Safe Wood Species for Baby and Toddler Toys

[Ron Ford]

I'm expecting a new grandson in a few months and would like to produce a few toys to welcome the little guy. Any input on wood species that would be safe for these kinds of projects will be appreciated. I'm thinking that a salad bowl finish is safe enough, but any thoughts on that will be appreciated as well. Thanks!

[Brian Brown]

How about hard maple. I eat its sap on my pancakes. :D

[Thom Sturgill]

How about hard maple. I eat its sap on my pancakes. :D
+1 and the sap is boiled down and concentrated.
Ash also works well, but stay away from oily woods like rosewoods and walnut.

[Rodney Walker]

I'd say you can add the fruit woods like cherry, apple, and pear to the safe list along with maple. I'd avoid the tropical woods and woods high in tannins like oak and walnut. I'm not too sure of long term color fastness (probably poor compared to actual wood dyes) but you can use food coloring to dye your woods safely as well.
Rodney