Today I announced to my facebook fans about our new Eco Toys & Baby store opening in Hawthorn, Melbourne in 10 days!!

We moved here just over a week ago and have been busy renovating, painting and preparing the shop for the grand opening which will be on Sat 8th May, just in time for Mother’s Day.

And it’s not just our fabulous range of toys that you will find in our store. Our store will focus on a wide range of gorgeous baby and mum products, all made ethically using the finest sustainable and organic materials.

The shop will have a large play area with plenty of toys and activities for our resident toy tester (my daughter Safari) to play with and of course any other children that come and visit.

Mums can relax and even feed their babies or toddlers in our comfortable breastfeeding chair if needed and our dads are also made to feel right at home with our cool range of eco friendly nappy bags & carriers, specifically for dads.

Eco Toys will be running a series of monthly workshop on various topics such as natural birth, breastfeeding, benefits of natural play, baby wearing, cloth nappies and author Robin Grile’s  parenting for a peaceful world workshop.

Our store will be a place where mums & dads to be or families with kids can come and source information and view our huge range of eco friendly toys and baby products, including organic skincare, feeding, bedding, carriers, organic clothing, bath products and much more.

Our shop is about bringing change and making a difference to our children’s future. Eco Toys & Baby is about creating a community that cares, asks and demands safer and ethical products.   This of course all starts at the beginning, when we have a baby.

Here’s a little sneak preview of what arrived today!!

I seriously want a baby just so I can use this! It’s stunning, simple & elegant . . a bit like all our toys!

Over the next 10 days I will be sharing with you our journey as a family to bring a little bit of change in this world.

In line with Earth Hour tonight I thought I’d come up with a list of  the Top 10 Eco tips for parents.

We all have a different awareness and concern for the environment but I believe this list I have created is a good start for any new parent.

1. Teach children about recycling by getting them to help you put rubbish in the right bin. Children learn through imitation and role play, so what better way to start teaching them about how to care for our planet than by doing it yourself?

2. Turn the tap off when brushing their teeth. Children can be taught to value, respect and not waste our valuable water by not letting the water run.

3. Use cloth or biodegradable nappies and wipes. More and more mums are using modern cloth nappies these days and that’s because they are easy to use, look stylish and are better for your baby’s skin and the environment. If you can’t be bothered with the washing then ensure you use an eco-friendly disposable  nappy option.

4. Don’t use a dryer for clothes, instead hang out clothes on the line! The sun does wonders for your clothes and my three-year-old daughter loves to help me by passing me the pegs.

5. Buy your food from your local farmers market or green grocer. Farmers markets are everywhere and if you haven’t been to one yet then you should check them out. Filled with fresh, locally produced fruit, veggies, bread, jams, chutneys and much more they are a great way to spend a Sunday morning. Your children will enjoy them too! Checkout this link to find your closest farmers market http://www.farmersmarkets.org.au/

6. Walk to places more often instead of driving; it’s good for you, your baby and the environment.

7. Use natural and organic cleaning and bath products instead of toxic, chemical cleaners that pollute our waterways.

8. Go to op shops. You can find some amazingly gorgeous and unique baby clothes at op shops and they are a great money saver, particularly considering baby only wears them for such a short time.

9. Breastfeed and you never have to worry about bottles, sterilising and formula. Again, it’s the best thing you could do for your baby and you save yourself a lot of hassle!

10.  Don’t waste the earth’s resources on mass-produced, plastic toys that contribute to landfill. Try to buy natural and eco friendly toys, join a toy library or buy toys from op shops.

Eco Toys proudly supports local and Australian toy makers.

We have a huge range of beautifully crafted Australian made toys and we are the first online toy store in Australian to provide fun, eco friendly and Australian made toys!

Why purchase Australian made?

When you purchase products that are made in Australia, you are providing jobs to Australians but most importantly you are reducing carbon emissions caused by air pollution.

So where are out toys made?

Locally! Our gorgeous wool felt fruit, veggie and tea sets are made in the beautiful Macedon Ranges by a mum who hand sews them all individually with love.

