15 Best Natural Wooden Baby Toys For A Non Toxic & Safe Nursery

wooden toys for early childhood development

09/14/2023

Danielle Alvarado

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Looking for the best wooden baby toys on the market? Good call!

Wooden children’s toys are not only eco-friendly but also a great way to keep kids happy and giggly while encouraging safe, creative play.

We rounded up the best toddler and newborn wooden baby toys for you, ahead.

If you love natural and safe baby products, have a look at our list of 15 Best Organic Cotton Baby Clothing Brands.

This post is about the best wooden baby toys. 

montessori wooden toys

How many times have you come across online ads raving about the benefits of yet another cheaply-made, plastic-packed toy for babies? Unfortunately, there are so many negatives that come along with these trendy *eye roll* and flashy synthetic products. 

Unlike wooden children’s toys, plastic options are chock full of chemicals – BPA, phthalates, lead, formaldehyde, flame retardant chemicals, and PVC are only some of the most commonly found materials in baby toys.

Sadly, it’s no secret that children who chew on PVC plastic toys absorb dangerous chemicals into their bodies. 

On top of that, recent studies have revealed alarming levels of cadmium and lead in products intended for children which is even more aggravating. 

The best wooden baby toys, on the other hand, are made with natural, eco-friendly materials with baby-safe finishes for countless hours of safe play. Aside from feeling to hold, wooden children’s toys provide excellent educational value, excite the imagination, encourage social interaction and look so damn cool!

Whether you are looking for the best baby shower gift to make your mom-to-be friend light up with excitement or scouring the internet for toddler or newborn wooden baby toys that will make your little one giggle for hours, we made a list of the high-quality, safe and durable wooden children’s toys just for you!

While it all depends on every individual’s preferences, the most popular wooden baby toys are xylophones, play cubes, wooden gyms, tap benches, musical walkers, rotating music boxes, roller derbies, bicycles, and bead mazes.

These options will not only help babies enhance their motor skills and hand-eye coordination but also help them learn and develop social, problem-solving, and emotional skills all while keeping them entertained. 

Are wooden toys better for babies? ​

Wooden toys are better for babies for numerous reasons. Aside from being extremely more durable than their plastic counterparts, the best wooden baby toys are also recyclable and/or, biodegradable and, in some cases, made with sustainable, certified wood.

When it comes to wooden baby toys, it’s important to look for phthalate-free, PVC-free, and BPA-free options to avoid getting in contact with harmful chemicals. Unlike synthetic materials, wooden toys are, in most cases, treated with child-safe paint finishes which means that they are non-toxic and environmentally friendly. 

Last but not least, those trendy lights-flashing options we see everywhere these days can actually affect the child’s health and cognitive development negatively. However, they are a great solution for children with sensory impairments, autism, or even kids recovering from light or severe injuries as they provide distraction. So yes, in most cases wooden children’s toys are the best option for developing minds.   

How do you disinfect wooden toys? ​

It’s pretty easy to disinfect wooden baby toys. You can choose to use mild soap and rinse them once a week with a sponge. Alternatively, for more effective cleaning, opt for white vinegar or apple cider and dilute it with water. Once the mix is ready, simply wipe the surface of the toys and let them air dry. 

This post is about the best wooden baby toys.


The Best Wooden Baby Toys (Up to age 3!):


1. Hape Wooden Bunny Stacker

Creative wooden toys

Don’t let the overwhelming cuteness of this Hape Wooden Bunny Stacker fool you. It’s actually a fantastic way to exercise your kid’s hand motor skills while having fun! The end goal is to place the adorable rabbit’s 6 stackable rings on the wobbly base.

However, you can have much fun along the way by putting the string on the bunny tail that’s designed to make an adorable clicking sound as it retracts! Plus, the pink ring emits happy jingles. 

And lastly, the 6-petal flower ring can also be flipped and played with. As for the construction, like most wooden baby toys, this one is made with child-safe paint finishes and durable wooden materials. 

Price: $19.99

Location/Shipping: USA


2. Wooden Activity Play Cube

Wooden puzzles for children

Looking for fun and engaging wooden children’s toys that are suitable for 12M and above? Maybe you’re making a list of the most giftable wooden baby toys for the new mom in your life? 

