Published on June 23rd, 2008
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As part of Eco Child’s Play Labor of Love series on birth stories, natural birth, hospital births, and home births, our writers will be sharing their birthing and pregnancy stories. We’d like to hear your birth stories too, whether you are a mother, father, grandparent, or adoptive parent.
We are encouraging our readers to share their thoughts and birth stories by hosting a giveaway contest.
Entries in the contest are made by leaving a comment or birth story on the Green Options Forum. At the end of the week (6/28), we will randomly pick two winners for this giveaway. Up for grabs are:
IsaBootie: Funky and Stylish Soft Soled Baby Shoes
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Published on June 12th, 2008
It is so heartening to see the growing availability and market for eco kids’ clothes. These clothes have become quite stylish over the last several years and are made from organic cotton and bamboo. The eco benefits of bamboo clothing are sometimes debated, but you can’t deny that there are many environmental and health benefits of this grass. Bamboo clothing is softer than cotton, is grown organically, is uv-resistant, adjusts to body temperatures, etc.
Bambino is a company making organic baby clothing from bamboo and cotton. These clothes are super cute and stylish. My favorite item is the Mao Mummy Pyjamas. These jammies are made from woven bamboo that is soft and has a nice texture. This product definitely matches Bambino’s mission of:
Using eco-innovation to deliver stylish and luxurious baby clothes in fun and inspiring colors, we like to keep things simple by avoiding big logos and branding.
I like to keep things simple by avoiding big brands too, and the more I read about this company’s philosophy, the more I fall in love with their products. Read the rest of this entry »
Published on June 10th, 2008
I always cringe when I see babies and toddlers in hard sole, inflexible shoes, as if their feet are bound like Chinese girls a hundred years ago. Little feet need to grow naturally, without the restrictions of hard shoes, and pediatricians now recommend that children go barefoot until they are two-years-old. The next best thing to bare feet, which is not always practical when walking outdoors or in cooler temperatures, are soft-soled shoes. We have previously reviewed Robeez footwear, but a more eco-friendly, made in USA option exists: IsaBooties.
IsaBooties are made in Colorado with fair labor. These soft-soled shoes are formaldehyde-free, and the “ultrasuede” fabric exceeds the Standard Consumer Safety Specification for Toy Safety (ASTM F963-07). The fabric is durable, machine washable, breathable, and 100% vegan! These shoes are stain resistant and do not fall off, as well as they help keep socks on little crawling feet. The packaging is made from 100% recycled materials, is 100% recyclable, and printed with soy ink. Read the rest of this entry »
Published on June 4th, 2008
When I first spotted the Psling on Keri Russell in Celebrity Baby Blog; I thought to myself, $350 for a piece of fabric and rings; people are crazee (whirling my fingers around my ears) . However, I had to admit it was beautiful. So beautiful that I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Then I started obsessing about it and started reading about it all over the internet.
The Baby Wearer, a forum for baby wearing parents and advocates, could not stop raving about its comfort and beauty. So like a sucker; I convinced my significant other to drive to the city (our first time in the year that we moved to PA). so I can try out this incredible piece of fabric. We got to Soho, parked the car, and found our way to PSNY. There was the beautiful sling that I was meant to have. I bought it. (Like a sucker)
So now that I have this beautiful yet expensive piece of fabric tied with two rings, two things come to mind.. guilt… yes.. but bigger part is rebellion. Ever since I took on the challenge of greening up my life, everything had to Eco-friendly. I gave up my beloved Ajax for Mrs. Meyers. My antibacterial dish soap for an Earth friendly one (one that doesn’t clean as well). Tried out the Earth friendly gdiapers which in reality made more work for me. Turn off the powercord, unplug everything, recycle… it’s just exhausting.
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Published on May 31st, 2008
I am so impressed with the folks at Kee-Ka! They sell adorable organic cotton clothing and accessories for babies/toddlers/pets with simple graphics (sweet pea, pumpkin and lion are my personal favorites). All metal closures are nickel free and they utilize fair trade manufacturing standards.
