ROCCO: A Rocking Horse That Harvests Kinetic Energy

by Yuka Yoneda, 02/05/10

Rocco Kinetic Energy Harvesting Rocking Horse, rocking horse, green design, sustainable design, eco design, kinetic energy, greener gadgets, green toys

Children seem to be filled with boundless amounts of energy (which can sometimes be a little tiring for us adults who have to look after them). Wouldn’t it be great if you could turn that natural effervescence into power for your home? That’s exactly what Rocco, one of our favorite entries into this year’s Greener Gadgets design competition, does. It’s a rocking horse that transforms the kinetic energy from your child’s play into electricity that lights up its ears. Then the ears can be removed to light up any room in your house!


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Eco-Friendly, Space Saving, Convertible Studio Crib from Nurseryworks

by Jennifer Chait, 01/28/10

studio crib, crib, green baby, eco crib, conversion crib, toddler bed, toddler desk, daybed, eco-friendly baby crib, crib conversion

The modern Studio Crib from Nurseryworks boasts multifunctional design that helps stretch parents’ furniture budget while enabling families to save space in smaller homes. The Studio Crib is a combined crib and changing table in one, and it expands to meet the evolving needs of a child as he grows into a toddler, by easily converting into a toddler daybed and desk.


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Eco-Friendly Bamboo Potty Seat from Growing Up Green

by Jasmin Malik Chua, 01/17/10

potty training, eco-friendly potty seat, eco-friendly toilet training, bamboo potty seat, Growing Up Green

Growing Up Green’s bamboo potty seat for pint-size tushies takes care of business (so to speak) without a lick of plastic. Made to fit most standard toilets, the sustainably crafted seat is composed of 100% pesticide-free bamboo and can be washed with mild soap. Pair it with the matching step stool ($24.99) for a complete, eco-friendly toilet-training set.

+ Bamboo Potty Seat $15.99

+ Growing Up Green

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Nature Next Bamboo Baby Gate by Safety 1st

by Jasmin Malik Chua, 01/16/10

Safety 1st, baby gate, baby safety, safety gate, bamboo baby gate, Nature Next Bamboo Baby Gate

My much-beleaguered cat can now breathe a sigh of relief: My one-year-old, who could have given Houdini a run for his money, will no longer be able to toddle over to his water dish in the kitchen and treat it like her personal water park. Safety 1st’s Nature Next Bamboo Gate, which we purchased at Babies ‘R Us (kudos to the big-box retailer for carrying this green option), comprises a sustainable bamboo frame and recycled-plastic panels. It’s also pressure-mounted, which means you don’t have to mess around with hardware or drill holes into your precious walls. A few seconds later, ta da! Instant baby gulag and kitty sanctuary! Two paws up!

+ Nature Next Bamboo Gate $24.99

+ Safety Ist


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Eco-friendly ‘Oops’ Crib by Structured Green

Eco-friendly ‘Oops’ Crib by Structured Green

The Oops Crib by Structured Green features a bold new aesthetic in baby furniture. The “Drop” detailing of the crib, comprised of variegated strips of reclaimed woods, results in a wonderfully unique and modern nursery look. Structured Green’s mission is to use quality materials that are sustainably produced, certified or reclaimed, recycled or recyclable, to create …

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‘Dusty’ the Recycled Wood Chalkboard

‘Dusty’ the Recycled Wood Chalkboard

Kids have lots of ideas. So many ideas that sometimes a few slip their memory and are lost forever. With the newly designed Dusty chalkboard, they can jot all those important thoughts down to remember them later. From the witty mind of Josh Jakus, the boy or girl shaped boards are made from a non-formaldehyde, …

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Xylophone Coffee Table by Jellio Design

Xylophone Coffee Table by Jellio Design

Remember those adorable, yummy Jellio LED Gummi Bear Lamps we previously highlighted? The designers behind Manhattan based Jellio have dreamed up yet another uber-cool, kid-friendly home decor piece: a coffee table that doubles as a rainbow colored, working xylophone that is just begging to played by tots and adults alike! Jellio’s Music Table is a much larger version of the …

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2.1 Million Stork Craft Drop-side Cribs Recalled Due to Infant Suffocations & Injuries

2.1 Million Stork Craft Drop-side Cribs Recalled Due to Infant Suffocations & Injuries

Stork Craft, a juvenile furniture manufacturing company based in British Columbia, and the CPSC have issued the largest voluntary recall of cribs in North American history. 2.1 million cribs made by Stork Craft, some also bearing the Fisher Price logo, have been recalled after 110 reported incidents of the drop-side breaking off — resulting in 15 entrapments (12 in the US, 3 in Canada, 4 of which caused the suffocation death of four infants). Also included in these incidents were injuries ranging from concussions to bumps and bruises which afflicted 20 infants who fell from the cribs.