This wooden activity play cube consists of five sides: The beaded adventure land, a shape sorter, a stand in a queue, a turnplate, and a tap to the bottom activity with animal-inspired themes.

The set comes with 10 pieces including wooden balls, shapes, and a wooden pounder to help your little one exercise motor skills, logic skills, and perseverance! 

On top of that, Hape’s best wooden baby toys are always crafted from sturdy wood, child-safe materials, and water-based paint.

Price: $169.99

Location/Shipping: USA


3. Montessori Newborn Kit

wooden baby toys

Moving on to one of the best newborn wooden baby toys that make a thoughtful baby shower gift, the safety-certified Montessori Newborn Kit.

It’s designed by child development experts to help with concentration, visual tracking, core development, grasp development, an early love of reading, and pre-crawling movements. 

The fantastic materials? Are sustainably sourced wood, non-toxic ink, and food-grade silicone.

Price: $45

Location/Shipping: USA


4. Baby Wooden Gym

Wooden toys for early childhood development

A baby wooden gym that won’t break the bank? You bet! It’s no surprise that Etsy has some of the best wooden baby toys. 

This is designed to help develop the baby’s neck, arm, and leg muscles and hand/eye coordination as well as motor, sensory, and hand-to-eye coordination skills.

Made of sustainably-sourced, high-quality pine wood, and safe natural colors, hundreds of moms have already opted for this wooden bay toy – hence the tons of glowing reviews.

You can shop the set of 4 pieces and the wooden play gym separately or as a set. Either way, it is definitely worth it.

Price: $29.98+ 

Location/Shipping: USA, ships internationally


5. Wooden Pound & Tap Bench

Wooden toys for babies

This kid xylophone will make your little one fall in love with music early and offer hours of giggles and excitement. 

The Wooden Pound & Tap Bench promotes musical development and exploration, audio recognition, and play in so many different ways.

Kids can fetch balls as they are tinkling over due to the pounding or pull out the keyboard and xylophone when it’s time for solo play! 

In fact, it’s not just one of the best wooden baby toys according to moms, but also the winner of the 2018 Cribsie Award for a favorite first musical toy!

Price: $32.99

Location/Shipping: USA


6. Wooden Musical Walker

Wooden toys for imaginative play

Perfect for 10M and above, this walker plays music as it gets pushed around but it can also be turned off when moms are desperate for a few minutes of peace and quiet. 

The wooden children’s toy comes with additional instruments (including spinning blocks, musical note xylophone, and pound drum) to DIY your own tunes. 

On top of that, it is packed with adjustable speed settings for kids walking at different stages.

That’s not all! It is crafted with wood and natural products, water-based paint, and has non-toxic finishes so that you won’t have to worry about chemicals ever again!

Price: $74.99

Location: USA


7. Wooden Beaded Raindrops

Durable wooden toys

When it comes to newborn wooden baby toys, nothing beats the excitement of stimulating the senses with vibrant trickling beads and soothing raindrop sounds. 

This toy was designed with your kid’s grabbing abilities in mind. So along with the hours of musical entertainment, you’ll also be able to help your little one develop motor skills. “It is a great toy to catch a child’s attention. I usually use it to calm my son down,” one reviewer noted. 

Of course, the best wooden baby toys should also come with safe materials, and thus, this one features child-safe paint finish and sturdy wood construction.

Price: $13.99

Location/Shipping: USA


8. Wooden Multi-Stage 5 Piece Set

Wooden building blocks for kids

Are you on a quest to find the best wooden baby toys newborns will absolutely love? This Multi-Stage Sensory set is the answer.

 The pack includes one fish rattle, a beads teether, one stay put rattle, a rolling rattle, and one dog on wheels to reach developmental milestones, relieve teething pain while chewing and develop fine motor skills. Just look at the adorable octopus! So cute! 

Aside from meeting both the European and American safety standards, this wooden baby toy set is also made from child-safe paint finishes and durable wooden materials.

Price: $29.99

Location/Shipping: USA


9. Rainbow Wooden Pounder

Organic wooden toys

Who doesn’t love mammering?! Pounders are not only the best wooden baby toys for developing motor skills but also provide much-needed exercise in the most fun way possible for kids 12 months and up. It’s pretty easy! 

