We love Floret, and we’re happy to report that lots of other moms will now know about our favorite dolls in November’s American Baby Magazine!
I love that they pointed out how Simone Kaplan’s two boys inspire her creations, and we think her talents shine through in every doll she makes. Featured in the magazine are dolls Emilia ($56), Ann Marie the Cat ($30), and Nana the Bear ($30). See our complete Floret Selection and fall in love too!
We’re very excited to report that our selection of wooden toys has been picked by our fave site, Cool Mom Picks to be included in their Safer Toy Guide! They liked them all, but pointed out our Duck with 2 Ducklings Pull Toy…a toddler favorite.
So check out the Toy Guide, where they also point out how much they like the Keptin Organic Baby Rattle, which we also carry. Happy Shopping!
We are not surprised to find out that Green to Grow has been awarded the influential PTPA Media Inc’s Seal of Approval for excellence in parenting products. PTPA Media Inc. (Parent Tested Parent Approved) has announced the winners of the 2008 Summer Product Call for the best in parenting products. The products have been awarded the PTPA Media Inc.’s Seal of Approval in many categories ranging from baby monitors, baby slings, safety gear, bedding and the most recent addition of a Green category. The winners of the prestigious Seal of Approval from PTPA Media are selected based on value, functionality, quality and appeal of the product.
Green to Grow was among many entries competing to win the PTPA Media Seal of Approval for Summer 2008., PTPA Media’s mission is to discover and appraise new products designed for children and families. The products were tested by savvy parenting reviewers, and professionals and the results were compiled for PTPA Media Inc.’s review committee for the final decision. For more information about PTPA Media Inc. visit www.ptpamedia.com.
It began as “sister speak.” You know - that funny language you share with your sibling (or spouse) that no one else fully understands. It comes from knowing each other so well that grammatically correct sentences and word structure are not necessary to convey a point, make a joke or share a moment. This is how my sister and I, much to the chagrin of our husbands, communicate. And, during our many late night talks about designing a line of organic children’s clothes, OBLI Organics, the term ecolectual was born.
We used it without thinking at first stating, “we want the company to be ecolectual in its mission.” We wanted to set a good example and create awareness in addition to selling our hip children’s clothes. The term was being used so often it became necessary to actually define it:
e•co•lec•tu•al [ekoh lek-choo-uh l] adj. 1. Guided or motivated by an intelligent respect for the environment and all living creatures, 2. To take action with respect to protecting the environment.
Wow – an actual definition made the word seem a bit imposing, but that wasn’t our goal. We want people to understand that being an ecolectual shouldn’t be hard work or consume your every thought. It is about always being aware and making small changes. Take reusable bags to the grocery store, replace light bulbs with CFLs when they burn out, unplug your phone charger and frequent your local farmers’ market. All these things will help…but, since we defined the term, we can also expect more from those who claim it.
You can’t understand the importance of taking care of the earth if you don’t ever use it. Turn off your TV, close your laptop and get outside. My sister and I were lucky to grow up riding bikes to the local pool, collecting earth worms, picking apples and spending holidays at the beach. Don’t let your kids think the ocean looks like Bikini Bottom from Sponge Bob. As we all know, our children learn by our example (which is sometimes unfortunate!). But we can show them how much fun nature can be so protecting it will make good plain sense. Be aware. Be an example. Be an ecolectual™.
Do you Twitter? Have you heard of it and didn’t know why you’d use it? Well, here’s your reason! What Every Baby Needs is ‘twittering’ and would love for you to come and start following us! Just go to https://twitter.com/babysite to check us out!
We frequently update Twitter with happenings, new products and special offers only available to our Twitter followers. If that wasn’t enough, you’ll also find Cool Mom Picks (one of our favorite sites) on Twitter as well with all kinds of great information for you to find out about!
Wow, September proved to be an exciting month for us. Our third grand child, a baby boy (grandson #2), arrived on September 15th. Bright eyed and bushy tailed all 8 lbs and 13ozs of him. His “older” sister has really taken to him and is so proud. As an only child for the last 3 yrs we were concerned that she would feel neglected but that has not been the case. She walks around the neighborhood and her parents showing him off to anyone who she meets. But beware if you get too close she jumps in front of him with her arms crossed to protect him. It’s pretty funny actually and oh so cute!
September also was a time to bonding. Since my son and his family have moved closer we’ve had a chance to see more of grandson #1. He loves to tickle his grand father only thing is that his tickling is more like driving his little fist into grandpa’s neck and laughing his head off. I laugh because he thinks it so funny. The more I laugh the more he drives his fist into my neck. It’s great to see him laugh even at my expense.
