As soon as my daughter and son–now six and soon to be four, respectively–started crawling, it became very apparent to me that they were the kinds of kids who were keen on putting everything in their mouths. From soothers and bottles to their fingers, pocket change and whatever happened to be lying on the floor next to them, if it was within arm’s reach, they were going to eat it. I fished more buttons and balls of lint out of their mouths than I care to remember and caught them with their shoes shoved halfway down their throats so many times that I began to wonder if they preferred the taste of their footwear over my homemade baby food.

And when it came to them gnawing on their shoes, I wasn’t so much worried about choking hazards as I was about what they were ingesting. Just what were those shoes made of, and was it safe for my kids to be, well, eating them?

If only I had known about Little Soles, a Calgary-based line of footwear created by Mompreneur Jessica Jacobs in 2005. Not only are Little Soles’ designs durable and totally adorable, they’re 100% non-toxic because, yes, shoes ARE typically toxic. Since subjecting their latest collection, Baby Soles, to thorough testing in order to ensure each shoe was toxin and dye-free, Little Soles has adopted the same method with all of their products, resulting in footwear that’s safe for the Earth—and for children to use as teethers.

Find It Here: Little Soles

We’ve featured amazing blenders that help you puree homemade baby food. We’ve featured little BPA-free containers in which to freeze your homemade baby food. And now? We’re featuring an e-book series to help you really kick ass at making that homemade baby food. You may not need help with the basics because cooking and pureeing squash? Not so hard—but how about advice on when and how to start your baby on solids? How about nutrition information? How about advice for dealing with feeding problems? Tips for spotting and avoiding allergies and/or digestive problems? Feeding your baby while traveling? Recipes for homemade finger foods? Recipes for special occasions? And of course, tons of recipes for baby food that doesn’t taste like the flavorless, vacuum-sealed, months old gunk from a jar? Christine Albury, mother of five and the author of Tempting Tiny Tastebuds pretty much covers it all and because we know a lot of our readers are DIY types who like to make their own baby food, we’ve partnered with Christine Albury to give away FIVE sets of her three e-books—Tempting Tiny Tastebuds, The Homemade Baby Food Recipes Annual - 2009 (More In Depth Nutrition Information, Tips and Recipes) and Best of Blog (The best articles and recipes from Christine Albury’s blog).

Find It Here: Homemade Baby Food Recipes

Win It: We’re giving away five sets of Christine Albury’s three e-books. Click here to fill out our simple entry form. Just enter BF6 as the giveaway name and provide the answer to this question: What are three types of recipes found on Christine’s web site? Enter by 6/30/09. $17 value for each set of e-books. Open to residents worldwide. Winner will be notified by email.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve grappled over a gift for a new mom or mom-to-be because I wanted to give them something useful but also non-toxic/green/organic etc. Basically, I wanted to give them the same kinds of things I’d want for my own babies. The problem, however, is that we are a one income family and we have to live within certain budgetary constraints. Translation? I can’t always afford to buy the awesome new baby gifts I want to give. That’s why when I came across the baby gift sets at Lolababiez Organics, I had to share it with you. Not only do they come in a range of prices to suit every budget (starting at $25 and under) but the items in the sets are 1)cute/hip  2)useful (no stupid rhinestone-encrusted pacifiers!) 3)non-toxic/green/organic etc. and come in 100% recycled material boxes. Another item I HAVE to mention even though it’s not specifically green are the doorbell covers printed with messages to let guests know that your baby is sleeping so they don’t ring the bell or knock on the door. I wish I’d had one when my kids were babies. At this point, though, I just want to know why I didn’t think of these first because THEY ARE GENIUS. And lucky you! We’ve partnered with Lolababiez to give you a chance to win not only one of those genius doorbell covers but ALSO a Personalized Gift Set from Lolababiez containing one personalized embroidered organic tee and an organic doll of your choice. See details below!

Find It Here: Lolababiez Organics

Win It: We’re giving away a Personalized Gift Set and a doorbell cover from Lolababiez Organics. Click here to fill out our simple entry form. Just enter LB6 as the giveaway name and provide the answer to this question: What kind of coupon do you get for signing up for the Lolababiez newsletter? Enter by 6/12/09. $34 value. Open to residents of US and Canada. Winner will be notified by email. Contest Closed. Congrats to Tina!

