A few nights ago, while in the throes of editing my book, I received an email from Jen Williams of Dress Me Up Organic asking if I would review her natural, organic baby products that she packages and ships without any plastic.
I took a quick look at the site and was blown away by how cute the toys are–I love the designs–but at the time, I was scrambling to get my book edits done, didn’t have time to do a review, and don’t have kids to test the products on anyway. So I asked Jen if she would write up her story, how she became interested in environmental issues, especially plastic, and why she decided to start her own company.
Here’s Jen’s story in her own words.
Jen Williams of Dress Me Up Organic
I have been interested in the environment and sustainable living since early in my high-school days. That was the time when the Clayoquot Sound controversy was rampant in my backyard. I was so inspired by nature during those days that, in University I completed a Bachelor Degree with a double major in Geography and Environmental Studies. I worked at several different jobs in the government that I quickly realized would not help me to feel good about preserving nature, but instead made me feel disconnected from it.
When I decided to have children, I was quite disheartened that I could not find products that I felt confident giving to my kids. So many of these products were made out of plastic and they seemed to be randomly getting recalled all the time. Even most stuffed toys were made with plastic and stuffed with plastic! International manufacturing seemed to be poorly monitored, and we heard that lots of paints from China contained unsafe levels of lead. I also hated loud toys, which took lots of them off my list.
I have a great friend named Tressa who has huge talents in the fiber arts realm. When she started having small children, she felt frustrated with the products available as well. Tressa had a whole bunch of creative ideas on bringing back some of the classic toys that would naturally inspire kids to use their imagination – and my kids and I loved what she was doing! She started to make things for her girls and crafted enough to sell on Etsy and at markets. The toys she was making started getting a lot of attention since there was nothing like it on the market.
Tressa and I had a great chat one night about how she wanted to focus on her little kids, and on crafting really unique products. My little ones were now all in school, I loved her creations, and I was passionate about sourcing the highest quality materials. We both decided that I should be the person to take her creations to the next level.
I have a dream to bring all of these high quality, handmade toys, teethers and linens to more families. In our business, I am very careful to thoroughly research all the sources of our fabric to make sure it is ethically produced to very high standards. In April 2011, we submitted our Organic Teething Bonbon to be reviewed by the Mother Approved Child Tested group. We won the excellence and green awards, which I am especially happy about because they look at the different components that go into making the toys.
We work hard to ensure that there are extremely limited plastics involved in the production of our products from start to finish. We do not individually wrap our toys in plastic for shipping, we stuff our toys with natural wool and occasionally organic cotton, and we use paper tape when shipping. I am always interested in finding out more ways to cut plastic out of my life, and I really appreciate what Beth is doing with “My Plastic Free Life” and I can’t wait to read her book!
Win a Dress Me Up Organic Teething Bonbon®
Dress Me Up Organic’s Organic Teething Bonbons® are made from certified organic cotton and naturally antibacterial wool, and are a safe, plastic-free solution for teething pain. Here’s how you use them:
1. Dip the ends in water.
2. Leave the center stuffing dry.
3. Toss in the freezer ‘till needed.
The cool, firm teether knots soothe tender gums, while the wool stuffing keeps little hands warm. Each Bonbon® is handmade one at a time in the company’s Canadian, west coast studio from organic and sustainable materials. The cotton shell is 100% certified organic USA cotton embroidered with one of a kind free form stitching. The center of the Teething Bonbon® is stuffed with Canadian wool.
To enter the contest: Leave a comment below with your favorite plastic-free kid solution. Could be a brand of toy. Could be a DIY idea. Could be anything that exposes kids to less plastic. I’ll choose a winner at random the week of February 13. Of course, while I usually use the random number generator to choose winners for my give-aways, I reserve the right to choose someone who leaves a tip that absolutely blows me away.
02/15/2012 Update: The random winner of the Teething BonBon is roc_phd. Congratulations!
Disclosure: I did not receive any compensation for writing this post except for the Teething Bonbon that has been donated by Jen for the give-away.
We love Dress Me Up Organic products and have featured them on our green blog! We are hosting a giveaway this week for their amazing teething bonbon and leash, enter here http://earthandsugar.com/fresh-finds/the-dress-me-up-organic-giveaway/ !
Breastfeeding, cloth diapering, and borrowing gear from friends with older children, or simply getting hand-me-downs from them have helped me reduce the plastic in our household. Though I must admit it's tough to be as plastic-free as I was before the baby was born....
This is the first I've heard of dress me up organic products. I've always had a problem with toys and things made in china not knowing if lead paint and other chemicals are used.
The girls favorite toys are wooden building blocks and dirt & shovels.
Wool is a great plastic-alternative in the kid category. Use wool for puddle pads on beds, wool nursing pads, and wool diaper covers. We also use wool pillows and wool blankets -- no polyester, no fleece! You can also use wool felt and wool stuffing to make all-natural toys (like fabric cubes).
My little boys playing with toys, which i've made for them myself. I've made its with clay. It is absolutely safety issue for children. More than that, they are trying to create something themselves. Clay increases their sensitivity and motoric functions.
