Traditional Wooden Toys

This page for the site has been a joy to research, there are so many beautiful traditional wooden toys to look at! The best brands I’ve found are some from Europe, however some of the tiny “one man bands” who create wooden masterpieces in their garages also deserve a mention!

The important thing to look out for in wooden toys is that they are safe for the child. Every baby puts their toys in their mouth and this means you have to be careful with the finishes on the toy.

Traditional wooden toys are a lot more fun for the toddler to five year category, but there are a few special exceptions for babies. For the newborns there are some beautiful mobiles, rattles, teething toys and roll along toys with bells in them. The 6-12 month category is more diverse. There are figurines of people and animals, there are trains and trucks with carriages, wooden peg puzzles, push and pull toys, building blocks and hammer through toys. My personal favorites are the wooden beads on thick, plastic coated wire on a wooden board. The baby pushes the beads from one end to another.

I thought it would be useful to outline the most well known and respected brands. There were quite a few so I’ve just selected my favorites from the lot:

Ostheimer create beautiful wooden toys with a really old, traditional feel. From animals to people there is a great range. Made in Germany, Ostheimer toys have a classic feel about them, with muted colors allowing the wood grain to shine through.

Grimm’s Spiel and Holz have great push and pull toys, puzzles, building blocks and stacking games for the older baby – good for a first birthday present or an older baby’s first Christmas. Also some really rustic looking teething toys and rattles for the younger baby.

Selceta Spielzug – this company creates traditional wooden toys for all age groups, from rattles and mobiles to push and pull toys. Designed and made in Germany, they are lovely, bright colored toys.

Anamalz create organic wooden toys in the shape of animals. They are more suitable for the three plus age group but I couldn’t resist mentioning them. Parents can always put toys away for their child for a later date! These toys are funky, new looking, and yet still fall in that traditional wooden toy category. Made in Australia, they even have and online community where each child who owns an Anamalz toy can register online to play games together.

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