There’s a delicate balance when it comes to picking out eco-friendly toys for your kids. Go too educational with it and they’ll dismiss it as schoolwork. Go too far to the toy side and they won’t be inspired to learn about going green.

Idbids are a great in-between, straddling fun with straight-forward facts about improving the environment and filling in for a range of ages (from itty bitty on)—all while being truly eco-friendly themselves.

The Idbids are stuffed toys inspired by natural elements (the three options are a water drop named Waverly, a flower named Lola, and a cloud named Scout) and each Idbid offers specific information about their inspiration. Alongside the organic cotton Idbid, you’ll find a photographic storybook—printed on recycled paper—that kicks off the eco-adventure with information about the earth and the Idbids, but you can also accompany your child on the internet to visit each Idbid’s online world where they’ll pick up even more information (in an interactive way). Click here to read more

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While the 5 years and under crowd may not be so set on dressing up for Halloween, it’s definitely fun for parents to snap a few photos and make a few memories of their little ones looking adorable as things like pumpkins and princesses. Of course, buying a tiny tot costume for just one night of use doesn’t make much environmental sense. Likewise, you don’t want to deviate from the eco-friendly baby clothing you normally choose for your youngster. Here are five costume ideas for babies and toddlers that are green, easy to assemble, and reusable throughout the year (in non-costume contexts). Get out that camera!

1. Little Lamb

Cuddly creature costumes are always a favorite (bear, cat cow, etc.), and this version utilizes a snuggly Speesees Fair Trader organic sherpa cotton jacket—dyed with eco-friendly dyes—to transform a tyke into a little lamb. Pair the jacket with white Under the Nile Egyptian organic cotton romper pants to finish off the look; they’re eco-friendly and made under great green working conditions (all employees receive two organic meals during their workday). After Halloween, you’ll have one baby basic and one fun take on outerwear to use year round. Click here to read more

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With new toy recalls hitting the news just about every day, deciding what to let your kids play with can be stressful. Plush toys, by nature, are fairly foolproof. You don’t have to worry about metal pieces that could contain lead, chunks of plastic that deplete our natural resources and leach toxic chemicals or wood that may come from endangered forests. If you do one better and choose organic cotton or recycled plush toys, you can be sure playtime will be safe and green. Add these five eco-friendly stuffed toys to your child’s menagerie.

Sckoon Organic Cotton Happy Lion Doll: Not only is this fun lion made of 100% certified organic cotton on the outside, but also it’s stuffed with organic cotton, too. And it’s dyed with safer, metal-free pigments. Babies and toddlers will love pulling on the lion’s mane.

Amigurumi Style Elephant Kit from Stich Paradise: If you’re up for a DIY project, you can let your kids fall in love with this endangered species. You’ll create the elephant, which is said to bring you good luck, in the Japanese style of crocheting called amigurumi using recycled, repurposed or reused materials.

Organic Cotton Puppy Dog: This sweet plush is velveteen soft, nearly as wonderful to pet as a real a real pup, but this dog’s coat is made from organic cotton. It gets its hint of color from low eco-impact dyes and natural cotton fill is found inside. Click here to read more

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How do you get little girls excited about exploring nature and caring for the outdoor world? If she’s a fan of fairies, speak to her passion for pixies. Start with a Planet Pixie Doll like Maia the Tree Pixie. She’s made from organic cotton fabric and gets her color from non-toxic, water-based dyes.

When girls “adopt” this pixie, they can learn all about her home, the Amazon rain forest. As her story goes, she lives in the trees there along with 30% of the world’s animal species. But deforestation is devastating her home and the animals’ homes.

While you can’t build this pixie a house in the Amazon, you can build her one in the backyard. So give your little one a book from the award-winning Fairy House series that has been to known to fill kids with wonder and make them eager to hit the backyard and build a house for their fairy friends. Click here to read more

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Dress-up and animals are probably two of just about every preschooler’s favorite things. Plan Toys, one of our favorite eco-minded green toy companies, has created something very special in their Dress Up Animals.

Each set comes with two animal-shaped naked figures along with fun fabric skins and head pieces to create a zebra, tiger, deer, leopard and everything in between. As kids mix and match pieces they’ll build skills in tying laces and buttoning buttons to secure the pieces. Plus, this set is small enough to toss in your purse so you can be ready to pull it out when boredom hits while traveling or visiting Grandma’s house.

From a green standpoint, Plan Toys creates all of it’s wooden play things using eco-friendly rubber wood that’s no longer able to provide rubber. Click here to read more

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