Christmas is around the corner, and the gift-giving season is upon us. Gifts, especially for kids, include a lot of toys. If you have kids at home, you know how easily your home can get swamped with toys. The problem is that most of those toys are made with harmful plastic. Plastic is not decomposable. It is also toxic to kids, especially young ones who put them in their mouths. They contain harmful toxins like phthalates, BPA, harmful glue, etc.

However, the awareness and demand for sustainable, non-toxic, and eco-friendly toys have increased. But what makes these toys sustainable?

• They are made with natural materials.
• They are made using non-toxic substances, like not using formaldehyde glue.
• They are made with recyclable materials. 
• They leave a minimum carbon footprint.
• They are biodegradable. 

By choosing sustainability and eco-friendly gifts for your kids, you are making the right choices for kids' health and the environment. Not only that, you are teaching kids all about sustainability from a very young age. This kind of awareness, when it is installed in kids that young, teaches them to make the right decisions in the future. 

Here are a few gift ideas for kids for Christmas, according to their age.

Sustainable Christmas gifts for kids under one year age

Kids under one year are just babies. They have no concept of gifts and what gift-giving is. They are just using their five senses to understand the world around them. Anything that stimulates these senses can be a great source of entertainment for these babies. They will pay closer attention to anything exciting for the eyes, ears, and taste. So, any toys that make sound and have bright colours make great gifts. Kids this age also go through teething. So they put anything available in their mouth to chew. Chewable toys will also make great gifts for them.

But most toys available for this age group are plastic toys. They are especially dangerous for kids going through the teething phase. Here are a couple of options that are sustainable and non-toxic options

1. Handmade zero waste happy baby jingle toys - these are made with zero-waste. They provide tactile, sound, and visual stimuli for the kid.
2. Pure Cotton filled with Ajwain Seeds toy comfort doll - lemony yellow - this doll is filled with ajwain seeds. These seeds are anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and antimicrobial. This doll can be heated and provides relief for cold and congestion. It is hand-made by local women. 
3. Handcrafted wooden egg rattle - this egg comes in bright colours, and it rattles. It provides good sound and visual stimulation. 

Sustainable Christmas gift for kids from 1-3 years of age

Children of this age are rapidly developing skills like walking, language, etc. They go through a huge mental and physical development. They need toys that promote these milestones. They should improve their cognitive abilities like learning, thinking, questioning, understanding, etc. Toys like building blocks and shapes make a great gift for them.

Few options for toys for these kids are

1. Handcrafted wooden cubby toy - It is a set of 5 stacking rings that comes in bright colours. 
2. Handcrafted wooden red tuttu turtle toy pulls - A unique wooden turtle that can be pulled with a string. It has wheels, and the shell rotates as the toy moves. The pull thread has a velcro strip, which is a safety feature. 
3. Wooden under the sea shape puzzle set - This wooden puzzle set can teach kids about underwater animals, shapes, colours, and counting. You can get creative with these by drawing and spinning stories around them.
4. Birchwood 10 block and 20 sticks building blocks - These are made with birchwood and food-grade linseed oil. They are soft and completely mouth-safe. These building blocks can be fun and challenging for the kids.

Sustainable Christmas gifts for kids from 3-6 years of age

Kids have fully developed skills like walking, running, talking, singing, etc. Children at this age start kindergarten. They are exposed to the outer world and have a longer attention span. They are fascinated by the world around them. At this stage, we need to encourage different skills like art, sports, and outdoor activities. 

Few sustainable gifts for kids this age are

1. Wooden handcrafted lace with safari animals - They come in tiny pieces that can be together to make different animals like an elephant, lion, koala, etc. They are made with beech wood and soft edges. This improves fine motor skills.
2. Garden flower wooden maze - it is both a stacker and a maze. It is made with wood and non-toxic colours.
3. Wooden clock 3D jigsaw puzzle - It is also made with wood and completely safe colours. It comes with a minute and second hand. 
4. Eco-friendly Jobsite playing cards - it teaches kids about real-life professions. The idea is to let kids explore different careers and have fun. 
5. Natural wooden number friends learn math toys - this kit has peg dolls that teach kids simple math.

Sustainable Christmas gifts for kids for over 6+ years of age

Kids this age have a greater understanding of the world around them and understand the subtlety of emotions. Their thought process and reasoning are complex. Kids also start to show their natural skills and talents. 

Following are a few sustainable gift ideas for kids over the age of 6

1. Handcrafted wooden 6 men morris’s game - it is an abstract strategy game. It has tic tac toe printed on the other side of the board. Kids can play five different levels of games on this board.
2. Hand-carved travel stamp set - it is a wooden stamp set. It has five vehicle stamps, child-safe ink, and a book.
3. Handcrafted wooden tandav finger top set of 5 - it has mountain-shaped tops in five different colours. Kids can get creative with these stamps.