The latest and greatest in gadgets, gear and goodies
As Dorothy infamously chanted, There’s no place like home…there’s no place like home. Earth Day is a perfect reminder of just that sentiment! Little Chickie Wear’s earth-loving onesie features a life long message that even the littlest tree hugger should live by.
Designed by Gwen of Gwen Designs, this fun line of eco-friendly onesies, t-shirts and hats are all printed on 100% organic cotton. The cuteness is endless.
Happy Earth Day, all. The sun is trying to peek out over here, but they’re calling for rain later in the day. But alas, if I finish my to do list, it’s my hope to get out and enjoy Earth Day with the little guy.
Next year Earth Day celebrates 40 years. What does that mean exactly? Well, for starters, I believe that environmentally speaking, we’ve become more aware. But with the effects of global warming obviously becoming more apparent, it’s clear there’s so much more to be done.
So, as many of us already follow suit, it’s so important to be more conscientious about the Earth year-round, not just on April 22. Not just for us, but especially for the kids, and their kids and their kids. We might not be able to undo the damage that generations before us have done, but we can certainly foster sustainable and healthier habits that will go a long way.
As we usually tell people, we’re not over the top eco-freaks. But, for our kid’s sake, we do what we can to make the right choice. We might not be able to afford all organic groceries, we might not have the capability to compost or cloth diaper full time, but we hope to make up for it in other ways. Perhaps one of our greenest choices to date was to ditch the SUV and buy a more fuel-efficient car. Not only is it cheaper for us gas-wise, but it’s a much better choice all around.
As our choices get greener and greener, I can absolutely see it rubbing off on the kid already. At the playground just last week, Jack found an empty plastic water bottle on the ground. He instinctively picked it up, mumbled his jibberish and grabbed my hand, as if leading me somewhere important. I asked him, “Does that go in the trash?” He mumbled back and led me to the trash and recycling containers at the other end of the park. He obviously doesn’t know which container was which, but the fact that he knew it didn’t belong on the ground and in a container somewhere made me pretty damn proud.
Here’s to everyone making greener choices everyday, not just on Earth Day!
originally posted at Babyrific
graphic via innoko
At any given time, whenever there’s a box within reach, the “real” toys lose all of its lustre. The box always wins as the best toy ever. It’s the same for all kids though, right?
When I first saw this super cool cardboard rocketship on the interwebs awhile back, I immediately became a fan. And so, when we saw the_rocket at the Go Green Expo in person, I almost wanted to unstrap the kid from his stroller and see if we could both fit. 
The_rocket from Cardboard Design, can be customized by the littlest artists with their medium of choice! Cardboard Designs has a cool selection of cardboard furniture among other products, but the kids products are quite imaginative. What’s cool about the cardboard products is that after the rocketship has reached its destination, it can be packed away in its own flat box.
We have enough boxes to keep us entertained for the time being, but still, what a cool, sustainable concept and an excellent alternative to plastic.
Thank you everyone for participating in the Silikids giveaway! The winner, picked at random via Random.org, is comment #4 from Elizabeth. I’ll send you an email later today, Elizabeth.
Everyone else, please don’t forget the other great giveaways going on this week —>
And tomorrow, I’ll have a pretty cool giveaway in honor of Earth Day!
At the Go Green Expo, we discovered so many great companies and products, but one company that’s definitely worth mentioning is Greensender.com. This was actually the first booth we visited, but definitely one of the most memorable. Besides all of the great green gift ideas, Greensender.com also has Into the Trees, a wonderful book that’s filled with vibrant graphics about Mini G’s adventures with an Earth-loving message to match.
Into the Trees, written by Mike Aaron and illustrated by Baby Einstein artist Nadeem Zaidi, explores natural beauty and the hidden secrets of the outdoors—messages completely relevant for year-round eco-consciousness and for readers of all ages.
Into the Trees is $12.95 and can be bought online at Greensender.com
While you’re there, be sure to check out the super cute Mini G gift package—what a great green baby shower gift idea!
Need extra help instilling the green for the kiddie’s routine for Earth Day? Well, good news: PBS Kids and PBS Kids Go! will celebrate Earth Day with the fourth installment of PBS Kids Share the Earth Day. A new Web-based Earth Day Channel is set to launch at pbskidsgo.org, too. New episodes of Curious George, Arthur and Cyberchase will be featured on PBS Kids in honor of the Earth Day celebration. 
And that’s not all, favorites from shows like Super Why!, Sid the Science Kid and more will reflect Earth Day celebrations as well.
Online, there will be a plethora of eco-focused content on pbskidsgo.org, pbskids.org, PBS Parents and PBS Teachers.
