We have been using Huggies Pure and Natural diapers pretty regular, largely because they have been printing a lot of high value coupons. I honestly don’t see a huge difference between these and the Huggies Supreme Diapers (and they cost more), but I definitely think they are a good option if you use disposables. right now you can get a free sample (limited to newborn or size 1 unfortunately). Just visit huggiespureandnatural.com. If you like them, check out coupon sites like coupons.com, where you can often find coupons for as much as $3 off a pack.

Original Sprout, a company from San Luis Obispo, CA, is a family-run business that creates a line of natural, high-performance hair and skin care products for babies and up. A favorite of celebrity parents such as Josh Brolin, Cindy Crawford, and Diane Lane, these products are gentle enough for babies but also appropriate for adult use. My son and I recently tried their Natural Shampoo and loved it. It’s free of sulfates, doesn’t cause tears, and rinses away easily (avoiding a problem with many baby/child-oriented shampoos I’ve tried on my son). None of their products contain phytoestrogens either, and this shampoo also contains no gluten or soy. It left both my son’s and my hair soft, manageable, and smelling fresh. You can purchase a 12 oz. bottle of this great shampoo for $19.50 at OriginalSprout.com.

At first consideration, the thought of using bamboo in baby wipes might be off-putting. However, BumBoosa has created bamboo baby wipes that are not only biodegradable, renewable, sustainable, and flushable, but are also infused with all-natural ingredients and lavender and sweet orange pure essential oils, leaving behind a sweet scent that lasts for hours. Plus, BumBoosa offsets more than 100% of its carbon emissions by planting trees. You can purchase a case of 6 packages of BumBoosa Bamboo Baby Wipes for $32.99 at Amazon.com.

For those worried about the possible effects of fetal ultrasound, the Natursutten Wooden Midwife’s Stethoscope may be a good option. Made of Beech wood, this tool amplifies the fetal heartbeat, allowing you to hear it from around the 20th week of pregnancy. I think this is a wonderful idea that would also make a thoughtful gift. You can purchase one for $36 at globalenfant.com.

If you are in a back-to-school frame of mind, even for your preschoolers, check out these fun canvas shoes from TOMS. They remind me of an old-fashioned saddle shoe (a back-to-school classic), but I’m sure they are  a lot more comfortable, since they are made from breathable canvas. These will be a great match for end of summer and fall outfits. Best of all, your purchase provides a needy child with a pair of shoes too. You can purchase a pair of these shoes at tomsshoes.com. They sell for $34 and are available in sizes from 2-10.

Huggies has launched a new diaper, Pure and Natural, that is made, in part from organic cotton. We are still alternating between disposables and g-diapers, so I decided to check these out. I haven’t been a huge fan of Huggies in recent years, but I’ve recently found that the Supremes are pretty decent. These new diapers are similar to the Supremes. The inside is very soft, and the legs have a lot of elasticity for a good fit. The down sides, for me, are that they are still bleached, they still have Winnie the Pooh on them (a selling point for some, perhaps) which involves unnecessary dyes, and they are more expensive than even the Supremes (The price I paid was higher and it had fewer diapers in it). Otherwise, these are a soft, absorbent diaper. If having some organic content in your disposable diaper is important to you, these may be a good option. You can purchase a jumbo pack for $10.99 at toysrus.com.

When you become pregnant, immediately you start worrying about the baby’s health. Things you never thought about before pregnancy become of the utmost importance. One of those things is the safety of health and beauty products. A new company, NINE Naturals, has begun to sell a line of natural shampoo and conditioner especially for use during pregnancy. Made with natural plant oils, these products contain no parabens, no phthalates, no sulfates, and no DEA. These all natural products are designed to cleanse and condition your hair gently without harsh chemicals. The company plans to launch a body wash and body lotion soon as well. You can view the shampoo and conditioner at NINEnaturals, where they retail for $18 each.

Every mother wants the best for her newborn baby.  As we all strive to eliminate harmful products from our children’s lives, we want to find alternatives that are natural and safe. Green Elly combines the best of both worlds with its all-natural range of pure baby lotions, creams and bath products. I’ve found that some of the best baby products come from other moms who look for something for their children and can’t find it, then end up making it themselves.

Green Elly was founded in 2007 by Melissa Malcom, mother of Elly, for whom the company was named.
All of Green Elly’s products use natural ingredients and are free of paraben, fragrance, dioxane, phthalate and SLS.  These products are perfect for any baby, but especially if he or she has sensitive skin, diaper rash, cradle cap, or any case in which baby needs all natural ingredients. Right now we are using the Cuddle Me Clean Gel Wash and my son just loves it. I was looking for something to use in the bath that didn’t dry out his skin too much, and this has proven to be perfect.  Even though all Green Elly products are fragrance free, I found that they do have a lovely clean and fresh scent to them, coming from the essential oils they use.

Green Elly offers a great introductory price on a bundle set, which includes everything pictured above: 6.5 ounce Cuddle Me Clean gel; 4 ounce Cuddle Me Clean Wash; 1 ounce Sweet Dream Cream; 1 ounce Twinkle Time Massage Gel and a 4 ounce tub of Cutie’s Patootie Paste.  This would make a wonderful baby shower or newborn gift. The set is available for $50.00 (down from $54.00) at GreenElly.com

I know plenty of kids, boys and girls alike, who absolutely love nail polish. My babies are clearly not old enough to be intrigued by multicolored fingers and toes, but I know that when they are old enough I, like other parents, will worry about them sticking their fingers in their mouths and consuming those chemicals found in polish these days. Believe it or not I tend to avoid polish on my own fingers because I find myself constantly biting my nails.

