We’re asked to review food items on the reg, and most of those requests are denied due to the presence of ingredients that we won’t feed our family. We were overjoyed, however, to accept a request from the folks at Veggie Patch. A large box recently arrived on my doorstep. It was lined with styrofoam in the form of a makeshift cooler and at least twenty solid ice packs surrounded our samples of veggie and cheese bites. I was impressed by the effort they took to get them to us in the great white North safely. We were sent the spinach, broccoli, corn and portabella bites.

We had a selection of the Veggie Patch “nuggets” for lunch immediately after they arrived. (Patience is not my strong suit.) Having only tried the spinach ones in the past, I was excited to sample the other flavours. The spinach ones are good, but in my opinion Costco chose the wrong one to stock. The other three are GREAT! My children will eat a few spinach nuggets, but they each ate at least ten when we offered the whole variety. My personal fave was the broccoli, but they’re all delicious. Veggie Patch veggie & cheese bites are all natural (not organic) and are good sources of fiber, protein, and vitamins (which vitamins depends on which one you’re eating, but mainly vitamins A, C & calcium). They contain no MSG, no trans-fats and are 100% vegetarian. My own children have never seen a chicken nugget and eat a boat load of vegetables so these are just a special treat for us, but if you’re in the habit of letting your children eat processed foods then these products would be particularly beneficial toward getting vegetables into their little bodies.

We’ve had the Spinach Nuggets in the past from our local Costco and they’re good but not as good as the spinach veggie & cheese bites – I think it’s the fact that there’s more cheese and less spinach in these ones since they’re geared toward children. We’ve also had the Veggie Patch falafel balls from Costco, and they’re absolutely awesome – particularly dipped in hummus!

Win it! Two winners will each receive their choice of two packages of veggie & cheese bites from Veggie Patch. Which two would you like? Comment with your choices before noon mst on January 11, 2009 to be entered to win.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNERS EMAILED

My daughter, until two weeks ago, had never had her nails painted. There just wasn’t a safe enough option for those porous little nails. Sure, there’s toluene & formaldehyde free polishes everywhere now, but the other ingredients are enough to send you screaming & running in the other direction.

We recently discovered Piggy Paint and are now thrilled to be able to paint her nails any time she’s feeling the need for a little extra pink.

It’s got no harsh, nasty chemicals in it – it’s free of formaldehyde, toluene, phthalates, Bisphenol A, ethyl acetate and acetone. Check out the difference between Piggy Paint and other children’s nail polish on a styrofoam plate. It’s rather astounding. Piggy Paint is non-toxic, low odour, water based, hypoallergenic, and the fun colours all dry to a hard & durable finish. My daughter absolutely loves having pink nails to match her pink clothing, pink boots, pink coat, pink toys…you get my drift.

We also have some Piggy Paint remover but actually haven’t used it yet because the Piggy Paint wore off fairly quickly. It looked great for about 3-4 days and then came off over the next day or three. Perfect for a little girl who would hate for me to use remover on her. We didn’t cure it with a blow dryer as they recommend, and just put on two coats. I honestly wouldn’t want polish on my child that lasted for much longer, so she and I absolutely loved it. It’s going to make it much easier to change colours regularly as well. When we do need to use the remover, I’ll use it without reservation because it also is made from natural ingredients, is low odour, acetone-free, hypoallergenic & biodegradable.

Piggy Paint was founded by mom of two Melanie Hurley and is made in the USA. Natural & safe products for kids that are still sparkly & fun? Piggy Paint is just the kind of product and company that Opinionated Parents love to recommend and support with our own hard-earned cash.

Save 15% on your Piggy Paint (including sale items) with the code OPINIONATED15L until January 31, 2010.

Win it! Comment below before noon mst on December 24/09 with your favourite Piggy Paint shade to win a $15 gift certificate!

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

TOP fave EcoBaby Canada isn’t just for eco-babies. Canadian mama of four, Andrea, carries a large selection of products for the green-leaning mom as well. Andrea is running for the Savvy Mom Entrepreneur of the Year and I happen to think she totally deserves it!

I’ve been checking out the LunaPads intro kit (Canadian made too!) It’s an introductory kit that allows you to try both pads (for light and average flow) and pantyliners (for daily needs or very light flow). It contains 1 Maxi Pad, 1 Maxi Liner, 1 Maxi Wing Liner, 1 Mini Pad, 1 Mini Liner, 1 Mini Wing Liner, 1 Mini Pantyliner and 1 Teeny Pantyliner in assorted colours. It sells for $57.99 and can save both you and the earth in the long run. Just think of the money you spend on feminine hygiene products between the teen years and menopause, and how much of it ends up in our landfills and sewers. If we get our young women started with eco-friendly products like those available from EcoBaby Canada, so much of that could be prevented.

I’ll admit I was a little leery of using these (and I’m still terrified of the Diva Cup!) but actually they’re pretty darn awesome! They can just go in with the regular laundry (not your cloth diapers – Andera says the flannel can make them pill) and come out just as good as new. If the thought grosses you out, be flexible – a little goes a long way when it comes to being green. Use a LunaPads liner with a regular tampon or Diva Cup, or even just use them on light flow days. Every little bit helps!

We’re giving a Luna Pads intro kit away to one reader (worldwide) courtesy of Eco Baby Canada. To enter, leave a comment on this post before noon mst on August 31, 2009.

CANADIAN residents, get TWO extra entries! Please go VOTE for Andrea in the Savvy Mom Entrepreneur of the Year contest – leave your email address (the one you voted with) in the form with your second comment and you’re entered two more times.

Additional entries are always available in T.O.P. contests. See contest entry information and rules.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

Nozin is a new all-natural, cold and flu prevention product. It’s a homeopathic “nasal sanitizer” (ugh, right?) that’s been clinically proven to fight germs for up to eight hours and can help reduce the risk of infection by cold and flu germs at the site where it is most prevalent – the nose.

It’s used by swabbing a few drops of the Nozin antiseptic on the inside of your or your child’s nostrils before you go somewhere germ ridden or to a playdate with some snot nosed kids. It’s like a bubble that keeps the germs out of your nose, but without the actual bubble. The solution is made of pharmaceutical grade ethyl alcohol and natural, plant based compounds rich in antioxidants and with antimicrobial properties. Despite the alcohol, it smells more like citrus than vodka (but I still recommend you be very cautious with use on or around children since so much of what goes on our skin is absorbed into the bloodstream).

My daughter happens to have a nasty cold right now and she never fails to share her colds with me, so I decided to try using Nozin for a couple of weeks. So far, no cold! My son hasn’t caught it either, and he hasn’t been using Nozin because I’m not comfortable putting alcohol in the nose of a three year old, but she does share a lot more snot with me than she does with him. Either way, I don’t have a cold and I’m very happy about that. I think Nozin would be wonderful for people who travel via airplane or other congested forms of public transportation, and I’m looking forward to using it to fight off the colds & flus that my students always give me when we head back to the classrooms this fall.

A box of Nozin containing 60+ doses and 30 swabs sells for $14.95 at the Nozin site. Q-tips work fine to finish off the bottle.

