Green Treehouse

As seen in USA Today…

I’ve blogged about it before…but obviously I’m not the only one who thinks the phil & teds Metoo Seat totally rocks.

From an environmental standpoint, this seat scores huge points in my mind. Phil & teds Metoo seat is a lightweight, portable high chair with a simple, practical design. The way I see it, given that it doesn’t take up much space means something positive in terms of environmental impact…at least with respect to energy consumption along the production process. Plus, as a company phil & teds is known for taking product safety seriously and taking a proactive approach to product management.

Since moms and dads across the country are talking about the MeToo, BabyEarth has temporarily run out of inventory. But don’t worry, BabyEarth expects to have the seat back in stock by July 31st. Trust me, the wait will be well worth it.

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Check out BabyEarth’s huge phil & teds selection!

Everyone knows that driving has become more expensive lately, thanks to rising fuel costs. Driving less, carpooling, or using public transportation are helpful alternatives, but often there’s just no way around driving a vehicle. Like when the only way you can get your colicky baby to sleep is to drive toward the nearest bumpy road.

For the times you have to drive, here are five tips to make those drives “greener”:

1. Keep your tires inflated. Properly inflated tires actually save you money (fuel efficiency).
2. Avoid Rush Hour. Stop and go traffic lowers fuel economy and increases harmful emissions.
3. Plan trips. Lump errands together, so you’ll have to make fewer trips during the week.
4. Enjoy fresh air. When possible, skip the A/C. The Air Conditioner increases fuel consumption.
5. Change your oil. Oil and filter changes may seem like an added budget expense, but can actually help improve fuel economy.

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After that scrumptious BabyEarth cardboard box conveniently arrives on your doorstep, you know, the one that contains today’s sassiest baby booty, put it to kid-friendly use before pitching it into the recycle bin with these three eco-conscious ideas:

1. Turn your child’s poster art into a puzzle. Glue one of your child’s drawings or paintings to a cardboard box flap. After the poster dries on the BabyEarth cardboard box flap, neatly cut the cardboard into creative puzzle pieces. Enjoy putting the puzzle together with your child!

2. Decorate the box. Children absolutely love decorating cardboard boxes! Provide your child crayons, markers or paint and let your pint-sized artist go wild. To get extra eco-friendly mileage out of the box (and a ton of smiles) forward the box along as a care package to someone special.

3. Create a picture frame. Transform the box into a picture frame. Cut out a cardboard backing (desired size) and a top frame in which you’ve cut an opening in the center. Glue the two pieces together, leaving a side open to insert a photograph or your child’s drawing–or handprint. Decorate the frame with tissue paper, paint, twigs or other household materials.

Found a creative way to put your BabyEarth shipping box to good use? Tell us all about it here!

News of BabyEarthLive is spreading fast! If you’ve ever wished that you could “break news” to your friends and family, now is your chance.

BabyEarthLive just launched yesterday! BabyEarthLive’s fully interactive personalized shopping experience has forever changed the online shopping world–especially when it comes to shopping for baby gear and everything baby.

Check out BabyEarthLive today. Tell your friends. Tell your pediatrician. Tell your favorite Mommy Bloggers. Tell your daycare provider. Tell your neighbor. Even blog about it! Be the one to break this cutting-edge news! BabyEarthLive’s demo-on-demand service is totally revolutionary!

When you’re shopping online don’t you sometimes wish you could see and interact with products before you buy? Well, now you can at BabyEarth!

BabyEarth Live gives shoppers the opportunity to Demo-on-Demand! Whether you’re sitting at a coffee shop in Seattle or sailing around the Caribbean, all you need is Internet access to take advantage of BabyEarth’s fully interactive personalized shopping service. The service is like having your very own personal shopper! A real person will take you up close and personal to check out the latest and greatest in baby gear.

To give the service a try, all you have to do is register at BabyEarth. Simply request the product demonstration you’d like to see, and a BabyEarth staffer will call you back with a live demonstration. Now is your chance to check out the features of that stroller you’re eyeing. How cool is that?

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BabyEarth Live

While the Gerber Baby, Anne Turner Cook, may be well into her seventies, her charcoal drawn baby image hasn’t aged as the official Gerber image.

