My Favourite Wooden Kids Toys/Brands! (Part 1)

Hi all!

A quick disclaimer: as mentioned in this post, I plan to continue amplifying black voices and showing more diversity on my blog. Here is a great Australian resource that I found. 

Today I’m going to be sharing with you some of my favourite wooden kids toys/brands! I currently have an almost 2 year old daughter, who has accumulated plenty of playthings in her short time on Earth. Abigail has plastic toys as well, but I prefer those made from wood as they are much more environmentally friendly and non-toxic. I’m going to make this into a series so I can continue to update my readers with great toy/brand ideas as Abigail gets older. Also, all of these toys are recommended for 12M+ and under 3Y. I promise to link everything to the best of my ability. Without further ado, let’s get into it!

1.) ‘Melissa & Doug – Wooden Train

Abigail is currently obsessed with Minnie Mouse and trains, so I found her this Disney toy by Melissa & Doug that encompasses both those things. She loves it! It’s super colourful, cute and detailed. Designed for 1-2 year olds, toddlers can enjoy stacking blocks whilst improving their motor skills, colour recognition and matching/sorting abilities. In general, Melissa & Doug are the number one developmental toy-making brand as voted by parents. All of their items are top quality and encourage independent play. You can find the train here – as well as a Winnie the Pooh option.  

2.) ‘Melissa & Doug – Bead Maze 

Speaking of Melissa & Doug, this bead maze by them is a winner! It’s colourful, bright and easy to move around. It even has suction caps on the bottom if you want to secure it to a flat surface. It will help stimulate your child’s vision and develop hand-eye coordination. Abigail likes spinning the red and yellow beads at the bottom. You can find it here. 

3.) ‘Tooky Toy’ – Shape Sorter

This is currently Abigail’s favourite toy, alongside a plastic version that used to be mine. She loves pulling all the shapes out and then fitting them back into the corresponding holes. The blocks are so colourful (completely non-toxic) and the outlines are etched into all sides of the box, inviting more of a challenge. Tooky Toy sells a plethora of adorable wooden toys. Click here to find the shape sorter, plus other goodies. 

4.) ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’ – Xylophone 

Who doesn’t love The Very Hungry Caterpillar? My mother-in-law bought Abigail this wooden xylophone for Christmas last year and it’s still so popular. She loves pulling out the stick and banging on the rainbow plates. It also has a thick red cord which allows her to pull it around as she walks. This is such a great toy to encourage a love of music and rhythm in your child. You can find it here. 

5.) Pull Along Unicorn Toy

 I cannot find a link to this toy, but you can purchase something similar here. Abigail got this adorable unicorn as a gift and it’s a big hit in our household. She loves if we hold it up by the string and chase her around with it. She pronounces unicorn: ‘con-ki’, which is so cute I can’t even deal. It’s so bright, colourful and fun to wheel around. 

6.) ‘Infancy’ – Wooden Ice Cream Truck 

My father-in-law bought Abigail this truck from the Mornington Peninsula at a market. It’s a wooden, ice-cream truck that is beautifully hand-crafted. I found a link for it here. It has sturdy rubber wheels; perfect for pretend play. I am obsessed with the the colour scheme. Abi likes when we go ‘vroom, vroom’ and push it across the carpet. 

7.) ‘Clever Coconuts’ – Original Vegan Wooden Play Food Set

This set is specifically for vegan parents/children out there. It is created by a company that is also from the Mornington Peninsula who have their own Etsy store. There is something so nice about supporting local businesses. For Abigail’s second birthday, her Nonna is getting her a wooden kitchen set (which I’ll include in Part 2 if it’s a winner), so I thought these adorable vegan food items would go nicely on the shelf. All of them are hand-painted and non-toxic. There is soy milk, almond milk, dairy-free cheese, plant-based butter, coconut yoghurt and tofu. I cannot recommend these lovely creators enough. Check out their store here. 

8.) ‘TinyMe’ – Personalised Name Puzzle 

Abigail got this lovely, personalised name puzzle for Christmas last year which is so nice I don’t let her play with it just yet. I’m worried she’s going to suck/gnaw on the tiles. I wanted to mention it though, because it’s such a sweet gift idea. TinyMe allows you to customise the colours and backgrounds as well as supplying buyers with a protective sleeve to keep it safe. You can purchase one here.

9.) ‘Target’ – Wooden Strike Bench

I love the aesthetic of this toy. The soft pastel colours are gorgeous. Your child can use the mallet to tap the blocks through the holes and then turn it over and do it all again. One of the downsides to wooden toys is the expense. Target have an entire aisle dedicated to affordable wooden products for kids. This was only $12 AUD. It may look simple but it will help your child develop dexterity, hand eye coordination and build fine motor skills. You can find it here.

10.) ‘Target’ – Stackable Ice Cream

How cute is this? I got it from Target for only $5 AUD. Unfortunately I cannot find it on the website anymore but I found something similar here. It’s so simple but fun. You can dismantle both scoops and connect them back onto the cone. It’s also just pretty to look at. This will be great for pretend play as your child gets older.

Thank you so much for reading. Please link any must-have wooden toys down below. I would love to know what other parents swear by. As mentioned above, I’ll continue this series as Abigail grows older and acquires new beloved items for her playroom. 

Peace & Love xoxo