Thursday, August 09, 2007 9:45 PM
Great organic baby gifts
If you have
a child or even have any little ones in your life you’re well aware that they
seem to be surrounded by brightly-colored plastic wherever they go. Before I had a baby I swore that my child
would only play with toys made of pure stuff like sustainable wood and organic
cotton, but, alas, shortly after my daughter was born all sorts of plastic
started to invade our home (gifts from friends and grandparents mostly, though
I caved and bought some singing, blinking monstrosities when I was desperate to
find ways to entertain her). I swear the plastic toys must somehow breed when
we’re sleeping, because they seem to multiply against my will!
But recently
I decided to re-commit to buying natural and organic playthings for my daughter
and for my many friends who are about to give birth. For one thing, there was
just a massive recall of
1.5 million made-in-China toys (including lots of the toddler-mesmerizing Elmo
and Dora the Explorer) that contained hazardous levels of lead paint. And for
another, it just seems so much sweeter to welcome babies into the world with
gifts that aren’t hazardous to their health or the planet’s. I recently discovered a great site called Oompa, that sells lots of eco-conscious toys
(like this adorable organic rabbit), many of which are made in Europe (where
there seems to be less of a lead paint problem than in China). But I need some more ideas if I’m going to
convert my daughter from the mass-produced plastic stuff.
Have you discovered any great sources for
green or organic baby gifts?