June 2011 Notable Toys — Eco-Friendly

Now made in Canada, our non-toxic, eco friendly bath comes with a non-slip mat for comfort and security. New York magazine has called Spa Baby "a soothingly womb like hot tub for infants." It is the "largest upright tub on the market to last infants the longest," Brandy Cameron, President of Spa Baby Tubs, told TDmonthly. Launch date: February 2011.

Illuminate your message with Shains Glow in the Dark Starter Kit with 30 Glow in the Dark elements. Perfect for the Halloween season. "What sets these apart is the ability to change your message whenever you want and the ability to mix, match and combine various Shains products to create new cool looks," Chris Ohama from Shainware told TDmonthly. Launch date: July 2010.
Awards: 2010 Women in Toys Green Award
— Diana Nelson, owner of Kazoo Toys in Denver, Colo., told TDmonthly in a Fall 2012 survey that Shains bracelets are one of her top-2 best selling jewelry items. "This is a great new line," she told us.

Got Something to Say? Want to keep your thoughts in writing? Kids can let their inspiration and imagination flow with Shains Notebook. Personalize the cover with their name, class subject, or decorate and change it whenever you want. Use the unlined paper as a journal, sketchbook or scrapbook. Portable. Available with 30, 60 or 100 elements. Price quoted is for 30 elements. "What sets these apart is the ability to change your message whenever you want and the ability to mix, match and combine various Shains products to create new cool looks," Chris Ohama from Shainware told TDmonthly. Launch date: July 2007.
Awards: 2010 Women in Toys Green Award

This recycled cuff bracelet features two rows to display colorful, snap-on Shains letters and icons. The cuffs are now available in our favorite Popsicle colors; Blue Hawaiian, Grape, Cherry and Lime. "What sets these apart is the ability to change your message whenever you want and the ability to mix, match and combine various Shains products to create new cool looks," Chris Ohama from Shainware told TDmonthly. Launch date: July 2007.
Awards: 2010 Women in Toys Green Award

This 22 piece rattling building block set was designed specially for Little Builders. Shake, rattle, and build with these colorful blocks sized for little hands. Launch date: June 2011.
Awards: Dr. Toy 10 Best Toys of 2011

This award-winning patented cloth pocket diaper is made with sturdy snap closures, which are made to last and require no maintenance. FuzziBunz diapers have no Velcro®, so they won't fray, collect lint or snag your baby's clothes. FuzziBunz come in a variety of sweet and fun colors and they fit snugly on your baby without the added bulk that  comes with most one-size diapers. They offer "Lots of adjustability with 30+ adjustable buttons and snap settings to adjust waist, leg casings and rise. It is the most adjustable one-size diaper," Ashley Boudreaux, marketing director at FuzziBinz, told TDmonthly.
Awards: 2007 Iparenting Media; 2008 PTPA Media; 2009 Best of Business Awards; 2010 Stevie Awards: Best New Product of the Year; 2010 Stevie Awards: Most Innovative Company

Earth-friendly wooden play ball puzzle that exercises skills that prepare children for reading, math, problem solving and more. This 16-piece puzzle features four scenes of a boy playing sports. It's made of wood harvested from sustainable forests, and comes packaged in a handy carrying case to help keep track of the pieces.Launch date: July 2011.

Ten sturdy earth-friendly boxes to stack, build and nest with early-learning concepts on each side. Learning letters, numbers, shapes, colors and baby animals has never been so fun and easy. It's a "Classic development toy made entirely from earth-friendly recycled materials," Rich Hill, director of marketing at innovativekids, told TDmonthly. Launch date: July 2011.

Rock away on Rocker-feller, a carefully designed and crafted rocking horse. All details are laser engraved. Overall measurements are 29"" long by 11 1/2"" wide by 19 1/2"" high. Seat is 12"" off the floor. Sized for early toddlers, up to age three. Made from responsibly harvested solid pine and with a non-toxic finish. Ships fully assembled. "Rocker-feller is constructed out of all wood," Barbara Rainville, marketing manager at Maple Landmark Woodcraft, told TDmonthly. Launch date: January 2011.
Awards: 2011 Baby and Child Best New Products Awards Winner, 2011 Blogger's Best January NY International Gift Fair

Earth-friendly wood rainbow fairies puzzle that exercises skills that prepare children for reading, math, problem solving and more. The 12-piece puzzle is made of wood from sustainable forests, and comes in a handy carrying case so kids can easily keep track of all the parts. Launch date: July 2011.

