Building a Wooden Toy collection on a budget

How to Build Your Wooden Toy Collection on a Budget

Now for the good stuff! Here are our top tried-and-tested tips to build a stunning collection of wooden toys—without spending your life savings.

1. Less Is More

One well-chosen toy can inspire hundreds of play scenarios. Take a look at something like our Rainbow Stacker can be a slide, a bridge, a cave or a cradle. Open-ended toys mean fewer purchases and more meaningful play.

2. Quality Over Quantity

Wooden toys are built to last. You might pay more upfront for something like a Bauspiel Castle Set, but you’re investing in something that will be handed down through siblings, cousins—or even the next generation.

3. Thrift & Treasure Hunting

Op shops, local markets, and recycling centres are goldmines. You may not score every time, but when you do, it’s magic. Bonus: You’re keeping toys out of landfill and giving them a second life.

4. Marketplace Alerts

Set up notifications on Facebook Marketplace or Gumtree with the term “wooden toys”. You’ll be the first to know when a bargain hits your local area.

5. DIY & Repurpose

Do you have an old wooden stool, offcuts of timber, or furniture that could be transformed? Sand it, paint it, and give it new life. Even a branch can become a wand, a balance beam, or a construction material.

6. Create a Wishlist

Most toy websites (including ours 💁‍♀️) have a Wishlist feature. Add your dream pieces and share the list with family and friends for birthdays or holidays. You’ll avoid duplicate toys and random gifts that do not align with your values.

👉 Start your wishlist here: growingkind.com.au

Here are some of our favourite items that you can find cheaper alternatives:

Threading: use a pipe cleaner and beads for a budget option or purchase a wooden lacing set that can also be used in small world play.

Calm Down Bottles: use an old water bottle and add some glitter, gelatine powder and water. Alternatively invest in a Calm Down Bottle that can be used again by adding new inserts.

Wooden Rings: find old wooden bracelets at the op shop or alternatively invest in the coloured Grapat set. Rings can be used for threading and the Grapat version use food grade dyes and no sealer, so they are safe for mouthing toddlers.

Musical Instruments: make your own using household bottles, rice, seeds. Alternatively purchase our beautiful wooden instruments that can be passed down from child to child.

Building Blocks: toilet role holders and carboard scraps are great for construction, unfortunately they won’t last long with heavy footed little ones. Opt for wooden blocks when the budget allows.

Posting Boxes: before the InnieBin or Totli box was invented we used tissue boxes. Inside we would hide bits of material or household objects, spoons, brushes.

Silks: sort through your op shop and find old silk scarves to use as an open-ended resource. Silks can be used to wrap up babies, hide objects in, as a base for small world play and so much more.