Inhabitots

Make your own fold-up furniture with FOLDSCHOOL!

We love DIY, open source design, especially when it’s great, green design made available to us and our families for FREE! Swiss architect Nicola Enrico Stäubli’s FoldSchool furniture does just this, bringing downloadable cardboard plans to your computer, so that you and your tots can build your own eco chairs! The downloadable FREE patterns from his website are the embodiment of great green design- all you need is a printer, some cardboard, a pair of scissors, and some childlike creativity, and you’re on your way to sitting pretty. Patterns come in three options- a stool, rocker, or chair.

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Blackboard-top Fundy Play Table

Flat surfaces practically scream “draw on me!” for youngsters, and here’s a piece of furniture that encourages creativity without the hassle of scrubbing ink off your walls. The Fundy Play Table from Argington comes with a chalkboard table top or dry erase board, all packaged in a low kids-sized table in eco-friendly materials. It come sin white or orange, made from FSC wood and nontoxic finishes. And not to worry- after your tots are done drawing rainbows, store their pens and chalk in the compartment underneath the table surface.

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Recycled Socktopus toy!

Bring some 8-legged inspiration to your soon-to-walk tots with this ridiculously cute and recycled Socktopus. A sort of contemporary marine version of the traditional Sock Monkey, Mr. Octopus is made from recycled sweaters, making each one a totally unique creature. They’re even more endearing in their resemblance of those pesky lone socks you find after every load of laundry. Handmade in the USA, they’re filled with hypoallergenic polyester and topped off with cute button eyes (making them ages 3 and up appropriate). Here’s one 8-legged friend your little one will love snuggling up to.

$20 from Elsewares

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Ayres Eco Trundle Bed by Argington

We love all things convertible that bring multiple functions to one beautiful object. A great example: Argington’s Ayres Twin Bed, which is a pint-sized twin bed for your tots, with a second trundle that pulls out for sleepovers (or proof that there AREN’T monsters under the bed). Argington uses FSC woods and non-toxic finishes, all designed with sleek and simple kid-friendly aesthetics.

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WOODEN DANISH BIRDS by Kristian Vedel

Proving that great materials and classic Scandinavian design never really loses its feathers, Bird by renowned Danish architect Kristian Vedel is a simple but metaphoric addition to your child’s nursery. The design has a great history and is still as beautiful as it was when first designed by Vedel in 1959. The initial design was as an expression of three generations of a family – children, parents, and grandparents. While only the small “baby” bird actually went into production, it very quickly became one of the most successful and popular Danish wooden toys, something of an icon in the 50’s. Luckily for you, the craft masterpiece is still available today to honor your own family’s generations.

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ORGANIC SKINCARE BY BABYBEARSHOP

For skin as soft as your babies, look to the very delicious organic skincare product line by BABYBEARSHOP. Founded by uber-momma Diana Lussenden Stewart, BABYBEARSHOP was kind enough to donate their lip balms to Inhabitat’s 2007 party, and the goods were gone in no time! The eco, mama, and baby-sensitive company has set the highest standards for certified organic and healing skin care for both you and your newborn, using only the best ingredients and production processes. Check out their balms for baby buns and more.

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Toy treehouse made from recycled wood

If you’re like us, and never really outgrew your love of treehouses, here’s a chance to live vicariously through your children’s toys. This recycled wood model treehouse from TreeBlocks is made from recycled cherry and elder wood and stands a kid’s sized 22″ tall. A perfect home for dolls, Transformers, or other favorite playthings, it’s easy to assemble and comes fully-equipped with retractable stairs, rope ladder, bucket and pulley, and three platforms.

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Electroluminescent Butterfly Night Light

What better way to scare away monsters under their bed than with flutters on their walls? Ditch the traditional clunky (and inefficient) night lights for these low-energy UK-designed butterfly lights from creative forces Soner Ozenc and John Wischhusen. The Glowings/El Flutter collection of glowing butterfly nigh lights are safe and cool, emitting a soft diffused light from their wings using an electroluminescent fabric. Great for your little one’s rooms when they’re scared of the dark. Maybe buy an extra for yourself, too.

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One Laptop per child – $100 XO Computer

You’ve no doubt seen the $100 laptop before, in its various prototypes and all over the news. It’s been both criticized and hailed as some of the best socially-conscious design ever, but regardless of your stance, it’s worth acknowledging as a feat of both design for the greater good and energy efficiency. The XO computer designed for the One Laptop Per Child program, hopes to bring technology, education, and interactive experiences to children worldwide. They’ve distributed tens of thousands, and last fall did a Buy One Give One program that brought the laptops to retail customers and developing markets alike. And while they haven’t quite hit the $100 price point yet, the devices is cute as a button, and uses only 10% of the energy of regular laptops, thanks to Mary Lou Jepsen’s technological genius, combined with green energy elements like a hand crank.

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