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5 Amazing Eco-Friendly Toddler Toys

Published on November 20, 2020December 6, 2020 by EcoCouple2 Comments

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If you are a mother and anything like me then you are always looking for the best eco friendly toddler toys. We evaluate these brands and toys by the way they are made, the companies values and most importantly how much our toddler likes them and uses them in his every day life.

1- MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

We absolutely love this wooden drum kit that we purchased. For us musical instruments play a great part of what we want our little one to grow up around! We have flutes, Caracas, harmonicas and even a baby piano but what he has most fun on is banging those drums. This store has so many fantastic ideas you will surely find something you love and you can search by age which makes it all that much easier to navigate, especially when buying gifts for others.

Musical Instruments are really great for learning hand eye coordination and if you don’t mind a little noise making these are well worth the fun. This is also a really great eco-friendly set or this adorable Banjo.

2- WOODEN RAILWAY SET

We got ours second hand from several mothers. What is great about them is they are all generally compatible with each other. I am not sure who loves this toy more our son or his dad, wether it be playing alone or with friends this toy provides hours of fun. It never gets boring because you can always set up new tracks. After doing some extensive research we found a few sets that we wanted to recommend. I truly recommend this for both boys and girls!

Orbium Train Set Melissa and Doug Kid Kraft Waterfall super set

3-PUZZLES

We believe puzzles are really an amazing toy! You can always entice your children by getting prints of things they love! Everything from floor puzzles to wooden puzzles. They are really great for developing perseverance, problem solving and eye hand coordination. Overcoming the challenges of puzzling gives them a sense of pride and self esteem. We highly recommend starting early with the puzzling world. Our favourites so far are by Melissa and Doug This store also has hundreds of other things to choose from so have fun browsing.

4-TOY KITCHEN

This is truly another all time favourite for us and so many parents we know. Whether you have a boy or a girl, kids love watching and emulating their parents. Unless you are extremely blessed with someone that cooks for you chances are your kids see it a lot and want to be part of the fun. Our son will make me full meals in his little kitchen and he really takes great pride in cutting his fruit and vegetables on his cutting board. As far as I can remember from friends with older kids this is a toy that lasts a long time because even 6 and 7 year olds have fed me their make believe meals when visiting friends. These are a few we found that we really liked.

Ultimate Green Store Melissa and Doug Kid Kraft

5- KITE

This is the most beautiful kite story by Little Cloud Kites, we like to call this a boomerang gift. It is a magical experience for your toddler but also an amazing experience for you. This is a kite that you will hopefully have in your family for life. It also comes with a lifetime guarantee, they will fix your kite for as long as you own it. Beautifully handcrafted, with eco-friendly wood, organic cotton and a perfect carrying case. This is the gift of a lifetime.

We hope you like our very special selection of toys for the little ones!

Sustainably yours,

Eco Couple

Conscious Traveler: Maui, Hawaii 🇺🇸

Published on March 6, 2019November 5, 2020 by EcoCouple1 Comment

We have been blessed with the opportunity to have traveled to Maui, Hawaii for almost two months. Iñaki was competing in a windsurfing contest, The Aloha Classic (IWT), a life long dream, and I was blessed to enjoy motherhood and continue researching eco conscious brands. Upon arrival we came across a wonderful photographer…that took some of the pictures in this article….who not only did the shoot with us but also recommended some of the amazing brands we ended up collaborating with. Thank you Chelsea! If you are headed for Maui it is definitely worth it to capture this stunning place with some beautiful photographic memories.

Maui was especially fun as we not only came across really inspiring brands but also made friends for life. Our first stop was Mana foods, of course we had to stock up for our adventures. Surprisingly the prices are quite similar to Los Angeles. Mana foods is also the place you can be quite entertained simply standing in front of the store, you may be serenaded by a harp or find yourself philosophising about God and the world, you know what I mean if you have been there. This is where we found our water source now we just needed to find the right container.

We were so very blessed to meet Kayden, of Blue Bottle Love, we were taken into her humble abode. Surrounded by beams of sunlight filtered by the cobalt blue bottles ….making her home and workspace even more magical. Our meeting turned into a 5 hour extravaganza, including everything from Meditation to the whole story of how Blue Bottle Love came about.

From that day on… at least one blue bottle (1 gallon:-) made it with us wherever we would go. The water tasted clean, conscious and simply delicious.

Blue Bottle Love photo by Chelsea Heller Photography

Iñaki was windsurfing every day and getting ready for the competition, now the sun is strong in Maui so it was imperative we found the right sunscreen, that was reef safe to keep us all protected while making sure we were not harming our environment. That is when we came across Raw Love Sunscreen Jenna also received us in her home and explained to us about all the harmful ingredients sunscreens use and how they damage the reefs and coral. We were so excited about this knowledge that we decided to speak to the people of IWT (International Windsurfing Tour) and got Raw Love Sunscreen to become a sponsor for the event, thereby educating and keeping us and the nature around us safe.

