Sustainable Christmas Shopping for your Little Ones

Have you been considering shopping more sustainably this Christmas? If so, here's a little list of some great brands and items for the little ones in your life, that take into consideration environmental impact! 

At this point we are all pretty aware of the fact that plastic toys are not the best choice for the environment, though there are some pretty amazing options for all the characters and interests of our little ones. However, there are many great alternatives and brands that are getting very creative with making toys for children in a way that considers the earth and people! 

In addition to shopping brands that offer more earth friendly options, great things to consider as well are:

1) How long the child will use the item? (can they grow with it, is it a fad toy etc.)

2) Can it be passed down to a sibling or friend to increase the use?

3) How long will the item hold up with many hours of play? Is it easily repairable?

As we all know, the longer something sustainably created can be used and passed on, the better it is for environment, rather than buying shorter use (plastic) items, and tossing them out or even donating them. This is not always the best option. While utilizing pre-loved toys is a great practice, if we all keep buying plastic toys it doesn't really solve the problem of waste. These items whether used over and over or not still take a very long time to break down in a landfill. Thankfully, we as customers have a lot of power in our buying! If we buy products that are made from naturally derived materials (wood, bamboo, plant based materials, fabrics etc.) or recycled materials, companies will have to make the switch to more environmentally conscious manufacturing choices. 

Here are a few creative options for shopping sustainably this Christmas:

PLAN Toys: This brand is very dedicated to creating sustainable and clean non-toxic toys. Just a few ways they do this is by using reclaimed rubber trees, plant based inks, fabric, recycled paper and rope. They even have a material that is made from wood chips! Plan toys offers a wide range of toys from dollhouses, puzzles, blocks to bath toys as well. One item that stands out this Christmas is the minimal dollhouse called the "Slide and Go". Offering a diverse selection of doll families as well, that go along with the house, it makes a beautiful gift for a little one this year. 

Wee Gallery: Offering a large range of beautiful products for a variety of developmental ages, all of these products have been thoughtfully designed for sustainability using clean inks, materials as well as working with fair trade factories. We love Wee Gallery for this reason, and sell some items in our online shop which you can find here (on sale for a limited time). The lacing cards, offered in a variety of engaging animal images are a fun activity to develop fine motor skills in toddlers. What's not to love about this brand, the images and designs are beautiful, natural, and made with integrity. Definitely worth checking out for some great gifts and stocking stuffers this Christmas!

Green Toys: Made from recycled milk jugs, this made in the US brand creates colourful and engaging trucks, tea cups and much more! They have really thought about it all, from the low impact of transport to the recycled paper packaging. Safe and fun toys, including toys with some of your littles favourite characters! Something notable for this year's list might be the Disney Baby collection, featuring some adorable stackers and toy cars! 

BeginAgain Toys: Plant based materials and a mission to move to plastic-free play! With creatively designed toys for fun and learning, there is so much to love about this brand. There are many beautiful toys to explore, and some worth mentioning are the learning letter puzzles that have both lower and uppercase on opposite sides of the puzzles. The colours are no doubt highly engaging and motivating for little ones! 

Hope you enjoy checking out these great brands that are passionate about environmental responsibility! Please feel free to share some of your favourites below!