Win it! We’re giving away a box of Nozin to one reader who leaves a comment on this post before noon mst on July 3, 2009.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

Over the last few years, I’ve invested in a cupboard full of glass containers for freezing & storing food and ditched 90% of the plastic that we used to use. It’s costly, but totally worth it for the health of my family. I consider it an investment. They’re endlessly reusable which means I save money, the earth, and the bodies of the people I love most.

My husband and I often take leftovers for lunch in glass, but I’m not about to send glass with my three year old. Even if he didn’t smash it on purpose, he’d surely do it accidentally by the end of the first week. Since he mostly eats dry snackies, fresh produce & cheese all day long, I was thrilled to discover LunchBots. Made from the highest quality 18/8 stainless steel, LunchBots won’t leach chemicals into foods like plastic does.

The LunchBots uno (blue lid) is perfect for sandwiches or a larger quantity of the same snack. My kids love it for trail mix or cookies. The LunchBots duo (orange lid) is the same container but with a divider welded in to hold two portions of snacks. The divider is not water tight so LunchBots are not intended for wet foods, but if you pack fresh like we do then you’ll be very happy with these. For extras like dips & yogurts, you’ll need to supplement with another type of container. We love the duo for cheese & crackers, raisins & cucumbers, fresh fruit salad & veggies sticks and so much more. Both measure 6.5″x4.5″ and fit easily in lunch bags, diaper bags & most purses. I recommend buying both because no matter which one you choose, you’ll wish you had the other one as soon as you start packing lunches! They’re both great, and used daily in our home.

US readers can purchase directly from LunchBots ($14.99). Canadian readers can purchase from Parenting by Nature ($22.98).

Win it! We’ve got a LunchBots uno AND a LunchBots duo to give away to one lucky reader. To enter, leave a comment on this post before noon mst on May 12, 2009. Feel free to share your great “dry lunch” ideas!

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

As an opinionated baby (and toddler and preschooler) wearing and organic wannabe-eco-mama, I was thrilled to discover a Canadian company that is committed to helping parents across North America learn that traditional parenting techniques and practices like baby wearing and cloth diapering are a viable, easy and fun way to raise a baby.

Parenting By Nature carries a HUGE selection of the best baby carriers (with their personal reviews included!), cloth diapers, and a variety of products for baby and mama.

Among the huge selection of carriers, I found a gem. I’ve mentioned before that I’m an Ergo girl, and I continue to love my Ergo passionately. The only issue I have with it is that a child cannot face outward. Normally that’s not an issue, but there are those few children that reach a certain age and can’t stand facing inward any more. I just flipped my children to my back when that happened and that solved the problem, but for parents who aren’t comfortable with back carries the Pikkolo Carrier by CatBird Baby would be an awesome solution. It features all of the great features of the Ergo but adds the forward facing option. It has a unique cinching drawstring mechanism on the bottom that allows the narrowing or widening of the fabric between baby’s legs for smaller newborn babies to sit comfortably or larger babies to sit facing forward. The waist belt is thick, but completely un-padded (in contrast to my beloved Ergo) to allow for precise adjustment. I personally prefer the Ergo waist band, but that’s the only thing I prefer. Everything else is equal or better on the Pikkolo. Like the deluxe memory foam padded shoulder straps. Mmmm, comfort. And the easy transition to a hip carry is pretty fab too. Honestly, the first person to design a combination of the two carriers will make a mint. The perfect carrier for everyone. And it would surely be available from Parenting By Nature!

Win it! We’re giving away a $100 gift certificate to Parenting By Nature to be used toward ANY product(s) you like! US and Canada only. To enter, visit the Parenting By Nature site and browse around (make sure you have a few minutes – there’s lots to look at!). Come back and let us know via comment what you’d spend your $100 on. Contest closes at noon mst on March 14, 2009.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

Natural Creation is a Canadian company that hand-makes all natural products for women. It was founded by two doulas, Chelsea LaFrance and Emily Baxter. They specialize in products for pregnancy, labour & postpartum, as well as babies. In addition to making organic cotton and hemp ring slings, Natural Creation offers natural solutions for nausea, headaches,exhaustion, varicose veins, stretch marks, perineal healing, stress, teething pain, cleaning and more. All of their products are made in small batches to ensure quality and freshness and are vegan and free of synthetic perfumes, colours, and preservatives.

As someone who cleans almost exclusively with vinegar and baking soda but often yearns for something that smells a little more pleasant, I was thrilled to discover Tea Tree Clean – a mixture of tea tree and lemon essential oils in purified water. The mixture is naturally antibacterial, antiviral, and deodorizing. While it’s technically labeled “for diaper bags,” Tea Tree Clean mist is awesome as a hand sanitizer or for cleaning change pads or toys. It’s perfect for wiping down shopping carts & restaurant tables, doorknobs and almost anything that could use a little bit of a clean up. It smells great and wonderfully clean, and the lemon lightens the strong tea tree scent just perfectly. The 120 ml glass bottle sells for $15.95 – a great deal since I’ve been using it many times a day for a few weeks and have barely made a dent in it.

Win it! We’ve got a bottle of Tea Tree Clean up for grabs. To enter, leave a comment on this post letting us know some of your other fave products from this page. Contest closes at noon mst on November 25, 2008.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

As a two time unplanned cesarean mama, I’m the queen of numb belly skin & scar tissue – the mark of a C-Mama. I know – you’re jealous of my hottness.

One of our favourite Canadian online shops, Ecobaby Canada, has post-surgical mamas like me in mind with their C-Mama Healing Salve from Earth Mama Angel Baby. The clinically tested healing salve was created with 100% natural ingredients rich in Vitamin C, essential fatty acids and amino acids — all nutrients necessary for proper cell regeneration and wound repair. Formulated especially for cesarean section and other surgical wounds, old c-section scars and stretch marks, and inflamed rashes and burns, the C-Mama Healing Salve is toxin-free, cruelty-free & certified vegan.

I’ve been using this salve on my well-worth-it-war-wounds and it’s absolutely lovely. It keeps the scar soft & supple and if I could see past the flab I’m sure I’d see it looking better too.

Ecobaby Canada was also featured on T.O.P. here and here.

Win it! EcoBaby Canada is giving one randomly selected T.O.P. reader their own C-Mama Healing Salve valued at $44.99! To enter, leave a comment on this post with your favourite product(s) available from EcoBaby that are not mentioned in this post. Contest closes on September 2, 2008.

Canadian residents can receive an additional entry for this giveaway by voting for Andrea in the SavvyMom Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Go vote (you’ll need to confirm your Canadian citizenship) and leave an extra comment letting us know you did.

Additional entries available. See contest entry information and rules.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

I have admitted here many times that I’m a snob. A blanket snob, a toy snob, a clothing snob…and yes, a butt cream snob. If it’s toxic, it’s sure as heck not getting rubbed on the nether regions my babies. I’ve tried many creams over the past few years (organic, natch) and they’ve all been satisfactory enough, but the Bottom Balm from Lalabee Baby Bathworks surpasses even my expectations. It clears up diaper rash in a flash (seriously, I’m talking an hour) and there’s nothing in it to irritate baby’s tender skin. Applying it feels like a strange cross between unsalted butter (but not greasy…is that possible?) and really thick olive oil. There’s no resistance and it makes my baby smile even when her little butt is at it’s most tender.

