Little Sapling Toys Review

We have made a conscious effort to try to provide the Tomato with as many non-plastic toys as possible. I have searched high and low over the last year to find retail outlets and online sources for wooden toys. We like to supply Tomato with safe, wooden options that have non-toxic finishes and one of the great vendors, who provides such toys, that we have come across is Little Sapling Toys on Etsy.

I found Little Sapling Toys about two years ago and have enjoyed shopping with them ever since. Originally, I purchased the the tool box and peg board, pictured below, for the son of two of our close friends. The young man loves playing with them and when they arrived, I was impressed with the workmanship and the beautiful natural colors. The company uses FSC-certified maple, cherry and walnut woods and finishes them with organic jojoba oil and local beeswax. These materials sets this eco-mama’s heart aflutter!

Handmade items really tug at my heart and these are no exception. Nick and Kimber Christensen have truly infused their products with a passion for woodworking and a joy of children. So, when the Tomato arrived and it was time to purchase some wooden toys for her, I headed straight to this shop. I bought our first round of toys for the Winter Holidays. Nick and Kimber offer personalized wooden tree ornaments and I instantly scooped one up as an heirloom gift to pass down to the Tomato when she has her own home and tree. Little Sapling Toys kindly engraved her name and birthdate and we hung it with excitement for her first holiday this past winter.

In addition to the ornament, I purchased a gorgeous set of alphabet and number blocks, with which she has just started to play. While suggested ages are not listed with each toy listing, Nick and Kimber quickly respond to any email inquiries about this topic. They suggested that these were a 9 months and up toy and so we followed their lead on that. The colors are gorgeous, the craftmanship exceptional and the fun to be had with them is endless. We stack, knock down, slide, tap and crawl with these guys and they are no worse for the wear.

We also purchased a wooden teether shaped like Antarctica. Yup, Antarctica. I love that the shop carries a variety of teethers that are a strong, wooden option to the many plastic ones that are on the market. I just prefer to not have her sucking on plastics and this unfinished wood option is a great one.

I have many items on my wishlist for the coming year. These bowling pins and ball are divine!

The rocking horse looks so cute and sturdy.

The lacing toys make my Montessori-education-loving self excited.

Finally, these stacking nesting arches look like they could provide strong entertainment and imagination fun for Tomato.

In addition to producing high quality, wooden toys, Little Sapling Toys has found some great ways to give back to the earth and help promote green practices. According to their website, for each item that you purchase, they donate enough to plant a tree with Trees for the Future. Also, their packaging is recycled and recyclable, and they participate in green energy programs in the state of Idaho.

I look forward to being a patron of theirs in the years to come and hope that you give their shop a look too. I will be reviewing several more wooden toy product lines in posts to come. We have been lucky to find many that we are happy with and comfortable with for our little one and I look forward to sharing them with you.