All your little one has to do is hammer in all the pegs then flip the bench over and start again to practice color and number recognition. The set comes with a sturdy bench, eight pegs in four different colors, and a wooden hammer. 

To top it all off, it is treated with non-toxic, child-friendly paints and finishes for countless hours of safe play.

Price: $12.99

Location/Shipping: USA


10. Natural Rotating Music Box

Eco-friendly wooden toys

Hape makes amazing newborn wooden baby toys, and this natural Rotating Music Box is no exception. 

Perfect for 0M and above, the toy aims to help babies explore music and develop their hand-eye coordination skills. You can wind up the rotating music box by twisting its base and letting it spin on its bottom or on its side and watch the symbols change color as they move. 

The designers guarantee that this toy can soothe the baby anytime and we definitely believe so too.

Price: $21.99

Location/Shipping: USA


11. Baby Wooden Roller Derby

Safety-certified wooden toys

While we like all wooden children’s toys on the list equally, these colorful wooden balls, peek-a-boo holes, and fast tracks that create a dual-sided mountain feel a bit more special. 

Plus, it is designed for babies 12M and above to help learn about momentum and color. As the brand suggests, this is the perfect opportunity for parents to “discuss different concepts (fast, slow, back and forth) as the balls roll down the tracks.” 

As you can imagine, this wooden baby toy has received quite a few awards including the 2014 Parent’s Choice Recommended Award, and the 2014 ASTRA Best Toys for Kids Award as it is made from sustainably sourced wood and compliant with safety and quality standards. 

Price: $43.99

Location/Shipping: USA


12. Elephant Wooden Push & Pull

Wooden motor skills toys

Kids pushing and pulling adorable little wooden animals? Cuteness overload!

Perfect for 12M and above, this elephant toy features a pull-along cord and conveniently spaced back handle which makes it even more fun.

The toy is designed to enhance babies’ developmental skills and familiarize them with the animal kingdom – while giving plenty of opportunities for candid playtime photos. 

As for the construction, the brand uses solid Maple wood from FSC-managed forests and child-safe paint.

Price: $10.99

Location/Shipping: USA


13. Wooden Musical Magic Touch Piano

Handcrafted wooden toys

Do you need help introducing your little one to the joy of making music? This Magic Touch Piano is one of the best wooden baby toys for music enthusiasts in the making. 

The package includes 3 different sheets of music that play 6 different songs and a wooden touch piano that meets or exceeds all North American safety standards. 

The brand points out that this toy is suitable for playrooms, preschools, waiting rooms, and more baby-friendly places, which makes it an awesome gift for moms and teachers alike.

Price: $39.99

Location/Shipping: USA


14. Non Toxic Wooden Teether

best wooden toys for babies

This gorgeous non toxic wooden baby teether is the perfect gift for any baby – 3 months and up!

This natural, unique, and handmade wooden teether is hand-carved, sanded, and polished with so much love. Covered with child-safe composition of linseed oil and beeswax.

This teether is designed specifically to calm little ones during difficult teething moments.

Price: $25+

Location/Shipping: USA


15.  Wooden Bead Maze

Wooden toy set for toddlers

Wooden Bead Mazes might seem pretty simple compared to the best wooden baby toys on our list, but you are in for a surprise!

Suitable for 6M and above, this toy promotes dexterity, hand-eye coordination, and, of course, creativity for hours thanks to the array of portable and engaging, these wooden beads. 

The company mentions that this beaded maze also demonstrates the concept of “inside/outside” and offers peek-a-boo fun” which is one of the reasons why this toy has won so many awards. It goes without that this wooden is also treated with non-toxic finishes and child-safe materials.

Price: $21.99

Location/Shipping: USA


This post was all about the best wooden baby toys.

The best wooden baby toys above promise to keep your little one happy and safely entrained for years to come.

Safe, eco-friendly, and incredibly cute to look at, wooden children’s toys will always be a better option – no matter how hard their plastic counterparts try to change that.

If you liked this post on the best wooden baby toys, you’ll definitely want to check out these other posts from SKL:

baby wooden toys
best wooden toys babies

 

 

 

 

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