We recently had our fall/winter photoshoot for www.WhatEveryBabyNeeds.com, and as always it was a ridiculously hectic day with lots of babies and tots, cute clothes and very patient parents! Our main goal is too always make sure the kids are having fun while we get some shots that try to show how great the clothes are and why we picked them for the season. I think we accomplished our goal (let us know what you think of the new pictures of on the site!).
I thought I’d share a small snippet of us getting a shot of our Moncalin Stuffed Piggy, along with the Sam’s Friend Ballerina Kitty Sweater and Boot-cut leggings. You’ll also see our always-a-favorite stuffed apple by Kicky Pants. It usually has to be pulled out of shots because the kids love carrying it around and playing with it. Our beautiful ‘model’ kept asking to wear the sweater once she saw it and kept looking down and playing with the kitty once she had it on. A successful outfit in my book!
You’ll notice me (not the mom helping to fix the sweater, but the one standing off to the side) at the very beginning holding my daughter , who decided that she wasn’t happier anywhere expect on my hip…no matter what we do, we’re always Mom’s first, aren’t we? And I wouldn’t have it any other way!
We’re huge fans of the OBLI Organics line of eco-friendly tees, onesies and pants for little ones, and so weren’t surprised to see that Star Magazine nabbed a pic of green-conscious and always hip Sheryl Crow putting her son in the OBLI ‘I only ride Hybrid’ onesie.
We love OBLI Organics because all their clothing is made from 100% certified organic cotton and manufactured with non-PVC prints using fair trade practices. This sister (both Moms) run company also practices what they preach by their both living very green lifestyles. More to come in our interview with them!
I’ve already gone on in previous posts about how much everyone here at WhatEveryBabyNeeds.com loves Babble.com, and we were thrilled when they wrote a review about us in the droolicious section. Check it out along with all the other great items they feature!
Also, it’s apparent that we’ve been slacking off on our blogging…we’re back on the bandwagon with no lame excuses to why we we’re missing.
We just received in The Safe Sippy BPA-free, phthalates-free and DEHA-free cup, and I got one for my 16 month old daughter in preparation of switching over all of her sippy cups in light of the increasing evidence of dangers to children exposed to BPA.
I know you would expect me to of course talk about how great these cups are, and I do think they are great based on the specs and feedback from other moms, but I was really surprised at the reaction my daughter had over this cup - she was, and still is, really fascinated! I don’t know if it is the straw-shaped spout, or bright colors, but she now points to it whenever she sees it over her other cups.
Any mom knows that finding the right sippy can often be a challenge, and once you find one it is often even harder to transition them to something else. For me, the bpa-controversy has given me motivation to take on the task. Luckily, for this change I have it easy. I’m sure the novelty will wear off for her, but I am so glad I will be able to transition her from her others without challenge! Now on to trying to figure out how to get her to let me cut her nails…
I recently got a call from my son-in-law telling me that he was sending some new pictures of our grand daughter and me. These were taken a few months ago on our list visit down south. They were great. Grandpa and Abby making cookies, eating make believe ice cream cones, hugging and having tea.
My son-in-law told me that when he asked Abby who was in the pictures with her she said, “My friend grandpa”. Wow how cool is that! He asked her if she wanted to say hello to me on the phone. She did. The conversation when like this, Hello grandpa, good bye grandpa” and she was off the phone and on to her next adventure.
She sure makes me laugh. I love to hear her voice. Sometimes she’ll actually chat with me but yesterday was not that day. Maybe next time. I’ll be calling her this weekend to hear her say, “I love you grandpa”. Until then….
The FDA has announced BPA is safe for human consumption. The Washington Post article that ran this past Sunday called Studies on Chemical In Plastics Questioned: Congress Examines Role Of Industry in Regulation states that “Despite more than 100 published studies by government scientists and university laboratories that have raised health concerns about a chemical compound that is central to the multibillion-dollar plastics industry, the Food and Drug Administration has deemed it safe largely because of two studies, both funded by an industry trade group.” It goes on to point out that the FDA relied soley on research backed by the American Plastics Council.
The National Toxicology Program, an arm of National Institutes of Health, has produced studies that differ in their results from those that the FDA has chosen to accept. On the surface, it seems that the FDA has chosen to ignore reports from within its own system. A public meeting has been scheduled for September 16 to discuss issues arising from the preliminary report issued by the NIH, which expresses concern over the dangers of BPA, especially in relation to infants and children. One thing to keep in mind: no one is saying that BPA is safe. Everyone acknowledges that it is a dangerous toxicant. The only argument is over the level required to inflict significant damage on us (particularly infants and children).
We continue to strongly support the use of BPA-free bottles and sippy cups for children, and strongly encourage everyone to read the Washington Post article. We will be following this, and the California legislature’s consideration of a ban on the toxic chemical BPA in some children’s products.
