Beth Shea

Beth is the writer and founder of Petite Planet, a blog which focuses on eco-friendly living for families and informs parents of the best “green” choices for their babies and our planet. The birth of her daughter was her inspiration to take baby steps toward changing the world and preserving it for future generations. A former travel and spa writer, Beth swapped airline miles and body wraps for long stroller walks and quick showers. She is living her dream by being a mother and freelance writer. Follow Beth on Twitter @PetitePlanet

Organic Knottie Baby Sleeper From Lalas Pequenos Puts A New Twist on Diaper Changes

by Beth Shea, 05/24/12

It may look simple enough, but every parent knows that buttoning, snapping and zipping up baby’s pajamas after a diaper change in the wee hours of the morning can be anything but a cinch. That’s why we’re loving this subtle yet ingenious twist on baby sleepwear — the Knottie Baby Sleeper from Lalas Pequenos — which enables parents to quickly tie and untie the bottom in a knot, easily accessing a diaper that needs to be changed, and then swiftly returning tiny tootsies to a warm haven. Made with super soft organic bamboo fabric, the Knottie Baby Sleeper is available in sizes 0-3 months and 3-6 months. File this under: things we wish we’d had when our kids were still babies. Knot kidding.

+ Organic Knottie Baby Sleeper $44

+ Lalas Pequenos

Elements Naturals Compostable Baby Diapers Will Debut in August

by Beth Shea, 05/23/12

No matter what route you take, cloth, hybrid, disposable, or biodegradable — diapering is a dirty business. But luckily, green companies are answering the call of, ahem, “dooty,” by developing diapers that wreak a little less havoc on the environment. Elements Naturals will debut their new line of compostable diapers this August. Made from compostable plant-based fibers derived from renewable resources, they are unlike other disposable diapers on the market that are dubbed “natural,” because they are 3rd party certified, they feature recycled paper tabs, and they will naturally decompose completely after 90 days.

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Brinware’s Colorful Tempered Glass Dishware & Interactive Silicone Placemats Are Safe and Fun

by Beth Shea, 05/22/12

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Non-Toxic, BPA-Free Feeding Gear for Babies & Toddlers

by Beth Shea, 05/19/12

Hardly a day goes by when we don’t hear about the harmful effects of BPA. The good news for concerned parents is many companies have created BPA-free feeding gear for babies and toddlers from anthropomorphic baby bottles to cute, animal-shaped stainless steel cutlery. For bottle-feeding, you can banish plastic altogether and opt for the totally non-toxic Kid Kanteen stainless steel baby bottle. You can also pair the shatterproof convenience of plastic with the purity of glass via the 5 Phases baby bottle, which features a glass tube insert encased in a plastic outer bottle. If you’re looking for a bottle that’s just like mommy, try Bittylab’s BARE Air-Free baby bottle which is designed to mimic mom’s breast. When baby starts bottle feeding himself, mOmma’s rocking bottles and cups weeble and wobble to entertain and delight. When your little one graduates to solids, treat her to thinkbaby’s stainless steel feeding set, or OXO’s BPA-free toddler feeding collection. Star Trek fans will think this Enterprise feeding system for younguns is out of this world. If your kiddo is yearning to take mealtime matters into his own hands, equip him with this adorable, stainless steel animal friends cutlery. Tired of buying those disposable baby food pouches your tot loves to squeeze? Buy the reusable Beaba Babypote, and fill it with homemade purees instead. Once your kiddo gets a hold on drinking independently from a cup, try Siliskin’s drinking glasses which come equipped with a silicone sleeve. And if you’re looking for eco-friendly feeding gear for upcoming summer travel, try Green Spouts’ corn based plastic feeding gear, which is compact, light and perfect for every tot-feeding occasion from picnics to planes.

Wee Drool’s Eco-Friendly, Designer T-bibs Are A Stylish Alternative to Typical Bibs

Parenthood is all about re-inventing the wheel, so we love it when moms and dads pioneer new products that make life easier for parents everywhere. Such was the case when mom of three boys Kelly Yaep, invented Wee Drool T-bibs.

Girls Can Channel Their Inner Mermaid with MerFins

Move over, Ariel. There's a new mermaid in town! Merfins make it easy and fun for girls to morph from fin to legs and back again, for countless hours of fun at the beach or swimming pool. The first and only functional rubber mermaid fin on the market, eco-friendly Merfins are made out of recycled rubber. MerFins founder, ocean conservationist and real-life mermaid Kazzie Mahina (pictured above), is convinced she should have been born a mermaid. She spent her childhood swimming in the ocean, beach combing and exploring rock pools on the south coast of New South Wales. Today she works as a professional mermaid for film, television and photo shoots, and she boasts an impressive breath hold time of five minutes and four seconds. Turning her dream into a career has enabled her to swim with humpback whales in Tonga and sharks and stingrays in aquariums, while working in her "underwater office."

