The Best Places to Shop Quality Sustainable Toys
Whether you’re holiday shopping or just looking to find some beautiful high quality toys throughout the year, it can sometimes be a bit overwhelming. To make life easier, we’ve put together a list of some of our favorite places to shop for safe eco-friendly children’s toys.
Why these stores you ask? They all have one thing in common, they source some of the best non-toxic, sustainable, beautifully made toys from around the world. Their websites are also easy to navigate and sort to find what you want.
While some are straight up toy shops, we also included shops that have a larger than usual selection of high quality eco-friendly toys. There are so many smaller shops out there with really amazing options to choose from and you get the benefit of their curated selections and insider knowledge.
The Dreamy Toy Shops
Normal & Jules
NORMAN & JULES
More than just a toy shop, they have an excellent selection of toys, books, clothing and accessories from some of the best. They source handcrafted, beautifully designed items made by companies that emphasize safety, use natural, eco-friendly materials, and treat their employees right. “We’ve assembled a collection of high integrity, heirloom quality goods from around the world for children ranging from infancy to age ten.” You can shop by age or interest. They have a retail shop in Brooklyn, NY. Don’t miss their holiday gift guide.
Odin Parker
ODIN PARKER
This toy shop is known for their heirloom quality eco-friendly wooden toys from around the world. For every purchase made they donate a meal to the Children’s Hunger Fund. “Our toys don't require any batteries and are designed to last through generations.” You can shop by age or interest. They have a retail shop in Rancho Mission Viejo, CA.
Merci Milo
MERCI MILO
A jewel box of a toy shop, filled to the brim with thoughtfully selected handmade unique toys and items. Besides an excellent assortment of popular eco-friendly toys, they also specialize in local artisans and discovering new makers. “We are a small family owned business that strives to only source the highest quality toys and ethically made goods for children from all over the globe.” You can shop by age or interest. They retail shops in Los Angeles, CA and Portland, OR. If you need ideas, their Holiday Favorites list is a great place to start.
Acorn Toy Shop
ACORN TOY SHOP
This shop offers heirloom quality products with a focus on sustainable wooden toys, Waldorf dolls, furniture and unique nursery items from responsible creators. “Acorn is committed to offering heirloom quality products that are crafted using environmentally sustainable practices and materials made by artisans who receive a living wage for their work.” You can shop by age or interest. They have a retail shop in Brooklyn, NY.
Bella Luna Toys
BELLA LUNA TOYS
This small shop is based on the coast of Maine and is heavily focused on Waldorf inspired toys and art materials. You won’t find any battery operated toys at this shop, created by a former Waldorf teacher that gives back through supporting early Waldorf schools globally and other organizations. They prioritize environmentally friendly practices and are an approved member of Green America. “We carry toys that are made with natural and organic materials such as wood, cotton, wool, and non-toxic finishes and vegetable dyes.” You can shop by age or interest. They have a retail shop in Rockland, ME.
Oak & Ever
OAK & EVER
You’ll find an impressive assortment of handcrafted toys designed for open ended play and sustainably made. There’s also a great selection of arts & crafts supplies and educational play. “Working with small makers, craftspeople, and brands who produce in small batches using only natural, local, and sustainable materials when possible is something that will always be at the forefront of our vision.” You can shop by age or interest and there’s a useful gift guide if you’re short on time or in need of inspiration.
The Wooden Wagon
THE WOODEN WAGON
A family business out of New England, they specialize in quality wooden toys from Europe, especially Germany. There’s no shortage of handcrafted blocks, animals, cars and other things that go. You’ll find more than wood though, with a beautiful selection of Waldorf dolls and felt toys. “We pay attention to the play value, safety, workmanship, materials used and timelessness of each of our items. Simply put: we offer nothing that we would not want in our own home.” You can shop by broad or specific interest or brand.
Wild Creek
WILD CREEK
Filled to your hearts desire with tons of Waldorf toys, wooden toys and heirloom quality toys. There’s also some of the more popular toy brands being made at the moment. “Wild Creek products are sourced from all over the world, made by a real person's hands who is paid a fair wage. Our products are played with by our own children, loved and given our quality approval.” You can shop by interest and the holiday gift guide provides some seriously great inspo.
Oompa Toys
OOMPA
For creative play, this Maine toy shop carries only organic and sustainably made wooden toys and other items for children. “If you are a parent or grandparent looking for safe and ethically-made toys, you can feel good shopping at Oompa knowing that every product for sale on our site is either organic or made from sustainably-harvested wood.” They have a really beautiful selection of ethically made toys for all ages. You can shop by age, interest or brand.
The Boutiques with Awesomely Curated Toys
Go Gently Nation
GO GENTLY NATION
Although known for their own beautiful organic clothing label for both kids ands and women, they have an impressive eco home and toy shop as well. Their curated selection of small toy items is guaranteed to be eco-friendly and some of the best out there, saving you the work. Excellent for gifts add ons and stocking stuffers.
Little
LITTLE
This children’s boutique is filled with clothing, accessories, books and more. With popular toys brands like Maileg, Candylab, Ooly, Raduga Grez, Jellycat, Olli Ella and Minikane (just to name a few), it’s a one stop shop for lots of people. It’s impossible to walk into their Portland, ME shop and not walk out with a beautiful treat for your little ones. They also have super quick shipping and are constantly sharing updates of new arrivals via their Facebook group.
Bitte
BITTE
This California shop is filled to the brim with eco-friendly goodness in the form of high quality clothing, books and toys. From big to small, they cherry pick to bring you so much of the best out there. The founders originally founded of the top handcrafted toy shops in the country so they really know their stuff. Great spot for gifts.
Mama Owl
MAMA OWL
While this conscious UK shop’s ethical wool clothing selection is second to none, they have an impressive selection of well curated natural and organic toys and home items. The mostly smaller handcrafted items are chosen for open-ended play and made in mostly wood and wool. The toys are great for add-ons or gifts when you want a reliable spot for beautiful eco-friendly goodies.
Cou Cou
COU COU
A one-stop shop in Boston where not only can you shop eco-friendly clothing and toys, there’s a whole area for kids to play and test out toys while you shop. Everything is carefully selected by the owner, who listens closely to her customers to offer the best of what they want. You can find major inspo with her holiday gift guide, that let’s you shop by age and even sort for best sellers.
The You Can Find Everything Online Destination Shops
Smallable
SMALLABLE
A family concept store that really can do no wrong when it comes to sourcing the best brands in every category. They have everything, big and small, to fill a child’s dream play room. Focused on European brands, their toy selection is really like a toy shop within shop. Although most of the toys come from conscious brands, there’s an option to filter by ‘greenable’ labels that meet their requirements of more environmentally friendly production. You can also shop their ‘charitable’ section, where you’ll find limited edition toys for a good cause. Their holiday catalogue are the things Christmas dreams are made of.
Maisonette
MAISONETTE
A modern marketplace, you’re actually able to shop a bunch of smaller shops within this shop, all with the ease of a single check out and epic assortment. They curate a selection of items from some of the best shops worldwide and make it available to shop on their platform. You’ll find all the stuff, big and small, in the toys section, along with a ‘best of’ highlighting the best selling toys. You can shop by age and interest and their holiday gift guide is a must browse.
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Meer is not sponsored or paid by the brands we feature on this site. All brands and products are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy through the links on this page we may earn a small affiliate commission.
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