14 Favorite Green Toys from the 2012 American International Toy Fair

Earlier this week, Inhabitots attended the 2012 American International Toy Fair in New York City to find the latest and greatest green toys for kids. More than 1,200 exhibitors show over 100,000 products at the show and we were able to narrow down the field to just 14 favorite finds. Several of our favorite green toy companies are working with new eco-friendly materials including Plan Toys who is creating composite wood from sawdust to make everything from the train set you see above to old favorites like their classic alligator pull-along toy. Keep on reading to learn about all of the great eco-friendly games, building blocks, crafts and baby toys that we found. Then, check out more fun photos from Toy Fair 2012 on Flickr.

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Arsenic Found in Cereal Bars, Energy Bars and Baby Formula

We were hoping the whole arsenic in food ordeal was over. First arsenic was found in apple juice and grape juice than it popped up in rice-based foods. Sadly, it’s not over, with new reports showing that unhealthy levels of arsenic have been found in cereal bars, energy bars and even in infant formula. In the arsenic in rice post we noted that many parents feed their children rice-based cereals and other foods containing rice, which is part of the problem here. Many baby formulas and grain-based bars contain brown rice syrup used as a sweetener. The problem? If there’s arsenic in the rice, it’s in the rice syrup and thus arsenic is passed on to the food product it’s used in. The interesting thing about this new research, published ahead of print in Environmental Health Perspectives, is that the brown rice syrup used in these foods is organic. Of the foods looked at, researchers found that infant formulas containing organic brown rice syrup as their primary ingredient had arsenic levels 20 to 30 times that of the other infant formulas. Cereal bars made with brown rice syrup contained levels of arsenic that ranged from 23 to 128 parts per billion (ppb). Cereal bars free from rice had much lower arsenic levels, ranging from 8 to 27 ppb. To compare, as we’ve pointed out before, 10 ppb total arsenic is the limit permissible in public drinking water.

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Would You Buy a VBAC Baby Doll?

We’ve seen sweet mama and baby doll sets, Waldorf inspired birthing dolls and even a breastfeeding doll that admittedly freaked some people out, but we’ve yet to see a doll like this. The VBAC Doll collection from MamAmor is a collection made to show various birth situations, from vaginal birth to c-section birth and yes, even a VBAC birth. This doll is as realistic as you can get and made with natural materials, including cotton interlock for skin and each doll’s hair has a combination of soft merino yarns. The baby doll, which is included, comes with placenta, cord, diaper and receiving blanket. Other accessories for this mama and baby doll set, such as a sling or diaper bag may be purchased separately. MamAmor makes truly beautiful dolls, although they’re a little steep in price for the average family. However, the real question is – do kids really need a VBAC education?

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4Moms Power-Folding Origami Stroller Charges as You Walk

We gave the 4Moms Origami Stroller the honor of being included in our Top 8 Strollers for Green Babies roundup last year, but now the groundbreaking stroller is finally available for sale and we had to take one more opportunity to rave about its one-of-a-kind features. The gadget-meets-gear robotic stroller has a power-folding system like no other on the market - and it charges itself while you walk.

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Recycled Royal Bird Wooden Rocking Chair by Jocelyn Costis is Uniquely Green

This is one of those times when you wonder if life across the pond might be a little more magical. Seriously, have you ever seen such an amazing rocking chair?! The Royal Bird Rocking Chair is a whimsical part of the Crème anglaise collection by talented French furniture maker Jocelyn Costis. This chair is handmade to order with recycled …

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Weighing Baby Vaccine Risks: Potential Dangers of Vaccines

Vaccines aren’t for everyone. In recent years, many parents have decided to create their own vaccine schedule for their children and some don’t vaccinate at all. Vaccine cons aren’t entirely made up. There’s no such thing as a vaccine that is 100% effective or safe and all vaccines pose a side effect risk of some sort. In fact, since the first Vaccine Injury Compensation claims were made in 1989, the U.S. Court system has compensated 2,921 vaccine injury or death claims. Before you make a decision either way – to vaccinate or not vaccinate your child, you do need to research the facts about vaccine safety and risks. You should also research the diseases vaccines prevent, and decide for yourself if the diseases are less scary or more scary than vaccines. To get started read: Weighing the Safety of Baby Vaccines. Then keep reading this post to see some plausible reasons as to why you might want to avoid vaccines.

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Weighing Baby Vaccine Risks: Benefits of Vaccines

While folks were busy rooting for their favorite team at the Super Bowl, others were busy keeping a small outbreak of measles in check. In case you missed it, the Indiana State Department of Health has identified four cases of measles that may be related to the Super Bowl. The CDC was contacted and health officials are urging individuals to be aware of measles symptoms and to make sure they’re up-to-date on their vaccinations. Measles, also called rubeola, is highly contagious, causing fever, runny nose, cough and a rash all over the body. One out of ten children who contract measles also contract an ear infection, and up to one out of 20 gets pneumonia. Out of every 1,000 children who gets measles, one or two will die. Those figures may seem slight and not really very risky, but note that measles is on the rise. In 2000, the CDC noted that measles were pretty much eliminated in the U.S. and during 2001 to 2008 just 58 cases of measles, on average, were reported in the U.S. annually. Fast forward a few years though, and now the CDC reported 118 cases of measles during the first 19 weeks of 2011. Of those infected, 89% were also not vaccinated. This shows that while we can eradicate diseases to a point with vaccines, they can come back. It’s not just measles either. Many blame lower childhood vaccine rates for the increase of some other common diseases such as whooping cough. In any case, this entire situation brings up some good questions about vaccines and vaccine safety. It’s important that you weigh the risks of vaccines versus the risk of disease.

