In the search for natural toys for toddlers, I found an adorable looking wooden play oven. Since most young children love to mimic their parents (and I spend a lot of time in the kitchen) I felt this would be the ideal gift for my soon-to-be two year old. My only problem was that I saw it online and it would have cost me a small fortune to ship it to Dominica. After a few enquiries amongst friends I was gratefully directed to a carpenter by the name of Xavier who has a company in Dominica called Custom Wood Designs. He had me email an image of the piece I wanted and within a couple of weeks, called me to say it was complete.
For a few weeks we had our play oven covered up with a cloth in our back room as it was intended to be a surprise for Keeyah’s birthday. However the suspense proved too much for me and I gave it to her a month before her big day! She really enjoys playing with it, along with all her empty little containers and cooking utensils. One very positive observation I’ve made so far is that her other ‘big’ friends (7 and 8 years old) who come to play with her also love it too, so I know it is a toy with a good shelf life! (Oh and, truth be told, some adults have been spotted playing with it too – I won’t mention names!!)
Keeyah playing with her oven
Handmade Wooden Toy Oven
I am really impressed with our delightful play oven. Xavier is a very talented craftsman and I highly recommend him if you want customised pieces for either home furnishings or child’s play! You can contact Custom Wood Designs by filling out my contact form here.
I look forward to hearing of other natural handmade toys you have given to your children.
that is so awesome. fantastic gift. xavier did a great job.
Looks lovely.
[...] well as the beautifully made toy oven, our lucky two-year old, received a few other handmade gifts for her birthday. We enjoy supporting [...]