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!).

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.

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.

It is designed for children ages 6 months to 5 years, so can be used as your child grows. You can also purchase the portable seat with a coordinating chair as the HandySitt High Chair. This combination allows you to lock the portable chair into place with magnets to the chair. The chair itself can be used as a regular dining chair with the portable seat is removed.

The seat is made from FSC-certified solid Birch cut from sustainable forests in the European Baltics along with steel parts and BPA and phthalate free plastic components and water-based and formaldehyde free finishes. The environment is considered throughout the entire product chain, minimizing waste at the ‘cut’ phase, packing flat for a smaller shipping footprint and considering ease of recycling at the end of its lifetime.

Made in Europe.

Who:

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.

They are made of a strong and lightweight baltic birch plywood that is  glued together with low emission glues. The paint used is a water based interior grade paint coated with a clear, durable and waterproof GreenGuard Certified water-based finish. Roebuck Studios manufactures locally, buys materials from local sources and has complete control over the fabrication process. The bookends are designed ship flat to further minimize the carbon footprint.

bent ply

Who:

What: Fundy Play Table

Where: Generate – $399

Why We Love It: Intended as a play table for kids, we actually like the idea of this multi-functional kids table as a modern coffee table. You’ve got the drawers for storing remote controls and writing utensils. You’ve got the flip top lid concealing ample storage perfect for tucking away magazines, newspapers, games, toys or whatever else you’d like to keep stowed away. And the durable top is available dry-erase finish or a chalkboard finish so you can entertain the little ones with a built in drawing board, jotting notes, keep score,  and keep an eye on your ‘to-do’ list.

And as with all Argington furniture, its designed with the needs of kids and the environment in mind. It has safety features like slow closing hinges and locking castors so it can be easily moved and locked into place. The stainless steel legs come in two different heights (12.5″ and 18″) to suit little and big kids. The unit itself is made from renewable and sustainably harvested solid birch wood and low VOC birch plywood that is FSC certified. The finishes, glues, and stains and finishes are HAP free, 100% non-toxic, low VOC and durable, so they’ll survive the toughest play.

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Who: Nook Sleep Systems – Hermosa Beach, California

What: Pebble Mattress

Where: Nook – $610

Why We Love It: A full night’s sleep? Priceless. No one takes this more seriously than Shannon and Chris Svensrud the husband and wife team behind Nook. Their innovative sleep system is designed to help your little one sleep which, in addition to a happy baby, means more sleep for mom and dad…

The Pebble Mattress is all about maximizing air flow, breathibility and moisture wicking to facilitate a better night’s sleep. The natural latex core, organic wool layer, FSC-certified eucalyptus cover, and the unique asymmetrically pebble design naturally increase air-flow while wicking moisture away from sleeping baby – which means less waking up. And the all-natural materials are completely chemical-free unlike many options on the market.

The outer cover of the mattress, the bright-colored ‘pebbles,’ is stain, water and microbe resistance and can be easily wiped clean, or more deeper clean removed and tossed in the washing machine. So perhaps $610 for a child’s mattress may seem a bit steep for a child’s mattress, but a peaceful, deep and long lasting and toxic-free sleep may be worth the investment, for the baby of course… as we said, priceless.

The design is just completely cool and looks so comfy, crossing fingers for an adult verson!!!

What: Oeuf Sparrow Crib

Where: babyearth.com $690 & $185 for the conversion kit. See also Oeuf Toddler Bed – $519

Why We Love It: We’ve long admired the Oeuf Crib. The clean lines, minimalist profile and slightly flared legs are just right for the eco-savvy parent looking for something a little less ordinary for their tots room.

With solid construction and subtle color, the Sparrow Crib is expertly crafted in Europe from solid birch and finished with non-toxic water-based finishes. It’s super easy to assemble and can be converted from a 3-position crib to a toddler’s bed (as pictured) as your baby grows. It fits a standard size crib mattress and meets or exceeds all US and Canadian safety standards.

Oeuf takes every effort to ensure that their products are manufactured ethically and with environmental sensitivity. The waste wood generated from the manufacturing process are collected and made it to briquettes which are used to heat the factory.

