Favorite Brands Of Toys?
 

Melissa and Doug
Lamaze
Fisher Price
Little Tikes
Hape
Step2
Playmobile

And and on and on.....
There are so many but I was wondering what brands you trust, like, incorporate the most when looking for new items in your daycare?

My favorite brand is "Sale". There are 2 types- "On" and "Yard". :D:lol::D:lol::D:lol::D

Sorry bad joke, but I really don't care about brands. My 2 concerns are "will the DCKs play with them" and "will they survive more than a couple days".

I try to find/use wood toys more than any other type of toys.

It's hard though because a lot of the high quality ones are made across the pond so shipping is sometimes spendy but I have to say that many of the ones I have splurged on have stood the test of time and really last a long time.

I try to avoiding wood toys made in China. Many of them can contain lead paint, there have been hundreds of recalls on toys made in China because of lead in paint.
I also kind of have a hard time with the cheap labor, shoddy environmental practices, and poor resource management. :(

American and European made toys seem to have better quality/craftsmanship. :)

My favorite brands are:

• Plan Toys
• Djeco
• Grimms Spiel und Holz
• Holztiger
• Little Colorado
• Fagus
• Elves and Angels
• Fagus
• Haba
• Orange Tree
• Oops Imagine
• JoJo Maman Bébé
• Little Baby Company
• Great Little Trading Co
• Maple Landmark
• Tegu

I have a much bigger list somewhere but those are just the brands I could think of off hand or have in my line of sight right now.

To be honest, I try to avoid Melissa and Doug and Hape brand toys. :ouch:
Although they are super easy to find and aren't really that expensive, most are made in China :(

I also like wooden toys like Imaginarium but a brand I really liked that is so hard to find is Happyland (European) Their toys are really cute and the kids love them. I also love Playmobil.

Right now I really love Green Toys. They seem really durable and the ones I have had held up great to the amount of use in a daycare setting. They can be spendy, but I've had a little luck finding used ones at garage or consignment sales. They are easy to clean too!

I like Learning Resources. Lakeshore Learning sells them but you find them cheaper on Amazon

I really like Melissa and Doug toys. They are a bit more expensive but they seem to be more durable.
Fisher Price are good too.

Pre-Covid I switched over to mostly wood toys, but since Covid I've put those away and invested in nicer plastic ones. I don't have a favorite brand, but I do avoid TV, movie, or licensed characters.

Originally Posted by AmyKidsCo:
Pre-Covid I switched over to mostly wood toys, but since Covid I've put those away and invested in nicer plastic ones. I don't have a favorite brand, but I do avoid TV, movie, or licensed characters.

Same.

It breaks my heart seeing all those plastic totes of awesome wooden toys just waiting to be freed. :p

Originally Posted by Cat Herder:
Same.

It breaks my heart seeing all those plastic totes of awesome wooden toys just waiting to be freed. :p

Agreed! And the stacks of natural baskets waiting to go back into use.

I prefer lego. It is the best brand, imho