I would recommend this finish schedule.
Baby safe wood finish.
It has extremely low odor and zero voc.
Get dewaxed clear shellac flakes mix it yourself and when it dries there should be nothing but pure shellac on the wood.
Baby safe saturates raw wood with dense beeswax and a super pure oil made from the flax plant.
If you re concerned you could just use a mineral oil finish.
Shellic is also quick to dry and semi oderless.
There are ways to color wood in a toy safe manner but let s begin with clear finishes.
If you want to add something to the wood so that it looks more finished something now commonly done with wooden chopping boards then you can oil it with liquid paraffin us.
Shellac is a popular finish that brings out wood grain and makes it look natural.
If kitchenware is bought as or carved from unfinished wood applying a food safe finish is a simple process.
Let dry for 15 minutes and apply an additional coat.
Just purified beeswax and a specially filtered and refined flax oil linseed.
It can be used as a baby safe stain because it is composed of a natural resin that is non toxic and hypoallergenic.
Yea the same stuff as baby oil without the perfumes in it.
Baby safe was invented by the founder of earthpaint for his son so he could have a pure non toxic wood finish to start the early years.
Wood is quite a resilient material and even with nothing to protect it it can hold up surprisingly well.
You re right about a cured finish being safe.
Baby safe is an all natural wood finish that is handmade in asheville nc.
Some species of wood can be toxic all by themselves.
If not staining then the first coat of material should be a good acrylic evaporative finish.
There are no petrochemical solvents driers polyurethanes or other toxic additives.
If it s safe enough to rub on a baby it s safe enough for the baby toys.
However depending on the situation you may choose to just sand the toy smooth ease over any sharp edges and corners and leave it unfinished.
When using an oil finish apply a generous amount to a cloth and spread until the surface is covered.
Depending on the wood you are using you may want to look at just a coat or two of mineral oil.
Sand the item with 320 grit sandpaper until smooth and fully remove dust.
Shellac is probably the safest finish i know of.
There s also the possibility that the baby could be allergic to some specie that s not commonly known to be toxic.
I usually saturate a small rag and wipe on a fairly heavy coat.
Stain if you want to with food safe stains in bright colors or wood tones made with food coloring red yellow and black can make a myriad of wood tones for this purpose and the stain is cheap.