Toys & Baby Items In Wānaka
Looking for toys in Wānaka?
Perhaps you have a new baby on the way or you just want some waste free inspo for your family. With 90% of toys made from plastic, and many more ending up in landfill, buying sustainable toys has never been more important. Likewise, common baby items including nappies and baby wipes, take hundreds of years to break down in our landfill.
Luckily, there are plenty of things we can do to reduce waste at home including the products we buy for our tamariki. From reusable nappies to wooden toys, you can find plenty of sustainable items right here in Wānaka.
In this guide, we’ll show you where to find low waste toys and baby items in Wānaka.
Kekoa
For locally made reusable nappies, shop online at Kekoa. Available in a variety of patterns and styles, these nappies are made from recycled materials and natural fibre fabrics like cotton and bamboo. With so many options, you’re bound to find a comfy fit for your wee ones.
Along with cloth nappies, Kekoa also offer reusable wipes, nursing pads, wet bags, swim nappies, training pants and more.
Cali Woods
Cali Woods is a Wānaka based social enterprise that exclusively sells high quality, eco products. Their CaliBaby range includes reusable wet wipes, muslins, baby cloths, wet wipe sprays, reusable changing mats, training undies and Elimination Communication kits. Due to their sustainability efforts, the company is B Lab certified for their transparency, accountability, and environmental standards. Their items are available online or across a range of stores in Wānaka.
Location: Online & across a number of stores in Wānaka
Website: www.caliwoods.co.nz
Mini Monkeys
Set-up specifically for families in Central Otago, Mini Monkeys provides items that are hard to find in the region. For mums, there’s silverette cups, reusable breast pads and Mama + Me bathsoaks, packaged in a glass bottle. For bubs, there’s wooden rattles, rubber dummies, and Re-Play bowls, plates and cutlery that are made from recycled milk containers. The company also stocks a range of reusable fluffy and kids hot chocolate cups. To reduce single-use shipping bags, they also offer a free pick-up service at their base in Alexandra.
Location: Online/Alexandra
Website: www.minimonkeys.co.nz
Wonder Room
Set in the heart of Wānaka, Wonder Room stocks a great selection of eco-minded toys and baby essentials. We absolutely adore this reusable babycino cup along with other unique items including handmade baby mobiles, woollen toys, and moisturising baby bars.
Location: 80 Ardmore Street
Website: www.wonderroom.co.nz
Wastebusters
If your kids’ wardrobe needs a top-up, Wastebusters lets you fill an entire tote bag of kids’ clothes, books, and toys for just $5. Great for low-waste gifts, you’ll find all sorts of treasures from puzzles to ski jackets. What are you waiting for?’
Location: Ballantyne Road
Website: www.wastebusters.co.nz
Wrapped with Love
Based in Hāwea, Wrapped with Love is an online store specialising in locally sourced/NZ-made play boxes. The focus here is on heuristic play with wooden toys, books, and instruments. Great for gift shopping, this family-run business offers a range of boxes for new mums including a Breastfeeding Mum package with reusable breast pads, a cotton washcloth, an organic lip balm, lactation cookies, and nipple cream.
Website: www.wrappedwithlove.co.nz
Other services
Wānaka Baby
Just visiting? If you’ve forgotten something or don’t have space in the car, hire it instead! At Wānaka Baby, you can rent toys, prams, frontpacks, backpacks, highchairs, bathtubs, baby monitors and more.
Website: www.wanakababy.co.nz
Wānaka Toy Library
As parents, it can be pretty frustrating when your kids show no interest in a toy that you’ve literally just bought. That’s where the Wānaka Toy Library comes in. With a growing collection of 800+ toys for children aged 0-6 years, the toy library helps families save money and the planet.
The concept is simple; reduce your use of plastic toys and borrow them from the toy library instead. Along with toys, they also stock costumes, cake tins, party kits, kids’ gardening equipment, and more.
Location: Tin Shed, A&P Show Grounds
Website: www.facebook.com/WanakaToyLibrary
A tip from us...
As you can see, there are a lot of amazing products out there and sometimes making the swap can feel overwhelming. When you’re looking for solutions and alternatives, it’s best to take it one step at a time. Choose one item that you’re going to swap out and focus on implementing that into your daily routine. Once you’ve done that, you’ll find that it becomes easier to adopt more low waste solutions.
Remember, behaviour change isn’t something that happens overnight. So relax, do what you can, and, most importantly, have FUN!