There are a lot of different brands of shoes for infants and children, so there are times when it is hard for me to imagine what could be so different between all of them. However, I have really come to love the Little Soles company.

Based out of Canada, Little Soles has worked to develop lines of infant, toddler, and children’s shoes that are not only stylish, but are also conscious of the environment and your baby’s little feet. Reading through the company’s website was an education for me. I was very unaware just how many toxins are used in making leather shoes. All of Little Soles’ lines are manufactured under strict standards to be free of harmful dyes and toxins. The leather is tested for formaldehyde and other toxic elements like lead, mercury, and arsenic. Those are definitely things I don’t want anywhere near my little one!

Even aside from how environmentally friendly Little Soles are, their shoes are a wonderful find. I was able to play with a sample from their Baby Soles line in person, and I was impressed. Baby Soles are crib shoes for little ones in sizes up to 9 months (newborn sizes 0-2). The leather is soft and flexible, and the velcro closure on each style helps to keep these shoes on newborn feet. The toe box is wide, allowing plenty of room for little toes to wiggle. The soles also have inserts at the heel at toe to assist with traction once baby starts cruising.

The styles in the Baby Soles line? So cute! The Black Metro Jane’s with purple hearts I have here are making me ache for a little girl to put them in! Not only are they stylish, but they are clearly well made with quality materials.

Baby Soles can be found at select stores in the US and Canada and a few online retailers. You can check out the Little Soles retailer page for more information on retailers. Baby Soles retail for around $30. - Sara I.

In my experience summer brings with it a plethora of baby showers. I’m always on the lookout for a great gift and don’t often buy the same thing twice. (Variety is the spice of life - and gift giving!) If you prefer all-natural gifts and have already done the beechwood teether or bamboo onesie, try the Wee Wild Baby Gift Box.

The Wee Wild Baby Gift Box features all-natural, organic baby products from A Wild Soapbar. A Wild Soap Bar’s products are biodegradable, cruelty free, minimally packaged and do not contain synthetic fragrance oils, preservatives, petroleum products, FD&C colorants or dyes, parabens, phthalates, sodium lauryl or laureth sulfates, antibacterial triclosan, TEA or other harmful chemicals. You can’t have too much “pure” when it comes to infant bath and body products!

Included in the Wee Wild Baby Gift Box is their Wee Wild Baby Soap, a pure and mild organic castile soap infused with healing organic calendula, organic aloe, and organic yarrow and lightly scented with a relaxing lavender essential oil blend. This smooth, creamy soap is perfect for baby’s delicate skin. You’ll also find their Wee Wild Baby Balm, a balm enriched with wild yarrow and organic calendula and used for diaper rash, chapped cheeks, dry skin and flaky scalps. Like their soap, the balm is scented with a lavender essential oil blend. To finish off the set they’ve included an organic 8x8-inch hemp washcloth.

The Wee Wild Baby Gift Box is only $26, a mild price for a shower gift compared to some of the wildly expensive gifts out there. You can purchase the Wee Wild Baby Gift Box from A Wild Soap Bar’s website. - Emily H.

I have made baby food for all of my children. As I was preparing to get started with my newest eater, I found an interesting product through One Step Ahead called Stay-Fresh Baby Food Containers. Marketed as an easy way to take homemade baby food on the go, I decided to give them a try.

Product Description

The Stay-Fresh Baby Food Containers are a set of 12 two-ounce cups, each with a screw cap to keep food inside. The cup is marked with one- and two-ounce fill lines for ease in filling. The cups come with a stacking tray to which they attach to keep things organized in the freezer - the tray holds six cups, and then the cups securely stack on top of each other.

The Verdict

So how do these cups work? So far, I have been very pleased. The cups are really easy to fill because the ounce markings let me know I am serving the baby the right amount. The caps are easy to screw on to the cups, and they stay closed, even in the diaper bag (which I have heard can be a problem with other single-serving storage products). They stack easily, and the tray and cups fit well into the freezer door, which makes my freezer organization much easier.

Besides freezing baby food, these small containers have been perfect for mixing up the baby's first cereal with formula. Because it has the ounce markings, it is very easy to just mix up a small amount of formula for the cereal without dirtying a whole bottle.


When we have been out and about, the containers have worked well. As I mentioned above, the caps stayed on, and I have not had any leaking. The lid even stayed on through an unintentional drop test onto a restaurant’s tile floor. When we are going out for the day, I have been able to grab a cup of sweet potatoes or avocado from the freezer, throw it in the diaper bag, and it is thawed by lunch. So easy!

One of the reasons that I am so excited about this product is that I will be able to continue using the cups long after the baby is done with baby food. They will be great for transporting snacks, holding salad dressing or hummus for lunches, and more. I just love when baby product purchases work well beyond the baby years.

Stay-Fresh Baby Food Containers sell for $9.95 through One Step Ahead.

Are you looking for other storage containers for baby food? Emily did a great overview of some products to help make baby food cubes for home use. - Sara I.

Did you know that you could make your own diaper wipes? Why not help save the environment and go a little greener by starting to making your own diaper wipes, instead of using the disposable ones?

Simply cut a piece of flannel into the size of wipe you want and hem the edges, or use two pieces of flannel for extra thickness and sew them together with right sides facing each other. Don't sew all the way around the rectangle, you'll want to leave a hole big enough to turn the wipe right sides out. Once you flip it so the right sides are on the outside, slip stitch the opening of the hole. You could then top stitch all the way around to help it lay flat. For a no-sew approach you could even use pinking shears to cut out the flannel. This way they won't fray when they are washed.

I found a great recipe for a natural Baby Wipes solution on wikihow.com. If you did put this in a spray bottle to spritz directly onto the baby, I would recommend using cotton balls to wipe up.

It's just one more simple way to help lessen our impact on the environment. - Trisha