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

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!

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!

Of course, we at The Green Mom Review love reusable bags. They’re great for grocery shopping, picking up produce from the farmer’s market, toting things from point A to point B and just about any other task in which you would ordinarily carry a not-so-green plastic or paper bag. Simply put, reusable bags rule! But what we love even more than a nice, functional green bag is one that looks awesome, too, like those from Goody Green Bag. I’m not going to lie to you and tell you I feel very chic bringing one of my big square-bottomed bags that I normally use for groceries to, say, the mall or a department store. I don’t let that stop me but still…I often find myself wishing I had something a bit prettier and perhaps a bit more fashionable that I could use for those trips. Fortunately, I found Goody Green Bags and have been using one in a gorgeous pattern (above), putting that whole issue to rest. Their bags are tall, slim and incredibly stylish and they fold up into a cute little rectangle that I can just stick in my purse and go. My vanity suffers no more!

Find It Here: Goody Green Bag

Win It! We’re giving away two Goody Green Bags to one lucky winner. Winner can choose their own pattern(s). Click here to fill out our simple entry form. Just enter “GGB18” as the giveaway name and provide the answer to this question: What is your favorite Goody Green Bag pattern? Open to US residents only. Enter by 12/30/08. $18 value. Contest closed. Congratulations, Patricia!

Deal: Goody Green Bag is offering a 15% discount to Green Mom Finds readers. Shop using this link to save 15%.

Quite possibly the fastest way to attract the attention of an infant is to wear jewelry.  I mean how many times have you had to gently pry your little one’s bionic-baby grip from your favorite necklace?  I’m here to tell you the fight is over. Teething Bling by SmartMom is made for moms to wear and infants to tug and chew.  Personal testimony here—the necklace occupied my little one for almost 30 minutes straight.  Amazing. The jewelry is made from non-toxic, phthalate, BPA and PVC free materials.  Beautiful, practical and eco-friendly!  Plus, they’re dishwasher-safe. The necklace also features a breakaway clasp and is available in a variety of stylish colors and two shapes: donut and heart. SmartMom also features matching bangles and keychains made from the same non-toxic materials—because it never hurts to be both prepared and stylin’.

Find It Here: Heavenly Hold

Deal: 10% off from Heavenly Hold with coupon code WEARME! Expires 12/31/08.

Have you heard the hat is back? It is! And while your man may never have envisioned himself wearing a knitted cap, just wait until he sees this one — made of hemp, organic cotton and wool, the Yarn Man Cap is sustainable and hip, to boot. If this one doesn’t do it for you, then check out the more than 40 styles of men’s hats available from Sustainable Style. Each unique hat blends sustainability (duh!) and style with fabrics like hemp, fabric scraps, salvaged wool, and organic cotton. Doing something good for the environment has never looked so cool!

Find It Here: Sustainable Style

The first thing you should know about Graham & Brown is that they take great pride in producing beautiful lines of wallpaper. But one line, the Eco-Collection, is very special because it’s earth-friendly. Oh sure, it may look like regular wallpaper, but don’t be fooled by the term “earth-friendly” which could possibly connote something resembling a dull recycled paper bag. No, Graham & Brown’s line of eco-friendly wallpaper is not only gorgeous, unique and fashion-forward, it’s also printed on paper from managed timber sources using purely-water based inks, products are made from at least 50% renewable sources and each roll is even packaged in compostable materials made from corn. Self-proclaimed treehuggers, the Graham & Brown company takes sustainability with style to a whole new level, with nary a granola bar in sight!

Find It Here: Graham & Brown

How much can you really fit inside a pretty reusable bag? A LOT! Check out Pretty Green’s founder as she shows you just how many groceries can fit into a Pretty Green Bag. Not only are these bags roomy, but they are so stylish that we can practically guarantee that even your non-green friends will be asking you “Where did you get that bag?” which is a great segue into a subtle plug for reusable bags and how good using one can be for the environment. Made locally in California from a sturdy twill, canvas, or sateen cotton, the patterns are very cute and summery and the water repellent liner makes them practical too. So if you haven’t taken that leap into shopping with a reusable bag yet or if you just want to upgrade your plain canvas tote to something a little more attractive, check out Pretty Green Bag and prepare to start strutting your eco-conscious stuff at the grocery store in gorgeous green style.

Find It Here: Pretty Green Bags

Win It! We’re giving away a Pretty Green Bag in winner’s choice of style. Click here to fill out our simple entry form. Just enter “PG49” as the giveaway name and provide the answer to this question: What is your favorite style of bag from Pretty Green Bag? U.S. residents eligible. Enter by 8/11/08. Contest Closed. Congrats, Bonnie P!

While we’re not normally fans of vinyl for new products, we are in favor of re-using the vinyl that already exists because it does not break down in landfills and thus, it might as well be used again for things that need to be tough and waterproof (obviously not baby/kids products!). What better way to display your fabulous “reduce, re-use and recycle” lifestyle than with a purse, tote or bag made from recycled vinyl billboards? In 2002, the Vy&Elle company (a play on word on ‘vinyl’) started designing and creating women and men’s accessories that were practical works of art. To date, Vy&Elle have reused over 100 tons of billboard vinyl and their manufacturing process includes 100% recycling of all scrap and waste materials, which are turned into garden hoses and flooring by other manufacturers so every bit of those billboards is reused and lives another life as something else — which means LESS NEW VINYL being produced! Of course, we look forward to the day that vinyl is no longer made at all but until then, we think Vy&Elle products are not only good-looking but also gorgeously green!

Find It Here: Vy&Elle

Featuring positive messages like “Choose Happiness,” “Live Mindfully,” and “Today Matters,” Tees for Change t-shirts are a wonderful way to inspire yourself and those around you to live with purpose and passion. These shirts are super soft, made from 100% organic cotton or organic bamboo, colored with low impact dyes and screen-printed with water-based inks. Cute, eco-friendly and inspirational — oh, and they’ll plant a tree when you buy a tee. What more could you possibly ask for in a tee shirt?

Find It Here: Tees For Change

Congratulations to Annette T., winner of a “Chase Dreams” Organic Cotton Jersey from Tees for Change!

I love it when I find a product dedicated to raising environmental awareness - like the clothing from Lotus Blossom Style. Founded by singer, songwriter and yoga instructor Tabby Biddle, Lotus Blossom Style sells organic cotton, bamboo, and sweatshop-free clothing for men, women and children. Their unique, original designs are inspired by Yoga and Tibetan Buddhism. I found the baby Buddha peace onesies in organic cotton to be particularly irresistible, but for the older kids check out their Love tees, also in organic cotton and also made with a commitment to honoring the Earth through their design and manufacturing.

Find It Here: Lotus Blossom Style

Congratulations to Jennifer of Texas, winner of the pictured Lotus Blossom Tee!