Ever stop in for a bite to eat with the kidlets only to discover you neglected to bring a bib?  Being up for The Mother of the Year Award, this has only happened to me a dozen or so times.  Somehow, a paper napkin tucked into a 2 year old’s shirt just doesn’t do the job.  So I’ve invested in a couple of Kipiis, a nifty little gadget that can turn almost anything into a bib.  Washable and reusable, toss one of these into your purse and you’ll never be without a bib again.  Neat.

$14.00 at Kid O

Okay, so we normally don’t feature items with prices in the stratosphere (being blue-collar gals and all), but we’ll make an exception for a good cause.  And this is a good cause!  Wee Generation is now featuring the Eco Diaper Bag and this bag is spectacular.  Made of 100% recycled plastic bottles, it’s liner is PVC-free and here comes the best part:  all of the profits (yep, every single penny) from this bag are donated to Healthy Child Healthy World, an organization dedicated to providing a healthy environment for our kids.

So check it out.  $200 is a spendy diaper bag, but at least the money is going towards a good cause and not lining the pockets of yet another over-priced designer.

Believe it or not, there are some awesome moms out there who still have the energy to rock out!  (My two kidlets diabolically ate all of my energy).  If you know one of these tres-hip moms, this diaper bag was made for her! 

If a diaper bag isn’t her style, check out the crib set, baby sling, diaper wipes case, or baby blanket in the same fabric!

$49.99 at Jaminga

Ahhhh, we just love Etsy!  Where else can you consistently find such creative and unique hand-made items at such reasonable prices?  If you haven’t checked out Etsy yet, you’re seriously missing out on some great stuff, like this Alien Crib Mobile, for only $25.  Break out of the commercialized (read: BORING) nursery decor at Etsy!

$25 at Etsy

Have you seen these great play sets? They’re from Green Toys, a company out of San Francisco, California, that is dedicated to creating eco-friendly and safe alternatives to traditional toys. Their toys- which include an awesome sand play set, tea set, cooking set, and sweet little gardening set- are made out of recycled milk jugs in California. Novel idea, right? Their website explains further:

“Yes, the exact plastic milk jugs that you and your family drink from every day. When you finish your milk and toss the container in the recycling bin, these milk containers are collected at your curb by a local recycling company, who then sorts them from all the other types of plastic. Next, the milk containers are reprocessed into super clean fresh plastic. For you plastic geeks, the plastic material we use is called high-density polyethylene (or HDPE). This material is considered one of the safest, cleanest plastics around”.

The toys contain no phthalates or BPA, and are designed without external coatings so that they are lead-free and meet FDA requirements for food contact. They also are minimally packaged in recycled corrugated boxes using no plastics, cellophane or twist-ties. These toys are such a win-win-win.

For those ultra-concerned with toy safety (and rightly so)…
Green Toys products pass a plethora of tests, including:

• Consumer Products Safety Standard Specification, ASTM F963
• California Prop. 65 restrictions on lead & cadmium
• FDA regulations for food contact
• California regulations prohibiting phthalates in toys
• Voluntary testing for no BPA (Bisphenol-A)

And for everyone concerned about the planet, it’s great to know that every step in the manufacturing process, “from milk container recycling to toy production to final assembly, occurs in California.Our raw materials and toys aren’t shipped from overseas, which saves a lot of energy and reduces greenhouse gases”.

Plus, if I failed to mention it, they’re fun and great for the imagination!

Available online at WildDill and Amazon.