Heartfelt Mother’s Day Gifts & Ways to Celebrate Mom

Mother’s Day is this Sunday, and we have plenty of fun ways to celebrate and show appreciation for wondrous moms — from engaging family activities to homemade gifts, treasured surprises and some very unique jewelry. For the moms who always put others first, here are 6 Mother’s Day gifts that give back — from coffee and sunglasses to shoes …

Attachment Parenting 101

While the concept of attachment parenting dates back to ancient times, and is considered the norm in most countries today, Dr. Bill Sears only coined the term “attachment parenting” relatively recently in the United States, in the 1980′s. In America, the child-led approach to parenting is still highly regarded as an alternative form of raising a child, and adheres to practices including babywearing, co-sleeping, breastfeeding on demand …

Quick Tips on Safeguarding Your Home & Baby’s Nursery from Toxins

Have you been bitten by the spring cleaning bug? Or does your pregnancy induced nesting instinct have you tidying every nook and cranny in your home? We’re scratching beneath the surface to expose some little known, yet vital information on keeping your abode not only clean, but free from toxins and harmful chemicals. …

Inhabitots Roundup: Safe Sleep Essentials for Babies

Sleeping Newborn - Image from Shutterstock

Unless you’re one of the lucky ones whose baby has always been a great sleeper, you probably spend a great deal of time trying to establish and maintain consistent sleep routines for your little one. We certainly don’t know the magical equation to achieving the Holy Grail of parenting — a full night’s sleep — but here are some tips on making baby’s sleep environment healthy and conducive to getting lots of shut-eye.

Inhabitots Roundup: Green Beauty and Skin Care Tips for a Healthy Pregnancy

Pregnancy gives moms-to-be that proverbial natural “glow,”and even though being a new mom can be exhausting, women look radiant postpartum as well. In addition to the natural beauty that goes hand in hand with motherhood, there are several other things you can do as a pregnant or breastfeeding mama to green your make-up and …

Inhabitots Roundup: Toxins To Avoid During Pregnancy & Beyond

It’s the good news and the bad news – in today’s day and age we know so much about how babies in utero are affected by their mother’s exposure to chemicals and toxins. While no woman wants to spend this joyful time in her life worrying herself sick, knowledge is power, and it’s both empowering and beneficial that women can arm themselves with cutting edge …

Artist Dietrich Wegner’s Logo Tattooed Babies Are Full of Messages

Before you get so squeamish about the medium that you miss the message behind these provocative images, all of the tattoos on the babies in artist Dietrich Wegner's photographs were digitally added using Photoshop. But even though the babies weren't temporarily tattooed or drawn on to produce Wegner's artwork, isn't the final result still unsettling in the sense that the logos are emblazoned across and embedded into them, nonetheless? In modern-day society and culture, it's almost impossible to avoid the inundation of these brands in our everyday lives. Wegner entitled this series of photographs, Cumulous Brand, and of it he states, "Every society accumulates contradictions amidst their ideals... Cumulous Brand is a meditation on how our identities evolve and how we declare them."

Inhabitots Roundup: Easter Fun for Little Ones!

Easter is just around the corner, and our basket is brimming with eco-friendly goodies and …

Eco-Friendly Wall Decals from weeDECOR Bring Rooms to Life

"If these walls could talk." When decorated with weeDECOR's wall decals, they'll speak volumes. The delightful collection includes whimsical and thematic decor in a wide-variety of hues to suit every kid's taste. Babies, boys' and girls' rooms will come to life with these savvy stick-ons that look more like painted murals once applied to the wall. From nature to planes, cars, sailboats, hot air balloons and trucks and from under the sea to the jungle, there's plenty to choose from to personalize your child's special space. You can also add their name to a wall decal to make it truly unique.

Inhabitots Roundup: Celebrate Spring by Gardening With Your Kids

Spring is officially here! Celebrate the blooming season by planting a garden with your kids. The whole family can get in on the fun, from tiny tots to moms and dads with these 7 steps to …

If Mom Had 3 Minutes: Share Your Mom Tips For An E-Book and Get a Coupon!

a chipper multitasking spider mom – image from Shutterstock.

As all the moms out there will know, with motherhood comes an endless stream of to-do lists, and with that new challenge – the ability to become a jedi master of multi-tasking. Nobody knows how to multi-task like the mother of young kids, and in that spirit of sharing the mom-wisdom, Inhabitots is partnering with Clorox in a project to help moms share their time-saving tips with one another. Clorox is working with author Karen Kauffman Orloff, writer of the children’s book If Mom Had Three Arms, to compile an e-book of moms’ time-saving tips. If you have any great multi-tasking tips, send ‘em on over here for your chance to be included in the book (you’ll also score a 50¢ Clorox coupon). Simply visit the Clorox Facebook fan page to share your mom-wisdom on the If Mom Had Three Minutes tab.