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Paper Mache & Cardboard Children’s Furniture from Mirakadi

Paper Mache & Cardboard Children’s Furniture from Mirakadi

Mirakadi offers unique, whimsical and functional children’s furniture which is sustainably crafted with recyclable paper mache and cardboard. The colorful Ed shelf system (shown above) will enchant a little one and light up his room, while serving as a handy place to store books and toys.


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Little Twin Cub Eco-Friendly Storage Bench by SWIGG

Little Twin Cub Eco-Friendly Storage Bench by SWIGG

When it comes to form and function, the Little Twin Cub bench by SWIGG does it all. Two doors, made from sustainable bamboo plywood and paper-based fibers, slide open to reveal ample storage space for books, toys, and other kid-related paraphernalia. Topside, a pair of squishy cushions, upholstered with Eco-Intelligent Polyester and stuffed …

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Sibis Suiko Convertible Baby Bed and Cradle by Sirch

Sibis Suiko Convertible Baby Bed and Cradle by Sirch

The Sibis Suiko Baby Bed and Cradle by Sirch is a juxtaposition in Japanese minimalist design: austere in appearance yet highly accommodating in function. A cradle for babies that converts to a cot for kids up to age 4, this sleeping haven is made of white laminated birch plywood and its sides are covered in faux leather. The slatted frame is …

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Toy Store by Oeuf, Chic & Eco-Friendly Storage for Kids

Toy Store by Oeuf, Chic & Eco-Friendly Storage for Kids

Oeuf’s Toy Store storage system is an organizational piece of furniture that will grow with your child in function and style, seamlessly adapting to their changing tastes and storage needs. The Toy Store features removable bin dividers that allow kids to showcase toys of varying sizes in an orderly fashion — from small building blocks, to larger stuffed …

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Recycled Flatpak Cardboard Toys, Furniture by Krooom

Recycled Flatpak Cardboard Toys, Furniture by Krooom

Oh cardboard, is there anything you can’t do? Krooom’s flatpak cardboard constructions, which require no tools to assemble, are surprisingly sturdy—a single bench is said to hold up to 242 pounds!—and utilitarian without being staid. Based in Israel, the three-year-old company sustainably engineers its wares from 60% post-consumer recycled cardboard, which it prints with cheery graphics and then laminates to protect against accidental spills and splashes.


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Leander Convertible Crib is Five Beds in One

Leander Convertible Crib is Five Beds in One

Think of the Leander Bed as the Optimus Prime of baby cribs. The oft-coveted yet incredibly elusive Scandinavian import isn’t your typical crib-to-toddler-bed twofer: Leander’s molded European beech bed can be configured in five different ways, growing as your own baby grows — and then some.


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NEW! Seed Organic POD: Eco-Friendly Moses Basket and Cradle

NEW! Seed Organic POD: Eco-Friendly Moses Basket and Cradle

The Seed Organic POD is a brilliant new eco-friendly Moses Basket and cradle  from Australian company Babybaby Nursery Products. Recently making its grand debut in the U.S., the POD follows on the heels of the wildly popular Seed Organic Cradle, and it is actually two baby products in one — a ‘Pod’ cradle with stand that will keep baby close to you during the night, and a removable Moses Basket that allows you to move your little one with ease, even when he’s sleeping.


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NEW! MasonGray Eco-Friendly Modern Children’s Furniture

NEW! MasonGray Eco-Friendly Modern Children’s Furniture

From the founders of ducduc comes a burgeoning sustainable furniture company that is updating familiar silhouettes for a new generation of design-savvy parents and their brood. “It’s all about the journey,” David Harris of MasonGray tells Inhabitots. “These pieces will remind you of places and people, like a lake house or your family vacation from the past.”


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Hiromatsu Children’s Furniture by Designer Yu Watanabe

Hiromatsu Children’s Furniture by Designer Yu Watanabe

Hiromatsu Furniture recently teamed up with designer Yu Watanabe to create the WF series of kids furniture. As if designed by a child, the free-form yet simplistic pieces are sure to inspire creativity in the young and old. Yu Watanabe  is an 80-year old retired professor of design who agreed to emerge from retirement to create these beautiful pieces for future generations. Made-to-order and fashioned out of all-natural pine, each piece in the collection is unique. We can’t get enough of those adorable bunny chairs!


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‘Baby in Table’ – Evolving Children’s Furniture by Oji Masanori

‘Baby in Table’ – Evolving Children’s Furniture by Oji Masanori

In the realm of furniture, we believe that good design is design that adapts to an ever evolving family. How wasteful is it (both in terms of money and resources) to buy new sets of furniture for every stage of your young child’s development? That’s why we were so excited to discover ‘Baby in Table‘ by Japanese designer Oji Masanori. The two pieces of Japanese Beech furniture that comprise Baby in Table evolve with a child from infancy to elementary school via a smart, multifunctional design scheme.


