Non-toxic toys for babies, 0-12 months
One winner for each way people buy toys for babies, 0-12 months.
The at-a-glance version for a first-year toy shelf: teethers, rattles, stacking cups, soft toys, a play mat and a bath toy, with what the maker says each is made of, what the label words do and do not mean, and the choking rules that matter more at this age than any chemical question.
How we scoreHow we earnChecked November 13, 2026
Our winner for each way people buy
How we scoreHow we earnChecked November 13, 2026
Natural rubber teether
Calmies
Teether for Babies Without BPA100% natural rubber from Hevea trees; the maker states no BPA, PVC, phthalates or parabens, and a Children's Product Certificate on file. Not for a latex allergy.
Meets our published criteria, as of Nov 13, 2026
$16.99ViewSilicone teether (latex allergy in the family)
haakaa
Silicone Clover Teetherhaakaa's own page says 100% food-grade silicone and BPA, PVC and phthalate-free; a manufacturer declaration. No age range on the page.
Meets our published criteria, as of Nov 13, 2026
$9.99ViewRattle
mushie
Silicone Baby Shaker Rattle ToyFood-grade silicone, free of BPA, BPS, PVC and phthalates per mushie's page; 3 months and up. The page says "exterior" and does not describe the inside.
Meets our published criteria, as of Nov 13, 2026
$12.99ViewStacking cups from 10 months
mushie
Stacking Cups ToyEight open polypropylene cups, free of BPA, BPS, PVC and phthalates per mushie; 10 months and up, and no hollow interior.
Meets our published criteria, as of Nov 13, 2026
$14.99ViewSoft toy
Under the Nile
Organic Cotton Stuffed Fruit or VegetableOrganic Egyptian cotton, fabric and stuffing, per Under the Nile; ages 0+. GOTS is the brand's statement.
Meets our published criteria, as of Nov 13, 2026
$16ViewPlay mat and gym
Lovevery
The Play Gym with Sensory StrandsLovevery names wood, silicone, cotton and a polyester mat and says OEKO-TEX STANDARD 100 (the brand's statement). The Amazon listing is about $175.
Meets our published criteria, as of Nov 13, 2026
$175ViewA bath boat that drains
Green Toys
TugboatA wide spout for scooping and pouring, per Green Toys, recycled plastic with no BPA, phthalates or PVC. The hull is not described as sealed or open, so drain it.
Meets our published criteria, as of Nov 13, 2026
$15.36View
What to avoid
- Liquid-filled teethers — the AAP lists them among teething products to avoid, since they can tear or leak
- Teething necklaces and bracelets — the AAP names choking and strangulation risks, whatever the bead is made of
- Soft vinyl with no stated material — PVC needs plasticizers to be squeezable; see our TPR explainer
- An age grade you ignore — a "3+" toy sits outside the small-parts rule, so it can legally contain parts a baby can choke on
What to look for
- One material, named — one named material leaves less room for an unnamed plastic, though rubber and silicone still carry processing chemicals
- A "no PVC, no phthalates" line from the maker — voluntary, so the maker is staking its name on it
- Open or solid shapes — less place for water or crumbs to sit
- Washing instructions — a baby toy gets mouthed and dropped, and you will clean it often
- 1Skip: Liquid-filled teethers and teething necklacesBuy instead: Calmies, Sophie la girafe, Nuby, haakaa Why
- 2Skip: A rattle that doesn't say what it is made ofBuy instead: mushie Why
- 3Skip: Stacking sets with a hollow interior or an unnamed plasticBuy instead: mushie, Green Toys Why
- 4Skip: A soft toy with no fiber content on the tagBuy instead: Under the Nile Why
- 5Skip: A play mat that won't say what it is made ofBuy instead: Lovevery Why
- 6Skip: Hollow squeeze bath toys with a small holeBuy instead: Green Toys Why
What the label card means
What to skip, and why
Liquid-filled teethers
The AAP lists them among teething products to avoid, since they can tear or leak.
Teething necklaces and bracelets
The AAP names choking and strangulation risks, whatever the bead is made of.
Soft vinyl with no stated material
PVC needs plasticizers to be squeezable; see our TPR explainer.
Know the risks: PVC / soft vinylAn age grade you ignore
A "3+" toy sits outside the small-parts rule, so it can legally contain parts a baby can choke on.
The full guide: how we chose
For a baby under a year, the toy question has two halves. Choking and age grading are the larger, better-documented risk, and federal rules already cover them. The materials question is narrower: pick toys whose maker names the material and, where it can, says no PVC, because babies put everything in their mouths. "Non-toxic" on the box is the brand's word.
