Handmade Toys: What Should You Keep in Mind?

Dear users, dear authors,
What should you keep in mind when making baby toys or children’s toys?

If you want to make toys and put them on the market, you must comply with CE directives. This means the toys must be inspected and tested for safety according to various specified criteria. But even if you’re making toys for your own use, you should familiarize yourself with these directives. For example, you should only use GOTS-certified materials and be sure to conduct tensile and flammability tests. It all sounds very complicated and time-consuming at first, but once you’ve looked into it, it’s actually doable.
There’s a Facebook group that can offer advice on this.

And how do you perform tensile and burn tests? Wool burns.
Best regards, Gabi 

Oh, I’d be interested in that, too. I don’t know any kids personally (anymore) that I could give gifts to, and I can’t tell if you’re practically one step away from jail if you follow patterns like that at home and then give the result away as a gift or donate it^^ Sometimes it sounds like that

For example, there’s flame-retardant stuffing—that’s a good place to start. I always make sure to use only that kind. Next, you should consider the age of the child you’re giving the toy to. If you don’t know the child’s age—say, because it’s a donation—I embroider the eyes and nose on a teddy bear, or I use those safety eyes that a child can’t pull out. But never use sewn-on eyes—a child will twist those off in no time.
You should also keep in mind that the toy might eventually need to go in the washing machine or be washed by hand, so the fabric doesn’t bleed. Up to a certain age, kids put everything in their mouths and do their *taste test* ;-) as I always say, so also make sure there are as few chemicals as possible in the fabrics—it’ll never be completely chemical-free, or only very rarely, but you can look for organic options.
A children’s toy should also always be made so that it doesn’t fall apart or come apart into its individual pieces the first time it’s played with.

Best regards, Inge