toxic. A world where there is no such thing as phthalates, lead paint, or any of the other awful things parents need to make sure is not in their kids' toys. And how are we supposed to know for sure they are not? I know that many large name brand toy companies have been recalling toys left and right, in fact the last few years are the worst on record for recalls. I don't trust these companies to tell the truth. And then there is the worry of whether or not the toys are safe as far as choking hazards or injury. I am not generally a worry wart but we are talking about TOYS that my kids play with. When did play time become so worrisome? I do not buy any name brand toys, but we have plenty of family members who do. I wish I could get them to understand the problem but they pretty much just roll there eyes and say I am over reacting... however, I know I am just better informed. There are many great websites out there that test toys for safety. One of my favorites is HealthyToys.org.


I always strive to buy handmade items. I often buy them on Etsy since I have a shop there and like to support those in the community. My youngest daughter is starting to teethe (both my husband and oldest had teeth at three months!). I recently got rid of all of our plastic teethers. They give me the creeps. Who would want to bite and suck on plastic? Maybe I am the only one who is sensitive to the smell of plastic but I certainly would not want it in my mouth. I wanted to find some nice wooden teethers. And as fate would have it, as it usually does, I happened to open an Etsy email about shops offering free shipping. This is where I discovered Little Sapling Toys, and I am so glad I did! As you can see from the photo above we ordered just in time...


I ordered a set of three grasping and teething toys, a square, circle, and triangle set. The price of $22 is quite reasonable especially with free shipping to Canada. But what really sold me was that Little Sapling Toys plants a tree for each item sold. Wow, that is incredible since they have had 1,080 sales to date.


I was already so impressed by the company when I ordered that I wrote them a little note about being excited to receive the teethers. They got back to me right away with a nice little note from Kimber. When the package arrived from Idaho, which it did very quickly, I liked everything about it, from the simple gift box, to the wood shavings for packing materials, to the little card with wood information and care instructions and an insert about planting a tree for each item sold.


My daughter liked her teether right away. She is quite little, just 3 1/2 months, so she is only able to hold the triangle right now, but we gave the circle to a friend's 6 month old and she can grasp it very well. Her mom was very happy we gave it to her as she said her husband "thinks all of her toys should be made of wood".


I can't wait to order more products from Little Sapling. They also have stackers, rattles, bowling sets, blocks, peg boards, storage containers, building sets, rocking horses, and driving toys. OOOOOOHHHHHHHHHH! So many gift giving possibilities. All finished toys use a local beeswax and organic jojoba oil finish but you can just leave a note at check out to receive an unfinished toy. If you have kids or give gifts to children and you worry about the toys on the market check out Little Sapling Toys for a great product and good buying experience. You can also check out their blog here...


(Just had to include this silly image of Emmanuelle getting the hang of her teether.)