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- Written by: Gaynor Humphrey
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Our fair trade wooden toys are handmade in Sri Lanka by a WFTO certified fair trade producer.
The wood we use is a by product of tea cultivation. The trees are grown to provide shade for the tea plants, but as they grow bigger they need to be cut down as they take the moisture needed by the tea plants from the ground. The wood itself is very light weight making the toys very light.
How wooden toys are made.
Our wooden toys all start life as a plank of wood, and they are 100% handmade.
First the design is printed on to the wood, then it is cut out, sanded and painted, all by hand.
This means that none of our toys are completely the same, and nor are they completely symmetrical as there is no automation involved in the process.
Why are wooden toys better.
Our wooden toys are better than most toys because they are 100% natural. There is no plastic involved in any of the wooden toys so wooden toys can be recycled. Unlike plastic wood can be marked and knocked but again, unlike plastic, it rarely breaks.
Wooden toys are also better because by their very nature they encourage open play. You cannot have flashing lights or wailing noises in a wooden toy so they have no set purpose which makes them open play toys. You can stack them, build them and balance them which is great for hand to eye coordination.
Which wooden toys?
We think our wooden toys are best because they are fair trade and handmade and the wood is upcycled.
Our wood is very lightweight and the paints which we use are suitable from birth.
The designs of our wooden toys all encourage open play and imaginative play.
Wooden rainbow toys.
Probably the most well known of wooden toys are the wooden rainbow toys and we have some fabulous ones. Our colours range from traditional rainbow to contemporary to pastel and black and white rainbow toys.
Wooden rainbows are a great toy for children because they can be played with in many different ways.
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- Written by: Gaynor Humphrey
- Category: Page
Best Years are one of the UK's leading suppliers of wholesale toys and wholesale baby gifts. As a leading supplier to retailers, and as a wholesale soft toy and baby gift supplier we source, manufacture, wholesale and distribute ethical toys, but with a difference.
Established over 10 years ago our huge range of wholesale baby toys and dinosaur toys are available at trade prices to Independent retailers, museums and other tourist destinations. Many of our wholesale baby toys are used in nappy cakes, gift baskets, hampers and other new baby gifts and we also have a wide range of wholesale organic baby comforters, perfect for personalisation.
Our wholesale ranges
All our wholesale baby toys are designed exclusively by Best Years and we are the exclusive UK distributor of Under the Nile organic baby comforters and organic baby toys.
We design and manufacture all our wholesale ethical toys to be suitable from birth and machine washable, and all our toys are tested to UKCA and CE.
Our wholesale organic baby toys are made in India and Sri Lanka by our trusted partners.
As a UK toy company we design and manufacture our exclusive range of wholesale dinosaur toys. Our knitted dinosaur toys are tactile, bright and robust. Designs stretch from T Rex dinosaur toys to Diplodocus to Dodos
Our wholesale wooden toys are both fair trade and handmade in Sri Lanka. Centred around our wholesale wooden rainbow toys the range is exclusive to Best Years. The wood we use is a by-product of tea plantations so the toys are fair trade, handmade and upcycled.
Wholesale organic baby hamper gifts
Our wholesale organic baby toys are perfect for baby hampers. suitable from birth and machine washable they are available in traditional pastels and contemporary tonal colours.
How to place a wholesale order
You can easily place orders for our wholesale toys, baby gifts and baby toys on our website by signing in to our wholesale/trade area.
We have no pack quantities, and our online minimum order is £75.
Wholesale delivery is usually just 3 days and there are no delivery charges on orders within UK over £300.
We are happy to supply our wholesale toys to independent retailers of all shapes and sizes but please note that we cannot allow our toys to be sold on EBay or Amazon.
For more information on any of our wholesale baby toys or wholesale baby gifts please
Trade Shows
We would love to show you our current range in person and introduce to our toys that will coming soon. We will be at the following trade shows in 2026 and would love to see you there:
Top Drawer, London Olympia 11th - 13th January
Harrogate Christmas and Gift Fair 11th - 14th January
Living and Giving, Exeter 18th - 20th January
Association for Cultural Enterprises Conference 9-11 February
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- Written by: Eliot Rayner
- Category: Page
Best Years are a baby gift wholesaler, a toy wholesaler and a baby gift and toy retailer who have been specialising in knitted and crochet toys for over 10 years. We were the first people to introduce knitted dinosaur toys to the world!
Having young children ourselves the appeal of knitted and crochet toys was instant as it offered a great alternative to the ubiquitous soft toys found all over the high street.
We are an ethical company and ethical sourcing is at the core of all our products so we found a great factory to make our first knitted toys for us, and now we have hundreds of ethical toys but we are still working with the same people we met all those years ago.
This interest in ethical sourcing also led to our 2009 partnership with the Pebble fair trade cooperatives who hand make knitted and crochet toys in rural Bangladesh creating thousands of fairly paid and flexible jobs in the process.
And since knitted and crochet goes hand in hand with cotton it was a natural process for us to find the organic cotton Under the Nile ranges we which we now offer. In 2019 we introduced a new range of fair trade upcycled wooden toys and we plan to grow the range over the next few years.
So whether you are looking for a great ethical toy for your child, or specifically for a Fair trade and/or organic toy we have a great selection for you to choose from.
Safety.
- All our toys are tested to CE
- All our toys are tested to UKCA
- All our toys are suitable from birth
- All our toys are machine washable
It matters to us that our toys are not only well designed, but well made and safe which is why we spend so much time making sure that quality stays at the core of our designs. Its why we don’t have bead eyes or any small parts on our toys.
