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Tag Archives: Kids
Do Green Eggs and Ham Come From Green Chickens and Pigs??
In honor of Dr. Seuss’ birthday yesterday, I discovered these green farm animals.These are the greenest and pig that I’ve ever seen! Perhaps these will inspire the next generation’s Dr. Seuss to go green.
They are called Bock Bock chicken and Wiggly Woo Piggly. They are hand made by Ecoleeko. These toys are made with soft all natural materials that are hand dyed with care. The fabric is a bamboo fleece, the stuffing is kapok fibers and ground walnut shells and it’s even sewn with organic cotton thread!! Talk about eco-friendly kids toys. This is probably about as green as it gets!
Ecoleeko has a whole range of stuffed animals, bean bags, rattles, balls, bath puppets and tagged blankets made with the same sorts of all natural materials as seen in Mr. Bock Bock. The owner even details how the paperwork involved in invoicing and receipts is recycled, as well as the packaging.
This is definitely a company owner that you know you can trust your children’s safety with. In recent years there have been so many scary recalls on children’s toys and cloths that have parents wondering what exactly is safe. Check out Ecoleeko for gifts and baby essentials instead of a big box store where items are made overseas under dubious safety regulations. Handmade supports local businesses and shows companies that we are concerned about child and planet safety!!
Playstation Kids Shirt
I ran into this fantastic shirt today online by a really cool company called Wire and Twine. It’s a very small company that hand prints the shirts they make in a barn. Yup, a big cool red barn. Between making shirts, they occassionally go out and bale hay. Hence the name, wire and twine which are two options to make hay bales. Awesome company, great graphics and a few green designs.
This one is absolutely my favorite. It reminds me of two things. First, I need to get my teenager unplugged and outside more. He has an Xbox issue from time to time. Even my preschooler is a bit addicted to her DS (I did not buy it for her!) and the tv. Second, spring is finally (I hope!) coming! What a great reminder to parents and kids that nature is the world’s best wonderland. It’s a great way for kids to learn and play. It’s healthy, free and always available! No need to worry about dead batteries either…
These shirts are printed on 100% organic cotton, sweatshop free tees and are available in kids and big kids (adult) sizes. Absolutely fantastic!! They have got some other great green shirts available on their site as well including a baby onesie that says I’m a Green Baby Diapered with a Conscience which is a great way to promote cloth diapers as an earth friendly option and a really cool (but not organic) t-shirt that graphically represents 50 ways to help the planet. This shirt is awesome and I’ve absolutely got to feature it at one point or another. It’s got some fantastic and easy ways to live a little greener regardless of how busy your schedule is. Definitely worth checking out!
Posted in Baby, Kids, organic
Tagged cloth diapers, Kids, organic cotton, sweatshop free tees, Wire and Twine
1 Comment
Green Headaches From Eco-Friendly Toys
As a mother of two, I know that musical instruments are one of children’s favorite kinds of toys. These awesome wood instruments from Plan Toys are sturdy enough to withstand the playdates my house hosts on a regular basis and be handed down to generations of music lovers to come!
Check out this drum kit — two drums, a cymbal and a ridged surface to create some fantastic sound effects with. The kids could definitely get their rock out with this set. Headache?? Sure but kids definitely need an understanding of music. It helps with learning math through pattern recognition and is a great resource to help them express themselves and their creativity. That’s definitely worth popping a Tylenol or two, right??
The banjo from Plan Toys immediately conjures up sounds of dueling banjos in my head. I can automatically picture kids strumming away with a look of pure joy and discovery on their faces. Imagine how much fun a group of kids could have rocking out with a range of these instruments.
The best part of these instruments, in my opinion, is the company’s plan to be sustainable. Their toys are made with organic rubberwood trees which no longer produce latex. This is extremely important because it means no fertilizers of pesticides were used on this wood for at least 3 years. You won’t have to worry about any chemical safety of these toys! The wood is then kiln dried using a chemical free process to strengthen the wood.
