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In short, Schleich animals are unsafe and toxic. They are made of PVC which is a known carcinogen (or cancer causing). They bear the Prop 65 warning, which you want to avoid, especially in toys! To learn more, check out: Don’t Buy Schleich Animals | Unsafe Toxic Toys.
Note: This post may contain affiliate links. What does this mean?
We’ve put together a list of some safe, non-toxic alternatives to Schleich animals and dinosaurs. Unfortunately, Schleich isn’t the only brand of toy animal figurines to contain PVC!
Yes, with these alternatives you will be making some compromises compared to Schleich - but with Schleich you are compromising on your child’s health as well as our environment, so ask yourself which is more important? Is it really that important that your child have a realistic lion? Or a lion that can go in the bathtub? Or a lion that makes realistic footprints?
So let’s get into some alternatives…
Holztiger is a German-based company that makes wooden animals and dinosaurs (and people). They are made with sustainable wood, colored with non-toxic water-based paint and finished with a water-based sealant.
There is a large selection of animals to choose from, as well as different dinosaurs.
Here is a sample of what some of the Holztiger animals and dinosaurs look like:
Where to Buy Holztiger:
Lollipop Sky - has a large selection, but shipping can be slow (a Canadian-based company)
Ostheimer is another great German-based company that makes wooden animals. They are more expensive than Holztiger (more on that below) and do not have any dinosaurs. Ostheimer animals are made of sustainable wood, colored with non-toxic stains and finished with natural plant-based oils.
There is a large selection of animals to choose from. Here is a sample of what some of the Ostheimer animals look like:
Where to Buy Ostheimer:
Natural Baby Co. - our first choice! Has a huge selection, fast shipping, free shipping over $49 and great customer service
Lollipop Sky - has a large selection, but shipping can be slow (a Canadian-based company)
If you’re looking for non-toxic animal toys that can go in the bath (or get wet), then check out Tikiri.
Tikiri animals are made of natural rubber and painted with soy-based inks.
There is a much smaller selection of animals made by Tikiri than compared to Holztiger or Ostheimer. They also make dinosaurs.
Here is a sample of what some of the Tikiri Toys look like:
Where to Buy Tikiri Toys:
Natural Baby Co. - only carries some animals (if you want Tikiri dinosaurs, you’ll have to buy directly from the Tikiri website)
If you have a dino-lover, check out the dinosaurs from Magic Cabin. Though they are much bigger than the Schleich dinosaurs, they are a good alternative. The Magic Cabin dinosaurs are made of natural rubber, are very realistic in both look and texture, and are posable. They don’t have a huge selection, but these are sure to be a hit.
Here is a sample of what some of the Magic Cabin dinosaurs look like:
Let’s take a look at how these alternatives to Schleich compare price-wise.
Let’s take the lion and compare the brands:
Yes, the non-toxic alternatives to Schleich animals are more expensive, but in our opinion, they’re worth it!
Your child does not need toy animal figures or a huge collection of them. Though there aren’t as many animals in the non-toxic brands compared to Schleich, there are way more animals than one child needs. Don’t fall victim to collecting them all.
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