Riding bicycles hasn’t come easily for any of my children. Tricycles seem to be a waste of time with teaching my kids to pedal and even I would start feeling frustrated. It’s really only after seeing a ‘run bike’ that you understand that tricycles are designed in a way that makes pedalling very difficult. It’s tough watching your child feel unsafe with the tippy motion on a 2 wheeler with training wheels, and I always wished my kids could find confidence and embrace the great past time of bike riding without fear. Once you see a run bike in action, traditional bikes geared for younger children will seem quite primitive.

What is a run bike?  They are two wheeled bikes that don’t have pedals and they are made by a range of companies using metal frames or wood.  This is a great gift for a two year old since the only requirement is the child can walk and is coordinated enough to hold onto the handles and ‘walk’ the bike.  As the child’s confidence grows, they learn to lift their feet and coast, while balanced on two wheels. The result of this is voila – they are actually balancing a bike and the fear of balancing without training wheels or an extra wheel on the bike is removed.  Don’t rule these bikes out for older children (ages 4 – 6) that are very timid or fearful on traditional two wheeler bikes.  These bikes give children confidence because they’ll always feel their feet on the ground – my first son has never felt confident on a bike and I wish run bikes were around when he was younger because he’s discovering the joy of feeling balanced on a bike now at 7 years old.

I needed to write this article today, because we had a milestone in my household this week. With having 4 kids very close in age, it’s always been tough to balance all of the needs and ages so certain activities like taking them all on a bike ride myself was impossible.  Well – not anymore!  I can put my oldest boy (7 years old) on his regular bike, my next son (6 years old) on a run bike and my twin daughters (3 years old) on their pink run bikes and everyone is okay.  I’m not running back and forth checking on everyone like a mad woman because they are all balanced and walking/running/riding at their own pace and speed.  We could never do this with tricycles or bikes with tippy training wheels. Kids really have the confidence to feel safe and learn to just stand up and abandon the bike if they are going to wipe out or crash. Watching my tentative little girls become what we now call ‘red baron’ on these bikes is amazing.  They have been the best investment to date as far as bikes or outdoor products for my younger kids.  When I purchased my bikes from Monkey Business Kids Boutique, they were nice enough to offer me a discount since I was purchasing them in bulk.  If you are in the market to purchase a run bike, I’d recommend you canvas your friends and try to get a group discount from a local store.  They are approx. $115 and up, but also remember the re-sale value is probably quite high because little kids will outgrow them (although don’t tell my 7 year old that rides his younger siblings bikes with absolute glee!). The fun factor is huge with these bikes.

I write this article ecstatic that my girls get the freedom to enjoy their bikes, but wished I had known about them earlier for my boys. They missed out on many years of enjoying bike riding, but it just means we’ve got lots of biking journeys to make up for and discover this year. I can’t wait!  If you want to view videos of kids riding run bikes, click on this link from runbikes.com – there are some great videos that parents have uploaded via YouTube.

These pictures are of the Norco models that my children ride and love.

I was struck by cupid’s bow a few months ago when I first saw the dolls at Gingermelon’s Shop. The faces – especially the eyes on these dolls grabbed hold of my heart immediately. The detail in the eyes, lips and face, puts them in a league of their own. Check out Valentina, a sold doll from Shelly’s site that is on it’s way to making one little girl very happy this Valentine’s Day.

Isn’t she exquisite?  Each of these little lovlies from Gingermelon is a handcrafted doll and the dress, shoes, and undies are designed and created with obvious devotion from doll maker Shelly.  The process of embroidering the doll’s face is true art and most importantly, the doll’s body is made from unbleached muslin. This fact if so important because it’s not made from the usual material of choice ~ PVC plastic. The clothing is designed with linen/cotton blend and the shoes are hand-woven and hand-dyed felt – there is no scrimping on quality with these dolls. The hair is made from organic cotton, silk bamboo, or Alpaca blend, and is so soft and silky to touch.

I find it so interesting when talking to doll makers that at the end of the journey of making these dolls, they love to watch the personality unfold and come to life through their creations.  After a doll is completed, names and clothing selections seem to call and Shelly really listens. The clothing on the dolls is just lovely and the best part for me is that it’s removable and by request can be purchased separately. It is very hard to find a doll where you can purchase quality vintage clothing for dolls and it really lengthens the number of years the child will play and love their doll. My Sophia was truly amazed that her Gingermelon doll “Hannah” has underwear that slide up and down and shoes that come off. It’s wonderful to know that these options exist outside of having to go the Barbie route in order to enjoy the play of dressing up dolls.

