I just had to share this new pretend play food set I came across this morning. I admit I am a sucker for play food, especially cloth and wood. My daughter has lots of the sets for own play kitchen. BUT this set is one of the cutest I have seen. It is a stir fry set that includes a miniature Wok, shrimp, meat, bell pepper, mushrooms, snow peas, bok choi, chef’s knife, cooking spoon, and sticky-tipped chopsticks. It is an All-wood set that has has little patches of Velcro to keep pieces together before cutting and to have something to adhere to the chopsticks. It reminds of the Melissa and Doug Sushi set we already have and LOVE.
My kids are all crazy about Asian foods just like their dad and he takes them to restaurants where they do the stir frying in front of you, throwing it in the air and such. They would love this set.
Enjoy!
I’ve loved your blog but am discouraged about Melissa and Doug being called “green toys.” Being made in China requires so much fuel, etc to ship; not to mention the lack of oversight on the standards for safety of paint, etc. There are always local artist who make home crafted toys similar to Melissa and Doug near most people. I’m going to unsubscribe because of this and just wanted to share my concerns. Best of luck!!!
Sandy,
While they may not be the greenest of the “green” I do consider these toys to be a good option. Plastic toys will last forever so wood is always better. Melissa and Doug is also one of the few toy companies that was doing independent lead testing before the whole lead fiasco began and they have stepped up their efforts since then too. While Chinese standards may be lax that does not mean the company contracting the toys is lax about safety…your accusation is broad and reckless. I for one have never seen a toy comparable to this in quality or price made by an independent or local. If I had, I would buy in a heartbeat although many parents that want wood toys cannot afford the price associated with indy toys….especially in this economic climate. If you look down your nose at them then I think it is best that you DO unsubscribe. Tolerance is a wonderful thing.
Wow, I thought I was being friendly in my comment! I apologize if I’ve angered you. I placed a comment before on a Melissa and Doug post with no reply or explanation as to why you called them green. I would have loved learning more about it in a non combative way. But since they kept coming up in the green category (even though the carbon imprint they make is astronomical) and you gave no explanation, I felt it best I drop the subscription as my goal is to learn, not blindly follow.
I can’t afford high priced toys either. I opt out of buying new toys all together and get mine used off of Craigs List. Tolerance is an over-used, generic word these days. My comment showed no in-tolerance. I merely questioned your stance and implied a need for information. Forgive me.
Sandy, this post is under Children and Natural Toys…no mention of green even. So your argument makes no sense but regardless if you think my ideas are not green enough for you then by all means go elsewhere…I would prefer it actually.
IMO good green toys meet three criteria..sustainable materials, safe, and local. I do not however think you HAVE to meet all 3 to be making a difference. The first 2 are the most important to my mind and 2 out of 3 is a marked improvement over what is the norm. The 3rd almost always means high priced too, so it is the hardest to meet. It is not all or nothing.
Yes, I was really irritated by your comment…when someone tells me that my ideas are discouraging and they need to unsub that is no compliment. But beyond that, it is the all or nothing attitude that is what really gets me. Parents are trying hard enough to make greener choices without someone discounting what they have been able to do and tell them it is not good enough.
What a cute toy!!! We got the sushi set for my son for christmas at a black friday sale and can’t wait to give it to him!
Interesting conversation above…Tiffany I love your site. I don’t always agree, but you give great ideas and advice. But the above made me realize that I do just blindly buy wooden toys without a thought of where they come from. Something to think about for sure.
Wow. All I wanted was information and did not intend to argue with you or anger you. I merely wanted to know your thoughts behind your posts. Maybe I miscatergorized your info. Again, forgive me. I’m a newbie at the “green thing” and am a stay home, homeschooling mom trying my best to make easy, green decisions. Melissa and Doug did not appear to be a green decision. They may have better business practices than most, but are still outsourcing and require lots of fuel to get those toys here. I JUST WANTED TO KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS ON THIS! I now have them.
Best of luck to you and Merry Christmas.
Love it & thanks for the info about Melissa & Doug toys and how they test for lead. I noticed they were made in china and it made me wonder but now I feel even better about their toys having read your comment.
Good luck to you to Sandy. I may have been to sensitive to your comments and if I unfairly judged your comment then I apologize…I just can’t see how you wanted my opinion on the issue when you unsubbed immediately after your first comment. I have no problem discussing any of my stances at all if people are willing to reserve judgement until I actually have a chance to respond. Your unsub notice said this… Reason for unsub: “Melissa and Doug being called “Green Toys.” They are a burden on the environment.”
Honestly it doesn’t sound as though you wanted my explanation. For whatever reason you felt I should not recommend Melissa and Doug. I disagree…but I wish you luck on your own green journey.
I apologize, I did want to add that this was my second comment on Melissa and Doug being made in China. The first was over a month ago.
Thanks again and God bless.
I think that set is ADORABLE! However, Melissa & Doug have recently been tested on HealthyToys.org and many of them do have levels of lead, PVC and other chemicals. There has always been a lot of distrust of the brand in hardcore “green” circles. It was written up in New York Magazine: http://nymag.com/news/intelligencer/52764/ and also here: http://www.thedailygreen.com/living-green/blogs/organic-parenting/safe-toys-55120301
Anyway, we have some in our house and unfortunately have this set that tested lead positive: http://www.healthytoys.org/product.details.php?getrecno=8147
A long way of saying…when in doubt, healthytoys.org is always a good resource. They haven’t tested that sushi set unfortunately, I already checked it!
Thanks Amber for the link to Healthy Toys…it makes me feel even better about the small amount of Melissa and Doug toys we do have. I think we have 4 sets in all from them. The sushi set IS on the site:
http://www.healthytoys.org/product.details.php?getrecno=8004
It has nothing unhealthy and no lead levels. I am especially impressed because I know of many European toy companies with uber strict standards have had some lead issues. Melissa and Doug must be on the ball as far as testing goes.
First thing I am going to do when I return home from the holidays with my 2 year olds gift stash from relatives is check HealthyToys.org! It is a site I subscribe to and appreciate the work they do for parents.
This is such a cute set! What a clever idea to come up with. Thanks for sharing and I love your site.
I for one am glad that Sandy brought this up. I tend to think that just because they are wooden that they are a good option. Maybe that is not always the case. It was good reminder for me to look into every toy that I buy, not just the plastic ones.
And based on her comments, she is not an “all or nothing mom”. It sounded like she was just a little concerned with something a green site was promoting.
And Amber, thanks for the website! I haven’t seen that one before.