Vintage Toys – toys without batteries.
When I run through a toys store nowadays, it seems to be quite often you need to put in batteries in toys. Most toys have to produce light and noise or have to move or fly by themselves. That is why I wrote this blog “Vintage toys – toys without batteries”.
I wonder which effect this has on our environment. All these batteries need to be replaced sometime. Batteries contain acid, harmful substances to the environment. A battery belongs to the small chemical waste. It also takes a lot of energy, raw materials, and CO2 emissions to make batteries.
Production of batteries
The production of batteries consumes a lot of energy. For the environment is avoiding using them therefore always the best. Some types of batteries contain heavy metals such as cadmium, mercury or lead. Heavy metals can cause health damage and ecosystem damage if they get into the environment. Heavy metals are therefore increasingly used in batteries. Since 2008, rechargeable nickel cadmium (NiCd) batteries are forbidden except in cordless tools and alarm systems. Mercury is also banned in most batteries. Only button cells may still contain mercury, but no more than 2 percent of the total weight.
Chemical waste
The harmful substances in a battery are produced during combustion. Therefore it is very important to return used batteries as chemical waste. Most supermarkets have a battery return policy.
Toys without Batteries
When you are gone buy new toys for your children, would you consider toys without batteries?
Here are some toys I want to bring to your attention.




You can see how we spend several enjoyable hours with to tattooing, even I had to get some!
Super tattoos for boy or girl
Phlatball, a discus, and ball in one.

Press the ball flat, throw it as discus and catch it as the ball! As he flies through the air, he jumps back into its original shape! It is made of a soft material, it can float in the water.

Tennis training set.
With this Power Tennis training set, tennis gets a whole new sensation!
You can give yourself tennis lessons!
Play in pairs or alone. You can put the stick in the ground and the ball hanging on a string, you can easily play tennis without having to lose the ball. Very convenient, you don’t have to disturb your neighbors for asking back the ball.
This tennis set is my Topper. All the kids here are crazy about it.
Magic magnetic drawing board

When you are finished, just start over again.
All my kids enjoyed this one!
Bedroom basket
I don’t know if this is a very handy toy…
Click for more baskets on the picture
I hope you like the toys I found for you,
fun to play with, without any batteries.
Kids have energy enough by themselves, they really don’t need an extra battery. When my son was 2,5 years old, he was completely obsessed by a roll of scotch tape. He could play with it for hours. Sticking his fingers or feet together, taping 2 chairs together, making a whole sticky cobweb of the room.
When you click on the pictures you find out where you can buy these toys.
By Loes Knetsch





Thinking of all the silly toys I played with as a kid – kids really miss out on some of the imagination we had to apply to our games. These are great!
Hello Don, thanks, in my youth we spend hours in the pasture with a stick and a cow pie ;)between calves and cows, a big tire on a rope hanging in a tree, was our swing, nowadays the cows doesnot seem to have any calves, and you have to search for them in the pastures, they hardly coming outside anymore, it’s a pitty, greetings Loes
This is so true! Today’s kid’s have too much electronics. I remember 20 years ago, my son could spend hours having fun and using his imagination, with a big empty cardboard box!
Goodday to you DK Nagano, yes, what happend to these boxes which represented boats, houses and cars, Loes
Thank you!! I remember having nothing with batteries when we were kids. Even my own kids had many toys that didn’t require them. Nowadays, unfortunately it is hard to find. I love that you have created a site specifically geared to this!
Hello Alison, thank you for your reaction, the only thing in my youth with batteries was, as far as I recall, the transistor radio from my Dad 🙂 Loes
Great post! I think its extremely beneficial, not just on reducing battery waste but also for the development of kids. There are so many kids these days consumed by electronics and most of the time they don’t have a clue what to do when they aren’t being entertained by one. All of these non-battery toys you listed are great ideas! I know I personally LOVED playing with magnetic drawing boards growing up and would still to this day pick one up and use it, given the chance. Toys like these definitely promote creativity!
Hi Kasey, thank you for your reply, and I agree with you about those drawing boards, I truly love them myself too, Loes