Remember those traditional wooden toys you had as a child? We have two Melbourne craftsmen that have been making traditional wooden toys for many years and still make them in their backyard shed’s.

Mike from Croydon makes our gorgeous wooden castle and Teeny motors, while Graeme from Portalington makes our block trolley and bead frame. Both are retired and love making the toys for children.

Donna Hensen, an aboriginal artist from the Wiradjuri People and part of the Winanggaay art project designs our beautiful Australian made indigenous jigsaw puzzles. Eco Toys brings traditional Aboriginal games and puzzles to your children’s play and learning.

Our new range of eco friendly gift cards are all designed and made locally by talented artist Judith Howell and our Living Landscapes Card Game are also designed by Australian artist Lizet Frijters in Far North QLD.

So what about the rest of the toys?

Most are designed and owned by local and Australian companies!

We try not to ship our toys from all the way from Europe as that increases the greenhouse gases caused by the air transport.

By supporting Australian designed toys we are still supporting Australian designers and companies and our toys comply with the highest Australian safety toy standards, so that’s definitely peace of mind!

Eco Toys is excited to introduce another fantastic eco toy range to our store!

Green Toys is a US company that makes environmentally friendly children’s toys from 100% recycled milk containers. They use milk containers because it is completely free from Phthalates & BPA and one of the safest & cleanest plastics around. I‘I be honest, I was a bit hesitant at first to add them to my store due to them being made out of plastic, but the more research I did on them, the more I realised that they were an exceptional, high quality, 100% green product!

One of the things that I love about Green Toys is that they are FDA (food contact standards) certified. If your child is like mine and loves to have tea parties pouring with real water then you can be rest assured that it is safe and unlike wooden tea and cooking sets can get wet. It is also dishwasher safe and meets the highest international standards ( EN71 and ISO 8124) for safety.

The outdoors toys are extremelley durable and strong, so although you might initially pay more for a sandpit play set or jump rope, they will last much longer. Unlike the cheap bucket & spade we bought my daughter last Christmas for the sand pit which has literally broken down in the sun! The jump rope is made from  100% pure and soft cotton so won’t hurt your child’s legs.

Oh and one more thing! They come packaged in the coolest, 100% recycled gift boxes that look fantastic and you know you are doing something good for the environment when you buy a Green Toy.

So they have a big thumbs up from me, Green Toys are good for the environment!

Click here to view our full range of Green Toys.

Yesterday we had such a lovely day out at a friend’s house. The sun was shining and we all enjoyed a relaxing walk on her property while the kid’s ran and played outdoors, we even got to see some newly born foals!

My friend Lauren had recently bought our block trolley and walker for her son Zaviar when he started to learn how to walk and she takes it everywhere they go and he happily pushes it around the streets.

Today my daughter Safari pushed him around the property and he loved it!

Bradley got a turn too and by the end the walker had been pushed over every bump and rock we could find!

This locally made block trolley and walker is very strong, sturdy and built to last! It can be used to store building blocks, as a trolley for pretend play shopping, as a pram for teddies and dolls or to help toddlers who are learning to walk.

All three kid’s had so much fun pushing it around.

I feel really blessed to be surrounded by such wonderful friends and the day reminded me that it’s those simple moments in nature that bring us so much pleasure and fulfillment.

Many parents are now choosing to use cloth nappies over disposable ones because they are a safer and a much more environmentally friendly option.

• It is estimated that a single nappy could take up to 500 years to break down … that means that every nappy that has ever been used are still in existence and will be for a long time

• 2.2 million disposable nappies are thrown out in Australia every single day, that is approximately 800 million a year

• One child in disposable nappies full time from birth to toilet training produces about 2 tonnes of landfill waste

• It takes one cup of crude oil to produce the plastics used in one disposable nappy

That is quite the environmental impact our little ones have right from when they are born, simply through the nappies we choose for them.

Most cloth nappies are shaped like a disposable, they do not require pinning and they are certainly a lot less time consuming than old cloth nappies, for starters you do not soak them in harsh chemicals! In fact you do not soak them at all. A study conducted in the UK concluded that using cloth nappies reduces carbon emissions by 40% as compared to using disposables.