The entire Lalabee line is handcrafted in small batches using certified organic and natural ingredients in beautiful Kelowna, BC by mom Sara Johnson. There are no chemicals, preservatives or dyes in any of the Lalabee products and they use only edible ingredients purchased from local suppliers where possible.

All of the Lalabee containers are reusable or recyclable and the tins are food grade – no plastic to be found. Check out the rest of the baby line and the mama line too.

A portion of sales is donated to buy Heifer International Honeybees. Canadian, mom-run, organic, green, and helping the less fortunate? You’ve gotta love that.

Win it! We’ve got a tin of the fabulous bottom balm for one lucky reader! To enter, leave a comment on this post before 11:59 pm mst on August 7/08.

Additional entries available – up to four per person. See contest entry information and rules.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

We’re ba-ack! Sorry for the extended delay but…have you ever been unplugged for ten days? Once you get used to it, it’s fan-freaking-tastic! It’s been a long time since I held my baby for so long sans-sling, played for so many uninterrupted hours on end or just sat and enjoyed the silence instead of checking email. I highly recommend it.

---

TOP Contributing Writer Rashmi has been reviewing the fabulous vegan faux-suede Isabooties pre-walker shoes. Check out her review below and read on for a giveaway.

The main reason soft-soled Isabooties shoes caught my eye was because they describe themselves as *eco-friendly*. When a business, especially one which deals with children’s products, makes a statement of that kind, I was naturally very curious in checking them out. I’m glad I did! Hip and stylish Isabooties, besides being made in the USA with fair labor and using fabrics that are animal-free are, more importantly, formaldehyde-free. It’s a little known fact that formaldehyde is one of the most common shoe allergens! In my book, that’s a BIG plus.

The Anchors-Away pair I got to try out were cute, comfortable and nicely flexible on my little one’s feet while being easy for me to slip on and more importantly, difficult for my son to pull off. My son has worn his “e-butty” as he insists on calling them, inside and out and they’ve held up well on a hot sidewalk and even inside, on a tile floor where they’ve have demonstrated their skid-proof abilities. Among their numerous plus points, the Ultrasuede material of Isabooties is also fade-resistant. My son’s have been through two washes (one necessary, one just for test purposes) and so far I can’t see any change, shape, color and quality-wise. They look as good as they did when they first arrived in their recycled packaging.

They have choices galore on their website and I particularly liked their 60-day return policy. In other words, Isabooties are something I’ll have no hesitation recommending to Moms everywhere.

Use the code TOP for 15% off your Isabooties through August 31, 2008

Win it! We’re giving away TWO pairs of Isabooties in your choice of size and style. Two winners will be drawn at random from all qualifying comments. To enter, simply visit the Isabooties site to choose your fave and leave a comment on this post by noon MST on July 23/08 letting us know the style and size you’d want if you’re selected. That’s it!

AND…

The lovely ladies at Isabooties would love for you to subscribe to their newsletter. It’s our policy never to share your information unless you’re a winner so if you’d like to subscribe please leave your email address in the body of your comment so that Libby and Laura can add you to their list and keep you informed about new styles and sales. Of course, you’ll be able to safely unsubscribe at any time.

(And since we’ve been away from giveaways for a week, shall I remind you that lazy comments can’t win? Visit the site, choose a pair, leave a comment. It takes but a moment and it’s the least you can do!)

Additional entries available – up to four per person. See contest entry information and rules.

CONTEST CLOSED – WINNERS EMAILED

I dig finding new & unique shops from which to clothe my kids, and I dig even more finding shops that are eco-friendly.

Pondür is a 100% organic and 100% stylin’ shop that started with a childhood passion. Owners Shanna and Christy are dedicated to inspiring the world, one tiny thought at a time. The Pondür shop features organic tees & onesies printed with thought-provoking and inspirational quotes.

My personal favourite and the one my daughter wears regularly – Take care of me, Take care of the world.

So true, my friends. So true.

Pondür’s unique, environmentally friendly baby apparel not only inspires the little one wearing it but also everyone who sees it.

With every purchase you make from Pondür, you’re making a difference for kids.

Save 20% at Pondür with the code TOP20.

Pondür is a proud member of the TOP Shops, where they and many others are giving you great deals just for being an Opinionated Parent!

Win it! Pondür is giving away a tee to one TOP reader in your choice of size, quote and colour. Value $23.

To enter, leave a comment on this post with your choice for all three – size, quote and colour – should you be the randomly chosen winner.

Contest closes May 14 @ noon MST.

Additional entries available. See contest entry information and rules. Maximum 4 entries per person.

CONTEST CLOSED

Snikiddy is “a new line of organic food products designed to embody and encourage a healthy lifestyle for children. Packaged with fun activities that promote physical and mental wellness, these organic foods are healthy snack alternatives that parents can feel good about giving to their children (or eating themselves!).” The name Snikiddy is a shortened form of the word persnickety, meaning choosy or picky – a trait that embodies childhood eating!

Founded by Janet Owings and Mary Schulman ~ a mother and daughter team ~ Snikiddy snacks are only snacks in that they’re easy and quick to eat. They’re completely contrary to what most of us think of when we thing of pre-packaged snack foods. My son loved them, but he didn’t get very many because I’m a bad mom and I ate them myself. Oops! The cookies were definitely my favourite, but he preferred the cheese puffs. They were good, but too messy for my liking.

Snikiddy are currently available in 6 flavours. Read on to see what some of our reviewers thought.

---

Snikiddy…what can I say to do them justice? I’ll start by saying that my 9 year old daughter is begging for more. They lasted only 10 minutes from the time they arrived in the mail!

We tried out the Grilled Cheese Cheese Puffs (Gluten Free) and the Chocolate Chippers Cookies. They were both wonderful! My 7 year old is extremely picky and even she loved them! They have already asked that these snacks be added to our grocery list. Too bad we have to go so far to get them though. The nearest store that carries them is over an hour away from us. I’ll be glad when they are more widely known and we can get them in our town. For now, I’ll settle for ordering them online. To get a 100% Organic snack that my kids will actually eat is amazing! I do not currently buy snacks at all but these are worth getting! I can’t wait to try out their other flavors, especially the Pizza Pie Puffs and the Banana Nibbles! Yum!

Thank you Snikiddy for considering the health of our children and making your products taste so great! - Gina

---

My 3 ½ year-old son, Jonas, helped me check out Snikiddy Snacks . I was a little worried because I have a great love of health food but my son has never been much of an eater. He has been this way his entire life. Really, he only likes marshmallows and would eat them all day if allowed. [Ed: wouldn't we all?]

I gave him a bag of the Snikiddy Chocolate Chippers while we were riding in the car. His response? “CHOCOLATE! When I get home, I can get another bag!” When I asked if I could taste one, he replied very sweetly, “No, thanks.” These cookies got the picky child seal of approval!

I did sneak a taste out of another bag when he wasn’t looking and they are very good. They don’t taste like something is missing as a lot of healthy prepared snacks do. I can usually pass on a packaged cookie, but I could definitely eat an entire bag of Snikiddy Snacks! And that would be okay, because the entire (.85 oz) bag only contains 5g of fat and 120 calories!

