meta-dad » non-toxic

Pirate Ships Attack!

Meta-Dad — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 12:19:02 +0000

Happy Squash Toys are all entirely hand-crafted by Jim and Jenise from Hillard, Ohio, they’re a true ‘Mom & Pop’ operational. They make wonderfully original designs, never from a pattern. All toys are made of poplar wood with oak axles and all paints and finishes are applied by hand and are lead free and non-toxic.

Seems that the legislation that was recently enacted to protect us the Consumer from lead-filled toys puts the smaller toy makers at risk. The third-party testing portion of the bill adds a costly leg to the toy-making process for companies like this and may squeeze many of them out of business. While lobbists and industry are busy raising fists at each other, we should be helping out the small companies that consistently craft good safe stuff. There are two great reasons to shop from a place like Happy Squash, they make unique & safe hand-crafted toys at a good price and we need to support these smaller shops anyway we can or they will simply disappear.

HappySquashToys @ Etsy.Com

Boon baby-safe bath toys

Meta-Dad — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 12:55:12 +0000

Boon has a ton of fresh BPAa-free bath toys. Why is BPA-free toys better, you may ask? Well, to answer that clearly, one must understand what the problem is with BPA’s to begin with.

BPA’s or Bisphenol A as it is commonly known is an organic compound used to make certain types of plastics. What makes this stuff so nasty is the fact that it’s an endocrine disruptor. This means when you are exposed to enough of it it starts to sending your hormones misinformation and wreaking havoc & causing irreversible damage throughout your body.

So, yes, BPA-free toys are good things and these are some pretty fun looking ones that don’t cost much. You can find them lots of places now, like Target & Amazon for $10-15 bucks plus shipping.

Non-toxic bath toys for the tots

Meta-Dad — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 11:30:22 +0000

Times are changing but I have found it is still hard to find non-toxic toys that are free of phthalates, BPA and PVC which are the standard for most soft plastic or rubber toys on the market. Of course there are standard wood toys and a few classics, but few true gems.

One of the rising stars is the Boon line which is surprisingly accessible, meaning, I have found their stuff at Target, as well as Amazon. Specifically, the Boon Scrubble toy is a playful lil’ set that will encourage the kids to scrub and squirt there way through their bath-time routine.

I will introduce you to additional non-toxic bath toys as I stumble upon them. Feel free to drop me a line or comment if you know of some great affordable products out there. In the meantime, you may want to consider dropping $8 bucks and replacing that classically toxic rubber duck in you bathroom.

Boon Scrubble $10 bucks [+shipping] at Amazon.Com
All Natural Rubber Ducks at Amazon.Com

Additional Articles:
The ebb and flow of toxic toys
5 cool & affordable eco-friendly kids gifts
All-natural teether for the tots

Clever modern green toys

Meta-Dad — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 11:30:02 +0000

To me, the problem with most eco-friendly toys is that they lack the same level of visual fancy that their phthalate stuffed, lead choked plastic counterparts have. Is it the limited palette of materials? Perhaps. Is it a general lack of robust design, in this growing corner of the toy industry? Maybe.

Occasionally, I stumble upon some beautifully designed pieces and here is a small round-up of recent finds. I tend to look for stuff that has a strong visual design, that doesn’t cost a lot. Here are three of my favorites right now.

This all-natural wood Rolling Turtle push toy (*pictured above) from Nova Toys is fantastic for babies and toddlers alike. Watch the striped ball on the Large Rolling Turtle’s back spin as he is drawn forward by his head or pushed by the tail. Kids and adults alike will love to watch these roll!

Rolling Turtle $28.90 [+ shipping] @ Nova Toys

Rolling Turtle $20.78 [+shipping] by Haba @ Amazon

The Wind-up Dragster at Rosie Hippo Toys really does move out, and the rear wheels have a rubber tread for gripping action. At this great price you can get two and have your own drag races. Hardwood, almost 7″ long.

Wind-up Dragster $10 [+ shipping] @ Nova Toys

Also at Rosie’s is one of my favorite riders, the Skuut Balance Bike. It has a simple approachable design. It is the perfect size and shape for toddlers, and it has no peddles or brakes so it is a great way for them to learn control and balance.