Some people do have concerns about the impact of washing nappies on our water supplies however many do not realise that far more water is consumed during the manufacturing phase of disposable nappies than will ever be used to wash modern cloth nappies. Advances in washing machine technology have resulted in washing machines that use significantly less water and take the hard work out of washing cloth nappies. Also there are many water wise strategies you can adopt around your home to counteract any increase in water consumption you may have.

Bamboo is an ideal material for modern cloth nappies and many nappies use this fabulous material. One of the most important reasons bamboo is now widely used is that it has serious eco credentials. The production of bamboo is much kinder to the environment than cotton. Growing cotton requires a significant amount of water and if the cotton is not grown organically then it would have been grown using harmful pesticides for the crop. Bamboo on the other hand is very fast growing crop that regenerates itself once it has been harvested and does not require pesticides. The bamboo plant can tolerate both drought conditions as well as being flooded (very versatile indeed). Another benefit for the environment is that the bamboo plant produces large volumes of oxygen, more than trees! And the panda’s are safe too …. the species of bamboo used to produce material is not the species that panda’s feast upon!

If cloth nappies are not for you but you still want to do your bit for the environment? An Australian company, Eenee has just released the first fully compostable disposable nappy.

For more information on modern cloth nappies and to see some of the gorgeous nappies available visit the following sites:
Oz cloth nappies
Australian nappy network
Alipants

Alternatively if you live in Melbourne then the City of Casey will be holding a cloth nappy expo this Saturday. So if you want to find out more then come along and learn about the benefits of using cloth nappies and see for yourself the many different types there are available on the market. Eco Toys will also be there selling our huge range of baby toys including our handmade wooden baby rattles and organic cotton teethers.

2009 Casey Cloth nappy expo
Including ‘Green Kids’ organic clothing, toys and more!
Saturday 10 October 10 am - 4 pm
Balla Balla Centre
65 Berwick-Cranbourne Rd, Cranbourne

FREE ENTRY!
Cloth nappy stalls
Organic baby and children’s clothing
Giveaways and vouchers
Door prizes
Children’s activities
Make your own cloth nappy workshop and more!

Alipants is a new company supplying modern cloth nappies to the Macedon Ranges and surrounding areas. Our website is currently under development and should be launched within 3 weeks. In the mean time visit Alipants blog or email Alison at ali@alipants.com.au for further information.

Cheers Ali & Melinda

I had a lovely surprise the other day when a friend told me I was a finalist in the Business mums blog awards! I am so honoured and excited that I have been nominated so first I want to say a BIG thank you to everyone that nominated for me.

To me this blog is an opportunity for me to write and share my stories with you. It’s so much more than just selling toys to me. This is my passion and my life and I hope that other parents will enjoy this journey with me.

I love our planet and its people and I want the next generation to grow up enjoying the beauty of our natural world. I want more equality  for people  so I choose manufacturers who pay their workers a fair wage for their amazing woodworking and craft skills so in turn the community benefits.

I hope to share all of this and much more with you on my blog!

If you enjoy reading the Eco Toys blog then please go and nominate for us in the  environment / eco friendly section here

Thank you,

Melinda xx

Our two year old got his hands on some lovely new crayons today. Honey sticks are made in New Zealand from pure bees wax and natural pigments and they are beautiful.

He and I sat quietly, on our own, drawing together.

He took each crayon out of the box carefully and remarked on each colour. When he had them all spread out across the table he carefully chose one to draw with.

A short purple line on the paper. Then another. Then some scribbles. Time to change colours for some circular scribbles. I did my own looping lines sitting next to him.

“You draw led (red) mama” he said.
“Yes” I replied “I like the red crayon, it makes good lines”.
“Me have led?” he asked and I handed it over, watching him make careful red scribbles of his own.

After a few minutes he was done. He tumbled the crayons back into the box and wandered off, leaving his drawing on the table.

