Eco-friendly products for kids and babies

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Earth Day is coming up soon and I think it’s a good idea to spend extra time remembering that we have to take care of our planet. We need to use products that are more eco-friendly. It’s also a nice time to discover new eco-friendly products for kids and babies that you might not have heard of.

Some samples were received. All thoughts are my own.

Apparel

OluKai shoes

When it comes to shoes, these are often things that kids will wear down and grow out of. We try to pass them down as much as possible to help get the most wear out of them. To make shoes even more eco-friendly, OluKai is doing more. OluKai makes earth friendly shoes using recycled rubber in the outsoles of all of the shoes, additionally they are a Certified B-Corporation. As a B Corp, OluKai is one of the most socially responsible and environmentally sustainable companies out there.

They are one of less than 2,000 businesses that are a Certified B-Corporation, they also give back to the Conservation Alliance, and community wise— they have the Ama OluKai foundation which works to preserve Hawaiian culture and traditions. Pretty much, they do all that then can for the environment and community.

No only are they committed to giving back and the environment, but they make some adorable shoes. These kids NOHEA MESH GIRLS (the loafers), LUANA GIRLS (the purple sandals), KULAPA KAI GIRLS (silver sandals) are some of their girls shoes, but they also make boys shoes as well as women’s and men’s shoes.

YIP (Youth Independent Party) clothes

Just like shoes are passed down, clothes are passed down here, too. Ideally, they last through all four and have another home to go to when we are done with them. Youth Independent Party is a kids’ clothing brand that is eco-aware. Their clothes are created primarily from recycled/upcycled materials and made in the USA. YIP creates custom knit fabrics for our soft and cozy line of basic staples using Recover yarns spun from upcycled materials.

YIP makes eco-friendly, stylish knit basics for kids ages 1-10 at affordable prices (ranging from $12 to $28), so not only is it better for the environment, but also good for our wallets, too. Much of their line is gender-neutral, so families with many children can use the garments longer, whether as hand-me-downs or shared clothing between siblings.

Their line is constructed from environmentally responsible materials, and they are designed and manufactured right their hometown of Long Beach, California. Not only can I feel good about about the girls wearing these, but the style is right inline with what they love to wear. Plus, they are great for any season wear and can be worn head-to-toe or paired and layered with other wardrobe favorites.

Phunkshun Wear Neck Tubes

Phunkshun makes neck tubes and headbands for adults and children that are breathable, sweat-wicking, four-way stretch and UPF 50+.  While they might seem only for cold weather, I constantly get a sunburn on my neck after a little time outside when I put my hair up mid-day. Phunkshun is the perfect accessory for outdoor activities, protecting kids from the harmful rays of the sun or an evening chill.

Phunkshun uses REPREVE fabric for all their neck tubes and headbands, which is made out of recycled plastic bottles, thus puts sustainability first in their production process. Each neck tube saves about 10 bottles out of a landfill. Phunkshun is a Colorado Environmental Leadership-certified company, with their headquarters and Denver factory taking every step possible to eliminate waste.

They’re available in a huge range of fun prints and colors for kids including solids, dinosaurs and other fun prints like these stars.

Body Products

WaterWipes

When we aren’t using our homemade wipe solution with cloth wipes, we turn to WaterWipes. WaterWipes is the world’s purest baby wipe made with just two ingredients: purified water and grapefruit seed extract. WaterWipes are 100% free of chemicals, making it the better choice for your baby’s bum.

In fact, due to the natural ingredients, WaterWipes may help avoid nappy rash and other skin conditions. WaterWipes can be found in many stores, as well as online at retailers like Amazon.com and more.

Block Island SunCare

Skincare and sunblock are of great importance. But, they also need be free of terrible chemicals. Block Island Organics SunCare has a mineral based sunblock and a face moisturizer with SPF and has a matte finish, is non-greasy, lightweight and has no artificial fragrances.

Both their sunblock and moisturizer made the Environmental Working Groups (EWG’s) Best Beach & Sport Sunscreen and Best Moisturizer with SPF lists!

They also make several other products, too.