Skuut Balance Bike $89 [+shipping] @ Rosie Hippo Toys

Skuut Balance Bike $81.99 [+ shipping] @ Amazon

Smart Gear Wooden Balance Bike $79.99 [+shipping] @ Amazon

Eco-friendly Snack Ball

Meta-Dad — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 13:00:38 +0000

Kids and parents will love this fun, sphere-shaped snack container. The rigid form protects snacks from crushing, making the Boon Snack Ball great for travel.

Two halves unscrew for easy cleaning and the lid snaps in place to keep snacks inside. BpA-free, Phthalate-free and PVC-free.

9+ months

$6.50 [+shipping] at Belly Dance Baby

Cool Modern Toddler Puzzles

Meta-Dad — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 13:00:54 +0000

This 10 piece hand-crafted puzzle stands up to brighten any room. As beautiful to look at as it is fun to play with, this makes an excellent first puzzle!

Kids love to play with the pieces like a playset, parents love the puzzle as room decor. Made with lead free, child safe paints and constructed from plantation-grown rubberwood, an environmentally-friendly hardwood.

Ages 3+

On Sale at Monkey Grass for $25 [+ shipping], usually $30

How dangerous are your baby products?

Meta-Dad — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 13:00:02 +0000

The recent laws enacted banning the use of phthalates has stirred up a number of concerns for me both as a consumer and as a parent. To understand my concerns I will explain something about how phthalates are used in various products. Some may know that phthalates in its most common form (phthalitic acid) is used to make plastic more flexible, rendering them “chewy” or “squishy” like that rubber duckie that your kid may play with at bath time.

What may not be common knowledge is that phthalates are also used in heavy amounts as a fragrance “binder” or stabilizer in a number of cosmetic and hygiene products like baby shampoos, baby powders, bubble baths, sunblock and a startling number of other common products. Sure there are a number of other things to be on the look out for in these type of products, but right now I’ll focus on phthalates.

Why are phthalates so bad? And why has its use been outlawed in Europe for almost ten years? There has been growing evidence that fetuses exposed (through systemic contact in the womb) to phthalates, or through prolonged exposure as an infant or child have shown that it is an endocrine disruptor and in certain circumstances may create a resistance to insulin which is said to be a precursor to type-II diabetes, as well as increase their chances of cancer later in life.

Now that lawmakers are in the process of drafting and approving laws against the use of phthalates (as of 01/01/09, California banned phthalates) in products, it begs the question, “Who’s checking phthalate levels in products on the shelf, today?” On resource that I have found, that I want to share with you is the cosmetic database, SKIN DEEP – Cosmetic Safety Database.

It is pretty straight-forward, the rating system is based on a scale from 1-10 (10 being the most dangerous). What I like about this database is if you cannot find a given product (say, the one in your hand), you can simple type in all the active ingredients listed on the label and it will give you a cursory rating of it. I have to admit, I am hooked on this thing. I just checked some blueberry scented kid’s shampoo we got on sale (impulse) and it was rated a 7. I am returning it this afternoon.

Let me (and the others) know what you think about the database.

National Research Center for Women & Children | Phthalates and Children’s Products
MSNBC | Baby shampoo study raises chemical concerns

5 Cool & Affordable Eco-Friendly Kids Gifts

Meta-Dad — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 13:00:25 +0000

With all this talk about toxic toys on the shelf and lay-offs, I wanted to dig through this year’s archives and pull up a couple of my favorite picks for cool, cheap (most coming in under $20 bucks) and fun gifts for the tikes. This is what I came up with;

Fair Trade Mini Soccer Balls: They’re approximately 6″ diameter (19″ circumference). Fair Trade means the adult workers who produced this ball received a fair wage – at no extra cost to you! Eco-certified and certified Fair Trade. Union-made and vegan. They also have regulation-sized soccer balls to choose from.

They also have a number of other types of balls, apparel, accessories and equipment to choose from.

