Sustainable wooden toys - What paint is safe for wooden toys

And, how to source safe paint for your own wooden toy or nursery projects?

When it comes to how to know if the wooden toys are safe for your babies and children, not a lot of us have actually thought about the finishes of these wooden toys and how to find toys that are finished with safe materials.

Here, we are discussing what paint is safe for wooden toys, from non-toxic to water-based paint, and child-friendly paints for wooden toys, and even for your nursery and home for your DIY painting and personalising projects! 

We will also discuss a few of our wooden toys brands to ensure you we only source from responsible suppliers for the safety of your little ones! 

What paint on wooden toys are safe

In general, anything you purchase in the UK, created by a UK or EU toymaker, should be considered as a safe toy to play with. All UK manufacturers are required to pass the Essential safety requirements for toys (refer to GOV UK)  by conforming with the EEC safety guidance.

A manufacturer is required to carry out a safety assessment and examination before placing a toy on the market. They can refer to the Europa website for assessment guidance, or the British Toy and Hobby Association. 

According to gov.uk, “where the toy has been shown to conform to the essential safety requirements the manufacturer must draw up an EC declaration of conformity to follow the structure set out in Annex III of the directive.”

The tests and examinations must satisfy the requirements in a few areas, including Choking risks (particularly for toys intended for children under 36 months), Magnetic parts (having a flux over the required limit is not permitted), and Chemicals. 

All of the wooden toys we source are currently from UK manufacturers and suppliers. So their toys must conform to the regulations set out by the UK Toys (Safety) Regulations 2011 and EU directives. When it comes to the paint and finishing used on the wooden toys, the products must satisfy the requirements set in the Chemicals section of the regulation. 

Chemicals - there are limits to the amounts of certain chemicals that may be contained in materials used for toys. There is also a ban on the use of six phthalates in toys and products for children under three years of age (Refer to this article). 

Wooden toys at our Shop

Given that all toys must pass the required chemicals test set out by the government, it is safe to suggest they are all classed as ‘non-toxic paint’. You would mainly find our UK toymakers opted for non-toxic, water-based paints for their wooden toys

Jumini and Studio Circus

Everything they sell passes all the relevant toy safety standards and has been fully tested by independent test companies this includes the paint used.

Tenderleaf

Their toys are brightly painted with non-toxic water-based paint so you don’t have to worry when little hands go into little mouths.

Indigo Jamm

"At Indigo Jamm the safety of our toys is our utmost priority. Our toys are tested by independent laboratories to meet both European (EN71) and American (ASTM) standards. We also carry out our own in-house testing of our toys to ensure the standards are maintained throughout their production. We are happy to supply copies of our test certificates to interested parties." (quoted from website)

Petit Collage

Petit Collage prioritse the use of responsibly sourced materials, including vegetable inks and water-based paints.

 

So, in a nutshell, child-friendly paint is chosen to produce all of your lovely wooden toys! 

 

What paint is safe for children's toys? How to paint safely on wooden toys?

If you want to personalise your wooden toys by doing some DIY painting projects, it is important to understand how to find safe paint and paint safely on your wooden toys for your children. Eco Paints is a renowned paint brand that serves environmentally friendly paint. They have a lovely blog post to teach you how to safely paint on the wooden toys here.

Another paint product recommended is Rust-Oleum Painter’s Touch. You can read the blog post from Make It Yours on how to add a personal touch on your wooden toys here. 

It is just as important to find non-toxic and VOC free paints for your nursery. If you are thinking of painting your nursery, or other things that require a nick of fresh paint in your home, and if you want to consider the safety of the paint, feel free to take a read of this article from Emily May Designs, who have great suggestions on what brands (particularly UK paints) you can find to use in your home that is safe to the environment (hence it is likely to be safer for your children).

Final Words

Although it is not a big concern when you are purchasing wooden toys from a UK brand on toy safety, it is important for us to understand what is involved, and understand what is counted as baby safe paint for children and wooden toys. We hope you find the article helpful.

Now, if you want to know even more about the sustainability of the wood being used in creating wooden toys, we have a couple of helpful articles for you to learn the two main sustainable sources of wooden toys: Reclaimed Wood, and Sustainbly Sourced Wood.

Shop the full wooden toy range that we source from responsible UK brands for your little ones here.