What about the paint? We’ve all heard about hazardous chemicals being found in the paint in kids toys lately and it’s enough to scare parents silly! Plan Toys only uses safe water based non toxic dyes on all of their products. They do not use dyes containing lead or any other heavy metals. The heavy metal is saved for the kids to make and rock out to with the instruments! Can you imagine a group of 3 year olds playing Metallica!! lol
The company uses a special non-formaldehyde, non-toxic E-Zero glue to assemble the pieces of their toys. They also are heavily involved in recycling and use soy or water-based inks on all of their printed materials.
They have a huge range of toys for all age ranges from baby to large scale kids toys. I definitely would recommend checking out their website for the huge range of safe toys. They also have a list of online retailers that the toys can be purchased from separated by country.
Oh Plah! Multifunctional Bracelet For Moms On The Go
Check out these cool plastic bracelets called Oh Plah!. They’re not just bracelets though — they can be used as teethers, toys and nursing reminders too! They’re made of medical grade plastic to prevent the bracelets from looking like teething toys with tons of chew marks in them. They’re 100% safe for even the smallest babe with no little parts. They’re also non-toxic, phtalate free, BPA free, lead free, latex free and bacteria resistant. They’re simple to with soap and water and dry really quickly so that you can hand it back to the babe or slide it right back on your wrist. They’re made in the US and meet or exceed all of the safety regulations.
This is totally brilliant for Moms who are constantly on the go with little ones. Any mom can tell you that kids are fascinated by jewelery. When my daughter was little, I stopped wearing anything at all for fear of her hurting herself with it. This would totally negate any of those fashion stopping offenses. And it would provide you with something to amuse little ones while grocery shopping, waiting at the doctor’s office or whatever you happen to be doing at the time.
Best of all, the company has an end of life recycling program in place. When you are done with the bracelet, you can go to their website to print off a postage paid label to send it back to them. Then they’ll use the material in the bracelet to make new products! Great idea for sustainable business plan and an absolutely fantastic product. Perfect gift for any new mom or new mom to be!!
Easter Gift for Eco-Kids
These adorable bunnies and their stacking hill are made by Etsy crafter Imagination Kids who specialize in making handmade, eco-friendly wooden toys. As a parent, I know how hard it can be to find toys that are “safe”. Toy stores are full of made in China labels with toys that are constantly being recalled for having chemicals such as lead and barium being found in them. It’s enough to scare the bejeebers out of you!
Imagination Kids takes all that worry away with their sweet and simply designed toys that kids will love. This bunny family set would make the perfect addition to any Easter basket. It comes with two adult rabbits and two baby bunnies although you can custom order more bunnies to reflect your own family. They are hand made with sustainably harvested hard wood, non toxic paints and homemade wood polish of beeswax, jojoba and essential oils. These types of toys will last through several generations of kids as well. There are no fiddly parts to break or batteries to charge. There’s nothing, in fact, to get between kids and their imaginations!
They have a whole range of toys like this in their shop. There’s cars, helicopters, multi-colored blocks (imo best toy of all time!), fairy wands (which all little girls just must have!), a variety of wooden animals (from robins to narwhals), a fire stacker, an iceberg stacker, natural wooden eggs which would also be great in an easter basket and a rainbow stacker that I’m seriously considering buying in addition to a wand.
The colors are so bright, bold and beautiful that they are simply hard to resist! Spring has been a long time coming here but this little rainbow really has got my hopes up that it will be coming sometime soon!!
Seriously consider buying toys like these that will be completely nontoxic, safe and last for years to come when filling up your kids Easter baskets this year. I’m all for candy and chocolate in moderation but a holiday is no time to forget about the good of our planet and the health and safety of our kids. Skip the dollar stores and walk right past those big box stores. You really have no idea of where those products come from, who they are helping to support, what practices they use to make their products, what exactly is in that cheap plastic egg and stuffed bunny. Shopping handmade from artisans takes all the worry out of the equation and helps to make Easter another sustainable green holiday for the good of the kids and all the bunnies in it!
