Why wooden toys for birth
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By
Melanie A.
Wooden toys for birth: the perfect start for babies
The birth of a child is an occasion that calls for an original gift for the new arrival. The demands are rightly high, after all, only the best is good enough for the newborn.
In this article, we would like to show you why you should give wooden toys as a birth gift and give you tips and inspiration for finding toys for babies.
Why wooden toys are a good choice for a birth
When thinking about which toys are particularly suitable for babies, many people may initially think of soft cloth dolls and similar items.
We would now like to explain why wooden toys are the perfect choice for babies.
First of all, there is the sustainability aspect. As a renewable raw material, wood is an extremely sustainable material that is also extremely durable. With wooden toys at birth, you are not only doing something good for the planet, but also giving a long-lasting product that can accompany the child for a lifetime.
Wooden toys are also a smart choice when it comes to safety, as unlike many plastic toys, they are free from harmful substances and pose no health risks. As the child grows up and the playtime gets a little wilder, the wooden toys prove their worth once again.
This is because wooden toys are extremely robust and will last for many years and decades, even with frequent play.
Wooden toys for babies: the best options for birth
When a baby can use toys varies depending on the product. However, babies can benefit early on from wooden toys such as play arches and baby mobiles, which provide sensory and visual stimulation.
Other options include Eichhorn baby rattles and teething rings & grasping toys.
If you give these wooden toys as a birth gift, you are already thinking a little further ahead: your gift will be there when the child makes its first attempts at grasping and develops its motor skills . Colourful pacifier and pram chains are also popular wooden birth gifts.
Which toys for babies? An age overview
Sometimes birth gifts are not given until weeks later, either because of the parents' wishes or the availability of the giver. When choosing wooden toys for a birth, you should therefore take into account how old the baby is now.
While the aforementioned teething rings and grasping toys are recommended as particularly simple and safe baby toys for newborns, the wooden toys for birth for a child aged 3 months and over may require a little more interaction. The obvious choice are motor activity toys that contain moving parts or make noises and therefore appeal to the child's senses.
Asthe child's first year of life draws to a close, the wooden toys for birth can provide the little explorer with more cognitive stimulation. Suitable wooden toys for babies of this age include motor skills loops, which invite targeted fine motor movements and exciting observations.
When do babies start reaching for toys?
Grasping is a skill that babies first have to develop. In the first few months of life, targeted grasping is not yet possible, but the baby is already gaining experience that gradually leads to later grasping. For example, it holds its hands in front of its face to study the movements of its fingers, touches its own hands curiously or explores its fingers with its mouth. In this way, they get to know their existing physical abilities and practise eye-hand coordination, i.e. matching the hand movements to what the eye sees.
At around four to five months of age, most babies are so far advanced in their development that they can reach for objects and hold them. The wooden toys they were given at birth can now no longer "just" be admired and grasped more or less uncontrollably, but used purposefully. From this moment on, the toy effectively contributes to the further development of important motor skills, such as eye-hand coordination and coordination.
In everyday life with their baby, parents can also support the learning of grasping by playing various small "grasping games" with their baby. For example, they can demonstrate how to hold a rattle and make noises with it and then motivate the baby to pick up the toy themselves. Or you can use Velcro fasteners, let the baby watch them open and close and then try out whether they can operate the fastener on their own. Slightly older toddlers with more advanced motor skills, on the other hand, can try opening and closing large buttons. Parents can get creative here and - in addition to encouraging wooden toys - develop play ideas with everyday objects.
Wooden toys for birth: tips for choosing
Before you buy a wooden toy for the birth of a baby, you should find out what is important when choosing a gift for newborns. Product safety is clearly the most important factor. A wooden toy for babies must be 100% safe to use. In plain language, this means that it must not have any sharp corners or edges, should be free of harmful substances and should not contain any small parts that can be swallowed.
To ensure that your gift can accompany the gifted baby far beyond infancy, it must also be of high quality and cleanly finished. This applies to the entire Eichhorn product range. Our wooden toys, which we naturally manufacture in accordance with applicable safety standards, are made of robust beech wood and are mostly FSC 100%-certified. Furthermore, they inspire with cheerful, stimulating and stylish designs, are carefully crafted and are available in such a large selection that you are guaranteed to find a favorite quickly.
Care and maintenance of wooden toys for babies
If you are giving a wooden toy as a birth gift, it goes without saying that the product should be as easy and thorough to clean as possible. After all, hygiene is of the utmost importance when it comes to baby toys. In general, cleaning wooden toys is extremely simple. It is usually sufficient to wipe the products with a damp cloth and dry them off. You can find out what else you should look out for when cleaning wooden toys in our guide to cleaning and caring for wooden toys.
Gift ideas: Wooden toys for a birth
Finally, we would like to give you some suggestions on how you can put together original and high-quality gift sets with wooden toys for a birth. The obvious choice is the Eichhorn starter gift set. The three-piece set includes a pretty dotted maraca, a grasping toy with a cute rabbit head and a second grasping toy with crinkly plush ears.
The set therefore offers many different stimuli that appeal to the newborn's visual, auditory and tactile perception.
Of course, you can also combine several of our toys, which can be purchased separately, to create your very own individual gift with wooden toys for a birth.
For example, you could fill a small gift basket with the Eichhorn baby touch and sound blocks and our fun grasping toy in the shape of a colorful caterpillar. Alternatively, our peg house with farm animals and the Eichhorn turtle pull-along toy will also make a great team.
Give life the best start with Eichhorn wooden toys
With a birth gift, we welcome a baby into this world and want to sweeten its start in life. Wooden toys are ideal due to their sustainability, durability, safety and appealing look and feel.
If you would like to give wooden toys as a birth gift, you are welcome to browse through the range in our store at your leisure. There is a wide range of wooden baby toys waiting to make your acquaintance.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ) about wooden birth toys
Friends and relatives often ask these questions when they want to give wooden toys as a birth gift:
🧸 Which toys are suitable for newborns? 👶🏻
Simply designed toys made from non-toxic, cleanly processed materials are suitable for babies. There should be no sharp corners and edges or small parts that can be swallowed.
When can babies start using wooden toys?
Babies enjoy wooden toys just a few weeks after birth. They can admire the colors, observe movements on mobiles or play arches and enjoy the sensory impressions they offer. Most toys become actively usable when the baby begins to grasp, i.e. at the age of four to five months.
🔐 Are wooden toys safe for babies? 👶🏻
Wooden toys are safe for babies as long as they are of high quality, free from small parts that can be swallowed and are cleanly made.
How do you choose the best wooden birth toy?
To find the ideal wooden birth toy, you can use these decision criteria as a guide:
Age of the baby and age recommendations of the manufacturer
Quality, workmanship and reputability of the brand
Appearance and design preferences
Budget and price-performance ratio
🧽 How do you care for wooden toys properly? 🧼
As long as you clean the wooden toy occasionally and store it correctly, you don't need to do much extra maintenance. However, untreated wood can benefit from occasional oiling or waxing.