Eco-Friendly Finds for Kids

Recently, I’ve come across some extremely ec0-friendly and green finds for my own children, so I am compiling a list of my top 5 here:

Last month at Toy Fair I came across a lovely collection of pillows and charms called Poofin.  Two moms created the brand as a way for kids to collect the things they care about most.  First, there’s the Poofin Star, a plush, soft star-shaped pillow.  It has a hole for kids to stuff charms, also soft, which have pictures of their favorite things – butterflies, ice-cream, soccer balls and puppies – into.  When they want to show their friends, they can take them out via a zip on the pillow for easy storage.  The goal is to have a customizable collection that defines a child’s interests.  Charms cost $4.99; the star-shaped pillows cost $24.99

The Poofin Star pillow is made from 100% polyester materials using PVC-free printing inks and dyes and a lead-free plastic zipper. All Poofin products are independently tested by TUVRheinland – one of the largest safety testing groups in the world – and are certifiably lead-free and PCV-free. Poofins can be purchased at www.poofin.com.

My son is really psyched about his new Poofin pillow.  He’s already filling it with special memories.  It’s a key to self-discovery.

I’m always looking for toys that send positive messages to my daughter.  She’s turning 8 soon and is more influential than ever.  Go! Go! Sports Girls are ready to teach little girls like my own a strong but subtle message to have healthy life skills, positive attitude and the determination to be strong & pursue their dreams.

My own daughter is a soccer player and so we were excited when we received Cassie the Soccer player Go! Go! Sports Girls doll.   A plush doll dressed in soccer uniform, carrying a soccer ball, there is nothing sassy about her.  It’s nice to have a doll who’s not trying to prove anything.  She’s no barbie doll or Bratz doll; rather she’s innocent and out to prove that matters is being true to yourself.  The SRP of each doll is $14.

Dream Big Toy Company, the creator of the dolls, also feels strongly about giving back. A portion of their profits is donated to organizations that encourage girls to participate in physical activity and develop healthy lifestyles.  They’ve also partnered with Girls, Inc, a fab company who’s goal is to remind girls that girls can do anything and become anything they try.  Membership is free.  Check it out here.

When the Land of Nod catalog came a few weeks ago, my 6 YO delved into and started scoping it out.  I was surprised at how many things he circled, as I am not quite the type to go through catalogs.  One of the things he fell in love with was their bean bags.  For days he asked me when I was going to order it.  Then of course, my daughter started asking for one, so I had to order two.  I stalled as long as I could before I eventually made my purchases.  I have to say, they’re really awesome.  They have comfy brushed cotton twill covers, and they’re personalized, each with their name.  My kids love watching TV in them and find them very relaxing.  I was worried about having space to store them, but they squeeze nicely into the corner in the den.  Their covers are durable and 100% cotton for easy wash.  The cover and insert were delivered separately but came within a few days apart of each other.  The SRP is $105 on their web site.

At the Brooklyn Baby Expo put on by my friends at AChildGrows.com, I brought home a fab bag full of eco-friendly baby items.  One that caught my eye was a new line of toys called B.  I was instantly drawn to the beautiful packaging.  Their boxes are akin to box wrap, simply undo the tabs, flip the package over, wrap it back around the box and it’s ready to give.  Alternatively, the boxes can be used to store markers, collections or other valuables.  The colors on the package are beautiful, too, and very earthy. This toy definitely caught my eye. They have a wide collection of toys on their web site which all include a gift for mom and dad in every box, not promotional materials.  All packaging is recycled and all inks used in packaging are soy-based and all varnishes are water-based.  B. is committed to children and donate 10 cents per toy to Free the Children, the world’s largest network of children.

Lastly, in the same bag, I stumbled across a book called Planet Home by Jeffery Hollander, the co-founder and chief-inspired protagonist of Seventh Generation.  The book is a useful guide to “cleaning and greening the world you care about most”–your home. The book runs through every room in your home: the kitchen, the bedroom, the nursery, kids room, family/living rooms, bathroom, utility rooms, laundry room, and home office, and gives you ways to save money while making the home healthier and more eco-friendly.

The book contains checklists on the safer and less safe ingredients for cleansers, recipes to make your own cleansers, cupboard staples everyone should have that can clean most things without harsh chemicals (i.e., who knew you could polish silver with natural toothpaste?), tips on healthy cookware and a very useful guide to safely prepping and storing foods.  Order the book on Amazon here.  The SRP is $19.99.

Disclosure: Some of these items were provided to me free of charge, such as the Go!Go! Soccer Girl Doll, the Poofin pillow and the items in the Brooklyn Baby Expo bag.  The Land of Nod were not provided to me fro this review and all opinions expressed are my own.