Eco-Friendly Robeez Infant Slippers
Robeez is a company that literally revolutionized the water baby shoes were made. It was started by a Canadian mom who wanted shoes that would actually stay on her baby Robert. These shoes took off in a huge way with nearly every mom out there buying a pair (or six) for her kids. They stay on, are really comfy and adorable in a huge range of designs. As happens with many successful small businesses, it was bought out by another company. It’s now run out of the States and they’re adding even more designs and philosophies to the world of kids shoes.
I got an email from them yesterday announcing their eco-friendly line. I wasn’t overly optimistic that these would be anything more than another attempt at luring in environmentally conscious parents at spending their money on a green washed product. I was very pleasantly surprised however when I started to check it out.
They have a number of designs of shoes and slippers although these are the design that really started off the Robeez company. Soft soles, elasticized ankle and suede bottoms is the classic Robeez design. These shoes definitely make the slipper greener by being made of organic canvas across the foot instead of the traditional all leather design. The inks that are used in the shoe are all water soluble and the leather upper is actually recycled!! The remainder of the leather and the suede bottom are naturally tanned to reduce the impact on the earth and to allow for greater breathability for sweaty little toes.
Yes, these shoes could be more eco-friendly but the fact is that they are definitely taking steps in the right direction. I love these so much that I know I’d buy them for my daughter if they came in her size. Unfortunately, they’re only making these in the 0-24 month size range right now. They do have another line of eco-friendly sneakers that I’ll feature in another post. My hats off to Robeez for jumping into the green product revolution with two feet instead of trying to rip parents off like many other companies!!
Green St. Patty’s Day Gift: Shamrock/Heart Rattle
Valentine’s Day has come and gone but this rattle will suit the next big holiday too — St. Patrick’s day! St. Patty’s day is all about going green, right? Green beer and green baby toys. Okay, maybe not but this organic soft rattle does fit into the theme of both Valentine’s and St. Patrick’s day with four hearts forming a four leaf clover shape.
It is made from 100% organic fox fibre colourgrown cotton plush and terry cloth and stuffed with pure white wool. Super cute, eco-friendly, chemical free, natural and safe toy for baby. Check it out at a great online toystore from the UK called Toys to You that carries a ton of green toys for kids of every age.
Having Trouble Getting Your Little One To Sleep?
A few months ago, I featured Etsy seller Joyful Girl Natural as my Hump Day Etsy find. She is an extremely wonderful (and talented!) woman who has been making organic products for over 20 years and selling them for 4 years. To thank me for my feature, she sent me a bottle of this massage oil for kids. By the way, totally not necessary for people being featured to send me a gift but I probably won’t refuse! lol
The massage oil is safflower oil infused with the essential oils of organic chamomile, lavendar and spearmint for added aromatic benefits to the massage. My daughter is nearly 4 now and has been a handful to get to sleep since before she was even born. Fiesty is really how I’d describe her at bedtime if I had to use one word. This massage oil is fantastic at getting the fiestiness out of her a little bit so that she’ll lay still long enough for the sandman to find her.
This oil is great for kids that love massage — she’s definitely a massage lover! The scent of the chamomile and lavendar have the natural effects of sedation while the oils are warmed by skin to skin contact. Kids especially enjoy the power of touch constantly wanting hugs, cuddles and kisses. Massage is a natural extension of the need for touch with even the most traditional of doctors now recommending infant massage.
I love, love, love this massage oil and so does my daughter. It’s non-greasy and I don’t have to worry about what kinds of chemicals are seeping into her blood stream through her pores. The bottles used by Joyful Girl Natural are made from PET (recycled plastic) containers that do not leech into the oils inside. The bottles are easily recyclable as well as reusable if you want to refill them with another product when they’re empty.