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P’kolino Playful Rubberwood Xylophone Makes Sustainable Melodies

This fantastically fun xylophone is brand new from P’kolino. Made with sustainable rubberwood and metal with a bright, yet non-toxic water based finish, this playful and fun melody-maker helps your child develop an early interest in music and teaches shape & color. This unique xylophone breaks down into individual pieces that can be rearranged to create new sequences. Plus, when …

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New Research Says Baby’s First Food Should Be Finger Food

Back in the day, as recommended by a bazillion baby rearing books on the planet, most parents chose white rice cereal for their baby’s first solid food. Then the great white out debate began, not to mention arsenic scares in rice, and baby advocates started telling parents to start Baby off with healthier fare, like brown rice cereals, brown rice mash or vegetable purée. Now, it’s a whole new game, as brand new research says you should consider starting your baby off on solids with healthy finger foods. Researchers on the study compared a group of spoon-fed babies to a group of self-led weaning babies. What they found is that babies who are allowed to self-wean and who are then introduced to solids by feeding themselves versus having a parent spoon feed them, were able to better master skills related to self-food regulation. In turn self-food regulation is directly connected to health benefits for life such as a lower BMI and a preference for healthy foods like carbohydrates.

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Adorable and Stylish gTweet and gStreet from gDiapers

It's been a while since we've seen new gStyles from gDiapers, but gTweet and gStreet, both top and bottom gStyle sets, were well worth the wait. Either of these super cute gStyle choices will make a bold and adorable baby statement.

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NEW! Perfect Bum Advanced Reusable Diaper System

Fresh on the market, The Perfect Bum™ reusable diaper system is a collaboration effort between CoCaLo Inc. and inventor Fredrica Coates. Fredrica's thirty plus years of experience in the reusable diaper business, coupled with CoCaLo's adorable style sense, is how The Perfect Bum was born. The Perfect Bum collection is packed with easy features and sweet designs that make this a great new reusable diaper choice for parents and babies. Read on to learn about this new diapering system.

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How to Be a Dad Shares Hilarious Co-sleeping Baby Sleep Positions Diagrams

We're all for safe co-sleeping here at Inhabitots, but we do know that bringing Baby into your bed doesn't always come easy. Some babies are simply bed hogs - moving around in their sleep and able to take up much more space than you've ever imagined. And it's that active lil' snoozer that inspired these comical "Baby Sleep Position" graphics from the brains behind How to Be a Dad, a humor blog for parents. Keep reading to laugh off your co-sleeping stresses.

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Our Favorite Eco-Friendly Animal Hats, Scarves and Mittens for Babies and Kids

Keep your little one warm this winter in one of our favorite animal-inspired hats, scarves, mittens or booties. All of the adorably wild winter gear for kids is eco-friendly from puppy hats with ears to snake scarves, right down to sweet polar bear booties. See all of the sustainable goodies and let your child help pick out a favorite - we bet she'll stop fighting when you tell her she must wear her hat and mittens!

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Elevated Exposure to Chemicals Weakens Immune Response to Vaccines

A new research study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, suggests that perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) may reduce the effectiveness of common childhood vaccines. Researchers working on this study, headed up by Dr. Philippe Grandjean, chair of environmental medicine at the University of Southern Denmark, studied children born in the Faroe Islands due to reports of increasing amounts of PFCs in the drinking water and fish located within close proximity to the Islands. Children in the study received the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTaP) vaccine at 3 months, along with the recommended booster at age five. The researchers tested the immunity of the children, at age five and seven years, and drew some blood to test PFC levels. What they found wasn’t good. Higher levels of PFCs in the blood correlated with much lower immune responses. In fact, by the age of seven years, children with a twofold increase of bodily PFCs were up to fours times as likely to have an immune response that was no longer even clinically active. Basically, children with the highest PFC levels weren’t as protected or weren’t protected at all against disease, even though they’d been vaccinated.

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Tips to Help You Overcome 6 Common Co-sleeping Hurdles

Co-sleeping has many benefits for parents and children. However, as any co-sleeping parent will tell you, co-sleeping is far from perfect. There are some cons that vary from family to family. From babies that kick to restless sleepers to circumstances that make co-sleeping a danger, there's plenty of issues that can make you wish you never tried co-sleeping in the first place. That said, co-sleeping really is a wonderful way to connect with your baby, so here are some helpful tips about how to overcome those pesky co-sleeping hurdles.

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5 Ways to Save Money for Your Child’s Education Today

It costs a lot of money to raise children and one of the largest expenses that your family will encounter will be for higher education. Starting to save for college when your children are young is essential since it's such a large expense. There are many great ways to save for your child's education - ways that are easy, affordable and will make sending your child off to college an easier process. And when your child does go off to college, the steps that you took today will allow your child to focus on their education, not how they are going to pay for it. The key to saving for your child's education is to start when they are born. Read on to learn the five ways that my family is saving money for my son's college education, and getting started on your own savings today.

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