Green Options

Oh Plah! is French for “Here you go!”.  This nifty bracelet is a colorful addition for a fashion forward Mama and does double duty as a toy to entertain a fussy baby.  Oh Plah! is free of lead, PVC, BPA, and phthalates.

My kids were always wanting to play with whatever was attached to my body and sometimes we ran out of the house without stashing a toy or two in the bag, so wearing a safe toy would have been a great help in our world.

There are no small or movable parts on this bracelet… it is one piece of durable, flexible material.  The bands are designed to stand up to lots of bending and chomping.  It can be cleaned up simply by washing in warm, soapy water.  In addition to being free of nasty chemicals, this bracelet meets or exceeds all CPSIA regulations and it is made in the U.S.A.

Yet another victory and more good news for toy safety happened to day, with a judge ruling that toys and baby products with pthalates must be removed from the shelves.

“Today’s victory gives parents the certainty Congress tried to provide in the first place – that their children are safe from harmful chemicals in their toys,” said Aaron Colangelo, NRDC attorney. “This is a big win for children’s health and consumer safety.”

The NRDC filed a lawsuit against the CPSC in December after a loophole had been proposed to allow companies to continue selling pthalate-laden products so long as they were made prior to the ban date.

Recently, Eco Child’s Play editor Jennifer Lance wrote about the CPSIA that will go into effect on February 20, 2009, thus decimating the thousands of handmade mom and pop run businesses in this country. Without the ability to sell their toys, hair accessories, clothing, and shoes (yes, it’s not just toys!), these families will be gravely affected - as will the many children and parents who have enjoyed these safe handmade toys and goods.

In response to the pending act, parents, small business owners, and online websites have joined together as a means to have their voices heard and encourage government officials to make changes to the act before it puts so many folks out of business.

Let’s face it, I like toys. Sometimes the toys I buy for my children are more for me, like their four foot tall wooden doll house. I always wanted a doll house like that, I grew up in extreme poverty so good, quality, safe toys weren’t an option. My kids love it, but I might love it just a wee bit more. They certainly don’t appreciate it like I do as they have always had everything they need and plenty extra. This makes our toy choices even more important because I want my children to learn something about the world we live in. I want them to grow up and make conscious decisions about what they buy and how it affects other people and our planet. I want them to understand the value of the dollar and learn to use it wisely.

That said, we believe in buying earth friendly toys. Educational toys are always high on our list as are toys that will last a long time, more bang for the buck so to speak. Here are some of my favorites.

Planet Pixies- these adorable dolls are made from organic cotton. Each Pixie comes with a message about helping save our world. Anyu the Ice Pixie is from the North Pole and teaches little ones about how pollution is destroying the polar ice cap. She also gives tips on how we can help. Then there is Kayla the Marsh Pixie from the Florida Everglades and Maia the Tree Pixie from the Amazon Rain Forest. I can just picture my adorable (and precocious) three year old toting around one of these soft, lovey dolls and telling how she is helping to save the polar bears and their home.

Are you a concerned parent who is searching for a way to increase your childs Earth savviness? If so, I’ve found the perfect Holiday gift for you!

Idbids.

This little guy is the water drop, Waverly. He is here to teach you about protecting and preserving water. Waverly has two friends, Lola the Flower and Scout the Cloud. Lola is an expert in trees, flowers and plants while Scout is all about our air.

Each Idbit Starter Kit comes with:

Good news on the toy front.National toy expert Marianne Szymanski who runs Toy Tips proclaims:

“There is no hot toy this year!”

“Because of all the recalls, safety is of utmost concern to parents. Instead of running store to store looking for one particular toy, shoppers are picking up box after box frantically reading labels to make sure they are making the right purchases…” “Taking the time to research toys rather than just buy what’s on ‘hot’ lists is the smart choice for any child.”

That seems to be what the child development experts have been saying all along. It took the recall scare to get the word out. Ms. Szymanski goes on then to list smart toy buying tips for parents.

1. Read the package and age guidelines. Make sure the age matches a child’s skill level. Not all children develop at the same rate and this is a safety concern.

2. If made in China and the shopper is hesitant, keep in mind any toy made anywhere (not just China) at anytime can be recalled for any reason.