She now has her own blog that you can check out to keep up-to-date with this Etsy seller and her extensive (197 items for sale!) line of products. The customer service is excellent but I do need to warn buyers that it may take some time for you to receive your order. This is simply because each order is custom made instead of being made in big batches and then sitting on the shelf for months before reaching you. Definitely more than worth the wait!! Thanks for the great products Shelly!!
Going on a Green Family Vacation
Now is the time of year that I always think of vacationing away from the cold and heading to the beach. Traveling with kids can be a lot of fun but it does require some strategic planning in advance.
Before you book anything, you want to make sure that the accomodations you book are suitable and have things to keep the kids busy. Is there a pool? Arcade? How far to the beach? Are cribs available? etc. Thoroughly researching where you stay before you go can save you a ton of hassles once you arrive.
Many times, private accomodations can be more family friendly and environmentally friendly places to stay at than huge hotels that use harsh chemicals to clean and waste lots of water. If you book a privately owned condo, you can cook your own food in the kitchen (maybe organic or vegan), wash your own clothes for those with sensitive skin and have more control over energy and water conservation methods. This will not only be more conducive to family living and having a green planet, it will also save you some serious green in the process. There are lots of sites that have privately owned accomodations available for rental of all kinds. Anything from mansions from $12000 a month to near the beach apartments that are $80 a night!
I’m going to go and check out panama city beach vacation rentals for quite some time before I book anything at all. Panama City has a new airport opening in May of 2010 that is supposed to be extremely eco-friendly with all the latest innovations and technologies put to work throughout that I just cannot wait to see!
Hump Day Etsy Find: Organic Kids Clothes By Seed And Sprout
Etsy is hands down one of my favorite places to shop. By shopping at Etsy, you are supporting small businesses instead of big box stores and their wasteful ways. There is a huge variety of goods available and it’s easy to find sustainable products. If you haven’t shopped there yet, definitely check it out.
I haven’t done a hump day (every Wednesday) featured crafter for a while but when I ran into seedandsprout‘s products, I knew what I’d be writing about. This shop is run by a stay at home mom with a toddler who inspires all of her work. She has a Fine Arts degree which definitely shows through in her designs.
Check out this cute and punky girls tie tee. It’s hand screened onto unbleached organic onesies or tees for kids up to size 4T. If you’re tired of dressing your princess like, well, a princess then this is the shirt for you. You can be sure that every other girl in her preschool class is not going to be rocking out the skinny tie like her in this unique and adorable tee. Are you blessed with a little boy?? Not to worry, she prints the shirts with black ties as well which are more suited to the tiny rock star prince in your life.
The adorable “i’m this many” tee is great for their birthdays and throughout the entire year. It’s a cute and graphic kids language answer to the question that so many people ask them in their day to day life. “How old are you cutie?”. These shirts are also organic and come in a range of ages from 1 to 3. As each shirt is custom made, she can make one for you in a variety of ink and tee colors. The ink used in all of her shirts is hand mixed in custom colors that are water based and completely non toxic. This means no harmful chemicals are used making the shirts better for both your kids and the planet!
Seedandsprout also has a range of shirts that are more inspired by nature such as this Growin’ Like a Weed shirt. Cute, eco-friendly, unique and a reminder to cherish the time that your wee ones are still wee for the days fly by. Before you know it, they’re heading off to high school on their own while in your mind, they are still those little babes that you held so tenderly in your arms. My son would kick me if he read that but I find myself missing those days when he was smaller as he closes in on his 16th birthday and my daughter nears 4. *sigh*
Seedandsprout’s designs are definitely worth checking out if you are looking for eco-friendly clothes that are as unique as your kids are themselves. Shopping while keeping the environment in mind not only reduces your impact on the world around you, it also encourages other companies and crafters to go green. It is also very important to note that a percentage of the proceeds from this shop go towards the March of Dimes which is a cause very close to my heart.
There are also hair pins made from recycled fabrics and eco-friendly felt made from pop bottles that would make a great addition to the shirts to finish off the eco-chic look. If your kids are into dress-up, there are some very cute felt crowns also available at her store made from eco-felt that are worth checking out.