Natural Toys Blog Posts

These days it seems that every toy manufacturer is making their own version of a classic wooden toy. Because of this, we often get asked what the difference is between a $5 wooden toy and a $15 wooden toy? Or, is there any real difference? Good question! The answer is yes, there is a difference.

There are several components to consider when selecting wooden toys – the wood itself, the glue used to connect pieces together, the sealant and/or paint and any other pieces/components of the toy such as metal pins, cotton cords, etc.

Wood

For the wood, we always look for toys that are made from solid wood, as opposed to pressed wood, plywood or MDF, which are much cheaper materials but require the use of toxic glue during production. This type of glue contains formaldehyde, a volatile organic chemical (VOC) which will off-gas (emit this chemical as a vapor for a long time) and is ultimately linked to several health issues including leukemia and cancer.

Glue Read more...

We recently came across the story of a woman who sent an email to her immediate family explaining how she preferred to avoid cheap plastic toys.  It ended up offending her mother-in-law, who felt she will now have to “change the way she shops.”

How do you handle such instances? It’s a tough situation, as you are likely very grateful for your gift-giver's generosity and you don’t want to offend them in any way. Yet at the same time, with concerns about lead and PVC in toys, you want to maintain a healthy and safe home for you and your family.

Have you been the recipient of gifts you feel aren't safe for your kids? Do you end up putting it in the closet until your gift-giver is in town? Do you donate it to Goodwill? Do you drop subtle hints? We'd love to hear how you handle (or avoid) these types of situations.

To help you and your loved ones out, get inspired by our Holiday Gift Guide: Natural Gifts for a Healthy Home...and feel free to share it!

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Kids love rainbows. They're fun to draw, fun to see after a rainstorm and just one of the many systems of order that kids love to learn. My daughter used to correct me when I'd say purple was the last color of the rainbow. "Mom (drawn out as Mahhhm), it's violet!" I understand her love of rainbows....I proudly sported a rainbowed-out winter coat as a kid.

At MightyNest, we're also drawn to rainbows, especially in our natural toy selection. We certainly love a set of natural-finish wooden blocks but we also appreciate companies who make safe, water-based dyes and stains for gorgeously colored toys. In fact, most of the toys we carry at MightyNest use stains for color so there isn't the worry of chipped paint making its way into a baby's mouth.  These lead-free stains are also certified as non-toxic and conform to European standards of safety. Read more...

mmmm, I taste yummy…at least, kids pretend that I do.  MightyNest loves me because I’m made from natural rubberwood, non-toxic waster-based paints and non-formaldehyde glues.  You won’t find any PVC, lead or other unsafe materials in me.  I’m completely safe for little mouths to pretend to eat…now if only they’d eat the real versions of me, too. 

What am I?  The first three people to copy and paste a link/URL of my product page ON THIS BLOG POST will win me.  Be sure to leave an email address so we can contact if you've won!

Rules: This give-away is open to continental US residents ages 18 and over. All others are also welcome to enter as long as they are willing to pay shipping costs should they win. 

The correct answer is Plan Toys Fruit & Vegetable Set!

Thank you to all that entered!  This giveaway has ended and our winners are: TerrlJones, ShareeCloud and Jessica Edwards! Read more...

The feel of a wooden toy is magnificent. The simplicity and tradition of the crafting ties generations of people together. We are thrilled to have some new and timeless toys from Maple Landmark here at MightyNest.

Mancala, shown below, is a beautiful and fun game to have at home. Leave out on the coffee table and you'll be sure to have impromptu games happening in your house. Beyond the aesthetic bonus of the object, playing also allows your kids to practice their counting, while they scoop up and deposit the smooth, colorful glass stones into the hand carved wooden wells.

The word mancala means "to move" in Arabic. The game of mancala consists of moving your stones around the game board and capturing your opponent's stones. The player that ends up with the most stones at the end of the game wins the game. Read more...