We’ve generally avoided cleaning our house with toxic cleaners, but when we started adding kids to the mix we became acutely aware that we should never use Comet. We can barely handle the chemical smell and off-gassing of old school toxic cleaners and can only imagine how it effects the kiddos. We’re always looking for safe products, but we want one that can still clean the mess. Eco-Me makes eco-friendly cleaning supplies from household ingredients like vinegar and pure plant oils. We’ve made our own in the past, but we have to say we’re suckers for packaging and in this case, Bill, a pure and safe all-purpose cleaner, lured us in. Plus, it’s ready-to-use, leaving us a little more time for other activities. We’ve used it all over the house, too. On counters, the stove, in the kiddos’ rooms and in the bathroom. Does the job, smells clean like citrus, no junk or animal testing. Sold. 32 oz. $7.95 at Eco-me.

Counting the numbers has never tasted so sweet. Our kiddos can vouch for this because they’ve nibbled on this book. We love Wayne Theibaud’s delicious looking pop art and were so excited to find “Counting with Wayne Thiebaud” in a sturdy board book, since our little ones are learning their numbers. No pages to-uh, remove. What better way to introduce an art movement, art from the 1950s and 60s and numbers in one book than with yummy paintings. They kiddos may not understand all of that stuff yet, but why not expose them at an early age. Compiled by Susan Goldman Rubin who also authored “Andy Warhol’s Colors”. She’s compiled and written many books about contemporary artists and has received accolades from the CCBC, ALA, and the Smithsonian. $6.99, here.

It’s garden tea party time. We were ecstatic when we found this wood tea set by Plan toys. It’s gender neutral, which we always like, very stylish and quite durable. In fact, we’d like to have a larger version of this set to use for our own mama tea parites. Perfect for small hands, the pieces are simple and sweet. We love the wooden tea bags, but the little sugar cubes are a quite small, so we ditched them until the kiddos are older. Contains teapot, cream pitcher, sugar bowl, 2 cups and saucers, 2 teaspoons, 2 teabags and 2 sugar cubes. As with all Plan toys, the tea set is made from sustainably harvested rubber wood, water based dyes and non-toxic E-Zero glue. An innovative company and an incredibly cool developmental toy. A cleeo & bea favorite. $27.99, here.

We’re always in search of beautiful things for our kids’ rooms. When we first saw Frazier & Wing’s mobiles, we were transfixed. They’re stunning and look as if they’re both moving and standing still at the same time. Is that possible? We like artist Heather Frazier’s minimal design of vintage and found paper shapes. Her 2009 collection of mobiles are a perfect addition to any kid’s rooms and have an heirloomy quality that will keep them in the family through generations. They look delicate, but are actually quite durable. May be best hung away from the tight grip of tiny hands. Garlands are quite neat, too. Prices and sizes vary at Frazier & Wing.

One of the kiddos has been wearing baby star’s organic and soy (how cool is that?) Kaleidoscope tank and shorts set for the last few weeks and we love it. Beside its obvious good looks, this little ensemble is durable. We’ve already covered it in yogurt, washed it aplenty and it looks great. Colors are in tact and seams in check. No rough and tumble from the dog yet, but it’s probably coming and we’re not concerned. The halter-like cut on the tank is really sweet and the shorts are ridiculously cute, complete with a sweet bow at the front. 100% soy organic cotton in a groovy and compelling kaleidoscope pattern. Formaldehyde and AZO-free, so completely safe for babes and the planet. Kudos. 3-6 months +, $31.99, at baby star.

After using a Moby wrap for the first few months of our tot’s life we used a Baby Bjorn City carrier. It was our first experience with a structured carrier. At first, when the kiddo weighed 8 lbs. and we weren’t venturing far from home, we really liked the bjorn. We wore it around the house with no problem and always felt our wee one was well-supported and completely safe, but…unfortunately, there’s a but. After the kid put on a little weight and we started walking the neighborhood with the dog, we couldn’t wear it for long periods of time without aching shoulders and regular headaches. There are many things we did like, though, so we’ll tell you about some of the bjorn’s cool features. The papas like the bjorn and don’t seem to experience the same neck and shoulder pain that we have. We also like Baby bjorn’s philosophy. They focus on the highest standard of quality control and their products are PVC, BpA and phthalate free. Big pluses in our book. Could be, we just have weak shoulders. New and used from $65.00, here.