My 3 year old Sophia loves her doll so much and I’ve removed the shoes so that they don’t go missing and disappear. These dolls aren’t for young children because there is a button on the shoes and they can’t be ‘loved roughly’ although my little cutie just can’t help herself.  The Valentina doll I teased you with is sold but the good news is you can find more on the Gingermelon shop that are gorgeous and available to purchase. Use the ‘contact Gingermelon’ option to chat with Shelly to create the perfect Valentine or special gift for your little sweetie this year.

I was just typing ‘A Very Good Year’ into the subject of this post, but not every discovery uncovered at Mommy Footprint had a feel-good vibe. It’s been a full year of asking questions and getting answers that can sometimes be confusing and scary, but it’s all about parenting with our eyes wide open. The articles that did cause me to lose sleep at night were always about canvassing for my children’s health. An understanding that actually causes me to have small breathing attacks in dollar stores where I can only smell plastic and over thinking everything I buy to the point of being ridiculous at times. Once you gain the understanding that anything that is truly harmful to the environment because it’s toxic or can’t be recycled is actually toxic to human health – you’ll have an awakening that is hard to ignore when you head out to shop, plan events, or bring products into your home.

For those that have read and supported Mommy Footprint over the last year, I’d like to thank you for your comments and support with the topics I discuss and write about. For Mommy Footprint newbies, I thought I’d link to a few articles I’m especially proud of from 2009 and I hope you gain some insight to the type of material I’m passionate writing about. I have a line-up of stories for 2010 that are so exciting and will really interest parents on a path to remove toxins from their lives.  Stay tuned and Happy New Year!

Such a scary title, but the fact remains that women especially are putting hundreds of chemicals on their face everyday. Read and learn how more about the price of beauty.
Are Cosmetics Killing Us?

An article I’ve had to re-read of late. Get outside and enjoy nature with your children….it is so healthy for them and you! Nothing like a big dose of mother nature to help you feel re-connected with your children and family.
Resources to Get Parents and Children Outside Enjoying Nature

Are you a mommy to boys? Doesn’t matter the age of your sons – this is a must read documentary. I know business owners that started a new career after watching this video. It’s well worth the 40 minutes and you will learn a lot about the human health of boys.
Part I
Part II

Want to have an epiphany of sorts? Wrap your mind around the fact that most toys produced at the big box stores are toxic for the environment and human health. It’s a big buzz kill for parents that love their toxic toys.
What You Don’t Know About Plastic Toys Made From PVC

Have women in your life you care about? Forward them this link because they might be putting chlorine bleached tampons or sanitary napkins in the last place you really want this chemical.
Dioxins – The Last Place You Want Them

Sorry BPA, you are sooo 2008/09! Move over because there is a more dangerous offender in town – PVC. Find out here where it lurks in your everyday life.
PVC Items In Your Every-Day Life

Cleaner is not always better. Have we gotten to this point in our society that we have removed our ability to fight super bugs because of our addiction to antibacterial products?
Antibacterial Products Heading back-to-school

It’s that time of year – winter weather has arrived and if your child has a skin condition, they are probably feeling a flare-up of some kind. Here is an all-natural cocktail of sorts that has kept my Isabella’s eczema at bay for several years.
All-natural Tips For Managing Childhood Eczema

Google or learn about flame retardants and as a parent you will be concerned. A toxin that is highly carcinogenic – you would want to keep this chemical away from children! Well think about the fact that if your child is sleeping in polyester fabric, they are brushing up against flame retardants all night. This chemical is woven into the fibres of polyester, which made me sick because a lot of my kid’s PJs are made from this material. Always go 100% cotton for sleepwear.
Polyester PJs and Flame Retardants

One of the harder decisions for parents this year was if they should vaccinate for H1N1. Why a tough decision? Parents just don’t trust what they are told by doctors or the government and most people I know really struggled with the question.
H1N1 – What WIll You Do?

