A wooden push toy is the one corner of the toy shelf that never really dates, and this giraffe makes the case. It is a wooden toy in the plainest sense: a shape, a long neck, and something for a small hand to hold onto. The play is entirely the child's, which is the quiet reason wooden toys for toddlers keep reappearing on gift lists long after the noisy plastic has been retired to a bin in the garage. A wooden giraffe toy also earns its keep between play sessions, sitting out on a shelf without embarrassing the room, which is more than most of what comes home from a birthday party can manage. It suits a first birthday, a new sibling gift, or a nursery you would rather not fill with primary-colored plastic, and it is the sort of thing that gets handed down rather than thrown out. The name is the entire instruction manual, and for a first toy that is precisely the right amount of explanation.
How do you clean wooden toys? Wooden toys are cleaned by wiping with a damp cloth and mild soap and then drying immediately; they should never be soaked or put through a dishwasher, because absorbed water swells the wood and raises the grain. Toys finished with natural oils and waxes can be refreshed periodically with a food-safe oil or wax to restore the surface.
