Innate Stainless Steel

Trying to avoid plastic can be a real challenge.  In my search for convenient options I found Innate.  They make a whole line of stainless steel items.  Everything from sippy cups and adult re-usable bottles to a very intriguing line of portable food containers.

I tried the Innate Me-Me cup and we are very pleased with it.  The lid is #5 polypropylene.   Children can graduate using the A-B-C modular drinking system as they get older so the cup can grow with them and you aren’t stuck buying another cup as soon as they outgrow the sippy spout.  The only cons I can think of is the little raised handle on top of the cup.  It is a slightly awkward design but nothing that would keep us from using the cup.

I also tried out the Commercial Drive.  It is one of the few insulated stainless steel containers that I have found.  They suggest you use the lid as a cup but the lid is very small.  They refer it to a “shot glass”.    You can drink straight out of the base, though that leaves you with an open cup.  Using this in the car might be a little unwieldy.  But if you want a small container to carry hot drinks or soup, then this would work well.  The quality is very good and it feels quite sturdy.

Published in:  on March 12, 2010 at 3:03 PM Leave a Comment
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Mountain Buggy Strollers: Fire-retardant free

Could I have actually found another fire-retardant free stroller?  Indeed, it appears that I have.

I took quite a number of emails but they finally responded with this simple email.

My email:
Subject: materials question

Can you tell me if your strollers (ones sold in the US) are treated with
fire retardants? If so, which one is used?
Thank you!

Their response:

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you – to answer your question, No they are not.  Only UK models require the fire retardant.

Published in:  on January 15, 2010 at 6:27 PM Leave a Comment
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PVC-free Kiddie Pools

I have been searching for pools for 4 months now.  I really try to avoid plastic as much as possible but I haven’t found a glass or wooden pool. haha.

There are the #2 (polyethylene) pools at the local department stores but I wasn’t happy with them.  They seemed flimsy in some cases and way too expensive in others.  I did find one I liked but it had an elephant sprinkler in the middle that took up most of the pool.   The ones with slides would be great for an older child but a slide with no sides doesn’t bode well for a year and a half old little.

I was also looking for a pool that 2 toddlers could play in without drowning each other.   Another desire was one with a shade and even maybe one I could sit in with the little because, after all, who wants to sit in the sun in 90 degree weather watching someone else have fun in a pool?

The biggest requirement of all though, was that the pool be PVC-free.

I found that pool at Domestications.  It is on its way to me now, so I can’t give a review but I will add my opinion on it in the comments once we get it set up.

I also like the idea that the pool can be used as a sandbox, as well.   We have an unfinished basement and the idea of a sandbox in the basement for the really cold days this winter sounds like fun, although if I love the pool, I might have to buy a second one for future sandbox use.

The pool is made in India and the canopy is polyethylene like the pool.

Another, more expensive, type of pool that I found are stock tanks.  But since my little is too little to play independantly in deep water, I decided to wait.

I did find another pool company that offers polyethylene, but they seem to have disappeared on me.  If I find them again I will edit the link in.

Published in:  on June 5, 2009 at 11:29 PM Comments (2)
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Step 2 Toys: Made in USA

I was at my oldest’s friends house at a birthday party for her youngest.  When he opened a darling motorcycle and I saw Made in USA on the box, I was shocked.  How sad is that?  The company is Step 2.

I have perused their website and, surprise of surprises, they actually have what kind of plastic they use and information on where their items are manufactured right there in the FAQ’s.  That is so rare.

Their toys are made from low density polyethylene.  Polyethylene is #2 in recycling lingo.  It is BPA-free and PVC-free.  It is considered a safe plastic.

The majority of what they produce is made here in the USA.  They do freely admit that some small parts are made in China and then review their safety guidelines.

Some of the items are available for free shipping from Amazon and they have a store finder on their site.

Their bouncers are made from phthlate-free PVC.

Published in:  on April 22, 2009 at 4:43 AM Comments (2)
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Baby Planet: Truly an Eco-stroller, or Not?

Baby Planet has released a stroller model called “The Endangered Species Line”.   They talk about a recycling program but don’t actually use the recycled strollers to make new strollers.   In the long run, all they do is let you ship the unusable stroller back to them and they send it to a recycling center.

When I saw the advertisement for an eco-stroller, I was hopeful that it also meant chemical-free.  Alas, it was not to be. This is the email I received from them about chemicals and fire-retardants on their strollers.  The fact that they did not tell me what kind of retardant they use concerns me.

We are very careful about what chemicals we put in our products.  We treat the filer material in our seats to be fire retardant.  All inner padding is treated the same on all strollers in the US to make sure it meets compliance with US regulations.
Thank you for your interest,
The stroller is made in China.   So, the only eco aspect seems to be that they will do the recycling for you, if you want to spend the money to send it back to them.

Published in:  on April 20, 2009 at 4:07 AM Comments (1)
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Maclaren, a Chemical-free Stroller

I just received a confirmation from Maclaren that the strollers that are chemical-free.  I feel like it is Christmas morning!

Thank you for your recent email.

I can confirm that Maclaren Buggies manufactured for the US market are not treated with any chemicals or fire retardants.

There is a great article from Friends of the Earth and it links to a test they performed on some strollers.

*Strollers are made in Hong Kong

Published in:  on April 15, 2009 at 5:46 PM Comments (2)
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Glass Sippy Cup

I have been looking for an acceptable sippy cup for my little one. I don’t want to use plastic. The stainless steel ones are heavy and have plastic lids. My baby has never used a bottle and doesn’t understand that he needs to suck on the sippys with no-leak valves.

So I created my own.

I used the evenflo glass bottles that I had. I put on a Siliskin and used a Nuby sipper spout that fits standard bottles.

Even without the siliskin I have a feeling that it would be very hard to break the glass bottle, especially since my little tester has thrown them down on the wood foyer, over the baby gate into the tile kitchen, and whacked them with a wooden mallet.

The only plastic piece on the whole setup is the little plastic ring that holds the spout onto the bottle and that doesn’t touch the liquid at all.

Now he is happy to have a small sippy that he can handle and I am happy that I don’t have to worry about plastic!

*Bottles are made in Mexico.  The siliskins are made in Taiwan or China.

Published in:  on March 26, 2009 at 11:05 PM Leave a Comment
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