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Risom Rocker: Danish Modernism Meets Sustainability

Risom Rocker: Danish Modernism Meets Sustainability

An appreciation for Danish modern design is probably the last thing on your mind when you’re coaxing a fussy baby back to sleep at 3 a.m., but the understated elegance of Jens Risoms’ upholstered rocking chair for DWR might make those wakeful hours slightly more bearable. Made in the United States, the Risom Rocker is available in an array of custom colors and features …

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NEW! Eco Modern ‘Roh’ Crib from Spot on Square

NEW! Eco Modern ‘Roh’ Crib from Spot on Square

Spot on Square’s new, eco-friendly Roh crib is “every modernist’s dream.” With nursery furniture this design savvy, it’s no longer difficult to find a crib that will perfectly suit your taste and comfortably cradle your babe. Made in the USA from locally sourced Walnut, the Roh crib gives baby a “room with a view” by employing durable, half-inch, clear acrylic …

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Pizzly Bears on Melting Ice by Masahiro Minami

Pizzly Bears on Melting Ice by Masahiro Minami

Polar Bears live in the Arctic and Grizzly bears live in Canada and never the twain shall meet… or should they? That’s what was on everyone’s mind when a Pizzly Bear (or if you prefer, a Grolar Bear) turned up in ’06 in the Canadian Arctic. Apparently, the melting snow caps caused these bears’ habitats to overlap, and consequently resulted in their unlikely offspring. Although this incident would typically be perceived as a sad state of environmental affairs, one person saw it differently. Masahiro Minami, a designer working out of Shiga Prefecture in Japan, was inspired by this beautiful love story and decided to create ‘Bears on Melting Ice’ (2008) for his daughter.


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EcoSystems’ mini-Bamba Schools Kids on Sustainable Design

EcoSystems’ mini-Bamba Schools Kids on Sustainable Design

At only 4.25″ tall, the mini-Bamba by EcoSystems isn’t meant for sitting. The doll-sized collectible, a 1/6th-scale replica of the original Bamba armchair, arrives as a flat sheet of laser-cut bamboo plywood, with individual components that snap together with rare-earth magnets for tool-free assembly. The mini-Bamba even includes etched pictograms designed to teach children the …

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NEW! Eco-friendly, Minimalist Eicho Crib from Spot On Square

NEW! Eco-friendly, Minimalist Eicho Crib from Spot On Square

This autumn marks the debut of the minimalist Eicho crib, part of the new Eicho collection from Spot On Square. Earlier this week we wrote about Spot on Square’s new Eicho and Roh furniture collections, and now we’re giving you more details and putting the spotlight on the Eicho crib! Made in the USA, the Eicho crib’s slick …

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NEW! Minui HandySitt Chair Base

NEW! Minui HandySitt Chair Base

Originally featured in one of our blog roundups in March, Minui’s HandySitt portable high chair makes toddler dining on the go or in cramped quarters hassle-free. Made from Forestry Stewardship Council-certified birch, the trayless, ultracompact design—it’s only 5 pounds!—can be strapped onto any appropriate-size chair for instant table-side seating, then flattened and stowed away in the trunk of your car, suitcase, or closet. Click below the fold to watch a video of how the space-saving chair works, and learn about a new product the Danish furniture maker is unveiling to extend its functionality.


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Spot On Square Launches Eco Modern Eicho, Roh Kids’ Furniture

Spot On Square Launches Eco Modern Eicho, Roh Kids’ Furniture

As we look forward to brisker weather and the crunch of red and gold leaves beneath our boots, Spot On Square is debuting two furniture collections for fall. Eicho, constructed from recycled MDF, brings stark minimalism to the fore with crisp, no-frills outlines in bright white. In contrast, the Eames era–inspired Roh is unabashedly modern, presenting the warm hues of locally sourced walnut with panels of bisphenol A- and phthalate-free acrylic.


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Pluunk’s Single & Bunk Beds Offer Sleek Slumbering Options

Pluunk’s Single & Bunk Beds Offer Sleek Slumbering Options

For kids’ beds with a mid-century modern verve, look to Pluunk, a new line of crisp, almost Zen-like sleepers available exclusively at Inquisitive Kid. Designed and made in Canada from maple and walnut woods, Pluunk’s single and bunk beds are finished with natural beeswax for a warm, contemporary vibe that translates well into adolescence. The company also offers urban salvaged hardwood as an option, as well as several custom add-ons, like a wall-mount panel or a pair of under-the-bed drawers for the twin bed.