We also tried Snikiddy Grilled Cheese Puffs. You know how many puffed cheese snacks pale in comparison to the original? These are actually BETTER. They are the right density, have a good flavor, and don’t leave a greasy aftertaste. I have seen my child pass on processed cheese snacks after only a few bites, but he steadily munched on the Snikiddy Snacks until they were gone! I was also impressed that one (.06 oz) bag of Grilled Cheese Puffs contains only 3g of fat and 80 calories!
So while you can feel good about giving Snikiddy Snacks to your kids (and being sure that they will definitely eat it), Snikiddy Snacks are also good news to us snackin’ parents out there who need to watch our waist lines! - Candice

---

When my daughter started eating table food I vowed she wasn’t going to be one of those kids who ate a lot of sugary snack foods; I was only going to offer her healthy choices. For the most part I’ve been pretty good about that. We don’t have a lot of sugar-loaded snacks in the house and she does like fruit. We have fallen into a “snack rut” with the same old stand-bys. Living in a small town with no health-food store, it’s hard to find snacks that don’t contain a lot of sugar, calories, or high fructose corn syrup.

I was excited to receive the samples from Snikiddy. My family tried the Chocolate Chippers and the Grilled Cheese Puffs. They put all of the good information right on the front of the package “low in sugar,” “no trans fats, no hydrogenated oils, no corn syrup, no preservatives” and “USDA Organic” – wow, these sound like a great, healthy snack!

The Chocolate Chippers are mini-cookies; perfect size for small hands to hold. One bag’s serving size contains only 2 grams of sugar. My husband and I don’t normally care for crunchy cookies, and these are crunchy, but they were very tasty and we both liked them. My daughter had her own bag to sample and she really liked these cookies. “Mmmmm” was all I heard from her!

I’ve never given my daughter Cheese Puffs; they just aren’t something we buy as neither my husband nor I like them…and I don’t like the orange powder that gets all over your hands. These cheese puffs are little round balls (great for practicing the pincer grasp!) and come in a nice size serving bag. The white powder does come off on your hands, but it brushes off easily and doesn’t leave a huge mess on your fingertips (unless your kid is like mine and can make a complete mess out of any food!) My husband still doesn’t like the texture of cheese puffs, but he said the flavor of these were actually pretty good – I agreed and I shared the bag with Kayla who thought they were pretty good too.
You CAN have a great-tasting, healthy snack food without high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, perservatives, and ingredients you can’t pronounce! – Michelle

---

As a health-conscious mom, I am always scouring the market for new products that don’t contain nasty, unnatural ingredients. Not only are artificial and chemical additives suspected to cause hyperactivity in children (among other things), who knows what health problems they may be linked to in the future. I was uber-conscious about what went into my mouth during pregnancy, simply because I knew what I ate, baby ate, too. Why stop when baby’s born? Or even when baby’s done with pureed food? And why have to sacrifice flavor and convenient packaging just so be able to serve up natural snacks to your youngsters?

That’s why I was tickled to find out about Snikiddy Snacks. There are so many health foods for kids popping up…but I must say that this company’s approach, packaging, and philosophy really grabbed my attention.

The first thing my 3-year-old son said when I handed him his first packet of their Grilled Cheese Organic Cheese Puffs was, “I really like that cool boy on the bag!” This company knows that kids are visually driven and can be marketed to most easily by attractiveness and likability. First brownie point scored!

That was even before the bag was opened. Hands down, we all adore the cheese puffs. They are just as good as…no, better than…the unhealthy fat-laden varieties available for years, and they have no artificial colors. (Read: No fluorescent orange powder staining everything in sight!) Hooray for “fanatically clean moms” everywhere! These snacks are also gluten-free.

Their Organic Chocolate Chippers are also a big favorite around here. Both of my children are chocolate lovers. (Perhaps “chocoloate snobs” is a better title….just like their mother,) I knew these cookies had to be great in order to win them over. I have to admit I was a little skeptical of whole wheat flour being among the ingredients. I’ve had quite a few baking mishaps when I’ve tried to substitute some of this for regular flour. No worries! The cookies were melt-in-your-mouth delicious, smooth, and tasty….they didn’t even taste “healthy.” [Ed: I use 100% whole wheat flour in everything and have never had a problem!]

All of Snikiddy Snacks’ products are certified organic by Oregon Tilth. They have no GMOs, no hydrogenated oils, no high-fructose corn syrup, no artificial colors, no artificial flavors, and no preservatives. They are sweetened with evaporated cane juice (Rapadura), which unlike most sugar, is not separated from the molasses stream during the manufacturing process.

One of the best things about Snikiddy Snacks is their nifty packaging. Their snacks come in individual Snack Pack sizes (enough for one child), Adventure Packs (boxes of five Snack Packs), and Sharing Packs (four to five servings per container). Sharing Packs! How cute is that?

You owe it to your family to pick up some of these snacks next time you go shopping. “Delicious, Mom!” was my 3-year-old’s exuberant response to these tasty treats. I’m sure your kids would agree! - Meg

---

We are not 100% organic or 100% healthy at our house but I try to give the kids have a good balance between yummy junk and healthy snacks. I make sure apples and other fruits are washed and ready to grab from a bowl they can reach in the fridge and I usually keep the less healthy temptations up out of sight so I have some control over when they eat them ( I say some control because occasionally I have little monkeys that climb up to the top cabinets). I do like to buy some prepackaged snacks for when we are in a rush to get to school and its hard to find a variety of healthy choices with those. We get pretzels usually because they are one of the better choices but every now and then I buy things I’m sure have some not so great ingredients. I can never pass up a free snack so I was happy to test out Snikiddy Snacks with the kids. I never buy store bought chocolate chip cookies (I make my own) so I wasn’t sure what the kids would think of Snikkidy’s Chocolate Chippers. I thought they tasted good with a nice crunch and so did Ben and Jamie (we downed 2 packs in minutes). Ethan, my pickiest kid, didn’t like them and only ate one cookie, but remember he is only used to homemade cookies. I didn’t think they tasted healthy and thats just what you want in a cookie BUT they are organic and have no hydrogenated oils, no corn syrup and no preservatives. Definitely a good choice for those mornings when I am in a rush to pack the kids snacks, although I’d give Ethan the Snikiddy Grilled Cheese Puffs instead. These were a big hit with all 3 of the kids and me too. They also boast a healthy label while still being yummy and the bonus is that they don’t leave little fingers gross and cheesy like regular cheese puffs. Both of these snacks come in handy single serve packs or bigger 4-5 serving sizes. I will definitely look for these in my store to take the guilt out of purchasing prepackaged treats. - Heather

---

Finding nutritional (and yummy) snacks for my little man has been a real struggle since he was old enough to eat them. Every type of snack that is good for him, he hates…And I must admit, I’ve tried some of them and they are pretty bad! However, I think I have finally come up with a solution that pleases us both!

Snikiddy snacks are certified USDA organic, but have the same yummy taste as all those “bad for you” alternatives! They are made from original family recipes and the finest natural and organic ingredients available. Every Snikiddy treat is absolutely free of hydrogenated oils, high-fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors, colors, and preservatives! In my book, it doesn’t get much better than that!

