Plastic Toys vs Wooden Toys

Posted On May 28, 2019

Choosing the right toy for your little one is hard as is it is. Whether it’s the type, model or purpose of a toy that you want to focus on you’ll still have a lot to consider in terms of quality and usability. However, before you do that, you’ll need to figure out if you want plastic or wooden toys for your youngling. No matter what you choose, you should be aware of advantages as well as disadvantages when playing with both types. So to make things easier for you, we made a list of reasons why they should be the first choice for your child as well as why they shouldn’t.. This information will surely help, if not serve as a deciding factor when choosing a type of toy that’s best for your youngling.

Wooden Toys Benefits and Advantages

There are many features to consider when buying a new toy for your little one. One being the material. Choosing a wooden toy for your child is definitely the right thing to do if you aim for durability, quality of design and simplicity. Also it’s a good way of teaching your child how to be a responsible human being that cares for the environment.

Durability

When talking about quality wooden toys one thing is for certain – they are more durable than those made from other material. Except rubber naturally. These toys are made from solid, quality wood and are glued together piece by piece. They won’t break even if your little one decides to test them by throwing or bashing. Worst case scenario is that they’ll have a little dent if thrown from a greater height than usual. They won’t fall apart or break in such a way that they become harmful for use.

Quality Design

Another feature that separates wooden toys from all other is quality design. They are made to last and preserve functionality and look over the years. They are safe to use in all aspects, including type of paint and finishing layer used, shape, and weight. Every quality wooden toy features soft edges and are designed without easily detachable small pieces. So you won’t have to worry that you’re little one will ingest a small piece or get injured playing with the toy in any way.

Simplicity

Because these toys are designed with simplicity in mind, your child won’t have difficulties recognizing any shape. They are great for expanding their vocabulary by learning new terms, as these simplistic models of cars, trains and animals allow your little one to progress faster. Having this in mind you can easily use wooden toys to exercise their shape recognition abilities, create a new game or stick with conventional methods of playing.

Wooden Toys Disadvantages

Just like anything, wooden toys have a couple of disadvantages as well. Presenting them will allow you to figure out whether they are the perfect choice for your little one or not.

Fading Color

Although made to last, and quite durable when it comes to withstand impact, wooden toy color tends to fade over time and is susceptible to scratches. Meaning that over time they will lose their true color and probably have a couple of scratch marks. This is because the wood is only covered with paint and a protective layer. Once the surface is scratched it will reveal the true color of wood. However, this will only occur after a long period.

Relatively Expensive

Wooden toys have great features, and next to that are safe for the environment, but all of that comes with a price. One of the disadvantages when aiming for this type of toys is that you’ll have to spend more than on any other type of toy. They are considered as expensive but never overpriced. So if you’re ready to put an extra dollar on the bill to get a great toy, than you won’t mind the price.

Plastic Toys Benefits and Advantages

Although plastic and polyethylene variations in general are the most commonly used material in toy industry, not everyone prefer it. However, plastic toys are equally rich with features that might be just right for your little one. If you’re looking for detailed design, realistic look, and usability, than getting a plastic toy for your child is probably the right choice.

Detailed Design

No matter what type of toy catches your child’s attention the most, if the toy doesn’t feature detailed design they won’t get near it. Does this apply to your little one? If so than you’ll probably love the fact that most plastic toys are incredibly detailed. No matter if it’s an engine part, or a simple display of a toy cell phone, plastic allows adding highly detailed products to toy parts. This means that the engagement is increased as well as a chance to pick that toy as their favorite one.

Realistic Look

Another thing that makes plastic toys so appealing is their realistic look. Being that plastic can be modified and shaped into virtually anything, toys made from plastic usually look like the real thing. Whether it’s a truck, airplane or an entirely different thing, quality plastic toys give that realistic look that no other toy type can.This is great because it helps your child work on developing creativity, imaginative play and much more.

Usability

Plastic toys have a far greater usability than those made from other material. This is due to fact that they’re made from several pieces that are put together, instead of being made from one. This way your child can combine toys to bring their playtime sessions to another level. They are practical and promote creative play which is important for a developing mind.

Plastic Toys Disadvantages

Everyone knows that plastic isn’t the most eco-friendly material. Although most toys made from different forms of polyethylene are non-toxic there are those that can still cause harm due to a common ingredient in plastic- Bisphenol A. digesting and ingesting through saliva this ingredient can cause health problems. Next to this, plastic toys have other disadvantages as well.

Mildly Toxic

Because toddlers and infants love to nibble whatever they can find, it’s important to pick the right plastic toy. This precaution comes from a fact that polyethylene compounds have a harmful ingredient that can affect internal organ function in a developing body.

Bad for Environment

Although cheaper, toys made from polyethylene compounds don’t degrade easily. This means that the environment will suffer as it takes a long period until they completely degrade. Another thing is that they aren’t recyclable, so again- bad for the environment.

No matter what you personally prefer, plastic or wooden toys, you’ll need to take a look at all of the advantages as well as disadvantages that each toy type features. Both types of toys are good in specific scenarios. So whether you’re looking for durability, quality design, practicality or simply teaching your child to be eco-friendly, you have both variations at your disposal.

One thing is for certain – once you get your child a wooden toy they won’t settle for any plastic one, and vice versa. So before you pick the first real toy for your little one that might just become their favorite, you’ll need to decide between wood and plastic.

Author: Catherine Evans

Catherine is a writer from Canada who simply loves toys, collectibles and superhero figurines. Writing is her passion, but she also loves reading, enjoying her “me time” and finding new ways to improve her work and ways to entertain the readers.

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