That’s why I was so intrigued by Piggy Paint, which is “as natural as mud.” Now here’s a safe nail polish choice for kids (and adults) that’s non-toxic and odorless. They come in a lot of fun colors with funky names like “Mac-n-cheese Please” and “Ice Cream Dream.” You can buy direct from the website at piggypaint.com. Unfortunately, their nail polish doesn’t sell for the $1.99 most of us are used to spending on ourselves at the drug store. Individual bottles cost $9.99 each or come three to a gift set for $26.50. You can even purchase a nontoxic remover for $10.50 a bottle. While this high price tag makes it hard to buy a large variety of colors, this might be a great choice as a starter polish—like training wheels—for children (and adults like me) who need to learn to keep those colorful nails out of their mouths.

babysusu is a unique line  of clothing designed specifically for boys from ages 0 to 4. All of their pieces are made from natural fabrics, such as cotton, cashmere, and wool, and are specifically designed to withstand the wear and tear little boys can place on their clothes. They are described as fashionable, yet functional.

Currently, babysusu is having a clearance sale on its Fall 2008 line of clothing. All pieces have been marked down by 50%. In addition, if you use the code “susu25″ at checkout, you can get an additional 25% off your order.

Items such as the beautiful brown cashmere sweater shown above, which retails for $110.00 normally, have been marked down to $66. Take off an additional 25%, and the price is down to an affordable $49.50. You can view this sweater and all of the Fall 2008 line of babysusu clothing at
shopbabysusu.com

I have always been surprised that the leading baby detergent is heavily perfumed.  It seems antithetical to the idea of keeping things simple and pure for delicate skin.  I have tried a number of different detergents for baby laundry, from other brands of baby detergent to non-baby formulas that are free of dyes and perfumes. 

In the end, I keep coming back to Seventh Generation’s Natural Baby Laundry Detergent.  It is slightly more expensive than some of the other brands, but in the end I feel that it is worth every penny.  I still end up using pre-treater for spit-up and other stains, but the detergent cleans very well, even in cold water.  I like the compact size, which doesn’t take up a lot of space and is as environmentally-friendly as the detergent itself.  I would highly recommend this product to new parents. You can purchase a 50 oz bottle for $8.99 at drugstore.com.

Every parent wants her child to play with ABC blocks, hoping that the child will absorb some knowledge from these blocks that will help the child when it’s time to learn to read. Most children will inevitably put these blocks into their mouths from time to time, making a parent worry about the safety of these toys. Maple Landmark has produced a line of toys called Schoolhouse Naturals that are made up of only hard maple wood - with no chemicals, just wood glue used as necessary, and are laser-engraved with no chemical detailing.

This Natural ABC Block Set looks like the perfect first letter block set for a child. The set consists of 16 blocks that measure 1 3/4″. Each has a letter engraved on it against a background of an object beginning with that letter. Most importantly, you can be sure that it’s safe if he puts it into his mouth. Recommended for ages 12 months and up, you can purchase these blocks for $98 at MapleLandmark.net.

Tree Blocks®are such an unusual block set. Each set comes with some “Y” or forked shaped pieces, and pieces of various diameters and lengths.

Tree Blocks® are made from discards of managed paper forests — no living trees are harmed in the production of Tree Blocks®. “We identify abandoned or end of productive cycle plots and contact the farmers,” it says at the Tree Blocks®Web Site. “We come in to push the old trees over, thereby removing the roots. Then we purchase the wood and haul it away to process. This leaves the farmer clean soil and seed money, so it can be back into production.”

The entire set comes ready to give as a gift in a drawstring cotton bag. Safe, lab tested. Conforms to CPSC & ASTM 963- F, and EN 71. Sounds like you can purchase this natural product with a clean conscience, and at a price of just $39.95 at naturalpod.com, it’s a toy that’s affordable too.

If you are a fan of modern prints and organic clothing, this great Fiddlehead Organic Tee from the mother-owned company Little Lark should be right up your alley.  I love the great green and white design, which definitely has a modern flair.  It would be perfect for either a boy or a girl.

Made in the USA from organic cotton, the shirt is made to be as soft and cozy as it is stunning and eco-friendly.  It is available in sizes from 6-12 months up through 6T.  You can purchase one for $24 at ALittleLark.com.

The product description for this item makes quite a few claims: helps relieve pain, provides comfort, sense of security, calming and soothing, comforts colicky children, absorbs moisture in warm weather, baby will sleep longer and more soundly. How does it do all that?

According to the product description, this idea for a Natural Lambskin Comforter was discovered by a young New Zealand mother. While her child was in the hospital with a broken thigh, she noticed other long-term patients who were using sheepskin bed pads and wondered if the natural fibers would help relieve her daughter’s pain. Apparently she was right and she took her idea to Bowron. Bowron research and development, along with the New Zealand Parents Centers Inc., spend four years finding the perfect lambskin for babies. The result was the Babycare lambskins that have been sold world-wide since 1970.

I don’t know if the Soft Natural Lambskin Comforter by Bowron can hold up to all its claims. It sounds like an idea that has its roots from a traditional home-remedy solution. Whatever the claims, lambskin is luxuriously soft and a natural moisture absorber. I also like that it has many uses as a comforter, a crib pad, a play rug, car seat pad, etc. It could easily become one of your most favorite and dependable baby items in your home.

The comforter measures 32 to 37 inches in length and 19 inches in width. You can purchase one for $99.99 at BabyAnt.com.