Note: This week the Great Green Post Awards are launching and we’re giving away FREE ad space in our sidebars to THREE random participants! Learn more here

You like green stuff, right? Yeah, we knew that about you guys (we haz powers!) and that’s why we’ve partnered with Ecostore USA to give away a $25 gift certificate to one lucky reader. Ecostore USA carries plant and mineral-based, non-toxic personal care stuff, baby stuff, household stuff and pet stuff and and it’s all “super concentrated” so that a little bit goes a long way and saves you some of that other kind of green.

Find It Here: Ecostore USA

Win It: We’re giving away a $25 gift certificate to Ecostore USA. Click here to fill out our simple entry form. Just enter ECO5 as the giveaway name and provide the answer to this question: What is the Ecostore USA slogan? Enter by 5/21/09. $25 value. Open to US and Canadian residents. Contest closed. Congratulations to Beth!

We never get tired of all the types and varieties of cloth diapers that come our way and I only wish there had been so many choices in the natural and organic area when my daughter was in diapers.  It almost makes me want to have another baby—figuratively speaking! Anyway, our friends at Dagny’s Promise, a shop that carries many natural fiber items, showed us these cool Petit Fold snappable, pre-shrunk bamboo and organic cotton prefold diapers. Knowing how popular cloth diapering is with our readers, we’ve arranged for Dagny’s Promise to give away two Petit Fold diapers to one lucky reader!

Find it Here: Dagny’s Promise

Win It: We’re giving away two  Petit Fold diapers from Dagny’s Promise. Click here to fill out our simple entry form. Just enter DP5 as the giveaway name and provide the answer to this question: Name one other item carried by Dagny’s Promise. Enter by 5/18/09. $14 value.

I admit that I’ve never owned a wipe warmer. But I also admit that there were many, many times when I wished I did, such as when my little newborn baby would let out  painful howls of protest when touched by a cold, wet wipe *hangs head in shame*  Yes, I used disposable wipes back when being green meant you were probably going to yack all over someone’s shoes. These days, however, I know about all sorts of groovy green things, including reusable, chemical-free wipes made from non-toxic fibers like organic cotton and bamboo. And that cold, wet part? Not so much of an issue with a Warmies Wipe Warmer made especially for reusable wipes. And by using those reusable wipes, you’ll keep all those chemicals they use in conventional wipes away from your baby’s delicate skin AND avoid the painful howls of protest that come from putting an ice cold wipe on your baby’s tush. Sounds like a win-win to me.

Find It Here: Warmies Wipe Warmer

Win It: We’re giving away a Warmies Wipe Warmer for reusable wipes. Click here to fill out our simple entry form. Just enter WW5 as the giveaway name and provide the answer to this question: How many bamboo wipes come with the Warmies Wipe Warmer? Enter by 5/18/09. $35 value. Contest closed. Congrats to Kaiya!

(Don’t forget to check out all of the great giveaways at Mom Most Traveled’s Giveaway Carnival this week!)

Changing diapers on the go? I’m not a fan—but if you have to do it, it might as well be done on top of something organic and non-toxic and if it’s pretty and portable, so much the better (back when I didn’t know any better, I had this lovely vinyl *cringe* portable changing pad). We like the One Small Change changing station/tote from JourneyLight. It’s made of organic cotton, hemp and low-impact dyes, has compostable cornstarch foam padding, a non-toxic water resistant finish plus handy pockets and a shoulder strap—completely cool (with nary a bunny, ducky or teddy bear in sight) and totally uncringeworthy!

Find It Here:  JourneyLight

Win It:  We’re giving away a One Small Change portable changing station/tote. Click here to fill out our simple entry form. Just enter OS5 as the giveaway name and provide the answer to this question: JourneyLight products are certified by ___? Enter by 5/11/09. $65 value. Contest closed. Congrats to Amanda!

Deal: Use the promo code “GreenMom” to get 25% off your JourneyLight order plus free shipping!

It is an unfortunate fact of modern life that we, humans, have highly polluted bodies. This pollution in people is the direct result of a statute that does not require chemicals to be proven safe to get on the market, or stay on the market. Under federal law EPA does not have the authority to demand the information it needs to evaluate a chemical’s risk, and neither manufacturers nor the EPA are required to prove a chemical’s safety as a condition of use.

What’s even more shocking than the above is the sad fact that babies bodies are polluted with dangerous toxic, cancer-causing and hormone-altering chemicals before they’re even born. How does this happen? Watch the video below. What can we do? Sign this declaration and tell your elected officials that this is morally wrong and it needs to stop NOW.

