I am all for organic, environmentally friendly clothing but sometimes the prices have me rethinking just how green I am prepared to go (and how much green I’m willing to part with). Fortunately for the environment, my wallet, and my toddler daughter, I discovered babysoy’s bubble romper.

This playful romper shouts picnics, park and lots of summer play dates. It has the cutest gathered puff sleeves and ruffles on the legs, and those two little ruffled pockets are the sweetest touch to an already super sweet outfit.

Babysoy is one of the first companies to create newborn clothing using eco-friendly soybean protein fiber. The company uses this renewable natural resource as the raw material for their baby wear. The bubble romper is made from soy and cotton and is pre-washed so it’s super soft. At $22, it's also much more affordable than many green clothing options; I’d gladly pay that for an outfit this cute and this earth-friendly!

You can purchase the soy bubble romper (available in dark pink, light pink and purple) and other fun and fashionable infant wear from babysoyusa.com. - Emily H.

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.

I love nature almost as much as I love shoes. (I know, it should be the other way around. I’m working on it!) When I found ScooterBees, a company whose shoes were as eco-friendly as they are child-friendly, I immediately fell in love. Shoes and nature - the perfect combination for Earth Week!

ScooterBees shoes utilize a patent-pending design to accommodate even the most narrow or chunkiest of feet. This design also means the shoes are easy to put on, a lifesaver for parents who fight the daily infant shoe struggle. (Maybe if those little feet would hold still...) What I really love about ScooterBees is the little story each pair tells. Simply lift back the soft flap on top of the shoe to view additional handcrafted artwork.

To minimize the impact on our environment and with your child’s best interests in mind, ScooterBees shoes are made of recycled fibers derived from post-industrial and post-consumer sources, including PET soda and water bottles, while the artwork is applied using non-toxic paint. The soles are made with anti-slipping and water-resistant TPE, which uses no harmful chemicals in its production and is PVC free, latex free, chlorine free, dioxin free and phthalate free. Free never sounded so good!

As a nice added touch, the company has partnered with Trees For The Future and will plant a tree for every ScooterBees pair purchased. You can purchase a pair of ScooterBees (and plant a tree) for $38 from Amazon.com. - Emily H.

It can be difficult to find good quality footwear for young babies, especially something that is developed with children’s development in mind. The creators of See Kai Run have developed Smaller, a fantastic line of shoes that are perfect for the youngest of children.

The Smaller line sounds great on paper - made of a soft, flexible leather both inside and out, with a suede outsole with non-slip rubber pads for traction, a wider toe box for chubby feet, a Velcro closure to adjust the size of the shoe, and a padded collar to make the shoes more comfortable and help them stay on baby feet. So I was excited to try them out myself - as well as a bit skeptical of the use of a Velcro closure for infant shoes. Who needs the extra step?

Thankfully, I had the opportunity to put these shoes to the test.


The leather on these shoes is really soft and flexible. I have no doubt that my little one will be able to easily flex his foot and move around in these shoes.


I also really like the rubber traction pads on the bottom of the shoes. My older children wore another brand of shoe that was leather on the bottom, and I always worried about them slipping and sliding on tile or hardwood floors as they toddled around when we were out and about. That worry will be far from my mind with these shoes.


The biggest surprise of all is that now I'm a Velcro convert, even for infant shoes. For one thing, the Velcro helps make the shoes much more adjustable, making the fit more appropriate for each child. The main reason I have come to love the Velcro is that along with the padded collar, it makes the shoes difficult for babies to get off. I have a little Houdini on my hands - my six-month-old loves to get off his socks and shoes. The Smaller shoes? They stayed put, in spite of his most valiant efforts.


It should be noted, though, that these shoes may not be ideal for outdoor use for children who are pretty proficient at walking because they do not keep out water. At that stage, you should look into See Kai Run's original line of footwear.

Bottom line: These are great shoes, a fantastic choice for first shoes for young babies. Shoes in the Smaller line can be purchased at Amazon, where many styles and sizes are on sale for for anywhere from $14.89-$32. - Sara I.

I've liked Babylegs legwarmers for infants, designed to keep an infant's legs warm when wearing one of those legless one-piece outfits, since I first spotted them years ago. They weren't available when Z was in her onesie phase, but I still like the look of legwarmers on little kids. Although Babylegs start out oversized and are meant to last into the toddler years, I wasn't sure the almost three-year-old Z would accept them now, given her increasingly discriminating tastes. I didn't want to take a chance at $15-$20 a pair (they've come down in price in recent years, into the $10-$15 range, in part due to new competition). So I decided to make my own.

You might discern from the pictures below that I was a child of the 80's. I can't count the number of times I watched Flashdance and Fame and I spent most of my time in dance class. Naturally, when I saw some women's knee-high socks on sale after the winter season for $2.50, I was inspired to make some homemade legwarmers for Z.

I was originally going to follow a tutorial for making them the "right way" (ie, with a finished hem at both ends) but in the end, I was lazy and the rough-edged style of Flashdance won out. So here's my two-minute, four-step "Babylegs" tutorial. Z loves hers - I wish I'd thought to make these when she was an infant and ran around looking goofy with pants pulled up over her onesies.


1. Carefully (or not so) cut the foot of the sock off at the heel in a more or less straight line.


2. Show your toddler how to put them on.


3. Wear on rainy or cool days. This shows the raw edge of another of Z's new pairs of legwarmers after a couple of washings. No fraying or loose strings!


4. Have a dance party in the toy store aisle!

This post from the ZRecs Archive was originally published on May 28, 2007. - Jennifer