My son wanted to build things. He was asking for a lego but I decided to give him building blocks made of wood instead. At first he was a bit disappointed but now he is just so fond of his blocks and the world he is creating with it.
Beth, where I live there has been too much of Chinese toys, as they are cheap and the shop keepers are getting great margins. I have seen small kids even play with them. I had read somewhere the low quality plastics that these Chinese toys use are VERY harmful to the health of kids. Is that true??
We are so fortunate because my partner's godfather makes wooden toys! We have a great stool in the shape of a turtle, as well as tables and chairs and cribs.
My cousin always uses glass bottles for her baby boy, saving him from all the nasty plastic chemicals. I would love to win this for my nephew!
My favorite plastic free solution for little ones is cloth diapers, breastfeeding and buying used clothing. Making toys from recycled cotton and other clothing. Also love stainless steel sippys from Klean Kanteen (although the tops are plastic).
Love the wooden teething toys we purchased for our twins!
My favorite plastic free toy for the kids that I've made is ABC letters out of wool felt. I cut them out, stuffed them and stitched them into tactile letters. They feel so nice to the touch and they even helped my daughter learn to spell her name early on!
I love the organic cotton taggie toys!! the kiddos are fascinated with them! :)
Cloth diapers (most of them bought used) and used clothing are my favorite plastic-free kid solutions. I LOVE my cloth diapers, and most of them I'll even be able to re-sell after my soon-to-be two kids are done with them. Young kids go through clothing so fast, I don't see any point in buying it new.
My daughter is now 15 months old. I have had a problem with kind hearted friends giving her toys usually made out of plastic. It is so hard not to succumb to plastic. I have returned a ton of plastic toys to the stores where they came from. I have found a consignment shop where we buy great clean used clothes and if I see a wooden toy I snap it up. I have found she loves tearing apart newspaper, old magazines etc. she loves her ball made out of yarn, and also old dolls I found at thrift stores and cleaned up. Kids grow so fast and loose interest in things quicly there is no point in buying expensive "stuff" usually made out of plastic. She likes sea shells I have found also, I just make sure there are no jagged edges. greg
We gave the grandparents a list of approved toys. I just wish I could convince them to visit local toy stores for shopping.
Cardboard boxes to build forts/spaceships/whateverthekid's are thinking are the BEST. We also keep a big old cardboard box full of tissue boxes/shoeboxes/toliet and papertowel tubes/anything that can be used to make fun stuff such as telescopes, megaphones, etc. We also have another box full of paper from various places (crap we get in the mail, school forms, the last bit of notebooks, etc) for the kids to grab and color on. Then there is their absolute favorite toys, a vintage doll house from when I was a kid that my dad built from a kit with all sorts of wood furniture, china plates and cloth dolls and a train set made out of wood and minimal metal. I try to get all of their toys off of Craigslist and from Goodwill like stores. Our newest sure could use this, I don't like giving them frozen apples or anything like that for teething because I'm always afraid of a chunk coming off and choking them (I've seen it happen!) so I usually just freeze the end of a washcloth. This looks like it'd be easier to use for sure. I'm definitly going to get some of these toys!
I work in our states early intervention program. I am a special instructor for children with disabilities and delays ages birth to three. I am certain that the toxins in our environment are damaging our children. I highly recommend that parents limit their family's time on electronics (televison, computer, phones, electronic toys, electronic games) and spend more time interacting with their children. The possibilities are limitless. Just do things together. The activities can include playing, eating, cleaning, making crafts, cooking, and on and on. For example: Have your children do laundry with you. Depending on the age of the child, you can have them sort the laundry before you wash it and talk to them about how to do that and why. You can have them carry the laundry to the washer and load it. You can have them sort by colors or kinds of clothing after the laundry is clean and dry. You can teach them to fold laundry and match socks. You can talk to your children about what items are in the laundry and what they are used for. You can have some fun with it and make sock puppets, play peek-a-boo by putting a towel over your child's face, and wrapping one of your children in a blanket and swinging them gently. These are just a few ideas off the top of my head. There are so many ways to enjoy life, to interact with each other to build relationships , and to teach our children that we miss out on when we are busy with our electronics. Plus, interaction with your children teaches them much more than the television and educational toys.
With my second child (just a month old now) we switched to using water and washcloths instead of wipes. We also get the majority of our kids clothes, toys and gear secondhand. My son packs his lunch in a cloth bag with a cloth napkin.
My two best tips for plastic-free with kids: 1. elimination communication: basically, you help your baby/child to pee/poo in a potty by learning their cues (grunting, etc.) and cueing them with a sound (like 'pssss'). You can do it from birth and full time, or part-time and start when you can. Greatly reduces diaper-use (even with cloth diapers you often end up using plastic in the form of the waterproof covers), deepens bonds with baby and helps baby maintain awareness of their body. http://www.diaperfreebaby.org/ 2. Give babies cooled chamomile tea to soothe them when teething. Really works! If they're frantic and don't want to drink it, I have often just splashed a bit in their mouths and once they have a bit, they'll have a bit more.
we buy cute small mugs at the thrift store. my 4-y-o can pick different designs she likes, they are sturdy enough that they rarely break, and they're cheap, too. and they fit in her dish drawer. i also recently round the crafty crow website that has a great section devoted to crafts from recycled items. they are usually low on the plastic use. i also have a "bun in the oven" so this teether would be great! thanks for the review and giveaway!