What this sheet covers
This is the short version of what we know about toys for a baby under a year old. It is for the parent standing in an aisle or in front of a browser tab choosing between a handful of teethers or two sets of cups. The longer reasoning lives on the pages linked below, and we have tried not to repeat it here. The picks are one per kind of toy, with a few runners-up, because a baby's first year is not a year that needs a shelf full of choices.
For older babies and toddlers, our toys hub has the rest of the toy pages.
By stage
0-3 months. At this age the useful toys are for looking at and holding. A play mat or gym to lie under, high-contrast things to look at and a soft toy for supervised play are plenty. The mushie rattle on this sheet is graded by its maker for 3 months and up, so it starts at the next stage; Lovevery's gym is designed for 0 to 12 months, and Under the Nile's toy is graded for 0 and up.
3-6 months. Babies mouth what they hold. This is when a teether, in natural rubber or silicone, earns its place, and when the rattle gets used. Our pacifiers and teethers cheat sheet has the longer read on those two materials and what a "BPA-free" label does and does not cover. The age grades we could read on the picks' own pages: mushie's rattle says 3 months and up, haakaa's page gives no age, and the Calmies page we read gives none either, so use the box.
6-12 months. Stacking cups come in; mushie's say 10 months and up. Open cups are the pick because they have no sealed cavity and move from the floor to the bath. Wooden stacking sets we have in the catalog are both graded 12 months and up by their makers, so they belong to the next stage, not this one.
By kind of toy
Teethers. Solid and one-piece beats anything liquid-filled. The AAP's teething page names liquid-filled teethers and teething necklaces among the things to avoid. We have a natural rubber pick, a rubber one with a lower price and a silicone one for families with a latex allergy.
Rattles and shakers. A rattle is a toy that is mouthed and dropped, so the material is the question we can answer for it. Size is already handled by federal rule: a rattle must be too large to enter a baby's throat, and it has to pass the CPSC's test fixture before and after use-and-abuse tests. The mushie rattle's page names food-grade silicone for the exterior and does not describe what rattles inside.
Stacking and sorting. Open cups have nothing for water to sit in. Wood is a fair alternative once a child is the age the maker grades the set for, which for the two in our catalog is 12 months.
Soft toys. A baby's soft toy is also a small-parts question: eyes, buttons and anything glued on come off. The American Academy of Pediatrics' safe sleep recommendations keep soft objects out of the sleep space, so a plush toy is for supervised play and not for the crib.
Play mats. Foam mats are sold as non-toxic by the thousand, and most of the listings give nothing to check. We did not source one for this sheet. What to look for is the material named (XPE, EVA, PVC, cotton, polyester), a maker's line about PVC and phthalates, and the same age grade you would want on any other toy. The one pick we have, Lovevery's gym, names its materials and says OEKO-TEX STANDARD 100, though the OEKO-TEX claim is the brand's statement and the page gives no certificate number.
Bath. Our bath toy explainer covers the 2018 study, which found biofilm in every toy it cut open but did not test shapes. Our own reasoning is that a toy you can rinse through and dry gives water less place to sit, so open cups are on this sheet. The Green Toys boat has a wide spout for scooping, but its page does not say whether the hull is sealed, so turn it over to drain it after every bath.
How to read the label
"Non-toxic." For toys this is not a defined regulatory term. Treat it as the brand's word.
Materials list. The most useful thing a baby-toy page can print is one material, named: natural rubber, silicone, organic cotton, solid wood with a named finish. Silence is not a claim; email the maker.
No PVC, no phthalates. Soft PVC needs plasticizers, historically phthalates, to be squeezable. Eight phthalates are capped at 0.1% in children's toys and child care articles; our phthalates and PVC explainer has what is covered, and what TPR is covers the soft plastic that replaced much of it. A "PVC-free" line from a maker is voluntary, so the maker is staking its name on it.
Finishes and lead. Paint, varnish and dye on a wooden or plastic toy are where the lead question lives. Federal law caps total lead at 100 parts per million in any accessible part of a children's product, with a stricter 90 ppm for paint and coatings. Our lead and heavy metals page has the rest. A maker that says water-based paint is telling you something; "non-toxic paint" without more is its own word.
Small parts and choking. For a baby this is the rule that matters most. The CPSC's small-parts rule for children under 3 names teethers, squeeze toys, crib gyms, stuffed animals and bath toys, and a part that fits entirely in its test cylinder fails. Rattles are exempt from it because they have their own throat-size test (16 CFR 1510). It is not a certification you can look up. It is the age grade on the box, so check the grade against the youngest child in the house, and our safer toy guide lays out ASTM F963 and the small-parts test in full.
