Who: Gween Toys – Bangalore, India

What: Picazee Stacking Toy & Zarafu Counting Toy

Where:Amazon.com – $14 – $25

Why We Love It: Children can learn their colors, numbers and letters with these artfully designed wooden toys. Count to ten as you stack the rings on the Zarafu, match colors as you insert the stripes onto the Picazees midsection, fun fun!

Gween Toys says that they use wood sourced from sustainably harvested locally sourced trees to create their handcrafted toys. The colors applied are made from a combination of a natural resin called lac and natural pigments sourced from the roots, bark and leaves of native plants, and keeping their toys free of glues, paints, metals, plastics and synthetic materials.

With five dear friends having just had or going to have a baby, this week is all about baby! And response to the numerous requests for baby gift ideas, here are some of our top picks:

	KNOTTIE BY LALA’S PEQUENOS The level of cuteness of these little sleep sacs is just too much. It hurts! And the worn in vintage athletic shirt look on a baby is a-dorable. Also makes dressing and diaper-changing in the middle of the night, running on 15 minutes of sleep, as simple as tying a knot. In a dreamily soft bamboo/hemp blend. $44 @ Big Cartel
	LIFEFACTORY BABY BOTTLE At a time when newbie mom’s and dad’s might need an extra set of hands, taking over feed time might be greatly appreciated. These glass baby bottles are wrapped in a colorful, protective, dish-washer safe, silicon non-slip grip and are BPA, phthalate, lead, latex and PVC-free. $11.95 @ Nubius Organics
	MIYIM LOVIE BLANKIE You won’t attend a baby shower without seeing one of these lovie blankies, and there’s a reason why. Babies love them! What sets this one apart is that it’s made from 100% certified organic cotton hand-dyed with nature’s own plants and minerals. Now that’s love. $15 @ Greenward in bunny, elephant & monkey
	UNCLE GOOSE ABC BLOCKS There’s just something magical about this age-old toy that we can’t resist; the integration of font, color, real wood (not plastic) and the heirloom quality of a meticulously handcrafted toy… pure joy! A classic gift that is visually appealing, creatively engaging and delights kids and parents. $17.95 @Amazon
	FINN+EMMA REVERSIBLE SCOOTER JACKET And what little hipster’s wardrobe wouldn’t be complete without a reversible scooter jacket? A fun, refreshing print made of 100% GOTS certified cotton, eco-friendly dyes and all wooden buttons so you don’t have to worry about lead or nickel or any chemicals near baby. $45 @Finn+Emma

Who: Zoë B Organics – Salem, NC

What: Zoë b Beach Toys

Where: Green Rainbow Shop – $22

Why We Love It: Hopefully you’ve still got time to squeeze in one last beach trip before back-to-school chaos descends. If so you’ll likely be packing up all sorts of toys, boards, coolers, towels, games and you’ll likely lose a plastic shovel along the way (we did on our last visit). Instead of worrying (as we are) about whether that little plastic shovel will find its way to the giant plastic island in the sea, slowly poisoning the sea and its precious inhabitants as it biodegrades over hundreds of years; consider an alternative.

Zoë b Organic just created the world’s first biodegradable beach toy and they are quite cool. The colorful 5 piece set includes a bucket/carrying case, a sifting lid with geometric cut-outs, 2 cups, and a sturdy shovel all made out of Mirel™ bioplastic which is made from corn sugar, not petroleum, and is BPA, phthalates and PVC-free, so it’s a safer plastic for your kids. Plus, it will biodegrade when submerged in 2-3 years when buried in soil, immersed in water, home composted, or composted in industrial facilities, a far cry from the 500+ it takes most plastics to biodegrade. And it’s made in the USA, not China!

Who: Babyletto – Los Angeles, CA

What: Harlow 3-in-1 Convertible Crib

Where: CSNBaby – $500 $399, & now through August 5, 2011 get a free mattress with purchase!

Why We Love It: Babies spend a lot of their formative years sleeping, so they might as well do it in style. The modern streamlined design features delicately hand-etched decorative panel anchored with a dark wood base (choose navy or espresso). And, particularly for kids who grow like weeds, convertible products are the way to go; multi-use is multi-green in our books! This one converts from a crib to a toddler bed to a day bed, so the little guys can transition to a big kid bed at their own pace.

The bed itself is made from solid fast-growing New Zealand pine sourced from sustainable forests and finished with a non-toxic, finish. It is JPMA certified and lead and phthalate safe. Babyletto also runs a green office obtaining over a quarter of their power from solar panels, recycles 100% of their cardboard waste and has waterless urinals (yikes, but they say it saves up to 40,000 gallons of fresh water every year!).

