Is it safe for babies to chew on painted wooden toys?
Use caution with painted, glossy, old, or chipped wooden toys. For mouthing, plain solid wood with clear safety testing is the better choice.
What's actually in it
The wood is not the only thing that matters. Paint, lacquer, stain, glue, and wood preservatives can sit on or inside a toy. Babies chew and suck toys, so saliva can pull some chemicals off the surface.
The highest-risk toys are old, chipped, sticky, strongly scented, unlabeled, or very cheap painted toys. Vintage toys can also predate today's lead-paint rules.
What the research says
A 2019 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety study tested wooden children's products. It found preservatives, including lindane and chlorophenols, could migrate from wood into simulated saliva and sweat.
A 2014 Journal of Environmental Science and Health study tested toys and jewelry with a saliva extraction method. It found metals including cadmium, lead, copper, and nickel could move into saliva from some contaminated toys and jewelry.
For babies who chew everything, pick plain solid wood, avoid peeling paint, and look for current toy-safety testing. Retire any wooden toy when the finish chips, flakes, feels sticky, or smells strong.
The research at a glance
| Study | Journal | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Migration regularity of six preservatives from wooden children's products to saliva and sweat based on microstructure-related migration models. | Ecotoxicol Environ Saf | 2019 |
| Estimating children's exposure to toxic elements in contaminated toys and children's jewelry via saliva mobilization. | J Environ Sci Health A Tox Hazard Subst Environ Eng | 2014 |