Sustainability and quality in children’s toys: How a “Made in Germany” quality product creates trust among children
Many parents believe that toys for children are subject to strict legal regulations. However, this is only partially the case. There are only minimum requirements that must be met, but they do not ensure that every toy is a quality product. Inferior toys may break quickly and also harbour safety risks for your child. From birth on, we recommend paying attention to sustainability when buying toys.
It doesn’t necessarily have to be a complete life without plastic, but it definitely makes sense to favour wooden toys for babies and toddlers. Even when the children get older, we should always remember that we can also influence our children’s later purchasing behaviour by setting a good example through correct consumer behaviour. This blog article is about why it is often more expensive in the end to buy as cheaply as possible, what should be considered when buying toys in terms of quality and what exactly sustainability means when it comes to toys.
Buy high-quality or cheap toys? A question of trust
Children are able to build trust and an emotional bond with a toy. However, if it is an inferior product, this trust can quickly be shaken. It is therefore important that you as a parent make sure you choose the quality product over the cheap toy. This is often worthwhile, even if the high quality toy is possibly a little more expensive. A good example of this is our hörbert: over time, your child can build up a real emotional bond with it. They will trust that hörbert will always work or can be repaired and be by their side as a loyal companion through thick and thin. In addition, hörbert also impresses in terms of sustainability and is perfect for you if you have decided to live as plastic-free a life as possible, as it is made from the high-quality and renewable raw material wood.
But hörbert aside, how do you recognise whether a toy is a safe, sustainable and a high-quality product? We recommend testing the toy with almost all your senses. If you discover faults or notice an unpleasant odour when looking at and touching the toy, this naturally does not inspire confidence. On the contrary: this is more likely to indicate that the manufacturer has not taken the necessary care during production.
How children sense quality
Even children are able to sense quality. This does not mean that they cannot also enjoy a cheap plastic toy with light and sound effects. However, this joy usually only lasts for a few weeks or months. At the latest when the first components are broken, they are no longer interested in the toy. This is different with a high-quality product and especially with wooden toys: these feel valuable even for small children’s hands, so they are happy to be picked up and played with. For children, however, good quality is not only characterised by the materials used, but also by another fact: high-quality products can be repaired, whereas cheap plastic toys usually have to be disposed of immediately. When children see that a toy can be repaired, they learn something for life: on the one hand, they realise that it is important to treat their toys with care because otherwise they will break and need to be repaired, which costs time, work and money. Secondly, they will also tend to repair defective products such as household appliances later on as adults instead of disposing of them straight away. In today’s throwaway society, this is definitely a desirable trait.
Sustainability in children’s toys: what does it mean?
If parents want to opt for sustainable and high-quality toys and thus set a good example through correct consumer behaviour, there are a few things they should pay attention to. Good toys must be durable and stable. Ideally, not only one child will enjoy it for a long time, but also other children such as younger siblings or cousins. A sustainable and high-quality toy can therefore be passed down through several generations. In addition, the toy should invite children to make and discover things themselves instead of just being able to passively watch. Then the toys are interesting for much longer. The hörbert, for example, grows with the child because it can be played with again and again with the child’s favourite content. If you want to make your toy purchase sustainable, you can also make a conscious decision in favour of second-hand toys. However, keep your hands off very old toys made of soft plastic, as these could still contain harmful plasticisers. Of course, cheap toys don’t always have to be bad and a high price doesn’t automatically mean that they are made from tested and low-pollutant materials. However, it is usually the case that cheap toys are more likely to be contaminated with harmful substances and dangerous for children than high-quality, slightly more expensive products, especially if these products are also made of plasticised plastic.
How parents can strengthen their role model function through correct consumer behaviour
Children are strongly oriented towards their closest caregivers and mirror their behaviour. Therefore, as parents, please use your role model function through correct consumer behaviour. Show your children right from the start that it is better to buy a high-quality, if perhaps at first glance more expensive, product that is preferably “Made in Germany” and therefore has a long service life, instead of constantly buying cheap things that will soon end up in the bin or incur high follow-up costs. Don’t spoil your children with countless plastic toys, but give them high-quality products made from high-quality and harmless materials for special occasions for the benefit of their own future. The likelihood of your child imitating this behaviour later on is very high. When making their own purchasing decisions later on, your child will also weigh up whether the purchase has to be made now or whether it would not be better to save a little more so that they can then buy the better product. In this way, you are already making a valuable contribution to the environment today, as it can only benefit if your children buy fewer, high-quality products in the future.
Conclusion: Don’t save money on children’s toys in the wrong place
Overall, we have found that parents can use their role model function through correct consumer behaviour to teach their children the right values for the future. With high-quality products that are “Made in Germany”, you are making the better choice compared to cheap toys made of colourful plastic. They are safer, more durable and allow your child to build an emotional bond of trust with them. That’s why we advise you never to save money in the wrong place when buying toys. The motto here is: “Buy cheap, buy twice”. In the end, a supposedly cheap toy can end up being quite expensive if you have to dispose of it shortly after buying it and then buy the more expensive, high-quality product as a replacement. It is therefore better to opt for a quality product that guarantees a long service life right from the start.