Don’t take this the wrong way but if you haven’t heard about the chemical Bisphenol-A (BPA) showing up in baby bottles, amongst other things (food cans, milk container linings, water pipes, dental sealants), you need to get up to speed. BPA is a hormone disrupting chemical that, in animal testing, has been linked to a variety of health issues such as breast cancer, prostate cancer, genital abnormalities in male newborns, early puberty in females, poor semen quality, obesity, metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes and neurological problems like ADHD. Is it any coincidence that all of the aforementioned health problems seem to be on the rise over the past several decades as plastics have become more and more prevalent in our lives? My non-expert opinion is no. Fortunately, with the aforementioned information getting out, BPA-free baby bottles are now available so you can feed your baby and feel safer about limiting their exposure to this dangerous chemical. Even better? We’ve partnered with our friends at Mama Goes Green to give away to one lucky reader a Green To Grow BPA-free Baby Bottle Basics Gift Set that contains two BPA-free baby bottles and a package of non-toxic medical-grade silicone beginner (0 – 3 months) nipples all packaged in a super cute re-usable shopping tote. Squeee!

Find It Here: Mama Goes Green

Win It: We’re giving away a Green To Grow BPA-free Baby Bottle Basics Gift Set. Click here to fill out our simple entry form. Just enter GTG4 as the giveaway name and provide the answer to this question: Name three other green or organic baby items carried by Mama Goes Green. Enter by 4/25/09. $47 value. Contest closed. Congrats to Andrea!

You know I love all things green, right? Green is good. No, actually green is AWESOME. But even better than the awesomeness of green is the awesomeness of green combined with style.  While I love many traditional childhood decor themes, I’m a big fan of nifty modern designs for the wee ones, as well. One shop in particular that makes me swoon is Saplings. They have oodles of  stylish eco-friendly kid and baby decor, all with an emphasis on being chemical-free, organic, fair-trade, sustainably-produced and locally procured whenever possible. Perusing their site is like a little slice of mass-marketed-characters-free heaven, with timeless designs that won’t become embarrassing or uncool as your child grows older. In a culture where everything is designed to break or go out of style in a shockingly short period of time (aka “planned obsolescence“) Saplings is like a breath of fresh, VOC-free air.

Find It Here: Saplings

Win It: We’re giving away a $50 gift certificate to Saplings. Click here to fill out our simple entry form. Just enter SAP as the giveaway name and provide the answer to this question: What is your favorite item in the Saplings shop? Enter by 4/19/09. $50 value. Contest closed. Congrats Katie!

If there’s one baby item I wasn’t sad to say goodbye to, it was the highchair. Yes, it served us well through two children but it’s ginormous footprint made it one of the few things I couldn’t wait to give away to some other poor, unsuspecting family. And the fact that it was 100% plastic? I can only plead ignorance. I simply didn’t know any better all those years ago. Now, if we’d had a minui HandySitt…I might be bragging instead of lamenting because the ultra cool and modern HandySitt is small, lightweight (5lbs), portable, adjustable and best of all made with steel and Forest Stewardship Council-certified birch. Additionally, all paint and varnish finishes are formaldehyde free, and the plastic guard contains no phthalates or bisphenol A (BPA). I’m actually a little jealous that new moms today have so many safer, greener options to choose from, but just to show you all that there are no hard feelings, we’re giving away a minui HandySitt portable highchair to one lucky winner!

Find It Here: minui HandySitt

Win It:  Click here to fill out our simple entry form. Just enter MH21 as the giveaway name and provide the answer to this question: The HandySitt is safety-certified by what group? Open to US and Canadian residents. Enter by 3/6/09. $149 value. Contest closed. Congratulations, Melissa!

With all the reports out there about the dangers of certain plastics, I’m liking stainless steel for feeding products more and more, mainly because I don’t have to worry about remembering which plastics are the safer ones and which ones are NOT. To that end, I’m really very excited that thinkbaby has come out with a complete BPA-free feeding set that includes a bento box, two bowls, and a mug which feature a stainless steel interior and a polypropylene exterior, plus two polypropylene utensils. Yeah, it only comes in one color (bright orange) and yeah it has “thinkbaby” stamped all over it instead of duckies or airplanes but seeing as I’m more concerned with safety than style, I really love it because it’s BPA-free, PVC-free, phthalate-free, lead-free and melamine-free. As an added green-mom bonus—the containers are great for making a waste-free lunches or carrying snacks on the go. Now that? Is some pretty smart thinking!

Find It Here: thinkbaby