"CPSIA compliant." This is the legal baseline for any toy sold in the US. We did not confirm a Children's Product Certificate for any pick on this sheet; they go to retailers and the CPSC on request and are not public.
Where to go next
- Toys hub: the materials question answered once.
- The toys and art supplies cheat sheet: play dough, crayons, paint and bath toys.
- Pacifiers and teethers cheat sheet: the long read on rubber and silicone.
- Mold and bacteria inside squeeze bath toys: the 2018 study and what to do.
- What is TPR, and is it safe?: soft parts and the PVC question.
- Phthalates and PVC and lead and heavy metals: the two chemical questions for toys.
- SafeMama's safer toy guide: lead, ASTM F963 and small parts.
The swaps, in full
Liquid-filled teethers and teething necklaces
The American Academy of Pediatrics lists liquid-filled teething toys, which can tear or leak, and teething necklaces of amber, wood, marble or silicone, which carry choking and strangulation risks, among the things to avoid. A solid, one-piece teether made of a material the maker names avoids both.
Hides in: Teething rings with a liquid or gel core, and necklaces or bracelets sold for teething
The maker's page says 100% natural rubber from Hevea trees with no BPA, PVC, phthalates or parabens, and that a Children's Product Certificate is on file; it names no lab or report, so those are the brand's statements. Natural rubber is not for a family with a latex allergy.
Manufacturer statement checked · source
Sophie la girafe's own page for this exact circle teether says natural rubber. The no-BPA and standards lines come from the brand's general natural-rubber FAQ and not from this product's page. Two other Sophie toys were recalled in France in 2026; our pacifiers and teethers sheet records what we found for this teether, including no US recall of it as of October 2026.
Manufacturer statement checked · source
Nuby's own page says all-natural rubber and nothing more. "BPA-free" and "phthalate-free" appear only in marketplace listing copy, not on a Nuby page we found.
haakaa's own page says 100% food-grade silicone and "BPA, PVC and phthalate-free"; that is a manufacturer declaration, not an independent test. The page states no age range.
Manufacturer statement checked · source
A rattle that doesn't say what it is made of
Federal rules require a rattle to pass a throat-size test fixture before and after use-and-abuse tests (16 CFR 1510), though marketplace sellers do not always comply, so buy from a maker you can name. What the rule does not tell you is the material, and a rattle is a toy a baby mouths. A maker that prints one material and a PVC-free line has given you something to check.
Hides in: Rattles with no materials line, or a bare "non-toxic"
mushie's page says food-grade silicone, free of BPA, BPS, PVC and phthalates, 3 months and up. Its description says the "exterior" is silicone and does not describe the inside. "Third-party tested to meet CPSIA, ASTM, and Prop 65" is the brand's statement; it names no report.
Ingredient panel checked · source
Stacking sets with a hollow interior or an unnamed plastic
Open cups have no sealed cavity for water to sit in (our reasoning, not a tested finding), and they move from the floor to the bath. Wooden sets are real options, but the two in our catalog (Fisher-Price and PlanToys) are both graded 12 months and up by their makers, so they belong to the next stage, not this sheet.
Hides in: Stacking toys made of an unnamed plastic, and wooden sets graded for 12 months and up
Eight open polypropylene cups; mushie's page says 100% food-grade PP, free of BPA, BPS, PVC and phthalates, 10 months and up. "Third-party tested" is the brand's statement.
Ingredient panel checked · source
Green Toys' page says 100% recycled plastic with no BPA, phthalates or PVC, and dishwasher safe. It names no resin and the page we read gives no age grade, so check the box.
A soft toy with no fiber content on the tag
Plush and stuffed toys are covered by the same small-parts rule as any other toy for a child under 3, so eyes and buttons are the first thing to check. What the rule does not tell you is the fabric and the filling. A toy whose maker names both gives you something to check.
Hides in: Plush with embroidered or glued-on features you cannot test, and no fiber line
Under the Nile's page says made and stuffed with 100% organic Egyptian cotton, free of PVC, BPA, flame retardants, fragrance and lead, suitable for ages 0+. GOTS certification is the brand's statement; the page gives no certificate number and we did not check the GOTS database.
Manufacturer statement checked · source
A play mat that won't say what it is made of
A mat is the surface closest to a baby's hands and mouth during tummy time and floor play. Most of what is sold is foam or polyester, and listings that say only "non-toxic" give you nothing to check. We have one mat pick and did not source a foam mat for this sheet.
Hides in: Foam mats and gyms with no material named, or a bare "non-toxic" or "BPA-free"
Lovevery's page names real wood, silicone, cotton, a polyester mat and a silicone teething ring made without PVC, and says OEKO-TEX STANDARD 100 certified; that is the brand's statement, since the page gives no certificate number. The sensory strands that come with this listing are 95% cotton and 5% polyester, filled with polyester fiber and 2% plastic film the page does not name. The Amazon listing is about $175.