Fair Trade Sports | Mini Soccer Ball -$15 bucks [+shipping]
Fair Trade Sports | Standard Children’s Tee -$15 bucks [+shipping]

Plan Toys | Green Toys: These guys have it figured out! They use sustainable and recycled materials and they use green technology for manufacturing their products.

Plan Toys | Fire Truck Activity Set – $50 bucks [+ shipping]
Plan Toys | Zebra Pull Along Toy – $20 bucks [+shipping]

Safe Sippy Cup Stainless Steel: Meet the Safe Sippy stainless steel drinking cup – one small step in creating a less toxic world for our children.

The Safe Sippy cup breaks away from the all-plastic sippy cup designs of the past. From the clean, non-leaching stainless steel cup to the unique safety features to the plastics free of Bisphenol A and other harmful chemicals, The Safe Sippy cup was created to accomplish one simple goal: Clean In, Clean Out.

$17 bucks [+shipping]

Natural Muslin Swaddling Blanket [4 pack]: Swaddling made easy! These blankets are made with a unique cotton called Muslin. The light, open weave of natural fibers allows air to flow seamlessly through the material – which lends to the ability for baby’s body temperature to adjust naturally.

$42 bucks [+shipping]

Totem : A fantastic and construction award-winning toy to inspire creativity. totem comes with over 120 cardboard pieces emblazoned with signs, symbols, textures and imagery, all notched out to make building a breeze.

Comes with instructions for creating a boat, airplane, spaceship or schoolhouse, but totem is best used for imaginative and fanciful construction.

Made of recycled cardboard.

$35 bucks [+shipping]

Beautiful Blocks with a Twist

Meta-Dad — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 14:30:33 +0000

Almost everyone selling toys these days tries to tell us that their toys are educational. But these eco-friendly and non-toxic classic action block sets from Haba are the real thing. Children, playing and experimenting freely, inventing their own rules and structure as they go along or using no rules at all, will acquire and maintain new motor, cognitive, and creative skills when they engage in genuine play with almost any toy offered at TurnerToys.Com.

An explicitly didactic toy is boring. A toy with a predetermined set of goals, with a “right answer”, is not a toy at all. It could be argued that play with such a “toy” is not play, but work. An automated toy holds attention for a while, but pretty soon, after it has done its thing, a child gets bored with it and moves on (it’s a closed system, of course). It is the toy that requires thought and effort from a child, and rewards new efforts with new effects, that really teaches. There is a place for real, structured learning even in the life of an infant. But such behavior is never play and shouldn’t be confused with play.

These classic alphabet blocks feature real embossed (not just printed) letters and numbers. This standard set now includes 28 blocks, providing 4 complete alphabets, 3 sets of numerals, and 28 different animal pictures.If that doesn’t do it for your tots, try adding motion and excitement to your unit blocks with our rock maple ball tilt. Infinite variety of kinetic and dynamic designs unleash a child’s creativity in all four dimensions: length, width, height, and time. Excellent medium for enhancing problem solving abilities.

These are all simple and beautiful classic toy solutions for kids this holiday season!

$30-75 bucks [plus shipping] at TurnerToys.Com

Eco-Friendly Stackable Storage for the Kids Room

Meta-Dad — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 17:28:15 +0000

Q COLLECTION JUNIOR STELLA STORAGE WITH CIRCLE DOOR

Got to have it! Q Collection Junior’s Stella Stackable storage cubes are absolutely great for your play room or any room. You can stack them into any way you like! The cut out door is an aesthetic accent and the cut outs on sides make carrying easy. These pieces are the perfect size storage units to use anywhere in the home.

Benefits for Health and Environment

Designed for superior indoor air quality
Toxic chemicals are eliminated
Water-based, non-toxic, low or no VOC finishes.
First crib to receive Greenguard’s ‘Children & Schools’ indoor air quality certification.
100% wood
Elimination or dramatic reduction in production waste: wood scraps uses as fuel for wood kilns and facility heating needs.
Packaging is created using renewable, biodegradable materials, elimination of plastics where-ever possible.

$365 bucks (plus shipping) at ModernMini.Com