Green Toys Play Sand Set Review & Giveaway (CLOSED 8/16)

Aug 9,2011 / By Maria / 24 Comments

I discovered the Green Toys sand play set when I was reading reviews on Amazon for another sand toy set, and a reviewer said this one was way better (I bought both, they were right.)

Although this is the only Green Toys product we have, I think they’re pretty awesome. Their products are made entirely in the U.S. and are made mostly of recycled milk containers! The toys are packaged with minimal (recycled and recyclable), corrugated cardboard. All toys are tested by independent, third-party (USA) labs, to show there are no traceable amounts of BPA or Phthlates. No toys have paint or exterior coatings and pass a crazy number of tests including Consumer Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA), Consumer Products Safety Standard Specification ASTM F963, California Prop. 65 restrictions on lead & cadmium, FDA regulations for food contact, Voluntary testing for no BPA (Bisphenol-A) and International standards EN71 and ISO 8124. Yeah, wow.

The package was easy to open. I just…opened it. There were no scissors, chainsaws, sweating or cursing involved!

The set includes a bucket, shovel, rake and sand castle mold. It retails for $21.99 and I know that sounds expensive if you’re ~~cheap~~ frugal like I am. However, I don’t even have the words to describe the quality. We’ve bought the $5 sets before, and you’re lucky if they last a few days. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Green Toys set lasted years and years. The pieces are thick and sturdy, and I bet you could dig in the garden without breaking them! Other toys split or crack if you try to dig at packed sand or step on them. Not these!

There is simply no comparison, even to the other spendy brand of sand toys I bought!

We took the toys to the state park, where there’s a man made lake and beach. My son just went to town and totally had a blast.

At one point a kid (total stranger) ran up, grabbed the bucket and said “can we borrow this?” I was honestly caught by surprise. I just said “uhh, no, this is a brand new toy and we don’t want to lose it.” In my head I was thinking “yeah kid, I know it’s awesome but get your own!” I felt really bad but my husband said he would have said no too!

Green Toys has been nominated for a Red Tricycle award in the Au Natural Toy category! The businesses with the most nominations become finalists, so if you think the Green Toys company is as great as I do, nominate them! It’s really easy, enter their name, URL, your email and city, and submit!

You can buy the set directly from Green Toys, from Amazon (affiliate link), or find a Green Toys retailer!

~~Giveaway: Green Toys is offering a reader their own sand play set! (ARV $21.99) Entries go in the Rafflecopter form below! You may view Rafflecopter’s Privacy Policy.~~

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Review Toys

Rumparooz Doll Diapers Review

Feb 17,2011 / By Maria / 2 Comments

Rumparooz makes doll diapers when they have enough PUL to make a batch. I couldn’t resist, and I snagged two for my daughter. I had the urge to buy one in each color, but at $4 a pop, I had to just get the Tulip and Amethyst.

They are quite simple, just cut and serged PUL scraps with Velcro closures and exposed elastic. They have the Rumparooz label on the back, which makes them extra-adorable.

I’m thinking you might be able to roll up a baby washcloth and place it inside to use with a Baby Alive (or similar) doll that wets.

They fit really well on The Baby Alive Baby All Gone (I think that’s what it’s called?) and looked adorable!

It didn’t fit quite as well on the Bitty Baby, but then again, she’s a little funny shaped. I know, that girl needs a trip to the doll hospital. She’s missing eyelashes and her eye stays closed, plus she has paint on the back of her head from being banged against the wall!

I would love to see Rumparooz make a diaper with a sewn in soaker and laundry tabs, so it could be used with dolls that wet. I think something like that would definitely be worth $4 each. I thought the price was a little steep for these, considering I paid the same for the custom cloth diapers for Baby Alive last year. Then again, I’m ~~cheap~~ frugal.

Did you grab any of the Rumparooz Doll diapers? What colors did you get? What do you think of them?

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Apparel & Accessories Review Toys

Radio Flyer wood “classic walker wagon” for the Birthday boy!

Jun 3,2010 / By Maria / 2 Comments

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We knew we wanted to get my son something “bigger” for his first birthday, especially since we only spent $20 for his first Christmas (in my defense, he was only 6 months old, didn’t care, and got tons from other people!) and didn’t do Easter stuff for him. I settled on a walking toy.

I looked around and most of the plastic ones were in the $40 and under range. I didn’t really want plastic though, so I looked (online) at the EverEarth Activity Walker and the Parents Around the Block Wagon. They both seemed OK, but still a little expensive for something that would be outgrown so quickly.

Then I found the Radio Flyer Classic Walker Wagon. It was more than double the cost of the plastic walking toys, and more expensive than the other wooden ones as well.

I got a decent deal on it, free shipping and went through a cash back site. The site where I purchased it is also one that offers discounts to new customers, and referral credits as well. It was very expensive, but we didn’t do a party, I made the cake and this wagon will be played with long after cake and party favors are forgotten!

