Everyone wants the best, safest, and healthiest things for their babies, especially things they’re gonna use a lot, and put in their mouths – namely toys.
HABA Guardian Angels. Photo from HABA.
When it’s a baby you love, a really great gift idea is a cuddly stuffed toy made from natural and organic materials.
Cute stuffed toys made of natural and organic materials are hard to find in most retail stores and even specialty stores, but there are a lot of reputable online places with well-known brands where you can find a lot of high quality collections.
Three of the most notable makers include: HABA, Dandelion Earth-Friendly Goods, and Greenpoint Brands, creator of popular collections like Miyim.
HABA
There are a lot of great things I like about HABA. They have a really big collection of natural and organic-made stuffed toys, including boy and girl guardian angels, and animals like sheep, a frog, and puppies.
HABA Musical Pudgie Puppy Pure Natural – Organic Soft Toy.
HABA also has a great color variety, including shades of white, pink, blue, and green, which allows parents to pick traditional gender colors.
One of my favorite things from HABA is the Musical Pudgie Puppy Pure Natural – Organic Soft Toy. The washable puppy has an organic cotton exterior with polyester filling and a waterproof music box. When you pull the puppy’s shamrock tail, it plays “Rock A Bye Baby.”
The puppy is ideal for newborns to 12-month olds, and stands eight inches tall. Similar to the materials and dimensions of this puppy, HABA also has a Musical Benji Bunny Pure Nature – Organic Soft Toy also ideal for newborns to 12-month olds.
Both toys are made in HABA’s wholly owned facility in China, which the company says is visited regularly and held to the “highest quality standards and work conditions.”
All of the fabrics in the Pure Nature series are manufactured according to Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS).
Also in terms of safety standards, HABA toys meet the European DIN EN ISO 9001 safety certification and the United States ASTM safety certification.
Dandelion Earth-Friendly Goods (a division of Re-Think It)
Dandelion is also a really great place to find a lot of stuffed toys that are either specifically for boys or girls, or ideal for both, such as classic organic plush toy animals like a bear, polar bear, baby elephant, baby rhino, turtle, and duck.
Dandelion Brunette Soft Toddler Doll. Image by Dandelion.
One of my favorite pieces from Dandelion is the Soft Toddler Doll with brunette pigtails, wearing a pink velour dress with embroidery. She stands about 10 1/2 inches tall.
The doll is made with an organic cotton fiber exterior, filled with corn fibers, and is machine washable. She is also part of the Pink Collection where a portion of the proceeds supports breast cancer research.
For the boys, my favorite piece is the Organic Rattle Boy Blue stuffed toy. He features a baseball-themed stitching, a crocked cap for pulling and teething, and a rattle inside.
Dandelion Organic Rattle Boy Blue.Blue Boy is made with an organic cotton fiber exterior, filled with corn fibers, stands eight inches tall, and is machine washable.
For health, safety, and environmental care, the toys from Dandelion don’t contain BPA, phthalates, and meet CPSIA requirements as well as comply with ASTM F963 standards and the European toy standard, EN71.
Also all of the dyes used by Dandelion are non-toxic, low impact, and contain no heavy metals. The products are made in manufacturing facilities in Asia as well as a new facility in Florida.
The company also prides itself on saying its manufacturing adheres to human rights requirement such as clean and safe work environments, no forced labor, and no child labor.
Greenpoint
Greenpoint is another great place to find stuffed toys that can either be specifically for boys or girls, or both – and made using natural and organic fibers, using socially responsible production methods.
My Natural Good Earth Blonde Fairy. Greenpoint is also noteworthy for some its famous collections including the My Natural Good Earth series of whimsical stuffed toy dolls, like fairies, a mermaids, and a ballerina.
My favorite stuffed toy from the Natural Good Earth series is the blonde fairy. She has green wings and shoes, a pink shirt, and a very earthy feel to her. The series also has a brunette fairy with purple wings and shoes, and a yellow shirt, a more vibrant look to her. The fairy dolls are made using natural cotton exteriors with recycled fiber for fillers, and stand at 12 inches tall.
Also famous from Greenpoint is the Miyim Baby fairytale series, including the Baby Victoria Plush Bunny, Baby Fred Plush Monkey, and Baby Ben Plush Frog.
Miyim Baby Ben Plush Frog.My favorite stuffed toys from the Miyim Baby series is the Baby Ben Plush Frog. I love its soft pastel green color and khaki hemp overalls. The frog has a natural cotton exterior with recycled fibers as filler. He stands nine inches tall.
All of the toys also meet safety standards including ASTM, EN71, BV Certified Non-Toxic Standards, Oeko-Tex Standard 100, and GOTS. Also, the toys are made with low impact dyes that are non-toxic.
In terms of social responsibility and human rights, Greenpoint also says that under its direct management, its suppliers and business partners are required to “follow the highest international labor standards and treat each employee with respect and fairness.”
Reader comments and input are always welcomed!