But what makes this company truly stand out is the packaging! See, when you purchase a Kee-Ka item it comes housed in this nifty little brown box crafted of recycled paper that is ready to be mailed in three simple steps. No digging for wrapping paper, no searching for tape, no “This looks like my kid wrapped it” thoughts. Nada.
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Published on May 27th, 2008
Twirls and Twigs, the California based eco-friendly clothing line for children is whimsical and inspiring. Featuring characters, such as Jules the dino, Snaily and Coco, that adorn adorable blankets and skirts, the line is made almost entirely out of organic cotton, but designer, Shawna Dalton, doesn’t stop there.
To ensure that her company is truly adhering to sustainable and responsible practices, the mother of two, who created the company for her little girls and other like-minded mothers, uses recycled cotton as well. By using recycled cotton, Twirls and Twigs designs helps keep an estimated 5 billion pounds of waste from hitting US landfills. The company uses pre-consumer remnants that have already been dyed and would have been needlessly discarded.
These nostalgic designs and comforting characters are enough to inspire flights of fancy in children and adults alike.
Published on May 26th, 2008
I’ve never been a big fan of baby showers (my children had Blessing Ways), and the silly baby shower games annoy me. The typical baby shower involves massive amounts of baby paraphernalia gifts that the soon-to-be mom often doesn’t really need. A friend of mine recently asked me to make a list of eco-friendly baby shower gift ideas. This list includes babywearing items, bpa-free bottles, teething toys, clothes, and beauty products for babe. You don’t have to be invited to an “eco” baby shower to give a green gift.
Top Ten Eco-Friendly Baby Shower Gifts
- Moby Wrap Baby Carrier: This wrap is perfect for carrying newborns. It is the most comfortable baby wearing apparatus, and it keeps the baby snugly held against your body and protected from curious strangers and their germs. It is made from a large piece of stretch cotton and can be used as a blanket as well as a wrap. It is available in an organic cotton material too.
- California Baby Shampoo and Bodywash: This all natural, SLS-free baby soap is perfect for a newborn’s first bath. It is so gentle and safe, and it will not irritate eczema and cradle crap.
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Tags:
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BPA-free,
California Baby,
eco baby shower,
eco-friendly,
ergo carrier,
green gifts,
klean kanteen,
organic,
organic cotton,
under the nile
Published on May 21st, 2008
Baby booms seem to come in waves. First everyone you know is having babies, then there’s a lull. I’ve been pleased to find that in the latest round of babies being born, there are lots of organic and natural baby presents from which to choose.
The organic onsie from Babyish.com is going to be one of my favorites. I’ve always been a fan of clothing with cute sayings. The ones I wore in my single days tended toward the racy; now they tend toward the green so what better to give my newly maternal friends than a onsie or baby hat with the tagline:
Go Gween!
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Published on May 13th, 2008
I am in LOVE with this company, Speesees, which provides fun and stylish children’s things from beautiful kimono onesies to au natural baby hat. Here are the other reasons to love this Eco-conscious and green company.
- It’s manufactured under fair trade practices in India and the owner has developed a close relationship with the farmers who live bio-dynamically and receive health care.
- Everything is made from handpicked organic cotton, and knit and dyed with low impact dyes. All the products are made sweatshop free. “Natural light floods the premises and our energetic team, including disabled members, work decent hours for fair living wages. An organic garden surrounds the premises.”
- They give back to the community by donating $1 to every $100 earned from online retail orders. The company has also implemented a recycling program.
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Published on May 1st, 2008
I LOVE my Envirosax Totes, the fashionable alternative to plastic bags. Invented in Australia (Gotta love the Aussies) , it’s incredibly durable, versatile and Oh so tres chic. I even toted 15 library books using mass transportation 7 months pregnant; that’s how useful they are.
Now, Envirosax introduces their children’s reuseable shopping bags with really quirky graphics and vibrant colors (truth be told, all of their bags are pretty vibrant). Their philosophy is “Educating the next generation in the responsible re-use of bags, Envirosax Kids will help tomorrow’s future move in the right direction.” Read the rest of this entry »
