Sandcastle-building is one of my my kids’ top 10 favorite summertime activities. But I am filled with a small twinge of guilt at the thought of buying those made-in-China plastic beach toys. Luckily, a better option is now available — the Sand Play Set by Green Toys. Made of recycled milk containers, Green Toys are made of plastic that you can actually feel good about! Green Toys, Inc. takes environmental consciousness to a whole new level. Not only are their toys made locally in California, but they also obtain the raw materials locally. By eliminating oversees or cross-country transportation costs, they are also reducing pollution. They also use recycled, non-plastic materials for their packaging and (hooray!) no twist-ties! And finally, because I know you want to know, these toys have no traceable amounts of phthalates or BPA and have no external coatings that could contain lead paint. Yep, we think we’ve found a winner here! So skip the dollar store next time you are looking for sand and beach toys and check out Green Toys instead. Your planet thanks you.

Find It Here: Green Toys

Congratulations to Rachael W., winner of a sand play set by Green Toys! 

By Cristina, May 26, 2008  
Filed under: BPA-free, Made in USA, Play, Preschooler, Recycle, Toddler, Toys, Win

Lucky for us, the first pacifier we ever tried with my son (the Natursutten Pacifier) was the best pacifier we ever purchased. Now granted, he only used it a few times before he opted for the good old thumb, but despite that, I totally fell in love with it. I know what you’re thinking. I fell in love with a pacifier? Really? Really. Just hear me out.

Made in Europe from natural rubber, Natursutten Pacifiers are CE certified to meet European health, safety, and environmental directives. You won’t find any BPA, phthalates, or PVC in these babies. Plus, unlike most pacifiers that have a plastic shield and a nipple joined together, this pacifier is molded into one piece. That means you won’t have to worry about yucky, germy stuff accumulating between the shield and nipple. It’s easy to clean, really (you guessed it!) rubbery, and naturally softer than silicone – perfect for baby and for mamas looking for a BPA-free paci for their child.

Find It Here: The Soft Landing

Congratulations to Mommie and Charline, winners of two Natursutten Pacifers each! 

By Cristina, May 23, 2008  
Filed under: BPA-free, Baby, Win

Here comes the airplane…zoooooom! Have you every actually said that while feeding your baby and plunging the spoon into her mouth? Well, if you haven’t had the chance, you may not be able to resist when you see these new soft-bite spoons from Nuby. Each set comes with a race-car, bug, train or airplane on the spoon, which I think is irresistibly cute. But what’s even better is that they are BPA, PVC and phthalate-free, which means you won’t have to worry about these types of chemicals leaching out from the spoon into baby’s mouth. All you will have to do is figure out how to get baby to eat from the spoon instead of play with it.

Find It Here: The Soft Landing

Congratulations to Taryn B., winner of a set of Nuby Eating Gear, including a Wacky Ware Bowl, Wacky Ware Utensils, a Nibbler 2pk, and Extra Nibbler Nets!

By Cristina, May 21, 2008  
Filed under: BPA-free, Baby, Eat, Win

Unlike with bottled water, there will be no environmental guilt when drinking from this Green Toys tea set. To make their enviro-friendly toys, Green Toys reprocesses plastic milk jugs made of high-density polyethylene, which is known to be one of the safest, cleanest plastics around. In addition to this adorable tea set, other products in this line include an indoor gardening kit, cookware and dining set and a sand play set. Not only are these manufactured in the USA, but they are also packaged in 100% recycled corrugated easy-to-open boxes with absolutely no plastics, cellophane or those horrendous twist-ties that can turn the sanest of parents into raving lunatics. And, as if those packaging virtues weren’t reason enough to love Green Toys, consider that their toys are Bisphenol-A and phthalate-free, as determined by third-party testing conducted in the United States. Kind of makes you wonder why they don’t make all plastic toys this way…

Find It Here: Green Toys Inc.

By Sarah, May 13, 2008  
Filed under: BPA-free, Kids, Play, Recycle, Toddler, Toys

One of our favorite sites to visit for the latest info on BPA-free products is SafeMama.com. A while back, Kathy posted on these great BPA-free plastic popsicle molds. We love them so much, we just had to share them with you. Available at Crate and Barrel, these star-shaped pop molds are perfect for making up refreshing treats on a hot summer day. And with summer less than two months away, you’ll be ready to whip up some popsicles sooner than you think. Let’s hear it for long summer days, warm summer nights, and popsicles without BPA! Woo-hoo!

Find It Here: Crate and Barrel

[Tipped off by: Safemama]

By Cristina, April 28, 2008  
Filed under: BPA-free, Eat