Buying sustainable toys that last

With Christmas just 12 weeks away I find myself thinking about ‘stuff’.

I find it sad that the real meaning of Christmas is virtually non-existent for most and instead we seem to focus on acquiring more – it doesn’t matter what it is, it just feels we’re told that MORE is good!

More food, more presents, more decorations … you name it, the subconscious message is more is better.

Little Miss Green is now 11 so her interests have changed but I still try to get value for money – open ended gifts rather than gadgets designed to do only one thing are better in my opinion and this is something we’ve tried to achieve from day one.

Take the humble cardboard box for example – what more open-ended toy is there? One day your child is flying to the moon, the next they are a cat curled up for a sleep, then at dinner time the box is flipped over and becomes a table before being turned on its side and transformed into a house.

As an outdoor girl, one of the best investments we made for Little Miss Green was a trampoline. It’s still used every day, even now!

This week I came across something I would have loved in my garden a few years ago – Climbing frames from the family-run children’s playhouse company.

Not just any ordinary climbing frame, the company specialise in unique and fun colourful designs; sourced from PEFC certified sustainable forests. They are very conscious of being environmentally friendly and put it high on their list of priorities.

What a love about this particular brand is not only the sustainable aspect but that with careful planning, longevity has been built in; unlike many items where inbuilt obsolescence seems to be order of the day!

Guaranteed for 10 years, the climbing frames are modular so you can add extras at a later date – this makes them a fantastic long-term investment. You can add anything from swings to tree-house style platforms to slides.

Check out this great little video telling you more about PEFC – the largest forest certification organisation in the world.

What about you – what’s the best investment you’ve made for toys?