1. midmini Pizza Toy & Handcrafted Play Kitchen | 2. Le Toy Van Groceries & Scanner Play Set | 3. Raduga Grëz Fruits & Veggies | 4. Sebra Wooden Breakfast
– Child-Friendly Nontoxic Play Food for Kids & Toddlers IN THIS ARTICLE –
The feel-good play kitchen is set, now it’s time to stock up those cabinets, and the fridge and get into the action with gentle kitchen wood toys! Play food for kids is a wonderful way to pass on the family’s eating habits, create a bond, implement the Montessori philosophy of independent play, and even get inspiration for real-life cooking. And because food can be very personal and even emotional for some people, this post has it all: from vegan to veggies to charcuterie, no judging. The only thing we are strict about in this post is for the play foods to be non-toxic. It means water-based paints and dyes, low-VOC emissions, BPA/PVC-free plastic, non-toxic glues, and environmentally responsible wood according to current European and American standards . That way we can help the parents who are trying to lower the kids’ exposure to toxic chemicals or live a more natural life .
P.S.: you can find the non-toxic and sustainable wooden fridge from the cover picture here !
You’ll notice that most nontoxic toys sold in the US are from European brands. Why? Because the European Union has more strict standards for toy safety. They understand that kids are prone to put anything in their mouths, therefore, should not be exposed to chemicals known to be toxic. The Scandinavian countries have even more specific and strict standards. You can read more details about which standards I take into consideration at the end of this post. Also, in general, non-toxic play food for kids is more expensive than “regular” play food for kids. But it’s worth it! The atoxic wood kitchen toys are tactile, naturally soothing, and more durable. Fortunately, American customers are becoming more demanding of child-friendly toys, therefore more companies will have to keep up. So in this post, you’ll find non-toxic play food for kids in every price range!
Play Pretend Pantry Staples, Groceries & Shopping Cart
The kiddos gotta get those groceries and organize the pantry to cook out a storm.
Includes: Ice cream tub, popcorn, cat food, a tin of peaches, tomato sauce, olive oil, string bag containing three lemons, bag of crisps with crinkle paper inside, a bag of frozen peas containing hard round balls, a tin of sardines, a box of rice, pack of spaghetti, a box of crackers, half a pound of cheese.
Wicker Grocery Shopping Basket, Age 3+
Tender Leaf Toys
What a lovely and sophisticated visit to the market!
Includes: Handcrafted wicker basket and newspaper, a bar of chocolate, bottle of lemonade, continental salami, cheese, a baguette in a cloth bag, three tulips, a leaf, and an apple
Includes: : Mixer with metal whisk, on/off button, and wooden bowl, kitchen scale, wooden, crackable egg with felt yolk, Box of flour containing 15 white disks, and pack of butter
From the garden to the blender. Fruits and veggies are the most colorful and fun gifts from nature for us! It may be easier to get the kids playing with them than actually eating the real one, but learning where food comes from, chopping, and making smoothies are wonderfully creative and fun motor skills play!
Includes: Plate, Knife, Fork, Frying Pan, Fried Egg, Toast, Avocado Slice, Bacon Slice, Tomato Slice, Tub of Goats Cheese with Lid + 3 x Velcro Goats Cheese Slices, Jar of Tahini Sesame Spread with Lid + Spoon, Coffee Cup, Mini Carton of Almond Milk, Bottle of Strawberry Kombucha and Quinoa Trail Mix Box
Includes: Plate, silverware, a slice of bread, half of an avocado, 2 leaves of baby spinach, a bacon strip, sunny-side-up egg, mushroom, and slice of tomato. And I’m hungry!
Wooden Vegan Spreads Made in USA
Milton & Goose
May I have this one to decorate my real-life kitchen?
Includes: an egg, bacon, toast, cheese, a butter dish with a wooden lid and butter and a jar of jam with a gingham cloth lid all housed in a French-inspired crochet shopping bag.
Includes: Fish and chips and mushy peas! A plate illustrated with a crab, a fork, tactile mushy peas in a cup, all wrapped up in the Daily Fish newspaper.
Includes: salmon roe, tamago, shrimp with a rubber tail, tuna and salmon – 2 sheets of seaweed, pieces of rice . A sushi tray, shoyu bottle and sauce dish.
Includes: Felt 20 realistic farfalle, 4 large ravioli, 6 basil leaves, 5 mushrooms and 1 tomato sauce, 10 flat ribbon tagliatelle, parmesan cheese, a grater and a few wooden tomatoes, plate, spoon, colander and metal pan, two cardboard packages.
Includes: Handcrafted wicker basket with a slice of ham and egg pie, a black sausage, a rasher of bacon, a string of butcher’s sausages, a large salami, a Spanish chorizo style sausage, and a ham hock.
Sustainable & Non-Toxic standards considered for this post
Each country or economic bloc has its own standards for sustainability, safety, and toxicity. And because they can go from strict to almost nonexistent we are considering brands that market their products as compliant with at least one of the standards below.
FSC-certified wood
From the fsc.org website: “The Forest Stewardship Council sets standards for responsible forest management. A voluntary program, FSC uses the power of the marketplace to protect forests for future generations.
FSC certification ensures that products come from responsibly managed forests that provide environmental, social, and economic benefits. “
TSCA Title IV
⚠️ Because there is not a large consensus whether the formaldehyde emissions under the TSCA Title IV is really safe and nontoxic, we are only featuring MDF/plywood as alternatives to real wood.
From the epa.gov website: “The Formaldehyde Standards for Composite Wood Products Act of 2010 established emission standards for formaldehyde from composite wood products and directed EPA to finalize a rule on implementing and enforcing a number of provisions covering composite wood products. After March 22, 2019, composite wood products must be labeled as TSCA Title VI compliant. These products include: hardwood plywood, medium-density fiberboard, and particleboard, as well as household and other finished goods containing these products.
The final rule also established a third-party certification program for laboratory testing and oversight of formaldehyde emissions from manufactured and/or imported composite wood products.”
CE Marking
From the europa. eu website: “CE marking indicates that a product has been assessed by the manufacturer and deemed to meet EU safety, health and environmental protection requirements. It is required for products manufactured anywhere in the world that are then marketed in the EU.”
EN-71
EN-71 is the CE standard for toy safety. The EN-71 covers 12 toy-related safety issues, from mechanical properties to flammability. The disposition EN-71-3 covers the migration of toxic elements, and that’s why toys compliant with the CE marks and the EN-71 disposition are considered non-toxic. From the standard.eu: “This document specifies requirements and test methods for the migration of aluminum, antimony, arsenic, barium, boron, cadmium, Chromium (III), Chromium (VI), cobalt, copper, lead, manganese, mercury, nickel, selenium, strontium, tin, organic tin and zinc from toy materials and from parts of toys. Packaging materials are not considered to be part of the toy unless they have intended play value.”
From the nordic-ecolabel.org website : “The Nordic Swan Ecolabel is the official ecolabel of the Nordic Countries. The Nordic Swan Ecolabel works to reduce the environmental impact from production and consumption of goods – and to make it easy for consumers and professional buyers to choose the environmentally best goods and services.
Sets strict environmental requirements in all relevant phases of a product’s life cycle;
Sets strict requirements for chemicals used in eco-labeled products;
Tightens requirements for goods and services continue to create sustainable development;
Certifies and verifies that all requirements are met before a product is approved.”
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