Safe Pretend Food

[Jennifer Pasek]

I am so overwhelmed with all the research that I have been having to do just to find proucts that we use every day that are safe for us and safe for the environment. It could be a full-time job. I just purchased a pretend kitchen for my son and I have been trying to find play food that isn't made out of toxic plastics. I purchased the Green Toys dining set and am thrilled with that, especially since they are non-toxic and made in the USA. Yay! Does anyone have any ideas for me? Thanks, Jen

[Shauna]

There are many options besides plastic...(we don't use much plastic at all!, except for a couple outdoor toys) www.lillybeanmarket.com has some cute felt kits & pre-made felt foods that are incredibly cute! I haven't purchased from them but found some locally at a craft fair that are nice. You can probably do a search and find many price ranges. Also try www.etsy.com for tons of homemade stuff like this. They have some crochet food & tea sets on there that are cute. Also you can always just use clean, empty food packages from home, like yogurt, cottage cheese containers, etc. Make your own out fo felt, wood, cardboard, etc. Depending on your sons age, he could help. Or Melissa & Doug and Plan Toys have wood play food. I completely understand how overwhelming it is to find safe products, which is why we switched from plastics, and use mainly wood, and homemade items! This website has been a huge resource for us. Hope this helps, Shauna

[http://www.ownadaycare.com/]

I think that one of the safest toys to use for Pretend food, especially if you have a home daycare are green toys. They are non toxic and have been approved by US safety standards for child proofing and protection. They have a huge selection aside from plastic products that you can add to your toy collection. Consider buying felt kits that are not only cute but crafty as well. Sometimes there are crochet based fake food toys that are perfect for those "tea time" play dates and bake sale games that kids love to play