It was a breeze to put together, I sat on the laundry room floor and did it myself while I was waiting for a load of diapers to finish.

My Grandparents were visiting around my son’s birthday, and my Grandpa was surprised that the wagon is all wood (aside from the wheels & handle of course!)

It has a nice little “bumper” to protect your walls and doorways, and the stake sides easily come off so little ones can climb in and out, or put things in and take them out.

For me? I can’t believe it!! Note the adorable shirt! It was custom made for me by Nikki’s Little House. It is beautifully embroidered on a high quality shirt (not paper thin like some.) It was very reasonably priced too! I love that we have a unique Birthday shirt instead of the same one everyone else picked up at Gap.

He loves it! My son is ~~lazy~~ not walking yet, so thus far, he’s only riding in it, putting things in it, standing hanging onto it, or pushing it without moving his legs (and being caught by yours truly before the inevitable face-plant.) It has little plastic “clickers” that slow it down a little bit, to help him when he’s ready to start pulling up all by himself.

In closing, just for cutes:

Let ~~them~~ me eat cake!

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A cloth booty for Baby Alive Whoopsie Doo!

Feb 7,2010 / By Maria / 1 Comment

>As I said in my previous post, my daughter wanted a Baby Alive doll for her 5th Birthday. Since her Birthday was today (Happy Birthday!), I can finally post some good photos of the diapers I bought for her doll! She was so thrilled with her gift, I couldn’t really pry it out of her hot little hands in order to take “good” photos.

I bought 4 diapers from Heartland Dreams. Her daughter actually made them; they are flipping amazing! I paid $4 for each and they are well worth it. The normal price is $3 each, but I asked for an extra layer in the middle since these need to absorb a bit too! I think the Baby Alive brand sposies go for around a buck a piece, and even preemie size disposables are horrendously expensive, as well as wasteful.

You can see the Baby Alive diaper on the right side of the photo. The HD diapers are quite a bit larger, but work just fine. I almost forgot that she included a cloth wipe for free! You can see it on top of the diaper in the front. It is soft, double sided and very well made. I’d love some for my son!

The diapers (and wipe) are amazingly well made. I would be thrilled to receive a “real” diaper made as well as these. They are very easy for a child to use, the stitching is perfect, the prints are adorable…I could go on and on.

My daughter was so happy to get these, and was very excited that she could “feed” her baby water, then just let them dry and reuse them! She loved the prints (I didn’t ask for specific ones).

Baby Alive (named “Sophie,” for today anyway) says “Hooray for cloth booties!”

Slightly related Sidenote:

I am still peeved at myself for not buying this diaper while it was still available, and then missing out on this one too.

Even this one and this one were snapped up before I had a chance!

I’m such a waffler. Ugh, I swear. If I see an AI2 listed that I like, I am stalking that puppy and buying it! After seeing the doll diapers, I wouldn’t hesitate to buy anything she sells. In fact, if the doll diapers were bigger and had elastic at the legs (and a few more soaker layers), I’d put them on my son, ha ha!

—————

On a somewhat related topic, my daughter’s preschool allows the parent to bring a snack on their child’s Birthday. I’m not into excessive sugary “stuff,” and they actually don’t allow it. My daughter loves fruit, so I bought cherries, blueberries, strawberries, grapes, oranges and bananas.

I sliced and pitted the cherries, removed the strawberry stems, sliced the bananas (also also crinkle cut them and soaked them in orange juice), and cut and sectioned the oranges.

Yum!!

I bought some wooden skewers, I think they were 10″. The store had two lengths and these were the shorter of the two.

I alternated fruits and then topped then off with blueberries to the end of the pointy tip.

They were a huge hit and were gobbled more quickly and enthusiastically then cupcakes!

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Handmade Items Toys WAHM made

Cloth doll diapers

Jan 7,2010 / By Maria / No Comment

>It’s not that difficult to find cheap, single layer flannel doll diapers, like the ones that come with American Girl Bitty Baby.

However, I’ve been suckered into buying my daughter a Baby Alive Whoopsie Doo Doll for her birthday next month. I never intended to buy the baby alive diapers at over a buck a pop, but the preemie size disposables aren’t looking that attrative to me either. Not just because I’m sure she will go through a pack the first day she has it, but it’s environmentally irresponsible and just not something I want to do.

Anyway, there are some sellers on Hyenacart that have really cute doll diapers. They are much cuter and better made than the aforementioned American Girl diapers, but still only typically have two layers, and won’t hold up to a heavy wetting baby doll.

The maker of Heartland Dreams diapers offers doll diapers made by her 12 year old daughter, and said she could do a diaper with added material to make it a bit absorbent. At $4 each, a handful of them would be a much better investment than sposies anyway!

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Category : Toys

Green Toys Play Sand Set Review & Giveaway (CLOSED 8/16)

Rumparooz Doll Diapers Review

Radio Flyer wood “classic walker wagon” for the Birthday boy!

A cloth booty for Baby Alive Whoopsie Doo!

Cloth doll diapers

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