Like our tastebuds that change every seven years, so do our toy and game-"buds." And not seven years, but a lot faster! We simply get tired or grow out of it. So the toys and games we buy have a very short shelf life in the hands we buy them for. So with this known fact, how can sustainability play into well, playing? Also, kids are the essence of instant gratification - it's up to the parents to let them or to teach them. Here are a few considerations when thinking about toys.

When the child is young enough to enjoy it but not know what it is, it is 100% all about safety. A baby will stick anything in his or her mouth, regardless of color, shape, texture, style, or what store it came from. Straight into the mouth! The prettyness of the toy is for the parents and Kodak moments - nobody else. This is when a parent thinks about lead-free, tiny parts, chemical-free, and other bio-hazards.

Upon the first few years of recognition of shapes, colors, and textures - the slow introduction of aesthetics can be added. Like what? As fast as he or she outgrew their baby-toys, it's that kind of attention span you have to consider. Yes, they are slightly better in keeping things out of their mouths, but they will still interact with them relatively intimately. A slow introduction to quality used toys is also possible at this point. Why used? Because the attention-span is far smaller then the life-span of the toy. To save energy, money, the environment, and your sanity - used toys are a great way to go! How about sharing toys with other people you know who have similar aged kids? You can even create a toy-sharing circle depending on how many people you know. Your kids will love the variety, you will love the money and time saving, and the few toys that are purchased will have received a far wider audience than usual - perfect way to make everyone happy.

There is plenty of information on the internet for environmentally friendly toys and ideas to "green" your kids so we won't re-word anything. We'll give you the highlights and the links at the end.

• Do your homework on toy-material (especially for baby toys) - look for PVC-free. Wood is also far better than plastic - look for FSC-certified. Organic toys mean that high-standards are used to keep pesticides out of your child's mouth when it comes to toys - look for naturally-dyed cotton, wool, and other naturally harvested material.
• Try to minimize electric toys. They waste batteries and you'll have a hard enough time later anyway to pry video games out of their hands. Besides, imagination development at an early age is key to a well-rounded child. If you need, rechargeable batteries are the way to go.
• Used is not a bad word - Craigslist, Ebay, Freecycle, garage sales, and flea-markets are a great way to gather someone else's purchase at a significant price reduction and you will give new life to an otherwise single-use toy.
• The great outdoors are for everyone. It's healthy, produces great interaction, and visual stimulation of surroundings is far more abundant than in a room. Also, in a more populated area, social-interaction is learned very quickly - what a great toy!
• Don't throw away that container! - we love this one as we all remember playing great games in seemingly giant boxes. What a perfect way to make use of an ordinary box that will eventually go into the recycling heap anyway!

There is no difference between learning and playing to a young child, infusing sustainability principles into their actions and explaining it to them along the way not only ensures that they understand, but they in turn will also treat everything with a greater sense of purpose. What a perfect way to grow!

For more information:

Treehugger.com gets into more detail on how to green your kids' toys followed by other links at the end of their page.