Organic Crochet Sun Hat to Shade Your Baby

Protecting your tot’s face from the sun is super important, especially in those first six months when you can’t apply sunscreen. You’ll find lots of eco-friendly sun hats to choose from, but this organic crochet sun hat from Etsy designer Tayuh Tate has that sweet made-by-Grandma quality. Even better, each handmade hat comes with four interchangeable button-on flowers so you can swap out the different colors to make it match every baby …

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Kids’ Toxic Chemical Exposure Costs Michigan Billions

We know that all of the toxins and pollutants we — and our families — are exposed to every day can have high costs when it comes to our health. Now the Michigan Network for Children’s Environmental Health is examining the financial costs of children’s toxic chemical exposure. Their just-released report examines the environmentally attributable direct and indirect health care costs of four childhood diseases linked to environmental toxins — asthma, lead poisoning, pediatric cancer and neurodevelopmental disorders. The treatment for these health issues costs Michigan an average of $5.85 billion a year! Just think how much money one state could save by protecting children from environmental toxins, and thus helping to reduce the number of children affected by these preventable diseases.

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NEW! Dr. Seuss Eco-Plush Collection by miYim

Oh, the places you’ll go with miYim’s brand-new Dr. Seuss Eco-Plush Collection. The whole gang’s here: the Cat in the Hat, Horton, and the Lorax, all sprung from the good doctor’s beloved children’s books. Beautifully rendered in untreated, unbleached cotton and chemical-free dyes, the certified-nontoxic range includes rattles, teething blankets, and plush toys. All that’s missing is …

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Prenatal Air Pollution Exposure Can Lower Kids’ IQs by 4 Points

Lung cancer, heart disease, nausea, headaches, allergic reactions and chronic respiratory disease are just some of the adverse effects of air pollution. Now you can add less intelligent kids to the list. Two separate scientific studies, one conducted in New York City and the other in Poland, found that 5-year-olds exposed to above-average levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the womb score lower on IQ tests. The difference is about the same as the well-documented IQ drop caused by low-level lead exposure.

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NEW! Organic Cotton Clothing Collection from Cate & Levi

Josh Title, the eco-conscious dad behind Cate & Levi is at it again, handcrafting adorable stuff for kids using old sweaters. We’ve raved about the Canadian company’s puppets, stackable Zoo Cubes and wall art in the past, and now Cate & Levi has introduced a new 100% organic cotton clothing collection for babies and toddlers. The bodysuits, tees and a hat all feature Cate & Levi’s familiar animal designs, made from reclaimed …

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5 Eco-Friendly Rockers & Gliders for Baby’s Nursery

If you've ever had a fussy, colicky baby on your hands, you know the value of a gentle rocking or bouncing motion when it comes to calming and soothing your unhappy, gassy little bundle. Rockers and gliders are a nice addition to baby's nursery, giving you a special place to breastfeed, cradle and cajole your babe -- and they come in handy well into toddlerhood as a place for tots to climb in your lap and read a good book, or to cozy up with mom or dad for a bonding session. Here are five eco-friendly rocking chairs and gliders that will help you deliver many a lullaby to your bambino.

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‘Colorem’ Chalkboard Cubes from Naef

Swiss toymaker Naef continues to impress us with their growing collection of artfully crafted novelties for kids. The Colorem now joins the ranks of Naef wares we’ve previously raved about here on Inhabitots: the Juba Wooden Caterpillar Toy, Fluctus Building Cones, and Agon Blocks. The new cubes on the block, Colorem puts …

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Top 6 Designs That Harness the Power of Play

Kids have so much boundless energy, and they can play and run tirelessly for hours on end -- as any baffled parent can attest! Sometimes it can be a bit overwhelming for us adults (maybe we're just jealous?), but that's what makes kids so amazing. We often joke, "If only we could bottle that energy up, maybe we could power the world!" Well, you can't quite bottle up a kid's energy or synthesize it in a lab, but there are some fun toys and games out there that use the kinetic energy of children at play to generate power or do work. Some of them are great humanitarian designs to aid people with less resources, and others are just good old fashioned fun. Check out our Top 6 Designs that harness the power of play!

