First Toys: Designing for the First Eighteen Months

The only guide in this series where a design mistake is not a quality problem. A toy for a child who cannot yet sit unsupported goes straight into a mouth, and every recommendation here follows from that.

What is inside

• What this age band actually does to a toy, and why six of the eight behaviours are destructive tests
• Why the best toy at this age has no joints at all
• Grip sizing drawn 1:1, with the 31.7 mm banned diameter shown for comparison
• Weight: why a toy 50% larger is nearly three and a half times heavier
• Raising the grain before finishing, and why dry sanding alone fails on a mouthed toy
• Four mechanical joints that survive a wet tension test, and one that never does
• Why rattles need part 1510 read in full before you draw anything
• Cords, ribbons and flexible attachments — the limits, and the case for none
• Four one-piece forms that work, with dimensions

Format

• 5 pages, A4, PDF
• Delivered as an instant download after purchase
• Print at 100% with scaling off — several drawings are reproduced at true size
• No physical item is shipped

Please note

This is a design guide, not legal advice, and it does not substitute for testing. Regulatory figures are cited to their source so you can verify them against the current text.