We also came across a very innovative brand located right in Paia. Ellemer we wrote a separate article on them check it out for a discount code.

One of the brands we were very happy to find was was Green Toy. You can purchase them at the organic food market ¨Down to Earth” – really close to the airport and Kanaha beach. Being on Maui and having fun toys for the beach is imperative and these ones are made from recycled milk bottles, how cool is that, so we had to get in touch with the brand and test them out. Atlantis, our son, loves them, they are perfect for the beach and the bath tub. The boat even turns into a watering can.

Chelsea suggested so many other local brands that are fully green-eco; on an Island you especially realise how important it is to consume less and make wiser choices. All and all we are so happy to have had the chance to experience Maui and visit its gems like Lumeria (best home made veggie burger I have ever tried), or the lavender fields, the local farmers market, also if you invest in a fruit picker and have a good eye you can eat fruit right from the trees, a must try the local banana bread on the road to Hana (We recommend you download a guide before heading out in the very early hours of the morning, as you will lose reception and there are many magical stops to make), taste the orange passion fruits and the delicious papayas, there is also a local Kombucha brewery in Haiku…but be warned too much kombucha and you might get a booch high as they like to call it (don’t drink and drive)……. Last but not least our favorite restaurants by far…. Nuka sushi in Haiku…. Go for the elaborate rolls…. And for a delicious organic pizza…. Flatbread company in Paia is the place to go!

Lastly we came across a really special store and brand, in Lahaina, they have the most beautiful swimsuits made of recycled ghost nets….. They are very original in their designs and I absolutely love mine!!!!! Kelley Chapman the owner of Manakai is a true eco goddess and lives and breathes a sustainable lifestyle…. Please check out her blog and amazing projects! 💕

One really great insider tip: at the Kuau store, if you wait to the end of the day, you can get their Ahi Poke for half price, and it is DELICIOUS!! If you have been to Maui you know it isn’t cheap to eat…. So that is a good one…. Speaking of savings… It is absolutely worth it to get a costco card…. The gasoline is waaay cheaper and they have lots of delicious organic food in bulk!

One more thing, don’t miss the sunsets on the south side of the island, or the sunrises for that matter, thousand peaks for example. So many things pop into my mind… Try the Açai at Choice, and the Fish tacos at the Fish Market….. It is a place to revisit for sure!

Thousand peaks is also a great spot to go surfing for anyone…. From beginner to advanced, there is a peak for everyone…. Hence the name.

As for the windsurfing spots…. This island is a playground for all levels… . For the more advanced windsurfer you can pretty much find conditions at ho’okipa every other day… And for the not so skilled, kanaha works pretty much every day! Both places are about thirty minutes apart.

If you are visiting maui with children we highly recommend the Maui Ocean Centre…. The tunnel is an experience to remember, especially for the little ones, and they have a lot of amazing info on helping and preserving marine life.

To finish this article we wanted to share an experience we had: During the IWT Windsurfing Competition, we participated in an ocean clean up: in Ho’okipa this can be tricky: We were only a few people and it was about to be cancelled due to the big swell that was hitting the spot. Both Boujma and me (Sanny) decided to do it anyway, and in the end most of the people decided to get wet and join us. We ended up collecting about 60 masts, and some booms, fins….. the point is if you are enjoying the island, leave it cleaner than you found it so that future generations can enjoy it as much as we did.

For extra exclusive Maui tips….. feel free to write to us anytime at sustainablecouplegoals@gmail.com we may hand out a phone number or two!

Thank you for stopping by our blog…..and feel free to leave comments and help us grow!

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¡Que gran descubrimiento! Yupibag! 🇪🇸

Published on July 30, 2018October 24, 2020 by EcoCoupleLeave a comment

Estamos encantados con el descubrimiento que acabamos de hacer con Yupi Bag

Es perfecta para hacer tus regalos de cumple para los amigos de tu pequeña o pequeño; en ella encontrarás muchas opciones de juguetes para aprender disfrutando. Tus hijos aprenderán y jugarán con los mejores juguetes educativos eco-friendly del mercado.

En cada cajita vienen varios juguetes, clasificados dependiendo de la edad y empaquetados con mucho amor. Los juguetes son naturales, orgánicos, y se basan en la filosofía de aprendizaje de los métodos Waldorf, Steam y Montessori. Cada juguete estimula un determinado sentido y está especialmente pensado para los diferentes momentos de desarrollo de el/la peque. Los productos están hechos de materiales “eco” y te darán la sensación de que estás ante productos de calidad y seguridad. Las cajas tienen precios más que razonables, y hay mucha variedad, nosotros ya tenemos la nuestra y la verdad es que nos dan ganas de comprar más..

Y ahora la mejor parte; hemos llegado a un acuerdo con YupiBox y si utilizas el código SANNY en tus compras, te beneficiarás de un 20% de descuento en todo lo que compres!!

Así serás parte del movimiento de elevar la conciencia acerca de los juguetes que compramos, colaborando para un mundo mejor para nosotros y nuestros pequeños.