This fall, we are thrilled to have finally had some print magazine coverage as well!  Here is a roundup of Kai Kids in the recent print and online press:

-In September, we made it into KIWI magazine’s print edition. They wrote a short piece on natural teething solutions, and profiled our Kai Kids top seller, The Ringley Natural Teething Toy, which we are proud to say, was created here in Toronto by a mom we know, Shaindy Alexander!

-In November, the online home of Parents magazine (a fave of mine) included us in their annual HolidayGift Guide, profiling our Organic Teething Bon Bon created by our friend Tressa Brotsky from Dress Me Up in Victoria, BC. It is a great little teether and is quickly becoming a fave amongst our customers.

-Also this month, Checkerspot Magazine, the bi-annual publication of the World Wildlife Fund, featured Tressa’s Organic Teething Bon Bon in their Organic Holiday Gift Guide in the Fall/Winter edition. Check out the spread to read the review!

Stay tuned as our new Carrot Top Kisses organic PJ’s are about to be featured in Canadian Family’s next edition, plus the gorgeous, one-of-a-kind canvases for kids rooms by mom/artist Sandra from Petit-Flaneur, will also be highlighted in an upcoming issue of Canadian Gardening. 

Hydrogen peroxide is also known as oxygenated bleach, and it is one of the most environmentally safe chemicals on the market. It works by releasing oxygen to perform the bleaching process, and then converting to simply H2O (water and oxygen) once the process is complete. It is biodegradable.  

Now, you don’t want to go disinfecting crazy, as germs are good for kids and babies to help build up their immune systems. But there are some things, that you just want to feel are squeaky clean.  So,  if you haven’t already tried it, hydrogen peroxide is great around the home - use it on grungy compost bins, mold on the shower curtain, sanitizing cutting boards after chopping up raw chicken, cleaning the toilet bowl,and, it’s gentle enough that you can also use it on your baby’s toys - especially after she’s had a bad cold or virus and you don’t want a repeat!

Simply buy a bottle of 3% hydrogen peroxide from the drug store, grocery store or natural food store. You can also find natural baby disinfectant in some baby stores that sell cloth diapers, but it is usally triple the price. We found a much cheaper alternative: in our house we use the All Natural Liquid Bleach by Nature Clean - it just contains water and 5% hydrogen peroxide. When you are disinfecting toys, just pour a1/4 cup or so  in a bucket and fill the bucket with warm water and clean away!  Or mix some with water in an empty spray bottle.

If you want more specifics on strengths and how much to dilute for various cleaning tasks, there is an excellent web siteI found all about Using Hydrogen Peroxide.

It is from the October issue of Chatelaine magazine. One caveat: the kids really loved it, but my husband and i found it a little bland. I think you could safely add a lot more salt and maybe some coconut cream or a little more coconut milk and perhaps some fish sauce too. I was going to type the recipe in here, but then I realized it was in the mag’s online recipe database! I hope your kids like this recipe as much as mine did (one note, i halvedthe amount of jalapeno it called for).

Today, the big sellers were two of our most popular items online as well: the Ringley Natural Teething Toy and the Organic Teething Bon Bon TM. Both I’m proud to say, were invented by moms here in Canada! I love finding unique, local products and partnering with other mompreneurs! It’s a win/win/win: great natural products our customers feel good about, plus sales for our mom suppliers, and sales for us at Kai Kids too.

But we also had some new products that sold like crazy today. They are so new, I haven’t even posted them online to our Kai Kids store yet! But if they sell as well online as today, I think I’m going to have to put another order in soon for both of them, which is great!

One is a range of safe, eco-friendly bibs, aprons, lunch bags and splash mat from Mimi the Sardine. Really cute stuff, with an eco-friendly acrylic coating that makes them wipeable and machine washable. The best part is they contain no PVC, plastic or lead, and the designs are bright and fun. Kids and parents love them.

The other line that did well was Toronto’s 3 Sprouts organic hooded towels ( a chicken and a monkey) and organic sleep sacs. Gorgeous, unique, very modern-looking and excellent pricepoints. Stay tuned as I’m going to add both to our online boutique as soon as our weekend of shows is finished!

So many amazing products there made by moms! Unfortunately, not many were eco-friendly

We did our first one in May and it is a very busy show and the quality of all of the vendors is very high. So, if you are thinking of doing a little Christmas shopping and live in the area, I ‘d highly recommend it. And of course, we’ll be there with our collection of organic, eco-friendly products for babies and kids. Please stop by our booth and say hello!

On Saturday, we will be in the same place for another show, the brand-new Sustainable Style Show! This one isn’t a kids show, there might be one or two other baby vendors there besides us, but there will be a lot
eco friendly fashion and beauty vendors catering to all lifestyles and budgets. All vendors have met one or more criteria, ensuring that you are presented with truly sustainable options. The Sustainable Style Show is a one-stop shop for those looking to put their wallet where their heart is this holiday season – for the planet.

