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Vroom vroom, beep beep. Car toys are the ultimate toy for boys and kids and if you are looking for an open-end sensorial wood toy in opposition to remote control, you’re in for a treat! So, for this post, I rounded up the best and most gentle non-toxic wood car toys for babies, toddlers, and kids. You’ll find interactive car transporters, fire trucks, fun buses, bulldozers, ice cream trucks, and all sort of fun vehicles, including a wooden pink doll car! And don’t worry, there is plenty of colorful and fun vehicles as well, all finished with non-toxic paints.
According to the manufacturers, all the vehicles in this post are gentle, low VOC, lead safe, have no known harmful phthalates, are made of clean wood, and use non-toxic water-based dyes. We go by the manufacturer’s information on their websites and the European and American standards. That way, while your little one drives down the roads of creativity you can rest assured that they are not exposed to harmful chemicals.
This interactive mechanic motor is pure joy for boys and girls. My niece was obsessed with her tool box when she was around 2. All that screw and drive work makes wonders for fine motor skills, focus, patience, and lots of fun!
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.”