Green Treehouse

If you’re looking for another reason to buy eco-friendly toys, consider this news: a Michigan-based environmental research group has found that one-third of popular toys “contain medium or high levels of chemicals of concern.” That’s one in three!

Don’t worry if you didn’t score good deals on Black Friday. Today is Cyber Monday and the web is loaded with them!

If you’re looking for eco-friendly, green gifts for baby and young children, don’t miss BabyEarth’s fabulous compilation of Under $10 Gifts!This compilation contains some amazing finds for the upcoming gift giving season–it’s also well worth checking out if you’re on a budget and need a baby shower gift! You’ll find major eco-friendly brands, too, including Under the Nile, Bumkins, and Born Free.

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Little Elves

I just finished decking out my mantle with one of those holiday-themed greenery garlands–sure, the greens are artificial, but the glittery Pine Cones look quite elegant. My kids aren’t the only ones excited that the holiday season “officially” rings in this week with the arrival of Turkey Day. I’m also ecstatic, especially knowing that I can now count the number of days until Black Friday on one hand.

There’s no doubt, I love shopping. But, I’m also smart about it. I don’t like to clutter my closets with things I won’t ever use. I tend to think most people on my shopping list share similar thoughts. So, when the holidays come, I try to buy practical gifts.

This shopping approach gets me into trouble sometimes–because I’ve discovered that it’s really hard to keep a gift a surprise when I’ve bought something that someone could use right away.

When it comes to my own kids, I’m tempted to pull out whatever gift I’ve purchased and let them start using it. That’s why I’m nearly certain I will fail at keeping the puzzles I’m going to buy my toddler this week a secret. My toddler is completely ready for puzzles (btw, puzzles make great gifts at this age)–and, I know they would make for hours of entertainment during the hustle and bustle of holiday preparations.   

Do you shop and tell, too? If not, what’s your strategy for keeping holiday gifts for your children a surprise?

Today, the Washington Post reports that ”the vast majority of toys are safe.”  This news couldn’t come at a better time for holiday shoppers.  For those who remain concerned about toy safety in light of recent recalls, the Washington Post suggests this option:  go shopping with a lead-test kit, choke-test cylinder, or sound meter in hand.   

There are 38 days until Christmas. On days like today (the kind which whoever said, “long days, short years,” must have had in mind), Christmas sounds like a world away.

If this year is anything like last year, or the year before, or the year before that year, I’m bound to find myself rushing around at the last minute, going store-to-store, trying to think up a gift for someone on my shopping list–and, without fail that someone is usually the most difficult person to shop for on my list.

But, this year, I think I’ve found a way to make holiday shopping easy, especially at the last minute. It doesn’t involve committing to finishing my shopping “early” or abstaining from last minute shopping–that, I know, would be just about as successful as one of my many New Year’s Resolutions.

I’ve come up with a gift giving shopping “theme”–one broad theme for my entire gift giving, although multiple themes, one for each person on your list, can also work. This year, “books” are my general theme. For example, for my friend’s children, who are grieving the loss of their beloved family dog, I plan to buy The Forever Dog. One child on my list who is crazy about ponies will likely get a stack of pony books. A toddler on my list will likely get one of those “Who Loves Baby?” Photo Books, which I will insert photos into ahead of time for a personalized touch.

Theme shopping is easy because you can plan your theme in advance of actually setting foot in the shopping mall or sitting down at a computer. So, even if you wind up shopping at the last minute, you will at least have a good grasp on the type of product you’re going to buy.

Theme shopping can also be a lot of fun. When it comes to dreaming up a theme, your imagination is the only limit. Here are three themes to jumpstart your creativity:

1. Gift cards or certificates. Who doesn’t love receiving a gift card? One of the reasons gift cards are growing in popularity is because people like receiving them! Eliminate worries of an “impersonal” gift by selecting a store, restaurant, or service with the interest of the person you are shopping for in mind (e.g., baby store gift certificate for expectant parents). You can also personalize a gift card by unique wrapping or packaging (e.g., putting a certificate inside a baby bottle).
2. Magazine Subscriptions. Consider giving a magazine subscription that will appeal to the person on your shopping list (e.g., a children’s magazine for kids, a cooking magazine for someone who loves to cook).
3. Health and Beauty. The possibilities for a health and beauty theme are practically endless. For women, “gift” boxes of assorted makeup or perfume samplers, like those found at department store makeup counters during the holidays, make nice gifts, as do cologne samplers for men. For children, consider assorted lip glosses, chapstick, or bath products.

Happy Theme Shopping!

A mom friend just asked me if I knew of a good place to buy “Made in USA” toys this holiday season. The best advice I could offer her was to look online.

After having ventured to two brick and mortar toy boutiques this past weekend looking specifically for American-made products, only to encounter disappointment, I’ve pretty much decided that online shopping is the only way to go–at least, if there’s any hope of efficiently crossing names off Santa’s shopping list.

I’m not the only one thinking that online retailers are the way to go this holiday season. Check out Regina Lewis’ recent blog entry on where to buy American-made toys. She suggests consumers kick off their shopping at:  How Americans Can Buy American  and Still Made in USA.com.

If your holiday shopping goal is simply to find manufacturers who seem attentive to toy safety, you may want to check out Melissa & Doug products.  Even though some of their products are (or have been) Made in China, Melissa & Doug appears attentive to consumer safety, at least according to the company’s Sept. 2007 email sent to concerned parents.