We had the chance to try the Chocolate Chippers and the Grilled Cheese Puffs, and were very pleased with both. The Grilled Cheese Puffs taste very similar to a yummy grilled cheese sandwich, a favorite of my little man. So needless to say, they were gone in just seconds! They are gluten-free and are the only USDA certified organic puffs on the market. These were very yummy to everyone in our house! The Chocolate Chippers were a BIG hit as well for our family! They are the only commercially available cookies made without refined sugar. My little man has a sweet tooth, so I have to say that these were his favorite! I was able to snag one from him before he gobbled them up and I was impressed as well…They taste just as good as those “bad for you” snacks, and leave me feeling much less guilty!

Thanks, Snikiddy Snacks for introducing such an awesome “snack-time solution” for our family! I recommend these snacks to all families, but especially those who have picky toddlers! Snikiddys have really mastered a snack that is nutritional without losing great taste. My little man loves them, and I feel good in offering him a snack that is much better for him! - Sara

---

When it comes to food, do you have persnickety kids? Are you looking for Certified Organic and Certified Kosher snacks that are delicious and healthy to feed those persnickety kids? If you are, then Snikiddy Snacks may be for you!

Snikiddy Snacks were started in 2005 by a mother and daughter team. The mom (now a grandmother) formulated the fantastic recipes in her kitchen, using only high quality, organic ingredients. Snikiddy offers sweet and savory varieties of their snacks to please even the most “snikiddy” of kids! My 2 year-old daughter and I tried the Chocolate Chippers and the Grilled Cheese Puffs.

The Chocolate Chippers were the perfect little bite size cookie for us! They are crispy and crunchy, yet their flavor is sweet but delicate. I wasn’t overwhelmed by the sugary sweetness that I find in most “store bought” cookies. By using organic Rapidura sugar in their recipe, Snikiddy is able to provide a rich sweetness with a hint of molasses flavor. I was in love the minute I popped one in my mouth. My toddler felt the same way. She was asking for cookies all night long!

The Grilled Cheese Puffs are yummy too! While they don’t appear to be overloaded with cheese, you can tell very quickly that they are addictive. My daughter and I ate the snack sized bag very quickly, eventually licking our fingers because we wanted more! She liked them because they were easy to chew and tasted very cheesy. I liked them because they were delicious and made with wholesome ingredients. I can’t wait to try the other flavors!

Check out the freebies that you can get by collecting UPCs to send in. You can get T-Shirts and Art Supplies for your little “Snikiddy Snacker”. - Christy

---

As an experienced mother of two, I am fully aware of the extreme importance of bribes. When shopping or attempting finish any task having healthy snacks at my disposal is of the utmost importance. We put Snikiddy Snacks to rigorous testing and this is how our family graded them.

Taste – A-
Ingredients – A+
Packaging – C
Mess Factor – D+

Becca was very excited to try a new snack. As a preschooler she is forever hungry and loves “snack” food. The Organic Cookies disappeared very quickly (I helped!). We both agreed that they were really yummy! We tried the Organic Cheese Puffs and decided they were great but not as good as the cookies. Becca even chose to save some for her Dad, something she would not been able to do if they were more than good.

I really like the fact that the ingredients are organic, free of artificial colors and flavors. As a family we are trying to do our part in supporting organic foods and farmers, so knowing we can do that with these snacks makes me happy.

I am not a huge fan of individual packages. I like to control how much snack food the kids get. Plus if I buy one package then package it myself there is less waste as an end result. The individual packages are not recyclable.

These snacks were very messy. Not only was my preschooler coated with crumbs and chocolate, so was my coffee table and carpet! We both had to wash up once we finished our snack. This is not my ideal for an on-the-go snack. I would not allow either the Organic Cheese Puffs the Organic Cookies, in the car for example.

Overall, Snikiddy Snacks are a great concept, with a lot of potential. They taste great and my preschooler gobbled them up. They could create less waste and mess for this mom. I am not sure about availability, but I will be watching for them at my grocery store! - Chelle

---

Snikiddy Snacks aren’t yet available in Canada (let’s get working on that Snikiddy!) so we hope our American readers enjoy them! And if anyone feels like sending me some cookies in a care package, I wouldn’t object.

I buy a lot of organic clothing for my kids. It’s just one small thing I can do to make a difference for the earth (and for the people working in cotton fields who aren’t being sprayed with pesticides and herbicides, but that’s a whole ‘nother story.)

BoobyDooby is one of my newer finds and I’m loving their style and their philosophy. A company that gives back and also makes great statements with their clothing is my kind of company.

My personal faves? For girls, I love the “Trust Your Inner Voice” tee pictured at right. What a great lesson for all humankind to learn, but it’s especially necessary for young women. It’s super soft with a great long body (adding the lesson “People don’t need to see your belly button” to the whole ‘inner voice’ thing.) For the guys, I love the Peace themed tee. And check out all of the awesomely soft destroyed black vintage tees for the ladies. I can’t even pick a fave from there, but can vouch for the buttery softness of these inspirational shirts.

BoobyDooby charges only $4 for shipping for all orders!

Win It! We’re giving away a Just Giggle organic onesie valued at $24. To enter, leave a comment before May 1 @ noon telling us your favourite BoobyDooby tee(s) not mentioned in this review.

Additional entries available. See contest entry information and rules.

CONTEST CLOSED

I’ll readily admit that I’m a skin care snob. It’s not the label – what I buy is generally not expensive. It’s the ingredients that count. I won’t put strange chemicals, colours and noxious fragrances on me or my children. I’ll use straight up organic grapeseed oil before I’ll put most of the common brands of baby skin care products on my babies.

With my discovery of Stuff For Sprouts, though, I can retire the grapeseed oil for everywhere but the diaper area. Developed by mom Kristen Bassick, Stuff For Sprouts currently offers luscious lotion for crunchy kids, fabulous cream for extra crunchy kids and my favourite lip stuff of all time. It comes in a wide tube so one swipe covers the lips and the area surrounding them – no more wrestling!

The scents are kid friendly while being totally inoffensive to adults. Unlike many other brands I’ve smelled, these actually smell exactly like the label says they will. Front lawn? Exactly like what you’d smell when lying on a freshly mowed and organically fertilized lawn. Blueberry muffin, chocolate, PB&J and frosting – just like the real thing! None of their products contain nut butters (yay allergy parents!) or mineral oil, soy, chemical, sparkles or any of the other nasties that creep into mainstream brands. (We dig the transparency of ingredients.)

Stuff For Sprouts offers a money-back guarantee, too. You won’t need it, though.

Use the code OPPARN15 for a 15% discount through April.

This is a guest post from Jody Graziano-Jonas, opinionated parent and owner of the fab BabyBam Collection reviewed here.

---

How many of us have felt proud that we are keeping our babies best interest at heart when we buy “tear free” shampoos? A lot. Myself included.

However keeping baby’s eyes from burning and stinging is just the beginning!

Did you know that a lot of the “gentle” products on the market actually contain many harmful chemicals? Yes, that’s right.

If you are wondering how safe your diaper rash cream or lotion is, check out The Environmental Working Group’s Children’s Product Guide. They do a great job of wading through the products and rating them on a “hazard” scale.