The new PBS Kids Go! video player will host an Earth Day channel with themed content from Arthur, Design Green, The Greens and Maya & Miguel, which is geared to teach kids how to share the Earth. In addition to Web content from PBS Kids Go! TV series, Web-exclusive sites such as Eekoworld— an environment where kids create their own creatures and monitor them in the wild — and The Greens — a pbskidsgo.org series about the Green family and their exploration of sustainability, ecology and environmental care — will further explore what it means to be green.
Oh, and as if we didn’t already know, PBS Kids and PBS Kids Go! programming are among the most education-rich offerings on television, according to a report released by independent research and advocacy organization Children Now. How’s that for green and educational influence?
Of all the materials out there, organic cotton has to be one of my favorites. On laundry day, in a sea of freshly laundered t-shirts, without even looking, I know exactly when I’ve pulled out my favorite organic cotton Quicksilver t-shirt to be folded—there’s that much difference in softness! But besides the super soft texture, many companies and manufacturers are adding and increasing organic cotton options to their existing lines. In some cases, new companies are emerging altogether because of this trend that’s here to stay.
So, what’s with organic cotton anyway? What makes it so special and oh so soft?
Organic cotton is the version of its conventional counterpart grown without pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, chemical fertilizers or any other chemicals, making it an ideal textile for baby and children’s products. Conventional cotton is one of the most chemically-dependent crops, sucking up 10 percent of all agricultural chemicals and 25 percent of insecticides on 3 percent of our arable land; that’s more than any other crop per unit. That adds up to 1/3 of a pound of chemicals to produce enough cotton for a t-shirt, and 3/4 of a pound for a pair of jeans. Organic cotton on the other hand, uses agricultural methods designed to help sustain the land it grows on, the people who grow and harvest it, and the planet in general. (via Treehugger)
Once again, like with other greener alternatives, organic cotton products tend to cost a bit more—for now. As the demand for organic cotton products continue to increase–and organic products in general–prices will begin to balance out. In 2006, organic fiber linens and clothing sales in the United States grew by 26 percent over the previous year, to reach $203 million, according to the Organic Trade Association’s 2007 Manufacturer Survey.
Because of its healthier composition and sustainable aspects, organic cotton is a great option for baby and kids’ products. It certainly helps that organic cotton goodies are super soft and always hard to pass up.
To read more about organic cotton and its benefits check out these resources
Gaim on organic cotton
Cleaner cotton
The difference of organic cotton
The case for organic cotton
Organic cotton fact sheet
Huggies is joining the ranks of natural choices for disposable diapers with the launch of Huggies Pure & Natural diapers. The new diapers are described as a super premium diaper that includes natural, organic materials and ingredients that also take initial steps toward environmental improvements.
The new Huggies Pure & Natural diaper is hypoallergenic, latex and fragrance free and features a breathable outer cover that includes organic cotton. The liner includes natural Aloe & Vitamin E and materials from renewable sources, and the product’s outer packaging is sourced from 20 percent post-consumer recycled materials. The new diaper will be offered in 6 sizes, from newborn through size 5.
Huggies Pure & Natural diapers will be available later in April.
Goodies
Check out Huggies Pure and Natural and don’t forget to get a free sample.
If you try and/or use Huggies Pure and Natural, be sure to come back to let us know how you liked them!
As Earth Day approaches this Wednesday, The Next Kid Thing will be focusing on green kid topics all week. When Earth Day began 39 years ago, times were much different, but the environmental movement as we know just started to gain momentum. The first Earth Day led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species acts. Today, Earth Day is celebrated worldwide.
As the Earth Day celebrations continue to grow, as does the environmental awareness. It might be easy being green one day a year, but 365 days of green-living make much more of an impact. What’s even more important is fostering our kids at an early age to be more socially responsible. Stay tuned for lots of ideas on how kids can help protect Mother Earth and ways to go green too!
(photo via mlumograph17)
Even though being green should be a year-round mentality, it’s always nice to see Earth Day celebrations grow bigger every year. Just in time for Earth Week, the Go Green Expo in NYC is opening its doors to consumers this weekend. The boys and I are headed in to the show to explore and learn.
The Expo, described as an eco-focused, green-living showcase, will feature earth friendly products, services and ideas. Speakers like Mariel Hemmingway and big name exhibitors such as Dell, Honda and Home Depot will be worth checking out. While Disneynature, a division of Disney, will preview the new film, Earth. There’s a whole lineup of family-friendly activities, panel discussions and exhibitors on the agenda, but the Kids Zone, which is sponsored by Disneynature, is something I’m sure we’ll be checking out and talking about later this week! I have all kinds of green goodness and yes, giveaways for Earth week, so be sure to check it out!
Go Green Expo – Open to the Public
Saturday, April 18th – 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Sunday, April 19th – 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
The Hilton New York
1335 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10019
Tickets:
Adults – Weekend pass for Saturday & Sunday, April 18 & 19 – $10
Children under the age of 12 – Free
Senior citizens (65+) – Free