Like the image, the company doesn’t seem to show any signs of age. With its new Organic collection of bed and bath basics (to complement the line of organic apparel that debuted in 2006), Gerber actually seems cutting-edge and in tune with what today’s parents want. The Gerber Organics collection gives moms and dads yet another eco-friendly alternative when it comes to choosing bed and bath essentials for baby, like crib sheets and washcloths.

Now, anyone can have a Green Gerber Baby.

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I grew up in a no-apple slice type of family. Come to think of it, it was also a no-cheese cube type of family. It’s not that I didn’t eat these healthy foods. I did. A lot. It’s just that apples and cheese were never cut up and served as cute little bits in my school lunches or at snack time.

As silly as it may sound, after seeing another mother’s perfectly sliced apples one day, I decided that was that. My children would grow up in a slice and cube type of family. Beyond cute, smaller chunks are more practical and safer for small children, especially when they’re discovering the art of eating. But how did other moms get those slices and cubes to look so perfect and adorably tasty looking? Apparently, with a little help….

If only I had known earlier that it could be this easy. Should have known KidCo would offer this cool baby gadget.

Oh, in case you’re wondering, good nutrition and environmentalism go together like peas in a pod. For example, eating less processed or natural food is less taxing on environmental resources, and planting fruit trees and vegetables supports a greener environment.

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It’s Father’s Day, and if you’re looking for last minute “earth-friendly” ways to make the day special for a new Dad, consider these ideas:

1. Hit the Movie Theater. If he hasn’t had a chance to get his movie fill since a baby has come into his life, treat him to a movie–with baby (the baby may very well sleep through the entire movie)! There’s no waste in this gift…well, except maybe the popcorn carton.

2. Plant a tree. This special occasion is the perfect day to plant a tree (or other plant) together. Dad can watch the tree grow over the years, always remembering his first Father’s Day.

3. Get Outside. Whether Dad goes for a stroller walk with baby, a family picnic, or hike with baby in tow, there’s nothing quite like spending family time outdoors.

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At a well-child visit today, the pediatrician asked, “is your baby eating much meat?” Given that my older two children don’t eat any meat, other than bacon (hey, they love it…I buy the nitrate free kind), I just assumed my youngest would follow suit. But something about the question put me on the defensive. It seemed like the Doctor was suggesting that my baby should eat meat.

It’s not that I have any issues with meat or meat eaters, or believe that everyone should convert to strict vegetarian or vegan lifestyles. In fact, I was devoted to a vegetarian diet for years. This ended abruptly during pregnancy–I intensely craved cheeseburgers, even though I hadn’t eaten a meat burger for years. Three children later, I’m not back to the point where I can really call myself a vegetarian, but it’s rare that I do eat meat.

What troubles me, though, is that I’m not particularly fond of pediatrician-induced guilt–even if I did have to read between the lines to see it. The way I see it is, my baby may or may not eat meat, and volume shouldn’t factor into the equation. If she comes to love meat, great. If she’s not a huge fan, that’s fine, too. If she only wants bacon, well, I can work with that.

Ever wonder why non-animal product consumption is said to be an eco-friendly lifestyle? These definitions will clue you in.

Vegetarian: Broadly describes a diet that excludes meat, poulty, and fish. There are different types of vegetarians, ranging from vegans to vegetarians who consume dairy and eggs (”lacto-ovo-vegetarian”).

Veganism: Vegans choose to avoid using or eating animal products, including dairy or products tested on animals. This lifestyle is believed to benefit the environment, animals, and our health.

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While cleaning today, I stumbled across my daughter’s pacifier. She actually never used it. I bought it just in case. Now that I think about it, my babies just don’t like them for some reason. Could it be genetic? Finding the pacifier got me thinking about eco-friendly pacifiers. Say, hypothetically speaking, my babies had even the slightest interest in pacifiers, I would have ensured that every pacifier that came into contact with their little mouths earned high marks for being health friendly (e.g., eco-friendly, BPA free)–not to mention safe and cute. But when you’re talking pacifiers there’s more to think about.

Given that pacifiers inevitably wind up at the bottom of the diaper bag, coated with lint or old cracker crumbs, or on the floor–often on the yuckiest of floors, like public restroom or grocery store floors, there are also immediate health concerns (GERMS!) to think about.

That’s where this adorable JJ Cole Essentials Pacifier Pod comes into play:

Cute, eh? By the way, it comes in seven colors at BabyEarth.

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