The Ethical Toy Guide helps you buy wisely

Of all the preconceptions about parenthood, one of the most common seems to be that you won't allow your living room to become dominated by a heap of brashly-coloured plastic toys. Perhaps you'll let a few carefully-chosen exquisite wooden playthings into your home, but that's it. Everyone knows that babies are just as happy playing with a few cotton reels...don't they?

That was my thinking, too, and I often reflect on it as I'm sorting out Tabitha's many thousands of toys. A news story in the UK newspaper The Independent particularly caught my eye, with its assertion that the average child will have owned toys worth £11,000 ($21, 594) by the time he is 16. It sounds astonishing, but only two years into the game, I wouldn't be surprised if we were well on the way to that figure.

The answer? Buy wisely. Buy toys that will last, made of materials that are environmentally friendly. The story highlights the Ethical Toy Guide, just published in the UK, and provides a list of the highest-scoring companies. Top of the heap comes Lanka Kade (wooden toys, as above), followed by Holz Toys. Also winning praise are George Luck Puzzles.

All three are definitely worth a look, especially if, like me, you'll be meditating on that figure while you decide what to buy your child this holiday season.