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Swedish-Inspired V:King Lawn Game Offers Outdoor Family Fun

Your kids aren’t the only ones who need to get outside and play. For an activity the whole family can enjoy, check out V:King, an old-fashioned game that you can play on the lawn, beach, park, or anywhere with a flat space. Inspired by an ancient Swedish pastime of “shields” and “axes,” V:King is a …

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Hand-Carved Wooden Toy Boats by FriendlyFairies

Rub-a-dub-dub, what’s floating in your tub? Perhaps one of FriendlyFairies’ handmade wooden boats, which are sea-worthy enough to weather the high seas of your bathwater. Carved in Oregon from solid wood, then wood-burned to create the effect of planks and nails, each one-of-a-kind clipper is hand-embellished with nontoxic paint and triple-finished with a nontoxic sealant.

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Inhabitots Link Roundup of the Week

We love Design Mom‘s idea of crafting a DIY felt wall globe as shown above.

Ecorazzi tells us that Soleil Moon Frye’s new Little Seed collection, which features budget-friendly organic baby basics, is now at Target until Oct 16.

We recently shared news about a possible new urine test for autism, now ParentDish shares news that voice recordings could also help aid early detection.

Project Nursery finds papier mache animal …

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7 Tips for Coping with Bed Rest During Pregnancy

In theory, curling up in your bed to indulge in endless relaxation during an exhausting pregnancy may seem like a dream, but in reality being placed on bed rest can come as a shock, an inconvenience, and may feel like a challenging sentence rather than a much deserved break while growing your baby. "Active contractions, bleeding, ruptured membranes, and placenta previa are the most common reasons that doctors call for bed rest in as many as one in five of their patients." Once these or other symptoms come up, bed rest is prescribed to keep baby in the womb for as long as possible. Lengths of bed rest for pregnant women can vary greatly, from a couple of weeks to nearly the entire duration of pregnancy. It is important, once your doctor or midwife instructs bed rest, that you discuss clear parameters for what you can and cannot physically do. Some moms-to-be may not even get out of bed, while others are still allowed to prepare light meals and move around their house on a limited basis. Here are seven tips for coping with bed rest during pregnancy.

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Recycled Typography Mobile by Veer

We admit, we’re just a bunch of design and typography nerds masquerading as parents. So you can imagine how our little geeky hearts soared when we spied Veer’s Typographic Mobile, which the company laser-cut from a combination of recycled card and repurposed press sheets from its marketing department. The typeface? Clarendon modified with Baskerville ornamentation. Because inquiring minds need to know.

+ …

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Coalition Calls on Toys “R” Us to End “Toxic Toy Story”

PVC, or polyvinyl chloride, is the most dangerous plastic of all. BPA? Check. Pthalates? Check. Lead? Also check. So why is are these toxins found in so many children’s products? A coalition led by the Center for Health, Environment & Justice is presenting that question to the largest toy store in the world, Toys “R” Us, today at its flagship location in Times Square.

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Organic Nimble Nester Stacking Arches from Little Sapling Toys

We love their sustainable rattles. We love their all natural teethers. We super love their adorable bowling set. And now, we have a new clever Little Sapling Toy to adore – the Organic Nimble Nester Stacking Arches! This Maple, Cherry and Walnut nesting arch set is a 100% versatile toy for growing minds and motor skills. More than a simple toy, the Nimble Nester allows your little one to practice problem solving and …

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IVF Babies at Slightly Higher Risk for Cancers

A new study from researchers in Sweden suggests that babies conceived through in vitro fertilization (IVF) have a slightly higher risk for developing cancer as a child or young adult than babies conceived without IVF. More than 2.4 million Swedish births from 1982 to 2005 were examined in the study, including nearly 27,000 test tube babies; 53 IVF babies developed cancers including brain tumors and leukemia, while only 38 non-IVF babies did. To couples considering IVF, the test tube option might start to sound like a bad deal considering the $15,000 average price tag, not to mention the physical and emotional cost. So why the higher incidence of cancer?

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