The cooperative board games collection includes Count Your Chickens, Hoot Owl Hoot, Lost Puppies, Mermaid Island, and Stone Soup. Ideal for children two years of age and up, the games focus on socialization skills in a cooperative, group play setting. "Unlike traditional games where there is one winner and one (or many) losers, with cooperative games the players work together against a common obstacle in the game, not against each other. If the game is lost, the defeat is shared equally among the players. And, if the game is won, everyone is a winner," Donna Modrell, marketing & operations manager at Peaceable Kingdom Press, told TDmonthly. Launch date: January 2011.
Awards: Hoot Owl Hoot! - 2011 Dr. Toy Best Green Product

Nourish Toddler celebrates a toddler's growing independence with an easy-to-use, impossible to spill and healthy drink of their own. It is 10 oz of purified spring water in a unique, patented bottle designed for little hands and complete with a spill-proof sippy top. Nourish is also BPA-free, Phthalate-free, made in the USA and 100% recyclable and reusable. Toddlers can now quench their thirst without drenching themselves and everything around them. ""Nourish Toddler is the only 100% spill-proof sippy cup on the market,"" Brittany Roderick from Nourish Inc told TDmonthly.
Awards: 2010 MAX Award for Most Innovative New Product in Georgia; 2011 Water Innovation Award: Runner Up for Best New Water Brand

Nourish Baby eases the stress of feeding time on the go. It is 8 oz of pre-measured purified spring water with a wide neck for easy formula mixing. Nourish is also BPA-free, Phthalate-free, made in the USA and 100% recyclable and reusable. ""Nourish Baby is like no other baby bottle because it already comes with water in it and is the first immediate consumption drink for babies on the market,"" Brittany Roderkick, from Nourish Inc, told TDmonthly.
Awards: 2010 MAX Award for Most Innovative New Product in Georgia; 2011 Water Innovation Award: Runner Up for Best New Water Brand

These reusable machine-washable crowns will last for many years. Just replace the right birthday number. Felt numbers 0 to 9 included. Organic Cotton fleece lining is soft and comfy for little heads and is free from harmful chemicals. Adjustable hook and loop closure fits most children. Can be also used for dress-up play or as a fashionable accessory. Any felt shape can be attached to the front.

This 5 in 1 transforming truck has vehicle and sand play all in one. The water resistant playset is complete with Dunebug, truck, rake, shovel, bucket, and wildflower seeds. Expand your world with additional Sprig Hollow toys.
— In late Spring 2011, Margy Peine, owner of the Tree House Toy Shop in Cumberland, Md. told TDmonthly that the Sand Truck was a recent best-seller in the infant & toddler category.
— Want this? As of 05/06/2011, this product was available for purchase at Tree House Toy Shop.

First Jigsaw Puzzle is a 4-piece solid hardwood puzzle perfect for 1-3 year olds. The pieces are interchangeable and reversible, allowing any two pieces to be connected. However, only if all pieces are connected correctly, will a square be built. Two different pattern solutions are possible: a checkerboard pattern and a striped pattern. This puzzle is designed to provide multiple levels of challenges. Younger toddlers will find it challenging to just physically connect two pieces. By having the pieces interchangeable and reversible, they find success without being frustrated. Once that skill is mastered, older toddlers will be challenged to build a square. Finally, toddlers will be fascinated that they can make two different patterns and will be challenged to discover how that is possible. They will do the puzzle over and over to find the answer. Made of sturdy, solid maple and cherry, it will not bend or warp like cardboard puzzles. At over 3/4" thick, toddlers can easily sense when a successful connection has been made - something that can be difficult with thin cardboard puzzles. Other puzzles have pictures painted or glued onto them. Our puzzle is simply finished with a safe, food-grade beeswax and oil finish. Instead of concentrating on a picture, our puzzle focuses on the natural pattern the two contrasting wood tones make.
Awards: A Dr. Toy Best Green Product for 2011