Thank you so much for this resource. It is not exactly easy to find eco-friendly and plastic free resources for children. It seems almost all baby/kid products are plastic. So far we have been able to curb our use of plastic, but it takes work. We are limiting all the "stuff" and only getting the essentials. This is a huge step, as so many companies offer freebies to try to get you to buy their products. Refusal is key! I have bought all the baby clothes at the thrift store, of course bringing my own bags to tote items home. We use cloth diapers and wipes. I make all my own soap, wipe solution, lotion etc. We do the no poo method for hair care. I have made all the curtains, bed linens, changing pads, diaper bags, etc from organic cotton and eco-friendly fabric bought by the yard. I do not use formula to supplement feedings, only using breast milk and pumping. We have the stainless steel bottles from pura with silicone nipples. We also have kid sized stainless steel cups and bamboo utensils and dishes. We have some wonderful wooden toys and teethers. Amber necklaces also make great teethers! I love all the comments, it is great to get advice from others! Thanks
Cardboard boxes are a favorite in our house. Every time we get one, my kids play in it for days - until they finally destroy it. They also love their wooden trucks and puzzles
My easy tip: buy less stuff and make all choices carefully. I hope that in doing this simple thing I will not only consume less plastic, but also help my son have a healthy relationship with the world.
My grandson, age 3, and I usually like going into his backyard. When we are outside, his toys are found objects: pine cones of various sizes, different shapes of fallen branches, rocks of differing colors and sizes, maybe a bird feather, camellia that has left the bush, leaves. He gathers these and we put nature's leavings around the base of a large pine tree, and as the collection grows, he may put them in some sort of pattern. No matter how many toys I've gotten him, he really likes what nature offers!
I love Holgate Handeez trucks. They are wooden and metal. They are made with a handle so toddlers can push them across the floor. My son has somehow managed to pop the wheels off, but they were a well loved toy. Now I have a one month old so any teething solution will come in handy.
I am all about reducing as much plastics as possible, but am just as passionate about keeping things from landfills. When my son started to become interested in cars and trains, I found a wooden train and car set that another family was finished with and purchased from them. Saving items from being unnecessarily thrown out and ensuring I had safe products for my kids :)
We're acquiring as little plastic as possible (car seat, bottle caps, diaper covers, stroller are the only so far, I think...) and are selling or giving away any that we're done with. We're skipping sippy cups. As far as toys - we have gotten ours mainly from Michaelolaf.com and ecotoytown.com.
I was determined to have a plastic free nursery, which I have mostly succeeded in. I do the standard cloth diapers and wipes, wooden toys, etc (although teething has been a challenge) But the best way I food to reduce plastic usage was through the products- diaper cream, baby shampoo, wipes, baby lotion, teething medicine, etc- all of these things I make from scratch at home and store in 1/4 pint mason jars. Same for the baby food- make from fresh produce and then can or freeze. This is far different than my wasteful world of disposable plastic EVERYTHING with my first child... blissful, responsible simplicity.
I always buy wooden toys fro my nieces - Usually Melissa and Doug. They have such fun things.
I bought a few Haba wooden toys for him to chew on, but he seems to love chewing/sucking on his socks. He yanks them off and carries them around with him as he crawls about. He also likes chewing on wooden spoons. All plastic free! We also do cloth diapers, but do use a plastic cover. I was going to try the wool soakers, but, well, they were kind of pricey. We have tried to limit the number of plastic toys, but it sure is hard. Everything kid related is plastic (strollers, car seats, toys, ugh!). It is hard to avoid. I welcome tips!
I like to give 100% Post-consumer recycled cardboard boxes to my nieces with a little tin of Eco-Kids Eco-Crayons. Imagine unwrapping a box filled with the essentials to make a cozy box fort. Cotton fabric [curtains], vegetable crayons and some help from mom and dad [cutting windows and skylights] are all you need...
We use frozen cucumber sticks and apple slices for teething! My son loves them!
I like to make things for my daughter so she gets unique and personlized toys. I made her a set of yarn dolls, felt cloth paper dolls, felt animals stuffed with cut up pieces of old cloth, and I take worn out organic clothes and make clothes for her doll. :) It is so hard to find quality plastic free toys for infants and kids in stores, so I am very thankful for the awesome online companies that fill the need like Dress Me Up! I'm glad to support companies that truly have the best interests of our kids and our planet at heart.
I love this post as it is so relevant to my life right now and even a post a just published! Jen, you are so inspirational and we need more like you!!! Would especially love things like this geared toward older children as well. Thank you!
Nothing super creative but I bought my new nephew several Haba wooden clutching toys and aden + anais muslin Snap Bibs. Natural materials in paper packaging! Bought local also, so no plastic packing bubbles or bags either.
My baby is teething, and her HABA wood teething ring is a current favorite.
My little one loves her Sophie the giraffe.