The event will be held at Fermenting Cellar in the Distillery District, 55 Mill Street, building # 6 and #7, Toronto ON. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Admission is $10.

We hope to see you there!

In hindsight, I should have wondered at the smell, and the fact I always had a nasty headache after a cleaning stint. But in Canada, manfucturer’s are not required by law to list the ingredients on the label! (although some companies now voluntarily list ingredients). This, despite the fact that studies show some chemicals used in cleaning products increase your risk of cancer and asthma, headaches and skin irritations. Plus, this stuff is also often going down the drain into our water system.

If you are wondering about some of the cleaners under your sink, a good rule of thumb is, if the bottle has any poisonous or explosive symbols, there are some toxic chemicals in the product, and I’d avoid it. Another hint is if it says to use the product in a well-ventilated area. You know it must be bad!

Some chemicals to watch out for : toulene, benzene, xylene, methanol, ethylbenzene, and formaldehyde.

The good news is that there are now plenty of effective, safe, non-toxic cleaners on the market, in your local health food, or grocery store. I wrote about some of my favourites last week.

But I’ve started to experiment with making homemade cleaners and hope to eventually wean myself of most store-bought ones to save on packaging and to save money. Not long ago I bought a great book that is a great resource: Better Basics for the Home: Simple Solutions for Less Toxic Living. It is full of recipes for household cleaners, disinfectants, baby care, kids’ projects, art supplies, garden care etc.

Want to make your own exfoliating scrub, plant fertilizer, soap scum spray, antifreeze, or cradle cap cream for baby? This is your book. Over the next few months I’m going to have a crack at a few concoctions (I’ve already stocked up on washing soda, tea tree oil and Borax). I’ll let you know how it goes!

We also met some great new customers from the Danforth and Greenwood neighbourhood, many of whom were expecting their first babies! Thank you for shopping with us and we hope you’ll consider us if you need any other planet-friendly baby items down the road.

It seemed that our colourful new bibs, placemats and splash mats by Mimi the Sardine were the hit of the day, which was great feedback, as they are a brand new product line for us, so we are happy they were selling and popular with our customers.

For those of you who missed it, we are hosting another upcoming sale closer to  the holidays, on Saturday Dec. 6, 2008, in the same location at 1390 Danforth.  We hope to see you there!

If you are in the Toronto-area, we hope you can make it out to our first of two holiday shopping days on Sat. Nov 1, 2008! (the next one will be on Saturday Dec. 6, 2008).

Taking place in a funky retail space on Danforth Avenue near Greenwood, we will have all of our organic, recycled, upcycled, eco-friendly and Fair Trade products on display to help you with your holiday shopping. Plus, for this one day only, we will have special sales on many items, from BornFree glass baby bottles to organic cotton onesies and sleepers to sexy, eco-friendly maternity and nursing wear!

You can place orders in advance for pickup at our one-day location, or shop in person. Come on out and try things on, have a good look at items you might be curious about and take advantage of our special sale prices.

You’ll also get a look at our newest products:

- Stainless Seal non-toxic, non-leaching, recyclable food containers:

- Dress Me Up’s charming, handmade organic teething bon bons, soft cloth balls blocks, bibs and burp cloths

- Adorable organic cotton fruit and veggie-printed PJ’s from New Jammies:

- Eco-Me’s make your own non-toxic cleaning kits for home and baby:

-Unscented, organic, allergy and eczema-friendly Little Twig bodywash/shampoo, bubble bath and lotion:

Tell your friends, bring along your kids (we’ll have some toys and colouring books to keep the wee ones occupied), and mark your calendars! Join us for green parenting tips, conversation and some fantastic holiday shopping!

Saturday Nov. 1, 2006 at 1390 Danforth Avenue (just east of Linsmore Avenue, one-minute from Greenwood subway station) from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

For more information, email us at info@kaikids.com

Last week, he was very excited when a small pumpkin came in our organic fresh food box, so last night I tried a new recipe for a spicy pumpkin/coconut/chicken stew for dinner. He ate it all up with gusto, then this morning at breakfast he even told me how much he loved his dinner last night, which is ususual! I think it must have been the pumpking factor.

But all of this interest in and talk about Halloween has got me thinking about how to “do” Halloween this year in our household. Oh, we’ve got lots of decorations from previous years to work with, but I started thinking about treats - how to hand out something healthier at the door, that’s better for the neighbourhood kids, but still fun and tasty, and that doesn’t come with too much packaging!

So I set out to write a blog post on greening your family’s Halloween, when into my inbox came a newsletter from BabyOntheWay.ca with an amazing article on Keepin’ It Green This Halloween, by Sarah Simpson. I couldn’t have said it better myself, so if you are looking for some excellent, practical tips on how to have a healthy, planet-friendly Halloween, check it out!