Admittedly, our Spanish is more than a little rusty, though we try. We hope to raise bilingual children, so we figure flash cards in English and Spanish are a great way to start. We like Mudpuppy’s Basic Words English + Spanish cards because they’re on a ring and the illustrations by Sara Wilkins are über nifty. The ring makes it incredibly easy to tote these colorful cards around and our little one’s love to take them in the stroller or car to keep them busy while on the go. We’re having so much fun practicing familiar nouns like cat, shoe, hat and dog in Spanish that we’re almost ready to dust off the cobwebs in our brain and start throwing in some other entertaining words we know. Estupendo, baby!  26 two-sided cards, also come in French. $12.00 here.

For the record, we always kind of thought pacifiers were a little bit weird, somewhat stinky and weren’t convinced we wanted to introduce our kiddos to them, until we found this one. This truly is the pacifier of the future and our wee ones loved it for the first few months after they were born. They’ve moved on, but this paci by Natursutten was a real lifesaver, making self-soothing a breeze. Available with a round or orthodontic slanted nipple. Made with sustainable natural rubber, BPA, PVC and phthalate free, the shield is larger than most and touches baby’s face to simulate a breast. It’s pretty good looking as pacifiers go, was durable-no cracks after many washes, and no stink. Hooray. No allergens, no silicone, no marks on the kiddos face. Good deal. 2 pack $16.50, here.

The kiddos are reciting their ABCs daily now, so we’re always on the look out for ways to encourage learning the letters and some lovely words go along with them. Ida Pearle’s collage alphabet cards are sweet and they’re made from paper and glue, two of our favorite things. Each card is cut and glued with specialty papers like Coloraid, a beautiful silk-screened paper. Pearle also uses construction, craft and tissue and wall paper to add texture and depth to each card on thick card stock. Wee ones can identify each letter with a familiar corresponding word like, C for “cat”. Will look great in any kid’s room hung from a string or a mobile. $44, here. 

There is nothing quite like a comfortable rocker to help lull our kiddos to sleep. And the ones that we usually fall in love with are old, tattered and an environmental nightmare. With more bambinos on the way, we decided to splurge on this Vintage 1950’s platform rocker, reupholstered with 100% organic cotton fabric. We know from previous experience how much time we spent soothing our first babe by rocking. We practically ended up living in this chair creating our first memories together as a family. Acanthus (in Portland)  does it right, they take ailing furniture from the past and rehab it, so whether you need a family heirloom refreshed or you’ve just found the perfect shell of a chair that you’d like recovered you can do so here. They offer slip covers, upholstering and custom built furniture. So, if you have a piece of dream furniture in mind and want to use sustainable fabrics and green materials to put next to your loved one’s skin, this is the place to do it. At three in the morning while rocking for the millionth time, you’ll be happy you did. Prices vary, here.  

No idea why, but this little polo shirt by Tea makes us want to grab our driver and head to the golf course. Could be the  three button placket and check pattern. We love the softness of this 100% cotton polo and find ourselves returning to it as an spring and summer staple for the little guy, plus the iguana is just killer. Follow the washing instructions to the tee (ha). Darker dye ran a small bit when washed for the first time because we didn’t check the label. Hard to notice, unless inspecting closely. We like Tea collection’s philosophy, too. They’re another  women owned, forward-thinking company with a global focus connecting mindfulness and world culture. 3 months-5 years. $25, here.

We remember really loving the triangle as a kid, it’s percussive, but not as loud as some of the other rhythm instruments. We always made a mad dash for it in music class, so we’ve been on a mission to find one for the kiddos. We found one in Sevi’s percussion set along with some other great instruments. Handmade from wood and colored with vegetable dyes, this set is perfect for little hands, and an excellent addition to our growing band. The castanettes and jingle stick were instant faves and the maracas are fun, too. Rock out.  Ages 2 +.$29.99, here.

Most of our posts will be dedicated to papa’s day picks this week, but we did find a couple of kid products that had us running for our credit cards, and this is one of them. These wallpaper silhouettes by dutch company INKE are incredibly cool. We’ve been looking for just the wall graphic to work into the kiddos’ rooms. Made from vintage designer wallpaper, each silhouette is unique. The silhouettes vary, but most are things found in the jungle and in nature. Our favorites are the elephant, monkey and giraffe. Limited quantities of each wallpaper, but many patterns to choose from. Fun DIY project to do with the kiddos, too. Okay, not cheap-we know. And the project itself may be possible if  you can find your choice of wallpaper and the proper tools, but sometimes we just don’t have time, that’s why we love this product. It’s pre-cut and ready to go. $100, here.