Shocking to learn that a big name like Target was selling onesie sleepers and the tagless label within the sleeper contained three times the legal limit for lead content. The reaction caused chemical burn-type marks on many children.
Skin Reaction To Tagless Labels

Have little girls and are looking to remove plastic products that eventually always get rubbed or mouthed like dolls or plastic food? I found two mamas that are blazing a trail with hand crafted magic that put the Christmas spirit back into my heart this year.
Plastic Alternatives For Girly Fun Christmas Morning

I personally vow to my readers that I will only write about products or companies that I support and believe in.  I do product reviews throughout the year, but I try to balance this with helpful information that I learn along the way about synthetic chemicals that affect your family’s health. See you in 2010!

Suzanne & Family

I’m pretty confident that if every little girl was given a tea set with play food on Christmas morning – the squeals would be heard around the world. It’s one of those things you simply don’t question. Girls never tire of having pretend tea parties and after using the world’s possibly greenest set for 2 years, my Christmas pick for the younger crowd is the Green Toys tea set. Because Green Toys make their products from recycled milk jugs and manufacture their products in the US,  the eco-friendly status of this toy is wonderful…not to mention you don’t have to worry about phthalates or BPA. My girls drink from the tea cups and tea pot in the bath tub every night – it’s their nightly routine. This set has been the best toy they’ve owned and I love that it’s safe for them to mouth and drink from.

I’d like to point to an Etsy store for my ‘cupcake’ pick because I think everyone should have some handmade, uniquely handcrafted toys and gifts under their tree this year. I would love to see a decline in the profits of huge toy companies and see a boom in the sales of small companies that have gone back to the ’safe’ way of creating toys for our children to play with. Felt is a material I’m very fond of and plan to incorporate felt food into one of the larger gifts for my girls this year. These felt play cookies and cupcakes from the Etsy store Sugar Chic Baby are next on my list to order for Christmas shopping.  They look so real!

If you have a special theme in mind for your gift ideas this year, why not try Etsy first before heading to Toys R Us or to Walmart? Think your kids that love to dress-up would appreciate a new item for their trunk?  Try going to Etsy.com and use the search field to source gifts this year. What a difference for our children’s health and the planet’s health.  Much of the plastic from packaging and products themselves would be eliminated. Not to mention we’d be supporting many moms that appreciate the extra income to handcraft these truly special items. Try it – you get a really good feeling from shopping this way.

I love blocks and if there was only one toy a child could own I would recommend building blocks. Even babies love to chew blocks and knock over anything mommy or daddy builds.  Toddlers are so incredibly proud of themselves when they manage to stack a few blocks before they tumble down. And older children, even my 7 year old, creates amazing designs from his imagination with blocks. They are a classic toy that should be a staple in any child’s closest.  Here are 3 amazing sets of blocks – all different – all with serious WOW power.

Ukoonto Blocks

Canadian manufactured, produced, and distributed, these blocks are made by hand (yes that is correct!!) by Hans, the founder of Ukoonto. These blocks are made from never-used, recycled Maple wood. The blocks are untreated and contain no toxic materials making them safe for teething gums and all children to explore. Each of the 50 blocks included in a set are hand-crafted by Hans – what a different experience than traditional painted blocks that are mass manufactured in China. Available through Pedagogy Toys – call and order with contact info on their website:

Tree Branch Blocks:

The creativity of nature is abundant with this next set of blocks. Made from Alder trees, these blocks are kiln dried with a wax finish. I love that Natural Pod has sourced this product local to their home base on Canada’s West Coast ~ Vancouver Island. These blocks are sold in 3 different sets of sizes – with a great scale in price. Tree branch blocks are like functional pieces of art for children.  A magical gift idea for kids of any age.

A Little World

Here is a little gem that reached through my monitor and just made my heart so happy.  These blocks are truly special and creative, made by an Etsy artist that is simply brilliant with their design concept of little Christmas house blocks made with felt.  Are they not just the cutest?

Obviously for the younger crowd, but what a wonderful, heirloom, unique gift these would make for an expectant mom or baby’s first Christmas this year. While you are at A Little World’s Etsy shop – check our the mobiles for babe (the sheep are my favorite). . . simple, modern, and fun designs!

Whether you prefer traditional, nature, or artistically inspired designs, building blocks are a classic, timeless gift for all children. If you are looking for ideas this Christmas – these three featured products are just the ticket. And yes with Halloween only hours away, it’s officially time to start Christmas gift planning for 2009 – Santa has started listening.