Easy Tot Tox Swap #4
Table Of Contents
Easy Tot Tox Swap #4
Toxin-Free Toys and Teethers for Your Toddler
I don’t know about your kid, but ours puts everything in his mouth. Babies are in the exploratory ‘put everything in my mouth’ phase for a long time, so focusing on what toys they are playing with is a good place to send your ‘swap it out energy’.
The ‘What’:
- Toxins that can be found in baby toys and teethers: Formaldehyde, Bisphenols (BPA and BPS), Phthalates, and Lead.
The ‘Why’:
- Lead is a neurotoxic heavy metal with no safe level of exposure. Lead causes both acute and chronic health problems such as autoimmune diseases, endocrine disruption, developmental delays, and learning difficulties. Lead exposure to the developing fetus and young children is the most damaging.
- Formaldehyde is a carcinogen (a substance capable of causing cancer in living tissue).
- I’ve mentioned research showing the harmful effects on the human body from Bisphenols and Phthalates in my other blog posts.
The ‘How’:
Just like for baby’s clothing and bedding, you can look for the GOTS certified organic certification or OEKO TEX certified label on things like playmats and loveys.
For teethers and other toys try to avoid plastics altogether since we know plastics have the ability to affect our hormones. All-natural rubber is a great alternative!
Wooden toys may seem old school, but this material is the material of choice for some of the cleanest toys and teethers out there today. You can still find colorfully painted wooden toys made with nontoxic paints or natural oils.
Brands we know and love:
Teethers:
Toys:
Bath Toys:
Playmats:
Loveys:
More of my product recommendations can be found in my e-book!
BONUS TIP:
- Bath toys with holes in them lead to potential mold growth. I found CaaOcho Toys had sealed bath toys that are super easy to keep dry and clean in between baths and keep my mold-worrying at an all-time low. Mold worrying is real. Plus…they’re super cute which is top of mind for babies (obviously).
Sources:
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/lead-poisoning-and-health
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1383574211000548