Maybe you have decided to go green. You turn off the water when you brush your teeth, you recycle, and you might even have a hybrid car but have you given thought to your kids toys? You might want to go green with the toys too. Here is a short primer on how to green your kids' toys.1. Only buy toys that are polyvinyl chloride free(PVC -Free). So many toys today are made of PVC materials that are cheap but highly toxic to the environment. Many of these toys contain phthalates too. These are chemical compounds that make the PVC plastic more flexible. Surely you don't want your child putting these in their mouth. Many phthalates have been linked to cancer and hormonal disruption.
2. Buy wood toys when possible because FSC-certified wood will last generations without harming the environment, a life, or a landfill. These are the types of toys that can be passed down to younger children or even to future generations. If you do not want to do that, you might want to sell them on Ebay and recoup some of your initial investment.
3. Get toys that do not contain batteries. Batteries are never good for the environment, but if your child absolutely has to have a toy that runs on battery power, get the rechargeable ones. Did you know Americans buy 5 billion batteries each year and that 146,000 tons of those batteries go to landfills.
4. There are many toys out there that have had a kid play with them, but are in great shape. Buying a second hand toy is one of the finest things you can do to help the environment. You can find great toys that are like new on Ebay, Craigslist, thrift stores, garage sales, just about anywhere.
5. Here is one you might not have been aware of. Many of the fibers in toys such as stuffed animals are full of pesticides and fertilizers. When looking for toys that contain material, look for organic and naturally dyed cotton. There are also bamboo and wool choices too.
6. Watch out for the paint on your child's toys. That toy might have VOCs which are volatile organic compounds and they are bad. New toys will be labeled if they use water based or low-VOC or no-VOC paints.
Here are some good reasons for going green. I hope this is helpful. If you have some other tips, please leave me comments so others can see them. Remember to subscribe so that you can get updates whenever I post a new article.
4. There are many toys out there that have had a kid play with them, but are in great shape. Buying a second hand toy is one of the finest things you can do to help the environment. You can find great toys that are like new on Ebay, Craigslist, thrift stores, garage sales, just about anywhere.
5. Here is one you might not have been aware of. Many of the fibers in toys such as stuffed animals are full of pesticides and fertilizers. When looking for toys that contain material, look for organic and naturally dyed cotton. There are also bamboo and wool choices too.
6. Watch out for the paint on your child's toys. That toy might have VOCs which are volatile organic compounds and they are bad. New toys will be labeled if they use water based or low-VOC or no-VOC paints.
Here are some good reasons for going green. I hope this is helpful. If you have some other tips, please leave me comments so others can see them. Remember to subscribe so that you can get updates whenever I post a new article.