Who: PlanetBox – San Rafael, CA

What: PlanetBox Lunchbox

Where: Amazon – $59.95

Why We Love It: We are always on the lookout for lunch boxes that make packing, cleaning, toting and reusing safe and easy, and the PlanetBox delivers. It’s a tv dinner tray meets bento box with a compartmental design based on the general nutritional standards for children. So when packing up your child’s lunch (or your own lunch!), you’ll have plenty of space to pack a healthy, well-balanced lunch. Specifically a good option for picky who don’t like their foods to ‘touch’ where the top and bottom of the lids touch so there is no spillage between compartments.

PlanetBoxes are made from the same high quality food safe stainless steel that’s used in hospitals and commercial kitchens; free of lead, phthalates, and BPA so there is no worry of toxins leaching into your food. The steel itself contains up to 60% recycled content and is 100% recyclable. The collection of coordinating magnets to decorate your PlanetBox are made of a synthetic rubber material, not toxic PVC like most magnets.

Steel and metal sourced from Korea and Japan. Manufactured in Taiwan

Who: Argington – Brooklyn, NY
What: Sahara Dresser
Where: All Modern Baby – Limited time offer – Buy One Get One Free!!! 2 for $495!!

Why: So perhaps that is excessive use of exclamation points, but this really is a pretty amazing deal. Two modern, quality crafted, eco-friendly dressers for just $495… pretty, pretty, pretty good.

We deeply appreciate the Argington philosophy to make furniture and bedding conscientiously and to minimize its environmental impact. And would like to add their commitment to making functional and fashionable furniture as evident with these dressers. They have clearly thought out the function and lifecycle of the product starting as perhaps a changing table for baby with three convenient drawers. Or for the nursery that is tight on space, simply stack the dressers for more efficient storage. And the design suits kids from 1 to 92 – would even make for a convenient buffet…

The dressers are made from renewable and sustainably harvested solid birch wood and low VOC FSC certified birch plywood. All glues, stains and finishes are HAP free, 100% non-toxic and are low VOC and formaldehyde free. The production facilities where Argington’s furniture is manufactured employs lean manufacturing systems and techniques that reduce waste and energy, making it an energy efficient environment.

Who: Joretta Natural Knits – Mill Spring, North Carolina

What: Fuzzy Baby Bunny Hat

Where: etsy.com – $28

Why We Love It: At a loss for words here, this baby hat is just too cute for words. Those floppy ears, the chunky knit, just too cute!

The entire collection of hats and booties at Joretta Natural Knits is designed and hand-made by Joretta’s granddaughter, Kina Baddorf. She uses natural or recycled fibers and whenever available, organic materials from local producers and dyers. Her designs are fun and playful and sure to put a smile on your face on cold days while keeping your little bundle warm. She also does custom orders, so you can have the color and design of your heart’s delight.

Shop Wild Dill for more eco-friendly clothing & accessories for kids.

Who: Minui – Billund, Denmark

What: HandySitt Portable Seat

Where: Fawn & Forest – $129.95 & save 20% on first time purchases with coupon code “instyle2010″

Why We Love It: We just learned that our dear friends our having twins…. again! (Congrats!!!) And so we couldn’t help thinking about life with four babies… This ingenius, multi-use, portable, compact little high-chair might make it a little easier. The beauty of this design is that you don’t need a separate high chair, its adjustable steel arms extend to hook over a chair back and voila – you’ve got a high chair. And when you are done you can fold it up and stow it away or leave it in place for the next meal. It comes with a handy carrying case so you can easily take it on the road with you too. Click to continue »

Who: Mi Yim

What: Organic Cotton Horton Lovie Blankee

Where: Amazon.com – $14.49

Why We Love It: Two of our favorite things have come together is this new collection of MiYim’s simply organic lovie blankees and plush toys featuring beloved Dr. Suess characters like the Cat in the Hat, Horton and The Lorax. The oh so snuggly Lovie Blankies are sure to be a favorite with your little ones and likely will go with them to ‘all the places they will go.’ Click to continue »

Who: Roebuck Studios – Chelsea, MI

What: Chick Bookends

Where: Modern Nursery – $49 in black, blue, green, orange, tomato red,  yellow or white

Why We Love It: This one is for our 3 year old niece who just lo-oves chickies and is sure to have fun with these adorable bookends.  We love the simple design, the color selections  and the eco-conscious design. Click to continue »