Savannah Bee

Savannah Bee Company skin care products are made with organic ingredients straight from the hive. The NEW Honey Wipes are made out of sustainable and biodegradable bamboo fibers. The company will run a special promo to benefit The Bee Cause Project in honor of Earth Day.

Play

Play Tent

Having play spaces for kids is huge. They love having their own little space just for them to play, rest and rejuvenate. The new Classic Linen Tee Pee by Pacific Play Tents is the perfect addition to a child’s playroom or bedroom. It has a simple yet cute design featuring a pocket for your child to store things in. The creativity your kids come up with will last for hours. It is made sturdy with wooden poles to last!

Kleynimals toy

Meet the newest addition to the Kleynimals family—the adorable Stainless Steel Rattle. Your sweet baby will be shake, rattle, and roll with their new favorite toy. This is a great rattle and option for parents seeking organic rattles. They are innovative stainless steel toys with adorable little animal faces on them. Of course, kids love our keys, but these are a great alternative to real keys. Plus, they are environmentally friendly, non-toxic, dishwasher-safe, and made in the USA. Because they are made to last, they can be passed down to future children, too.

The company’s manufacturing site is mainly powered by a hydroelectric plant and they do not use the same toxic chemicals that are often used as a wash overseas. The Kleynimals office is based in a LEED Platinum building. Kleynimals also believes strongly that every set of toy keys or flatware sold should make a positive impact in our world, starting with the manufacturing process and proceeding all the way to a happy and satisfied customer.

Two Brothers and Olivia Silicon Teethers

Parents enjoy these find elegant, French inspired, accessories for new moms and their babies from Two Brothers and Olivia. Wearers will look elegant and your baby will love chewing and playing with your cute accessory. Now you can wear a cute piece and have a teether all in one. All materials have been tested for safety and quality in the North American and European market and conform to the CPSIA toy testing regulation.

They sell teethers, bracelets, necklaces, pacifier clips, sensory products and more

Tinker Totter Robots

BeginAgain has the safe, eco-friendly toys for kids. Combining planet-smart materials with simple, creative, elegant fun, BeginAgain toys nurture the development of the whole child through unplugged play. A sustainable toy company based in Colorado, BeginAgain will release 25+ toys this year with a lineup of new specially-licensed John Deere toys, stencil kits, puzzles, building blocks, games and more to begin shipping this summer. Earth Day inspired toys available now include:

• Certified Compostable GreenRing Teether: Perfect for teething and grasping, this ring is made from a 3-inch loop of smooth maple wood encircled by soft, corn starch bio-resin. The dual material design offers tactile play and develops fine motor skills. The outer ring can be removed and cleaned in the dishwasher. Green Ring, $10, ages 6 months+.
• Tinker Totter Robots Made from Sustainably Harvested Wood: Stack and connect pieces to create colorful robots of all shapes and sizes with this 28-piece playset. Made from eco-friendly rubber wood with child-safe stains, the playset develops creative thinking and problem solving skills. Tinker Totter Robots, $30, ages 2+.
• Bathtub Pals Made from Tree Sap: Sea creatures star in splashy adventures, and verbal skills develop when kids play with Bathtub Pals. Made from natural rubber using the sap of the tree, these fun characters bubble when submerged and drain easily after playtime in the bath, beach or pool. Bathtub pals, $4, all ages.

The Good Ducks

The Good Ducks, the world’s safest rubber ducks, arethe only rubber duck that a baby should ever teethe on. All manufacturing, design, and 100% of the materials are made in the USA.  It is PVC Free, Phthalate Free, and BPA Free using the highest grade medical materials available and comes in a very cute gift box. The rubber duck was actually an original American invention before the whole industry moved overseas. CelebriDucks is pleased to lead the migration of The Rubber Duck industry back home to The United States. They come in three colors, Pink, Blue, and Yellow.

In addition to being safe for teething and chomping, they are completely sealed to keep out water so never any mold issues. Finally a bath toy I don’t have to worry about dripping mold out of the little hole!

