2009 October | Inhabitots

KIDDO Cabana – Prefab Playhouse by Modern Cabana

by Beth Shea, 10/05/09

Modern Cabana recently added quaint, contemporary playhouse, KIDDO Cabana to their collection of prefabricated living spaces. The simplistic design scheme of the KIDDO Cabana coupled with its clean canvas aesthetic enables kids to use the space for multiple purposes from a lemonade stand to a castle or a kitchen. Touted as the “ultimate choose-your-own-adventure” dwelling for tots, the KIDDO Cabana invites inhabitants to create their own world in a sustainably designed environment that boasts several stellar features kids will love.

READ MORE >

Non-Toxic Bath Time Learning Shapes from SugarBooger

by Jennifer Chait, 10/04/09

Make bath time a fun, learning experience for baby with the colorful, educational Bath Time Learning Shapes in the SugarBooger collection from O.R.E. These toys feature creative themes that entertain little ones and teach them about numbers, letters, shapes and colors. And when your tot is not scrubbing up in the tub, he can use these Learning Shapes as a fun puzzle board. Learning Shapes are made from a non-absorbent and non-toxic material that resists mold and mildew and sticks to the tub or shower wall when wet. These cool mod colored shapes also float atop the water. Bath Time Learning Shapes come in four varieties – Numbers, Ahoy Matey!, Lady Bug, and Alphabet. All components are 100% PVC-free and phthalate-free. After kids are squeaky clean you can encourage them to pick up their own bath toys by snagging a matching Bath Tub Toy Bag made from environmentally friendly PVC-free frosted EVA to hold the Learning Shapes.

+ Bath Time Learning Shapes $20 – $36

+ Bath Tub Toy Bag $18

+ SugarBooger by O.R.E

Jennifer Strunge’s Cotton Monsters are Creepy and Kooky

by Jasmin Malik Chua, 10/04/09

Shhh… don’t call Jennifer Strunge’s Cotton Monsters “toys,” even if her “soft-sculptural creatures” definitely have kid appeal. Tapping into her love of textiles and puppetry, the Baltimore native hand-stitches her motley crew of oddball characters from found blankets and bedding. Strunge infuses each brightly colored monster with a one-of-a-kind charm that is impossible to resist. Adopt one or an entire flock — but exercise common sense if you’re introducing them to babies or young children, especially with pieces that include string. Some creatures might be better off used as spooky decor.

+ Cotton Monsters $25-$100 at Etsy

+ Cotton Monster

Inhabitots Link Roundup of the Week

by Beth Shea, 10/03/09

Ohdeedoh highlights an amazing, eco-friendly skyscraper Holly at Stitch/Craft made for her son out of a cardboard box!

Make and Takes helps keep the doctor away with Apple Treats and Crafts for Fall.

Haute Nature gives a stylish tip for keeping kids warm and cozy with the Agua recycled cashmere children’s collection.

Cookie Magazine’s Daily Find is a cast of adorable teddy bears crafted out of vintage chenille and scrap remnants leftover from Henry Road‘s vibrant pillows and table linens.

LilSugar wants to know if you think organic, designer nursing pads are ‘ga-ga’ or ‘gag?’

Pogo Upcycled Sweater Animals

Meet the Pogos, a bunch of darling critters that dwell in tree hollows and mossy clearings. Handsewn from castoff wool sweaters and stuffed with bamboo fiberfill, each Pogo comes with an adorable woolen pullover or scarf of its own. You can even purchase a Pogo-sized sleep sack, felted from the same sweater material, for tucking in your little buddy in at …

ANNOUNCING THE WINNER OF OUR BABY SHOW CONTEST!

At the beginning of the week, we ran a contest to decide who the lucky winner of 2 FREE tickets to The Baby Show, a super-fun two day event in New York City this coming weekend showcasing a wonderful array of the coolest baby toys and gear, would be. We received a lot of great comments and tips but there could only be one winner. So without further ado, the tickets go to…

Nestle Incites Social Media Storm in a Blogger Event

When Nestle rounded up a bunch of mommybloggers to fly out to California this week to attend a sponsored event, a social-media firestorm was probably the last thing it expected. PhD in Parenting launched the first volley with a post decrying the company’s unethical business practices, especially when it came to promoting formula over breastmilk in the developing world.

Tetris Blocks by Feelgood Designs

We all remember the video game Tetris, and now kids can have their own addictive version of the game in larger than life, modular block form. Tetris by Feelgood Designs, a recent debut at Doing it for the Kids are large building blocks that double as furniture pieces for children. Blocks may be arranged in any number of imaginative formations, allowing …

‘Building’ Blocks by Christopher Jarratt

Designer Christopher Jarratt‘s multicolored, architecturally minded, literal Building Blocks, are another innovative, eco-friendly toy design recently unveiled at the Doing it for the Kids design exhibition. These blocks are perfect for the child who wants to get a head start on planning his/her own small, sustainable city. Christopher Jarratt‘s new Building Blocks are hand-cut from FSC & PEFC registered pine …

Placenta Teddy Bear

Doing it for the Kids is a current exhibition put on by [re] design to showcase the latest, most innovative sustainable toy designs from around the globe. Among them, the Placenta Teddy Bear by designer Alex Green. A crafty alternative for those who don’t necessarily want to eat their baby’s placenta, but want to pay their respects to the life sustaining organ by turning it into a one-of-a-kind teddy bear. Green’s ‘Twin Teddy Kit’ ‘celebrates the unity of the infant, the mother and the placenta,’ and enables preparation of the placenta so it may be transformed into a teddy bear. The placenta must be cut in half and rubbed with sea salt to cure it. After it is dried out, it is treated with an emulsifying mixture of tannin and egg yolk to make it soft and pliable. Then, you craft it into a teddy bear. But is this not quite so cuddly creation cute or cringe-worthy? You tell us.