They warn you about ingredients to avoid such as:

DMDM Hydantoin – Allergen and irritant that can form cancer-causing contaminants
Fragrance – Allergens that may contain neurotoxic or hormone-disrupting chemicals
Ceteareth and PEG compounds – Petrochemicals that may contain cancer-causing impurities

And remember our Little Lathers collection is 100% organic, handmade of only the finest all natural ingredients!

Here’s to keeping baby’s eyes, skin and bum healthy!

If you read T.O.P. daily (if you don’t, you’re missing out on some great stuff!) then you know how much we love all things natural, safe and soft. And so it is with great pleasure that I introduce you to my newest find, BabyBam Collection.

Eco-friendly babies and parents alike will love the unparalleled softness that BabyBam offers in their bamboo & organic cotton combination. This fabulous mixture is hypo-allergenic, anti-bacterial and thermal regulating. All of the BabyBam apparel is natural in color, using no bleaches or dyes, and the silkscreens and tagless tags use low impact dye.

Currently the clothing line includes a onesiea, pants and a sleeper style pajama, both of which are amazingly soft & silky and just the thing I’d recommend putting against your new baby’s delicate skin. After washing I’d swear that they get even softer!

They also have a new line of bamboo body products in their bath time line including the best bum cream I’ve ever tried. Seriously? I’d use it on my own butt if I could get away with it.

Also part of their bath time line, BabyBam has recently added a brand new hooded towel & washcloth set to their collection. It’s incredibly absorbent and fast drying and is completely free of pesticides and chemical treatments so there’s no concern about skin allergies and irritations. Bamboo is also naturally anti-bacterial and odour free which is great for the wet environments in which you’d generally need a towel.

All of these fabulous products are available for purchase at the BabyBam Collection online shop and select stores.

Founded by mom of two Jody Graziano Jonas, BabyBam Collection is the kind of company we really like to get behind. Watch for upcoming guest posts on the subject of raising a green baby written by Jody and cross-posted from her own blog. As part of her environmentally responsible policies, she packages all of the BabyBam products in recycled, re-used, or recyclable packaging – everything from the tissue paper to the ribbon to the box it is shipped in. In addition, BabyBam regularly makes contributions to The Arbor Day Foundation and the Sierra Club. Love it!

You can win a onesie and pant set from BabyBam Collection with your choice of pink, blue or green heart on the pants. To enter the random draw, send one email to theopinionatedparent@gmail.com with BABYBAM (copied exactly) in the subject line and tell us which of the gift sets is your favourite. (Go to the BabyBam site, click through to the “online store” and click on “gift sets.”)
You must include both the answer and your complete mailing address in your email to qualify for the draw.
Contest closes at midnight MST on Friday, February 8, 2008. The winner will be contacted via email. Congratulations Danielle M.!

Those Aussies know what they’re talking about when it comes to skin care. If they didn’t, they’d all be wrinkled cancerous lumps instead of the unusually gorgeous sub-species that they are. So it makes sense to turn to them for baby skin care ideas, no? The well known Mei Mei line from Australia has now been brought to North America and we’re pleased to introduce you to Mei Mei Baby USA.

Sixty percent of what we put on our baby’s skin is absorbed into the body, and parents everywhere are becoming more conscious of what they put on their children’s skin. Mei Mei Baby (pronounced “May May” – just like the sound that sheep make) offers a range of head-to-toe baby products that is all natural, safe, and free of petrochemicals, parabens, and sodium lauryl sulfates. Their products are 100% made in Australia. That means no lead either!

We tried samples of their line and were very impressed with the quality. The samples were tiny, but in those quantities showed no sign of irritating either newborn baby or toddler skin.

Check out Mei Mei Baby USA for the complete line which should be available early 2008 – that’s right away!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!

Merry Christmas Eve! Between waiting for a baby to arrive and entertaining both side of my family (with a lot of help) I’m hoping to be able to continue to pump out a few reviews and contests over the holidays so be sure to check your RSS readers or pop in each day to see what great things we’ve got to share with you!

If you get something great over the holidays, be sure to send us your guest reviews so we can help make you famous. Or not, but we’ll definitely do our best!

Merry Christmas, from all of us to all of you. Enjoy the most precious people in your life this holidays season!

---

Silikids is a company run by two moms that specializes in cool silicone products for kids. So far there are four products in their line up, each of which are equally cool.

Whether you put breastmilk or a substitute in to a bottle, you’ve got to be concerned about all of the chemicals from plastic that we now know without a doubt leach into the liquid and are linked to all kids of horrible illnesses. We know that glass bottles are the best if you choose to use a bottle but, though they’re thick and safer in many ways than plastics, it’s still a little scary to put glass in the hands of a child. Especially once they learn to throw.

Siliskins, pictures at right, come in 4oz. & 8 oz. sizes and are translucent silicone ‘bottle condoms,’ for lack of a better term, that are microwave safe, hypo-allergenic and dishwasher friendly. They allow you to easily see how much is in the bottle, make it easy & safe to hold and also protect it if it should fall. As a test, we dropped one from a height of 5 feet onto both a carpeted and a linoleum floor and there was absolutely no damage to the bottle or the skin.

Some bottle covers can only be used with a proprietary bottle but Siliskins are designed to fit the Evenflo glass nurser which is easy to find across the continent. The 8 oz. retails for $12 and the 4 oz. for $10, and both include one bottle.

If you’ve got a little crawler, check out these awesome Silipads – silicone knee pads. If you’ve tried it with your kids, you are well aware that crawling can hurt! Silipads are super cute and available in four hip & bright colour combos (seen at left), easy to get on and off and machine washable. Now that’s what I’m talking about!

Last but not least in the Silikids lineup is the Silibib – a food grade silicone bib that lies completely flat against the chest and didn’t even stain when we used it at a spaghetti dinner. Miraculous? I’d say. It wipes clean easily with a wet cloth or you can just toss it in with the dishes for a thorough cleaning.

I think I’m in love with silicone and, therefore, with Silikids.

We’ve got one 4 oz. and one 8 oz. bottle in Siliskins to give to one lucky reader. To enter the random draw, email theopinionatedparent@gmail.com with Silikids in the subject line by midnight MST on 12/31/07 and tell us one good reason to use silicone (from the website, please). Congratulations Lucinda!

Please include your full name and mailing address with your entry, and a blog link if applicable so we can link you up if you win. Entries without a mailing address are invalid. (Please note that these are deleted after the draws and are never sold or given to anyone.)

My first child never once drank from a bottle. To be honest, it never concerned me at all because I nursed until he self-weaned onto a cup and I was never away from him for more than a couple of hours anyway. I was just going for a back up plan should anything have happened to me so that my child wouldn’t starve. I really didn’t want him to eat out of anything plastic anyway.

However…for the next one soon to arrive, I’m hoping for slightly more success on that front to allow me to spend some 1-1 time with my oldest that doesn’t revolve around the hourly nursing sessions that are bound to happen. However, being the *ahem* …persnickety…mother that I am I will not be putting my ‘liquid gold’ into a plastic bottle that leaches carcinogens. I’ve looked for glass bottle and they’re rather hard to come by in Hickville, Canada. When I have found them they were not very attractive (granted, not the most important factor) and didn’t look all that safe to me past the point of feeding a baby that literally doesn’t move in your arms.