Books

Home Grown Books is a Brooklyn-based independent publisher devoted to supporting organic learning and creativity in early education. For your little one to read and learn about the Garden, Air and The Environment.  Their books are MADE IN USA from dream to printing. They are as eco-friendly as possible using recycled paper, no-VOC vegetable inks, and wind power.

Plus, their books are cute and teach kids about the world around them and their environment!

How the Moon Regained Her Shape by Janet Ruth Heller is a story about bullying influenced by Native American legends.  This book is appropriate for children ages 2 to 10.  The story explains why the moon changes shape and helps children deal with bullies.  The sun insults the moon, and the moon feels so badly hurt that she shrinks and leaves the sky.  The moon turns to her comet friend and her many friends on earth to comfort her.  Her friends include rabbits and Native Americans. Then she regains her full shape, happiness, and self-esteem, and she returns to her orbit.  An educational appendix gives advice about bullying, scientific information about the moon, and ideas for related activities for children.

ThumbThings Fair Trade Finger Puppets

Fair Trade Finger Puppets are perfect for bringing story-time alive and entertaining your baby. ThumbThings Finger Puppets make great inexpensive gift ideas for just about everyone, even grown-ups love them just as much as kids do! It’s so fun to watch all of the girls play with the. They keep the kids entertained, and also allow them to have some silly fun. You never know what they are going to come up with.

There are over 200 adorable characters to collect, trade and share! Each finger puppet is handmade by women’s artisan collectives in rural Peru and every purchase supports subsistence communities. They are certified by Green America and Green Plus.org and are a member of 1% For The Planet.

They are $5.00 each, or choose any 5 for $20 with coupon code: FUN.

Rabbit Rally by HABA game

With crafted game pieces made of beech wood from a sustainable forest in Germany, Rabbit Rally from HABA USA, is a hip-hopping fun guessing game for 2 to 4 players, ages 4 years and up. The first player to successfully build their bridges and make it to Rabbit Island gets the golden carrot and wins! Encourages spatial thinking!

For the table

Glasstic, shatterproof water bottle

Glasstic shatterproof glass water bottle, offer the purity of glass with the portability of plastic, but is BPA free, and comes with a lifetime guarantee. They are safe for kids as the glass is contained in a protective shell so no worries of a mess or injuries in case of breakage.

They are available in 40+ color and design options and the just launched custom design tool lets people create their own style inserts (including photos) and custom printed bottle. What a great gift idea.

In honor of Earth Day, they have an Earth Day Every Day bottle.

Food

Ella’s Kitchen makes cookies, snacks and more. Their organic snacks are and most importantly, TASTY! Yeah, the kids might have had to convince me to not eat them all! They take simple, natural ingredients that ooze goodness and create baby foods, and packaging, that really connects with little ones – with flavors, colors, textures and even names that will appeal to all of their senses. They not only make good food, but also do good stuff for our environment and giving stuff back to their local communities.

Earth’s Best® was founded in 1985 and they dedicated to offering wholesome, safe products for little ones. They believe that babies deserve nutritious fruits handpicked from organic orchards, vegetables grown in nature’s soil, and foods that are made without genetically engineered ingredients. Also, they label snacks for schools that are kid safe, like those mini cookies. They are mom safe, too because I didn’t share with the kids (being nut, gluten and dairy free was huge for me, too!)

Drink in the Box

Reduce environmental waste with Drink in the Box, the world’s only reusable drink box. It is BPA and Phthalate free, won’t squirt or leak, and helps to hydrate your kids without all the sugar and risk of mold, or impact to the environment of a disposable juice boxes. Plus, it is guaranteed to last for 1500 dishwasher cycles (3-5 years). I like that I can put mostly water in and a splash of juice and the girls are getting “juice boxes” but that they can’t squeeze them like the disposable ones.

Marcus & Marcus Bamboo Fibre Dining Set

The eco-friendly and biodegradable Marcus & Marcus’ animal themed 5PC Bamboo Fiber Dining Set is colorful, durable and easy to handle for small hands. It also promotes self-feeding and assists in containing messes. The food grade bamboo fibers incorporate all the strength of traditional plastic dishes and offer the added benefits of eco-friendly construction. Each item in the set is biodegradable, heat resistant and top-rack dishwasher safe. My three year old loves to point out all of the animals and tell me the sounds they make.