At around a year of age children are beginning to develop the fine motor control to grasp a crayon, but they are probably more interested in chewing on it than drawing with it. Later in their second year, around 16-18 months of age, they will become interested in making marks on paper. At this stage it is all about cause and effect and the ‘physicality’ of making marks.
Approaching their second birthdays, children begin to develop representational and symbolic thinking. Their drawing begins to become representational, but it may not appear so to adults. After their second birthday, they better understand that pictures can depict objects and their drawings become more and more representational. They become interested in colours and will begin to choose a specific colour to draw with. They are still much more interested in the process of creating than the finished product.

Encouraging this early exploration of drawing and creating is an important and fun activity and honey sticks crayons are a wonderful introduction to drawing.

Honey Sticks are non-toxic and completely natural so any little nibbles here or there are not the end of the world. They are thick and chunky, making them perfect for small hands that are still developing a refined grasp. It also means they don’t break easily so they last longer. They make strong, clear, colourful, marks on the paper with little effort - important for a toddler who is easily frustrated and has a short attention span.

Offer your toddler large pieces of paper to draw on. They need a big space to draw as it is still a very physical, ‘whole body’, process. Taping the paper to the surface to stop it sliding around will allow a toddler to focus on making the marks, not worrying about holding the paper.

Art and drawing for young children is all about the process, the action and enjoyment of the moment. It is not about the finished product.

Enjoy the process with your children. Draw with them, not for them. Sit next to them and draw, scribble, explore and create on your own paper. Talk about what you are both doing. Notice the colours and the marks you are making. Are you making long thin lines or lots of little dots? How does the crayons sound when it hits the paper? How do the crayons feel in your hands? How do you feel when you draw? You don’t need to ask ‘what is it?’ when ‘it’ is something they will tell you.

You can purchase Honey Sticks Crayons here in the eco toys shop.

Article by Kate - Early Childhood Educator and Mum to 6 year old twin girls and a two year old boy. Blogging at picklebums.com

I found this great article at healthy child about how to care for your wooden toys and keep them clean without using harmful chemicals.

The most important thing to remember with our wooden toys is not to soak them in water as wood absorbs moisture and then expands. Just a quick wipe with a soapy damp cloth is sufficient enough.

For our nature and cherry rattles that get chewed by teething babies you can sand them back to get them smooth again and then simply add a bit of olive oil  and they are like brand new. All ready to be chewed again or played with as a musical instrument once your baby grows and doesn’t use it as a rattle or teether.

My girls first eyed off  this lovely wooden birthday cake a little before their fourth birthday. They excitedly  declared that if they were lucky enough to own the birthday cake, they would be able to have their birthday every single day! True to their word, there has been many a party in our house since the cake arrived!

I’ve been invited to the party on several occasions and joined in the imaginative play in my role as guest, and even occasionally as the birthday girl! There is often much early preparation for the party - cooking of food, the table set with a fancy table cloth and flowers, many drinks poured and then finally the cake. Singing and blowing out of candles, followed by a few ‘hip hip hoorays!’ are mandatory.

The imaginative play and role playing this toy inspires is wonderful. It’s also been a fabulous way for those who’s birthday is not coming up to work through their emotions and feel a little less left out. Of course there can not be imaginative play with friends and siblings without social learning. Working out who’s turn it is to have a birthday, or how they might share the cake and party is always important.

Without even realising it, they are learning so many skills while playing with the birthday cake. Maths and number concepts such as how many candles to put on, and how to cut up the cake so everyone gets an equal share. Colour recognition when deciding which candle goes where. Practising and developing their small muscle (fine motor) skills while cutting the cake and placing the decorations. Using their imaginative and creative thinking and practising life skills.

Plus we always sing when the cake comes out, and not just Happy Birthday! Our favourite cake song is Three Little Candles, a lovely action and counting song everyone enjoys.

Three Little Candles

Three little candles standing tall,
(Hold up three (or more) fingers or put three candles on the cake)
Burning brightly count them all…
Phhhh (blow)
We blow with all our might!
And out goes one little candle light!
(put one finger down or take one candle away)

Continue to sing until all candles have been blown out.

You can purchase your very own wooden birthday cake from the Eco Toys shop.

Article by Kate - Early Childhood Educator and Mum to 6 year old twin girls  and a two year old boy. Blogging at picklebums.com