We, parents have now been taught while forced or through choice to make a lot of our purchases through the web aka the internet and in that specifically on marketplaces like Amazon, Flipkart or quick commerce sites like Zepto, Instamart and the likes. One would have never imagined being able to buy products ranging from simple confectionary to gadgets with the click of a button. However, in today’s digital age – the ease of buying a product from the most remote places and getting it to be delivered to our door steps in a day or two is irreplaceable. And wooden toys while having the age-old charm has also stepped up to being ordered online!
In the days where the feel of the toy in our hands, the understanding of the colors, passing the test of being visually appealing would all be required before making the key purchase decision is also now replaced or would need to be duplicated online. Well, now that particularly is not easy – as one is not able to really feel the product, check how hard/soft, run your fingers through the edges to check if they were sharp or not – is definitely not feasible while buying them off the web.
And these decisions become very difficult especially since these wooden toys are meant for our kids. So while we would be okay compromising at times on a half-made product, we would certainly not like doing that for a product that is meant for our kids!
Well, we hear you loud and sound! And we definitely also understand the place you are coming from. Being a mother myself, I can relate and understand this dilemma of purchasing these toys online. However, we wouldn’t either want to miss out on offering these unique toys to our children. So there certainly are things that we could keep in mind while surfing online for these toys.
So, lets break down things to consider before making the decision to purchase:
- Material used: Check the material specifications before purchasing the product: For wooden toys, this would mean the wood the toy is made from, the colors used on it, the certification for these colors, the sanding of the toy – one wants to make sure the edges are smooth and not sharp to cause any hurt to a chid. All of these become even more important for a new born or an infant.
- The nature of play: Does the toy offer different ways of playing with it or approaching it? Or just one, unidirectional method of playing / interacting with it? Now this becomes very important to evaluate before deciding whether or not to buy it. Children are prone to lesser attention spans or getting bored / distracted easily and while that is very natural, offering a child an open-ended toy which can be played with in multiple ways will make sure the child keeps coming back to play with the same toy over multiple times. A toy that can be played with in just one way / offering a manual of play prescribes a ‘method’ to play with it which may curtain the child’s natural imagination
- Toys for newborns: A lot of parents very naturally would take extra caution while buying a toy for a newborn child or even gifting a toy to a newborn. This is for obvious reason to ensure safety of the child – particularly since newborns have a natural instinct to put everything they can hold in their mouths thereby increasing the risk for an unsolicited infection arising from these products. Sterilizing these products is not always possible and one cannot be sure of any untested allergies that a newborn could have. This makes it tougher to choose the right product for a newborn. While purchasing online for newborn toys, make sure you are double checking for the materials used. We recommend you purchase toys that are wooden – since plastic toys even the BPA free ones go through a chemically laden process and are made from artificial materials that are separately produced. On the other hand, wooden toys are made from wood which is naturally available. Secondly, we recommend buying wooden toys made from seasoned wood with no coating / wax on them and preferably without any color. While these may not look as appealing as the plastic toys with multiple colors, one must understand that for newborns – the toys that are safe and enhance their sensory stimulation are more important that their visual appeal or feel.
- Use-cases or testimonials: Mom’s want to believe other real mothers or fathers who have had experience with those toys. Hence, before buying online, check for feedback or parent testimonials on use of those products by other parents.
- Contact the brand customer care number: Nothing should substitute care and value to a child – and hence we recommend contacting the customer care number of the brand you are planning to purchase wooden toys from and ensuring all your doubts regarding them are completely understood and clarified.
