2011 June | Inhabitots

NEW! Kid-Powered Light Up Rocking Horse by Günther Schunn

by Marni Fogelson-Teel, 06/03/11

Never in all our days of brushing the fluorescent manes of our Pretty Ponies and wishing for a horsie of our own, did we dream that someone would design a rocking horse as awesome as Günther Schunn’s Calidu Rocking Horse. When kids climb on and start rocking, the motion powers up the OLED (organic light emitting diode) lights enough to make them flash (and presumably to ensure that little squeals of delight follow). Designed to cultivate an early awareness in green technology, the Calidu Rocking Horse is made of stainless steel and solid oak and coated with an herbal oil finish. Your 3-year-old may not grasp the logistics of the lights, but she will want to keep rocking and rolling. Giddyup, little green tots!

+Kid-Powered OLED Rocking Horse

Wear a Handmade Teething Necklace to Soothe Your Baby

by Julie Seguss, 06/02/11

Why has teething jewelry like Koukku’s Nordic Tutti Teething Necklace become so popular? Your Baby has been pulling on your hair, your earrings, and your necklaces since the day she figured out she could grab and tug, but now that she’s teething she’s putting everything in her mouth, too. Not such a great situation for your jewels or your Baby since some of your jewelry may contain cadmium, lead, or other unhealthy chemicals for Baby to ingest. Koukku’s teething necklace, which is handmade in Finland, is made from a mix of unfinished wood and Oeko-Tex certified cotton.

+ Nordic Tutti Teething Necklace $10.00

+ Koukku

HOW TO: Get Your Children Excited about Gardening

by Jennie Lyon, 06/02/11

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Our Children’s Gorilla Cardboard Firestation

by Julie Seguss, 06/01/11

Your kids can create a whole eco town with Our Children’s Gorilla cardboard city. The fire station is made from lightweight cardboard and it’s simplicity leaves plenty of playtime up to your child’s imagination. The best part? Once playtime is over — as in for good — these city store fronts can be recycled. We also must confess we think this cardboard town could be used as inspiration to create your own eco-friendly city out of cardboard boxes you have lying around the house.

+ Fire Station Cardboard Building EUR 27.50

+ Our Children’s Gorilla

Pill That Battles Obesity for Babies Still in the Womb

And you thought babies on diets was a bad idea… try babies in the womb on diets. When babies in the womb (THE WOMB, PEOPLE!) need their mamas to start popping diet pills in order to prevent obesity, it’s pretty clear that the American obesity epidemic is out of control. The pill I’m referring to is called metformin, and one British doctor, Dr. Hassan Shehata, thinks that giving metformin to overweight mothers may help prevent overly pudgy, or downright fat babies. There’s rational behind this decision, because mother or baby obesity at birth can pose risks to both baby and mama. Of course, as with any medication or drug during pregnancy, there are also risks involved.

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HOW TO: Make a Hide and Seek Game in a Recycled Tin

My son loves to play hide and seek. The only problem; he is an only child and trying to find places that I can actually hide is tough. After several, “Mom, I see you hiding in the curtains – again!” we came up with a hide and seek game played with miniature toys. We would collect a handful of miniature toys and hide them throughout the house. However, once the toys were hidden, neither one of us could remember what we had hidden or where. So, I came up with a fun way to store our hide and seek pieces that also includes a “key” to show you what is hidden. The best part everything that you need you to make your own hide and seek game can be found in your child’s bedroom and the garage recycling bin, read on to learn how.