Oeuf’s mission is to make good design available to as many people as possible while having a minimum impact on the environment. We carefully select materials and manufacturers based on what feels right, no by what will reap the widest margins.

- Sophie Demerge, co-founder of Oeuf

Available in grey, white or natural.

Free Shipping Everyday – Visit babyearth.com today for innovative products and free shipping with minimum purchase.

Who:

What:
Bloom Coco Baby Lounger

Where:
Modern Nursery – $199

Why: Perfect lounger for design savvy parents who want a mod rocker for their little one.The rocker has a cut-out in the seat area where the bamboo fabric seat pad is suspended to cradle your child while the self-rocking motion gently lulls them to sleep. Available in a myriad of contemporary colors and two finishes (espresso or natural) to match your contemporary style. Safe for use for children up to 26 pounds.

The Bloom collection of baby products was launched by four dads with an eye for innovation, contemporary design, safety and sustainability. They succeeded on all four of these criteria with the Coco Baby Lounger. The lounger is crafted from wood harvested from certified sustainable forests free of wood PCP. The beech and birch wood is then pressed into veneer layers laminated with a formaldehyde-free adhesive, all MDF free. The low-VOC finish is phthalate free, PVC free, heavy metal free, and AZO dye free and exceeds all applicable safety standards.

What: Convertible Bed

Where: Mon Petit Bijou – $1650 (Special Order), available in white, espresso and natural

Why: This is no ordinary crib – it’s kind of like the Rolls Royce of cribs, no the Tesla of cribs… and equally as hard to track down. Designer Stig Leander Nielsen literally and figuratively thought outside of the box by dissolving the hard angles and corners of traditional cribs and creating a cozy little oval nest. The smooth moulded European beech bent to create the soft sloping curves and the rounded ends -  perfect for curling up in for a long hard day of play…

The convertible bed transitions beautifully (and easily) through five stages and the package includes all the parts necessary for the two crib options raised or lowered, two bed options for toddlers with or without bars and top bed-ends, and an extended junior size bed suitable for children up to 8 years old. Kids will love the sense of security that comes from having a bed that grows with them (imagine if your favorite jeans grew with you……) and that is just their size.  Great for a kids room where often the play room and the bedroom are one in the same giving them more space for play and would be great paired with the space saving Bo Design Diaper Station.

The mattress has pocket springs to improve comfort and ventilation. The mattress cover is made of Eco-Tex 100 cotton (or Øko-Tex 100, the world’s definitive ecological certification process, which tests fibers, fabrics and components to ensure that each product is healthy for you, healthy for those who produce it and healthy for the environment.). The only downside we can see is finding sheets for the oval mattress. You’ll either have to pick up sewing or purchase compatible sets from Leander.

Leander products are pretty hard to find in the states, took us a while to track this one down. A similar option but without the extent of convertible options is the Pali Sofia Crib.

What: Tea Pods

Where: 2modern -  $565 for the small pod, $1115 for the medium pod & $190-245 for the trays, free shipping on orders over $100

Why We Love ‘Em: Recently, our two little nieces came for a visit, which was awesome, but our home is far from baby-proof and we braced ourselves for the inevitable ‘ouwy.’  The culprit? The sharp corner of our coffee table,  fortunately recovery was swift. But it did get us thinking about a design by Iglooplay that we had seen a few months ago that would make a cool ‘corner-free’  coffee table. We have long wrestled with debate of ottoman vs. coffee table, but with the Tea Pods we’d get the best of both worlds.

Designer Lisa Albin created her Tea Pods with child’s play and multi-functionality in mind.  Available in two sizes, the soft pods are made entirely of foam covered in PVC-free vinyl or suede in a variety of color choices. Individually or clustered, the pods can serve as ottomans, side tables, stools, building blocks and when the medium size is flipped on its side, a relaxed lounge chair. An optional removable tray (available in sustainable bamboo or sustainably yielded maple or walnut) fits snugly over the small pod converts the pod into a table. Remove the top and you’ve got a convenient serving tray, puzzle board, laptop table or Barbie playhouse. The possibilities are only limited by your imagination.

Tea Pods make great additions to any playroom or modern space and provide a unique solution for apartment living where space is tight and versatility is key.