Before the holiday season hits, make sure you do some winter cleaning. Take a look at all the toys in your child’s room and chuck out any containing toxic chemicals or lead.

The NRDC, among others notes that toxins found in toys related to plastics can interfere with normal sexual development, and may even lead to early onset of puberty.
Collect up any soft plastic toys, toys with older paint (could be lead based), and drop them off at the recycling center. Make sure that friends and family know that your goal is safe holiday toys. Tell them to limit the amount …read more

With the holidays coming up fast, you’re probably starting to consider child gift options. If toys are on your list you’ll want to aim for safe, eco-friendly options, but these toys aren’t always inexpensive. Here are some ideas for affordable green toys…

Eco-Friendly Tea Set from Green Toys – $24.99
Oval Xylophone from Plan Toys – $22.99
Crayon Rocks – $5-27
CitBlocs – starting at just $15
Contemporary Dollhouse from Plan Toys – $99.99 (seriously, one of the best deals for an eco-friendly dollhouse, most are well into the triple digits.
Sprig adventure toys – $9-28
Organic Veggies and Crate from Under The Nile – $25.99
Whole World …read more

Most likely, not all the toys your kids get this year are going to be perfectly green. First of all, for holidays, you should do the following:

Encourage family and friends to purchase green toys for you child. Of course, you need to do the same.
Make sure that handmade, safe, green toys continue to be an option for your child.
Buy less or give the gift of time over simply giving products to kids.

Not all the tips above work all the time though. Some family members can be a hard sell, and will continue to give your child toys that aren’t so …read more

It’s that time of year again. A couple of days ago W.A.T.C.H released their annual round up of the worst of the worst toys. There are some pretty dangerous toys this year, so I’d check the list out; make sure none of these on are your kid’s wish list. Also, I’m gonna add that from a design perspective the 10 worst toys this year also seem to be the worst looking. You’d likely avoid them anyhow, but still, just in case, you can view the list here.

November current events at Tree Hugging Family – themes, reviews, news, and more…
[images …read more

W.A.T.C.H. just released their worst toys of 2007 list. If you are buying gifts for kids this holiday season than this list is a must read.
It’s not an all-inclusive list though. A good bet is to buck plastics and battery operated toys. Although, I know that’s not the most helpful stand-alone suggestion.
One blog that can help you do this is Eco Child’s Play this blog covers, “Natural toys that inspire your child’s imagination! A review of developmentally appropriate, ecologically friendly toys for young children and green family news.“ Jennifer who writes Eco-Child’s Play, (what’s with all the green Jennifers?) is …read more