We are an ethical company and our ethics extend from the people who make the toys through to the people who play with them and we never take shortcuts with safety.
Contact Us
If you are a retailer looking to stock a great range of wholesale toys or wholesale baby gifts please email
If you are a consumer looking for a particular toy or wanting more information about our toys please email
If you are a journalist looking for more information about our retro soft toys please email
If you are a fair trade producer or handmade cooperative looking for someone to sell your toys in the UK please email
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- Written by: Eliot Rayner
- Category: Page
Welcome to Best Years. Retail toys and Baby Gifts
Wholesale Soft Toys and Baby Gifts
The Best Place to Find Toys for the Best Years of Our Lives.
We love toys. We love how they help imaginative play, and help cement friendships. We love how children create worlds around their toys and this is why we feel that toys should be as special as the children who play with them.
So we spend our lives searching for the best possible toys and the people who can make them. We like to work with people who share our values which is how we came to partner with Pebble and their network of fair trade cooperatives. We also work with small producers in Sri Lanka and Egypt. Talented people who make the most gorgeous toys
Not only do we think that we have the cutest toys around but they are uniquely suited to the needs of young children. Knitted and crochet toys bring a tactile quality to baby toys which is great for helping sensory development. They are also robust enough to stand up to even the most active of toddler play. And it helps that they are machine washable too!
Our dinosaur toys have it all - fun, engaging, loads of play value, tactile, bright, practical and handmade. What more could you ask?
About Us
Best Years have been specialising in making toys for well over 10 years and were the first people to introduce knitted dinosaur toys to the world! Best Years now offer a wide selection of knitted dinosaur toys and have something suitable for everyone from babies to young children to dinosaur mad adults!
Having young children ourselves the appeal of knitted and crochet toys was instant as it offered a great alternative to the ubiquitous soft toys found all over the high street.
We are an ethical company and ethical sourcing is at the core of all our products so we found a great factory to make our first knitted toys for us, and now we have hundreds, still working with the same people we met all those years ago.
This interest in ethical sourcing also led to a 10 year partnership with the Pebble fair trade cooperatives who hand make knitted and crochet toys in rural Bangladesh creating thousands of fairly paid and flexible jobs in the process.
And since knitted and crochet goes hand in hand with cotton it was a natural process for us to find the organic cotton Under the Nile ranges we which we now offer. We have also expanded into handmade Natural Rubber Bath Toys and Teethers including our bestselling natural rubber rubber dinosaur toys, as well as fair trade handmade wooden toys.
So whether you are looking for a great toy for your child, a knitted dinosaur toy or specifically for a fair trade and/or organic toy we have a great selection for you to choose from.
Safety
- All our toys are tested to CE, All our toys are tested to UKCA, All our toys are suitable from birth and All our toys are machine washable
It matters to us that our toys are not only well designed, but well made and safe which is why we spend so much time making sure that quality stays at the core of our designs. Its why we don’t have bead eyes or any small parts on our toys.
We are an ethical company and our ethics extend from the people who make the toys through to the people who play with them and we never take shortcuts with safety.
Contact Us
If you are a retailer looking to stock a great range of popular toys please email
If you are a consumer looking for a particular toy or wanting more information about our toys please email
If you are a journalist looking for more information about our retro soft toys please email
If you are a fairtrade producer or handmade cooperative looking for someone to sell your toys in the UK please email
- Details
- Written by: Gaynor Humphrey
- Category: Page
As an ethical toy company, supporting charities has always been important to us.
Preschools in Bangladesh:
Gaynor & Liz were lucky enough to work with a fair trade organisation in Bangladesh and have now set up three schools for the children of the workers. Our partner provides fairly paid jobs to a huge variety of women. Some are married with children, others still young and a few who are older. However, they all want something more for their children/grand-children and this always starts with education. Opening schools in the areas they work means that they can work while their kids are at pre-school, and their children get a great start to their education.
Using profits from the sale of our dinosaur range, we have already opened 3 schools and we are currently planning to open our 4th school once Covid-19 restrictions allow.
You can read more about our pre-schools in Bangladesh in our Blog.
Peeple
Peeple are a charity based in Oxford who specialise in helping children get the best start by making the most of every day learning opportunities. Children develop through singing, talking, and stories, and Peeple work with parents and Early Years practitioners to help them make the most of the time they have with their kids.
Traditionally we have gone down the normal route of picking a charity and donating stock to them to help them raise funds. However since 2019 we have done something very different. We donated toys as and when Peeple had fundraising activities but this is not just a one way channel. As part of our relationship Peeple are allowing us access to their expertise and experience so we can bring you songs and stories involving our toys. You may have seen some of our posts on social media.
To put this in to context Peeple’s expertise has been recognised by Cbeebies who have used them as consultants on their latest TV programme, The Baby Club.
The Baby Club will appeal to families across the country, especially parents and carers of babies under 14 months old, stay at home and working mums and dads, parents who may not have access to baby groups locally or parents with older children who feel they don’t have as much time to spend with their babies. We have been delighted to sot some of our donated toys on the Baby Club TV show
Peeple have been involved in the development of the content using their expertise and experience in supporting parents and learning, to ensure that The Baby Club accurately reflects best practice.
We have supported Cancer Recovery and our local Foodbanks in recent years and are currently looking for a new local charity to support. If you know of any charities that may be able to raise funds through donated toys, please do get in touch with us -