Manufacturer statement checked · source
Hollow squeeze bath toys with a small hole
The 2018 study found biofilm in every toy it cut open but did not test shapes. Our reasoning, not the study's, is that a toy you can rinse through and dry gives water less place to sit. Our bath toy explainer has the full finding.
Hides in: Squirters and squeaky animals with one small opening
The maker's page describes a wide spout for scooping and pouring and says dishwasher safe, recycled plastic with no BPA, phthalates or PVC. It does not say whether the hull is sealed, and the page we read gives no age grade, so turn it over to drain it after every bath.
Do the free things first
A cold washcloth
The AAP suggests a damp, twisted washcloth chilled in the freezer, knotted at one end, for a teething baby to chew. It costs nothing and is not a toy anyone has to certify.
A blanket on a clean floor
It does the job of a play mat for tummy time and floor play, and a mat is the pricier answer to a question a washable blanket also answers.
Everyday objects in reach
A wooden spoon or a board book gets mouthed like any toy. Check it for splinters and loose parts first, as you would a rattle.
Label traps
- "Non-toxic" on a toy — For toys it is not a defined regulatory term, and a toy legally sold in the US already has to clear the lead limit and the mandatory toy standard.
- "CPSIA compliant" as a selling point — Compliance is the legal baseline for any toy sold in the US, so it separates nothing.
- "BPA-free" on a soft toy — BPA is mainly a hard-plastic and can-lining chemical. On a soft toy, the question that matters more is PVC.
- A toy age-graded 3+ handed to a baby — "3+" means the maker is not claiming the toy is suitable for children under 3, often because of small parts. Check the grade against the youngest child in the house.
How we choose
We read the maker's own page and record what it says, including what it does not say. We favor toys whose maker names the material, and shapes that avoid the questions our explainers raise. Where a brand names a standard or a certification, we repeat it as a statement and not as a certification, and say when we did not check the certifier's database.
- The maker's own page names the material
- No PVC or soft vinyl of unknown material
- A solid or one-piece shape for anything a baby chews
- An age grade the maker states, where the page gives one
- Maker's page read and dated on our product panel; eight of the ten picks were read in October and November 2026, four of them for this sheet; the Sophie la girafe and Nuby panels date from August 2026
Every source we cite is checked against our criteria first — see how we check our sources.
What the research says
The CPSC this year issued 498 notices of violations for toys through June, as of the latest data available (Sept. 23, 2025).
— A U.S. PIRG Education Fund report authored by Teresa Murray found ...
Trouble in Toyland 2025: A.I. bots and toxics present hidden dangers — U.S. PIRG Education Fund (2025-11-13)
When you buy a toy or any other product online and it's shipped directly to you from another country, it generally doesn't get inspected before it gets to your mailbox.
— A U.S. PIRG Education Fund report authored by Teresa Murray found ...
Trouble in Toyland 2024: Unsafe toys that slip through the border — U.S. PIRG Education Fund (2024-11-19)
Selecting products labeled 'fragrance-free' rather than 'unscented' may help reduce exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals because unscented products may contain multiple scents, still bound by phthalates, that are mixed to cancel each other out.
— According to American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists guidance co-authored by Tracey J. Woodruff, PhD, MPH, ...
Reducing Prenatal Exposure to Toxic Environmental Agents (Committee Opinion No. 832) — American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
Sources
- Toy safety requirements for children's products (CPSIA) — U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (how we check this source)
- 16 CFR Part 1501: Method for identifying toys and other articles intended for use by children under 3 years of age which present choking, aspiration, or ingestion hazards because of small parts — Electronic Code of Federal Regulations
- 16 CFR Part 1510: Requirements for rattles — Electronic Code of Federal Regulations
- Teething pain: what to use and what to avoid — American Academy of Pediatrics (HealthyChildren.org) (how we check this source)
- Safety standard mandating ASTM F963 for toys (direct final rule, effective April 20, 2024) — U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
- CPSC Prohibits Certain Phthalates in Children's Toys and Child Care Products — U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (how we check this source)
- Sleep-related infant deaths: updated 2022 recommendations for reducing infant deaths in the sleep environment — American Academy of Pediatrics (Pediatrics, 2022)
- Ugly ducklings: the dark side of plastic materials in contact with potable water — npj Biofilms and Microbiomes (2018)
Common questions
Every toys & art suppliesproduct we've reviewed— what we'd buy, what we'd skip, and where each one stands.