Pondering what to give all the kids on your list this year? Skip the plastic and spread a little green cheer with these eco-friendly gifts for all ages. (Click below the slideshow for product links.)
1 FOR BABIES These hypoallergenic Alpaca wool Welcome Booties from Ouef are the perfect first gift.
2 FOR BABIES I love this colorful Plan Toys Cone Sorting toy made from all natural organic recycled rubber wood and colored with water-based dyes.
3 FOR BABIES The cuddly Tofu Bear is made from soybean residue from tofu manufacturing. Sounds a little strange, but it is as soft and smooth as cashmere.
4 FOR TODDLERS Instead of using training wheels, toddlers use their feet to propel the Smart Balance Bike. This model is made from renewable birch wood, formaldehyde-free glue, and nontoxic paints and lacquer.
5 FOR TODDLERS All my kids have spent hours coloring, drawing, creating, designing, and ultimately having fun with this clever coloring book.
6 FOR TODDLERS This Leopard Hand Puppet is handknit by a collective of knitters in rural Kenya. The puppet is made out of wool colored with natural vegetable-based dyes.
7 FOR TODDLERS No eco-conscious family can be without this classic book.
8 FOR TODDLERS My kids have always loved Plan Toys, and this Eco Town is right up my alley. All the parts are made of natural, chemical-free recycled rubberwood and nontoxic dyes.
9 FOR TODDLERS MamaK’s Aromatic Play Clay is made using only gluten-free flours and organic essential oils. No synthetics, no artificial dyes--nothing but natural.
10 FOR SCHOOL-AGE KIDS Don’t tell my daughter, but I just got this Doll Kit for her. It contains handmade paper, glass beads, colorful wool felt dresses, and a needle and thread.
11 FOR SCHOOL-AGE KIDS Safe, nontoxic, hypoallergenic, eco-friendly and 100% biodegradable nail polish makes the perfect stocking stuffer.
12 FOR SCHOOL-AGE KIDS Earthopoly is the Monopoly with an eco-friendly twist. My older kids play this all the time and don’t even know that I am hoping to brainwash them into becoming future green crusaders.
13 FOR SCHOOL-AGE KIDS Uberstix Starter Set contains 450 pieces with instructions to build a tower, boat, bridge, ray-gun, and UFO. The company is eco-minded and encourages kids to recycle by making their pieces compatible with other building systems. Plus, everything comes in environmentally-friendly packaging.
14 FOR SCHOOL-AGE KIDS Hanna Andersson organic cotton long johns are a perfect gift for any age on your holiday list.
1. Welcome Booties, $36, Oeuf
2. Cone sorting toy, $23, Plan Toys
3. Tofu Bear, $20, Soysilk
4. Smart Balance Bike, $90, Smart Gear Toys
5. Scribbles coloring book, $20, Chronicle Books
6. Leopard hand puppet, $22, Branch
7. The Lorax, $15, Random House Books for Young Readers
8. Eco Town, $150, Plan Toys
9. MamaK’s Aromatic Play Clay, $30, Etsy.com
10. Art Dolls Kit, $17, Artterro
11. Nail polish, $14, Hopscotch Kids
12. Earthopoly, $30, Distribution Solutions LLC
13. Uberstix starter set, $50, Patch Products
14. Organic cotton long johns, $38, Hannah Andersson
Francesca Olivieri is co-founder of sage baby, an online eco-friendly baby store offering everything from organic clothes and skin care to furniture. She also runs a green consulting business; blogs for The Family Groove and Scenic Hudson; and contributes to Daily Candy Kids, YogaCity, Citiscoop, and NRDC’s Simple Steps. Please visit her website at FrancescaOlivieri.com.
From: Martha | 10/20/11 at 5:13 pm
I love the TickleMe Plant Greenhouse to grow that crazy plant that moves like an animal when Tickled