10 Wooden Toys for Toddlers

Wooden toys offer a fun and safe alternative to plastic toys with the concerns about phthalates and lead. Wooden toys provide creative stimulus for the imagination of a young child, but not all wooden toys are as safe as others. Here are 10 wooden toys that most toddlers will love made by companies with strong safety and quality-control records. All of these wooden toys are appropriate for toddlers age 18 months and older, with most acceptable from 12 months.

1. Variola by Selecta: This wooden toy set, designed and made in Germany, is a marble track that is safe for young children because the ball is four times the size of an average marble. Toddlers can use this wooden set to create a variety of different runs for their "marble" and will watch (and probably squeal) with joy as the ball rolls down their creation. The set comes with 21 wooden pieces, 2 balls, a wooden starting ramp, and a bell.

2. Basic Building Blocks by Haba: What toddler doesn't love blocks? Blocks are the ultimate in wooden toys for the imagination. This set of blocks includes 102 pieces made of untreated beech wood and a handy fabric bag for storage. These well-made blocks will give your child years of fun and are made in Germany.

3. Tattolo Wooden Push Toy by Selecta: Toddlers love to push toys around and this wooden toy will be no exception. Push toys encourage toddlers to practice walking and help them to gain better balance. Tattolo is a green dragon who shakes its head and wiggles its colorful arms, legs, and tail as it moves. It is made is Germany.

4. Pull-Along Snake by Plan Toys: Toddlers also love to pull toys behind them as they learn to walk. This colorful little snake wiggles side to side as he moves to add to your toddler's fun. The snake is made from recycled rubber wood, the colors are made from vegetable dye, and it is coated with a non-toxic lacquer. This wooden toy is built to last for years and is made in Thailand.

5. Rainbow Stacking Bowls by Grimm's Spiel & Holz: These colorful wooden bowls will provide hours of imaginative play for your toddler. The bowls can be nested, stacked, used for pretend cooking or whatever else your toddler can dream up. The largest bowl is 3.5" diameter and 1.5" high and the smallest bowl is 1.25" diameter and 1.5" high. These wooden toys are made in Germany from alder wood and their brilliant colors come from water-based non-toxic dyes.

6. Double Bubble by Hape: This toddler maze comes on a sturdy base and has four suction cups so it can be attached to a high chair or other solid surface. The suction cups are strong so your toddler shouldn't be able to detach the toy and the colorful beads help to learn about "up" versus "down" and "in" versus "out." This wooden toy is also handy to entertain your toddler when going to a restaurant.

7. Sorting Box Quatrino by Selecta: This imaginative wooden toy will help your toddler learn problem-solving, shapes, and hand-eye coordination. It comes with 8 colorful shapes and the sorting box, which has a built-in ball track. After your toddler drops the shape into the sorting box he or she must learn to open the door of the same color to retrieve the shape. This toy is made in Germany with non-toxic paint and is finished with a coat of beeswax for a velvety texture.

8. Large Rainbow Conical Tower by Grimm's Spiel & Holz: One of the simplest wooden toys for toddlers, but one that gives toddlers a variety of opportunities to play and to learn. This toy, made in Germany, has 11 rings in a rainbow of colors to grab your toddler's attention.

9. Discovery Balls by Haba: This set of 4 wooden balls will delight and enthrall your toddler. Each wooden ball has a different feature: one with a mirror, one with a green peephole, one that rattles, and one with a narrow peephole. The colorful 2" wooden balls fit perfectly in a toddler's hands. These wooden toys are made in Germany of hardwood and non-toxic paints to stand up to even the toughest toddler.

10. Solid Drum by Plan Toys: Toddlers love to pound things. Anything. This little wooden drum is a fairly quiet toy so you won't need to buy some earphones to go along with it. The drum produces a different tone depending on where it is hit. The beautiful colors on the side of the drum also make this toy visually stimulating. This wooden toy is made of recycled rubberwood in Thailand.

These wooden toys will provide your toddler safe, creative alternative to plastic toys. Wooden toys can entertain your toddler for hours and offer them important developmental play opportunities. Add some wooden toys to your toy box today.