And that’s why I was giddy to find the newest bottle on the scene from BabyLife – the Wee Go bottle. It’s your typical (recyclable) glass bottle with a non-toxic, non-plastic silicone sleeve that not only helps babies and parents keep a solid grip but also protects the bottle from breakage in all but fairly extreme drops. The bottle, sleeve and new French nipple can both be boiled or can go through the dishwasher together or alone. (If you have an old sample like the one we’re giving away below, the non-toxic silicone nipple needs to be hand-washed.) The ring, plug and cap are plastic, but are food grade, polycarbonate-free and also recyclable. At $18 for each bottle they’re not for everyone (or not several days worth anyway, but one or two might be do-able) but they’re certainly the best option I’ve seen for older bottle-lovers and out-of-the-house bottle feedings. And persnickety moms like me.

WeeGo bottles will be available in early November.

We’re giving one away in “sky” along with a white 3-6 month onesie from BabyLife. To enter, email theopinionatedparent@gmail.com with WeeGo in the subject line before midnight tonight and tell us the name of one other sleeve colour that’s available. Congratulations Shaila!

I’m always on the hunt for new organic kids clothing that’s different than the usual and I am loving Little Marmara. Founded by parentrepreneur Gabrielle Ackerman, Little Marmara items are all made from 100% chemical-free organic Turkish cotton and you just can’t get better than that. And apparently it’s hard to get softer than that. Contrary to much of the older organic fabrics which were slightly on the scratchy side (think wearing a hemp necklace all over), this fabric is amazingly soft. (And if you’re curious as to why I love organic fabrics so much, read Gabrielle’s page on organic cotton. The knowledge gained is well worth the minute it will take you. Go on…I’ll wait.)

The camel caravan, the stork and the lion on gorgeous tees and amazingly soft (and totally-safe-to-rest-your-precious-head-on) pillows and bags make up the Little Marmara introductory line, but there’s much more to come including pants, blankets, sweaters, hats, washcloths, towels and even toys, all of which will be made of the finest Turkish organic cotton.

Judging by both the quality and style of the products I’ve seen and touched, I can’t wait to see what’s coming. I see big things for Little Marmara.

Win a gift set #2 in size 12-18 months valued at $56 USD (pictured above). To enter, email theopinionatedparent@gmail.com with Little Marmara in the subject line by midnight MST tonight and tell us the Little Marmara tagline found at the top of each page of the website. Congratulations Karen!

Get 20% off with the code HOLIDAYSAVINGS until December 5, 2007.
(See the coupon below.)

Little Marmara is currently offering free shipping on all gift sets to US addresses.

I love the spa. It’s a definite addiction. However, I can only afford to go there in my dreams now that I’m a mother so I also love products that can recreate the spa at home. Pharmacopia products do just that – and in an ever so wonderful organic manner.

Their luxurious product line supports sustainable and organic agriculture through the use of organic and all-natural ingredients and the company also supports fair trade via their trademark grass baskets which are handmade by Philippina women. Anyone as opinionated as we are is bound to love this company, but what’s policy without product?

Even more important than these admirable business practices is the fact that these products are fabulous! Several of us tried out the citrus scent and love it. It’s light and refreshing and doesn’t irritate the senses in the least. The body & massage oil is amazing added to the bath, and we all were floored by the smoothness of the lotion – the perfect follow up to the aromatherapy bath. The shea butter hand cream was amazing after a long day working with paper and, though I’m sure it was my imagination I think it may have actually helped my nails grow without cracking!

Enter to win a “lavender soothe” gift set (pictured above) from Pharmacopia by sending an email to theopinionatedparent@gmail.com before midnight MST on 10/20/07. Put “Pharmacopia” in the subject line and tell us what four scents are available from the website. Congratulations Lois!

by Reesh

Back in my theatre days I did a lot of touring. There were often 5 of us traveling in the same van and up to 3 of us sharing a hotel room each night. You had no choice but to become intimately involved with every little aspect of your touring mates’ lives, and you had to be okay with the things you’d rather not know about otherwise it was just going to be a painfully long tour.

So when Melanie got her period, we all learned about Lunapads. We had little choice as they were hanging in our hotel bathroom to dry 7 days of every month. Needless to say, by the time the next tour rolled around, it was me who was drying my Lunapads and educating both male and female about the wonders of cloth pads.

Many people when they hear that I use only cloth pads think that it’s too much work for them. After 4 seasons of touring, never being in your own bathroom, but having to greet Aunt Flow once a month regardless, I can honestly say that using Lunapads is a piece of cake.

Lunapads are washable menstrual pads made from 100% cotton flannel and highly absorbent fleece. They are machine washable and dryable and last for about 3-5 years. They fasten to your own underwear with small plastic snaps and they come in all different sizes and thicknesses depending on your flow and your underwear type.

Recently Lunapads has added Lunapanties to their repertoire of wonderful feminine products. Lunapanties are 100% Cotton underwear with an extra layer of absorbent fleece sewn in to the crotch. Being pregnant, and this being my second pregnancy, I’m sure many of you are familiar with the not so pleasant “leaking” that accompanies motherhood. These panties provide just that extra bit of protection I am finding myself needing at this time. There is also the deluxe Lunapanty which is compatible with Lunapads removable liners.

So yes, there is a bit of a transition to make from disposable to reusable, but after one cycle I found it to be a rather delightful experience. I even felt fresher and after 2 or 3 cycles I seemed to bleed less. Then of course there was the added bonus of knowing I wasn’t dumping large amounts of pads into our landfills each month. Lunapads are just as small and compact as disposables, so leaving the house with them can still be a stealth like operation if you so desire. You will need to add a small Tupperware container to your bag however. Just place your used pad or liner in the container and stick it in your bag or purse. When you get home you can soak the used pads in cold water before throwing them in the washing machine or rinse them in the sink, hang them to dry and re-use them the next day. Your body, the environment and your wallet will thank you for the little bit of extra effort. Yes that’s right, reusing your pads can save you a ton of money too.

Now that I have a daughter whom I will one day have the pleasure of explaining how our amazing bodies work, I am so glad that I will get to teach her about reusable pads. There will be no embarrassing trips down the menstrual pad aisle for us. Instead, we will go online and pick out her favourite colours and styles together. She will no doubt feel very in touch with her changing body right from the very start of her journey as a new woman.

Lunapads is a woman owned business based out of Vancouver, Canada. They have a wonderful website which will answer any of the questions you may find yourself asking. Check out www.Lunapads.com.

Want to win a Lunapads intro kit to try them yourself? Email theopinionatedparent@gmail.com with LUNAPADS in the subject line and the correct answer to the question “What are the names of the Lunapads’ owners’ 3 children?” Contest closes Friday 6/8/07 at midnight MST. Congratulations Katie! (The one from GA – not the other 7 Katie’s who entered. Sorry!)

My Conservation Baby is a new online venture for conservation enthusiasts Ellen & Michael McNeill. They offer hip and upscale onesies, onesie sets and toddler tees with conservation-inspired messages like Stop Global Warming and Protect the Environment in both organic and conventional cotton.

