Choosing toys

How to tell a good wooden toy from an expensive one.

A wooden shape sorter box with a round, square and triangular hole cut in its lid, and the three matching wooden blocks lying beside it on a cream linen cloth.
Choosing toysMilestones 9 min read
What age is a shape sorter for?

The circle goes in months before the triangle does, and the gap between them is not impatience. It is the skill arriving in order.

A wooden peg board with loose pegs on a cream cloth beside a wooden stacking ring toy with large rings, in natural window light.
Choosing toysSafety 10 min read
Can a 2-year-old play with toys labeled 3+?

The 3+ on the box is not a difficulty rating. Once you know what it is actually measuring, you can tell which ones are a real no.

A curved wooden balance board lying on an oatmeal wool rug in a cream-walled living room, with the edge of a linen sofa and its cushions visible behind it and daylight coming from a window on the left.
Choosing toys 9 min read
Are balance boards good for toddlers? What age, and when to skip one

We went looking for the trial behind the claims on the box. What we found was one honest reason to own one anyway.

A wooden toy tea set and two small wooden pans arranged on an oatmeal rug beside a low pale wooden shelf.
Choosing toysDoing it themselves 10 min read
Play kitchen or learning tower: which one actually gets used?

One of them gets used most days and one gets used in bursts. The difference has nothing to do with your child.

A low wooden shelf holding a small glass jug, a short-handled brush and dustpan, a folded linen cloth and a child-sized wooden board with a small knife.
Choosing toysGetting started 10 min read
Does Montessori encourage pretend play? Keep the play kitchen

Both sides of this argument claim more than they can show. Offered both kinds of toy, children did something neither camp predicted.

Two wooden toys on a pale table: on the left a bare unpainted beech ring stacker, on the right an older wooden pull-along with chipped painted stripes.
Choosing toysSafety 11 min read
Are second-hand baby toys safe? A five-minute check

One date decides most of it. Anything made before it needs a closer look, and a five-minute check at the sink covers everything else.

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Shelf setup, choosing toys, and knowing when your child is ready for the next thing.

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