wooden toys

One of my earliest memories is stacking up buildings with wooden blocks. A cinch to construct and even easier to tear down, they were and still are some of the best entertainment for tots. The only thing that could improve them is a carry–all to store them in.

Simple: For a bargain $8, you can have your blocks and wheel cart, too! IKEA offers the Mula wagon with 24 colorful blocks in tow.
Swank: Add $7 more and you get the Melissa and Doug unit block on wheels with 36 bright blocks.

Which one is the block wagon of your dreams?

If you want your tot to be versed in several languages, introduce them to wooden blocks from Uncle Goose.
To learn about the bilingual baby blocks, read more

Plastic chicken drumsticks and rubber grapes are SO yesterday.

Get with the times and introduce your babe to roe covered spicy tuna and California rolls with Melissa and Doug's Sushi Set ($15).

The fishy set of wooden rolled sushi, sashimi, wasabi, ginger, soy sauce and chopsticks fit perfectly in a cherry blossom adorned black bento box. The sliced sushi rolls are topped with Velcro enabling tots to stick them together and use the enclosed cleaver to chop them up like a real sushi chef. An added bonus, the kids will delight in playing "restaurant" as the menu is provided on the back of the box.

Wooden toys are oh so popular these days so I was delighted to find some fun for mom and dad to play with, too. MUJI, a Japanese based company, manufactures a unique set of blocks – cities in a bag. For $14, fans of the big apple can buy New York City in a Bag and get the Chrysler Building, Statue of Liberty, Guggenheim Museum, the original MoMA buildings, and six cars. Made from sustainable wood, these timber toys are eco–mindful and avante–garde.

Choose from Barcelona, London, Spain or New York and teach your children about bustling big cities all around the world or let them use their imaginations to create their own wooden metropolis.

Everything cycles back — bell bottoms, shift dresses, even leggings! And, the trend applies to baby toys. If it’s old school, it’s the new cool and wooden toys are the current comeback kid.

Maybe it’s nostalgia that makes us buy wooden stacking rings, puzzles, trains, blocks, musical instruments and activity centers, but parenting groups say the toys are safer to play with since they are made of natural materials.

Oompa, Melissa and Doug, and Plan Toys have great selections. Who knew a timber tambourine would buy so much peace of mind?