Since our babies are the ones inheriting this great earth from us, it’s important that we teach them to respect it and protect it from the very beginning. By using the tips from the website, setting an example at home and wearing socially responsible clothing like what’s available from My Conservation Baby you’d be heading in the right direction.

Like any socially responsible company, My Conservation Baby has a great selection of organic offerings. I was struck by how thick and soft the cotton was before it was even washed. The natural onesie set pictured at right is the perfect baby gift for the eco-conscious parent (and really, shouldn’t we all be?) along with the awesome ninja set with ties at the sides for truly effortless diaper changes. I’m also kind of in love with their pink camo gift sets.

Also worth checking out – the offer for free baby clothes from My Conservation Baby. Who doesn’t love free clothes?

My Conservation Baby has a completely hassle free return & exchange policy so you can shop with complete confidence.

Receive a free gift with orders over $100 and a free gift and free shipping for all orders over $150.

TOP readers also receive 10% off with the code OPINION

My Conservation Baby is TOP’s newest sponsor.
Check out their ad in our premium sidebar space!

Il Cocco di Mamma, a favourite store of opinionated parents everywhere, has added some 100% combed organic cottons to their already fabulous line of signature tees. Currently available in the gender neutral Good Day, Sweet Like Honey & Heaven Sent images in sizes from 6-24 months, these tees would make a fabulous gift for parents who are both eco-conscious and linguistically aware. They’re designed by Il Cocco owner & designer Donna Bottari and retail for $24. With their generous fit and itch-free tagless design, they’re sure to be a hit.

We’ve got a Bonjour organic tee in size 24 mos. to give away. To be entered, email theopininionatedparent@gmail.com with Il Cocco in the subject line and tell us the name of Donna’s first nephew who inspired her to start her awesome store. Contest closes at midnight MST on May 31/07. Congratulations Rheanna!

Lots of crunchy, semi-crunchy and wanna-be crunchy parents choose to use cloth diapers. What used to be the norm is now viewed by some as too much work & too much mess. I can tell you definitively that it’s not much work, and if you’ve got too much mess you’re either not doing it right or you’ve got the wrong diapers.

I’ve always been an all-in-one girl (the lazy way to protect the environment) but I’ve been testing out Mother-Ease diapers & covers for the last month. Honestly, I always thought covers would be a huge pain in the you know what, but they’re not.

The Sandy’s diapers have lots of elastic at the legs & back of the waist and they fit like a dream – even on my skinny mini kid. They’re amazingly absorbent. Even after several hours (oops!) the outside of the diaper was not wet. These are my favourite cloth diaper ever. I’ve never had a leak – ever! (And, sadly, my way-too-expensive all in ones from a major brand leaked out the leg holes all the time.)

The Mother-Ease one size diapers really do fit everyone. Strategically placed snaps are manipulated to accommodate your baby’s growing needs, and are reinforced to ensure that they never pull out of the diaper. They’re easy to use, soft & absorbent and the cute covers aren’t a pain at all. They’re super easy to use, fit great and aren’t made of that nasty plastic that the box store covers are. (And they now come in some cool eco-themed prints!)

We’ve got a Mother-Ease Introductory Package to give away, including a one size diaper, an absorbent snap in liner and one air flow cover in the eco-Savanna print. To be entered in the random draw, simply email theopinionatedparent@gmail.com with MOTHER-EASE in the subject line and tell us one of the diapering accessories available from Mother-Ease. Contest closes at midnight MST on 5/5/07. Congratulations Cara!

by Candice

When I was preparing for the arrival of my first born, I, like every mother, had a lot of decisions to make about how I would care for my bundle of joy. And, like many mothers, I read countless books and did my share of internet searching as well.

I became interested in cloth diapering and decided to give it a try. Parents who have researched this option know that there is a huge variety (and price range) of cloth diapering possibilities. All-in-ones? Pre-folds? Hemp? Cotton?
It became clear early in my search that All-in-Ones, while the Cadillac of cloth diapers, were not in my price range. I resigned myself to the “cheap” old-fashioned nappies called “flat diapers” (think “burp cloth”) with a semi-fancy Velcro cover.

But pins? Could I fasten a cloth diaper onto a squirming newborn using pins? My gut instinct told me “No!”.

Luckily there is an option out there for squeamish vegetarian mothers like myself.

Behold: The SNAPPI Fastener!

The Snappi fastener is a product invented and manufactured in South Africa. It is made of a stretchable non-toxic material. The Snappi Fastener is in the shape of a “T” and has grips on each end. These grips embed in the diaper fabric to create a good fit while still allowing natural movement for the baby.

The Snappi Fastener is affordable (suggested retail price is $2.49), and also economical. I purchased only 3 of them and never had to replace one. Now I’m waiting for my second baby to arrive so I can use them all over again!

The best thing about it is that it cannot hurt the baby in any way (provided, of course, that you use them correctly. They always need to be under a cover.)

Snappi Fasteners are available in 9 colors. The Snappi Company strives to contribute towards the well being of its home community in South Africa, with an ongoing involvement in social upliftment and welfare projects.

Snappi products are available at retailers across North America.

We’ve got 3 Snappi Fasteners for 24 lucky TOP readers! If you’d like to be one of the 24, email theopinionatedparent@gmail.com with SNAPPI in the subject header and tell us one other Snappi brand product. Contest closes at midnight MST on 5/5/07. Congratulations to all 24 of you!

It’s a well known fact even among the least environmentally conscious of us that chemicals are harmful. Susan Gluck-Pappajohn & Francesca Olivieri started Sage Baby NYC with the mission to help new and expectant parents take the next step –beyond organic food– in creating a healthier environment for their babies and children.

As new mothers, they saw their peers diligently serving organic milk and food to their children so that they are not exposed to numerous toxins and chemicals, only to turn around and unknowingly expose their children regularly to a variety of other toxic chemicals in their households and elsewhere. Through their company they have searched the world to identify the very finest and most stylish organic and non-toxic products, like this limited edition rattle hand-turned from pesticide free old-growth applewood. Wow.

Sage Baby began in 2005 selling only to NYC locals via trunk shows. With that success under their organic cotton belts, they decided to launch their website and have been live since March 2006. They offer a huge assortment of products including organic cotton clothing, bedding and towels; organic skincare; non-toxic toys; non-toxic cleaning products and air purifiers. And their site also contains some great advice and links to some great non-toxic resources.

There’s nothing Sage Baby carries that I wouldn’t buy. I’m especially loving this limited edition organic Soho Baby ‘see-hors’ set from the speesees line. It comes with a kimono (3-6 mos.) or long sleeve tee (6-12 mos.), yoga pants in a gorgeous shade of pear and a matching terry-lined bib.

And for that extra sensitive newborn skin, check out their organic preemie and newborn selection.

Enter to win this adorable limited edition Soho Baby Set (size 6-12 mos; value $49; pictured above). Simply email theopinionatedparent@gmail.com with SAGE BABY in the subject line and the correct answer to the question How many children do the two moms behind Sage Baby NYC have between them? Contest closes at midnight MST on May 2/07.