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NEW! ‘Bam’ Nursery Furniture Collection by Argington

NEW! ‘Bam’ Nursery Furniture Collection by Argington

Argington won Inhabitat’s BKLYN Designs ‘Best Kids Design’ Award in May and it hasn’t slowed down since. Argington has just announced the launch of its Bam Collection, a 10-piece nursery furniture line designed by husband and wife team Jenny Argie and Andrew Thornton to embody the grace of the art nouveau movement. Made from solid birch and birch ply wood (for ebony and white finishes), or solid bamboo wood, and certified to be free of formaldehyde emissions, the Bam Collection includes everything you need to outfit your bambino’s suite, including a bassinet, crib, changing table, wardrobe, and dresser.


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Kids Create Art on Vintage Chairs for Sea of Shoes ‘Chairity’

Kids Create Art on Vintage Chairs for Sea of Shoes ‘Chairity’

Remember the couch that Pamela Bell, founder of Kate Spade, let her children and their friends attack with fabric markers? After spotting the multihued, graffiti-festooned sofa in the pages of Vogue Australia, Sea of Shoes blogger Jane Aldridge and her mother were inspired to do the same to raise money for the Cook Children’s Hospital in Fort Worth, Texas.


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Modern Table and Chair Set from Plan Toys

Modern Table and Chair Set from Plan Toys

Plan Toys, known for their eco-friendly, kid scale versions of conventional household items (dishwashers, refrigerators, washing machines), goes minimalist with the Modern Table and Chair set. Constructed from bent ply harvested from sustainable forests, the set seems to use the minimum amount of wood needed to comfortably seat small tushies while also providing …

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Vintage School Desks from India

Vintage School Desks from India

These charming school desks, used a half-century ago by children in India, are reminiscent of a bygone era. With a flip-top writing surface that conceals a hollow interior for stashing books, supplies, and/or candy, as well as truncated legs that bring the workspace closer to the floor, the desks are the perfect size and height for tiny …

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Reusable, Vinyl-Free Fabric Wall Stickers by Mae

Reusable, Vinyl-Free Fabric Wall Stickers by Mae

We love the idea of decorative wall decals, but less so the fact that most of them are made of toxic vinyl. One Australian company deftly sidesteps this problem with its collection of utterly charming fabric stickers that are not only removable but reusable many times over. Mae’s extensive design offerings feature delightful options to suit every child’s taste. There’s something for everyone, from tree-huggers, forest-critter cuddlers, and dinosaur enthusiasts, to vintage-car hobbyists, tea-party connoisseurs, and doll lovers!


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‘Boomhut’ Treehouse Bed by Marjan Godrie

‘Boomhut’ Treehouse Bed by Marjan Godrie

Every child needs a super fun space to retreat to for dreaming, imagining, playing and taking a break from the ‘real’ world. Marjan Godrie has designed the ultimate kid’s retreat, a Treehouse Bed, for the Danish retailer kidsfactory. Part bed/part fort/part relaxing Caribbean vacation bungalow, ‘Boomhut’ is a kid’s dream space come true. The ‘huts’ are available in four variations (including Glamour, Cabana, and ‘Sprookje’), but the original Boomhut (top) with its variegated stained clap board siding and stilts seems so fun, you may forget how much trouble it was to get your child into bed and begin having trouble getting him out. Like a Robinson Caruso ‘staycation’ every night of the week, Boomhuts are a step away from the norm and a leap into the fantastic. The wooden Boomhut sleep spaces start at €830 and are available at kidsfactory (Danish language website).


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NEW! Oeuf’s Sustainable, Affordable Robin Collection

NEW! Oeuf’s Sustainable, Affordable Robin Collection

Oeuf has officially launched their greenest line of furniture to date: the Robin Collection. One of the most exciting details about the line is that it’s both eco-friendly and eco-nomical! Made in Europe from 100% sustainable wood and 100% natural water-based paints, the Robin Collection features a crib, dresser and a toddler bed conversion kit which will keep your babe snoozing in sustainable, affordable style from infancy to five years old. Let’s talk money savings after the jump!


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Connecting Caterpillar Stools by NinetoNine

Connecting Caterpillar Stools by NinetoNine

With four splayed legs and a nub of wood protruding from its posterior, the Caterpillar Stool by NinetoNine looks more like a reductionist’s take on a sheep than a wriggly grub. Think of each stool as a modular segment of a larger whole, however, and the larval analogy starts to …

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NEW! Alma Urban Crib by Bloombaby Easily Folds Up to Save Space

NEW! Alma Urban Crib by Bloombaby Easily Folds Up to Save Space

Studio dwellers everywhere can let out a sigh of relief when it comes to carving out room for a nursery in a tiny space. Akin to the ingenious storage aspect of the Murphy Bed, Bloombaby’s Alma Urban Crib stores compactly and easily to make room for all of baby’s household antics during waking hours. Read more about this stylish, savvy crib after the jump!


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