This edible fingerpaint was created in 2007 with babies in mind, adhering to baby safe ingredients which are organic. The paint is also vegan, wheat-free, sugar-free, and contains no preservatives. Babies and toddlers can start expressing themselves artistically earlier, without parents having to worry about them ingesting harmful chemicals and dyes. Fantastic Finger Paints come in 5 colors. Purple/Blue with REAL blueberries, Red/Pink with REAL beets, Orange & Yellow with REAL pumpkin and green with REAL spinach. CPSIA Compliant. Made from Organic Fruit & Vegetable powders, rice cereal and rice flour. Paints come in 6 oz. convenient tottle bottles which have powder in them. Just add the water, shake and create. Makes over 12 oz. of paint per bottle (refill bottle with water and get more paint). Must be refrigerated after water is added.
Awards: A Dr. Toy Best Green Product for 2011; TDmonthly Top Toy Award, June 2011
— Why it won: This paint is extremely eco-friendly, and encourages parents to introduce their children to art and painting as soon as possible, without having to worry about their child being harmed by ingesting the chemicals in non-organic, non-plant based paints. This means kids can start learning forms of creative expression from a younger age.

Equipped with pontoons and a moving propeller, the bright yellow Soarin’ Sea Plane  has a soft rubber cargo net for transporting baggage or perhaps lost treasures. The set includes Pilot Pete and a friendly pelican called Pelly.
Awards— A Dr. Toy Best Green Product for 2011

The set comes with 26 capital letters and 2 side bases. The font base has pictures which relate to the alphabet. On the back are directions for writing the alphabet. Children can recite the alphabet, letter-names, and identify letter-sounding relationships, by spelling with words in the vocabulary. Helps children match the alphabet with the animal picture base. Teaches children how to write the alphabet correctly by finding the letters to spell familiar words. For example, How do you spell C A T? This toy is great fun and helps develop letter recognition and fine motor skills.
Awards— A Dr. Toy Best Green Product for 2011

This game is easy enough for first time game players and the game can be made infinitely more challenging simply by adding more owl tokens into the game. This allows the game to age with the child or for older kids (or even adults) to play with younger kids. Like in Candyland, kids practice color recognition and moving tokens. Unlike Candyland, Hoot Owl Hoot is a cooperative game, meaning all players are playing for the same outcome together. A cooperative game eliminates stress, builds self-esteem, and teaches kids that playing together can be fun. Kids learn to work together, they share in the game play, and they practice cooperation. The object of the game is move all the owls from start to the nest before the sun rises. Players take turns, but work together. Launch date: May 2011.
Awards: A Dr. Toy Best Green Product for 2011; 2011 Parents’ Choice Silver Honor Award; 2011 Parents’ Choice Major Fun Award; 2011 Disney FamilyFun magazine Toy of the Year (T.O.Y) Award.
— As of 05/23/2011 this product had 4.8 out of 5 stars from 10 reviews on Amazon.com. Pros: Teaches kids to work together; difficulty can be increased as players get better; eco-friendly.

Playspaces come in a decorative envelope but become a 3-D play scene. Two sturdy interlocking boards create four areas to populate with pop-out characters with stands. The reclosable envelope measures 9-3/4 x 15" and has a string closure. 100% recycled paper is used for the product greyboard. Playspaces are designed for children ages four and older. They have small parts, and are a choking hazard for children under 3 years of age.
Awards: A Dr. Toy Best Green Product for 2011

The My Natural Ballerina is a 12", earth friendly rag doll made from natural (unbleached, unprocessed) cotton and colored with miYim's proprietary PureWaterWash process that uses plants and minerals in soy water for the dye bath. Her pink dress, hair bow and toe shoes are sure to please dancers of all ages.
Awards— A Dr. Toy Best Green Product for 2011

These miniature cars come in 8 different styles which have a bamboo chassis. The styles include a beach buggy, hot rod, and twin turbo. The cars are made completely out of bamboo, aside from the contrast-painted wheels, which include some rubber and plastic.

With the Green Toys Sandwich Shop young chefs can open their own imaginary deli and take orders, create sandwiches and serve guests. This 15-piece, stackable, mix-and-match play food set comes with all the fixings to create two complete sandwiches. Each realistic part is made in the USA from food-safe, 100% recycled plastic milk containers which save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Interchangeable with other Green Toys stacking play food products. Fits on Green Toys kitchen sets. Set includes two bread slices, bun top and bottom, burger patty, fillet, two cheese slices, lettuce leaf, tomato, two sets of onions, one red pepper, one set of pickles, and Sandwich Shop order form. No BPA, PVC, phthalates, or external coatings. Meets FDA food contact standards. Dishwasher safe. Stacks to 3-1/4"H. Each piece approximately 3"W.