Cleaning

When it comes to cleaning, I like to have chemical-free or low chemical cleaners for our house. Especially for things that littles might put in their mouth, or where they spend most of their time (aka, the floor!)

The floors

The Lightweight e-cloth floor duster removes dust, dirt, pet hair, cobwebs, and allergens from floors, walls, and ceilings. Flexi-edges clean into corners, baseboards, and easily around legs to chairs, tables, and other furniture Lightweight and highly maneuverable, it cleans better than the leading national brand because of the amazing fibers and the stronger handle. Reusable duster is machine washable and guaranteed for 100 machine washes.

The Chemical-free Cleaning Deep Clean Mop cleans all hard floor surfaces, penetrating and removing dirt, grease, oil, grime and over 99% of bacteria using just water! It features modern fiber technology, an adjustable sturdy aluminum handle and a 360 degree swivel base to clean hard to reach places other mops on the market. e-cloth will be available at ACE Hardware stores beginning May 1st.

Carpet is a little harder to be completely eco-friendly, but the Shark Rocket Complete with DuoClean Technology helps us keep the floors as dust-free as possible. It has the power of 2 distinct brushrolls spinning in unison to pull in large, small and stuck-on particles on floors and carpets – that’s Triple Particle Cleaning. It features lightweight versatility for floor-to-ceiling cleaning with powerful LED lights make it so easy to see hidden dirt.

Sometimes you want to step it up and use steam on your floors. The Shark Genius Hard Floor Cleaning System vacuum and steam mop will make it look like you’ve worked hours on your sparkling home (cleaning floor to ceiling), when it only took a quick pass! The Shark Genius Hard Floor Cleaning System  offers a flexible, tailored, all-in-one solution that delivers improved and easier cleaning than before. Cleans the dirt you can see and sanitizes* floors when and where you need it.

* Sanitization studies were conducted under controlled test conditions. Household conditions and results may vary. With Genius™ mop head only when used with steam mop. Not when using Steam Blaster™.

The baby and the house

Chemical-free and reusable cleaning cloths are a great way to clean while being eco-friendly and getting things done!

The Chemical-free Cleaning Home Starter Kit is the trifecta of cleaning cloths!  This must-have set includes the three core cloths to clean all major hard surfaces in the home without chemicals and remove 99% of bacteria by using just water. Set comes with Bathroom Cloth, General Purpose Cloth, and Glass & Polishing Cloth.  All cloths are reusable and machine washable for up to 300 washes.

Baby Care’s collection of Chemical-Free Cleaning Cloths help parents tackle dirt, grim and messes and reduce 99% of bacteria on all the hard surfaces babies come in contact with just water and the cloth.  Each cloth designed for a specific task to get the job done quickly, effectively and without the use of any chemicals. e-cloth has an entire Baby Care line including chemical-free hand and face cleaning kit, chemical-free stroller and car seat cloth, chemical-free toy and nursery cloth, chemical-free home starter kit and chemical-free table and highchair cloth. All cloths are reusable and machine washable for up to 300 washes! e-cloth will be available at ACE Hardware stores beginning May 1st.

For baby’s room

Sheets

The 100% cotton Muslin Crib Sheet from Miracle Baby is a nursery essential, providing luxuriously soft comfort as baby settles down to sleep. Breathable and gentle, muslin actually gets softer with every wash. Each set includes two fitted crib sheets.

Kid mattress

Naturepedic gets their organic cotton from local farms grown right here in the USA. And, they are regularly tested for chemical emissions and are GREENGUARD® CERTIFIED. Of course, they also meet meet CPSC firmness recommendations and fit snugly in U.S. standard size cribs.

For Outside

Bugs are super annoying outside. We get devoured once the mosquitos come out. And I hate spraying stuff all over us. BugBand Insect repellent band BugBand Wristbands and Towelettes are safe and all-natural for the entire family. BugBand Wristbands are an effective, DEET-free band that works effectively to repel insects naturally for up to 120 hours!

 What are some of your favorite eco-friendly products for kids and babies?