Parent's Space

Win a barley&birch Gift Certificate!

December 13th, 2010

Our Friends at barley & birch

We are so excited to announce a giveaway from barley&birch, a company that shares our commitment to the environment and community!

barley&birch is a children’s’ clothing line made from 100% certified organic cotton.  Every component of their line grows, originates and occurs within the United States.

Their goal is to create a high-quality product while making a positive difference through every facet of production and profits.  Like little twig, barley&birch is a member of 1% For the Planet.

barley&birch also donates at least 15% of profits to various grassroots organizations in order to fully offset every ounce of carbon that results from all aspects of running their company.  They also donate at least another 15% of profits to improving daily life for those less fortunate in the world.

barley&birch recently won a Parent’s Choice Award for Best Organic Clothing and launched their online store on Nov.1st.  They are running a super sale to celebrate these great accomplishments.

And guess what? barley&birch has so very kindly offered to give a $50 gift card to our blog readers and Facebook Fans!

HOW TO ENTER:

Each point will give you one entry, unless otherwise specified. (Tell us about your extra entries in individual comments here or on our Facebook post.) The giveaway closes Thursday, December 16th at midnight Pacific time.

1. Like us on Facebook and comment on our post about barley&birch with your favorite barley&birch garment or your favorite thing about barley&birch as a company.

2. Subscribe to our blog. (1 entry for each)

3. Follow little twig and barley&birch on twitter and tweet our giveaway (one entry per tweet to a max of six tweets per day, at least one hour apart each). “Win a $50 gift certificate to @barleyandbirch from @little_twig!”

4. Reblog this giveaway.

5. If you tell everyone you know (the crossing guard, your aerobics class, the family dog…..we mean EVERYONE!) about the barley&birch giveaway, give yourself an extra entry!

Good luck! We will announce the winner Friday, December 17th!

Be sure to check out barley&birch’s website, Facebook page, Twitter, and blog to learn more about their great products and great company!

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Win a $50.00 little twig gift certificate!

December 8th, 2010

We are sponsoring a giveaway with our friends at barley&birch, please visit their facebook page to enter to win!

HOW TO ENTER:

The giveaway closes Thursday, December 9th at midnight Pacific time.

Like barley&birch on Facebook and comment on their post on little twig with your favorite little twig product or your favorite thing about little twig as a company.

Good luck!  barley&birch will announce the winner Saturday, December 11th!

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Dash the Dragonfly

December 2nd, 2010

Dash the Dragonfly

Favorite: Fish

BFF: Lolli the Ladybug

Hometown: Everglades National Park Miami, Florida

Favorite little twig product: Extra Mild Unscented Sunscreen

Job: Mascot for little twig.  I help promote little twig’s commitment to nurture families organically. You can find me on little twig’s Sunscreen!

Bio:  I lived for two years as a nymph underwater but now I am out of the water and using my wings to fly!  My wings sparkle and reflect light.  I can fly in all directions; I can even fly backwards.  When I fly around I like to watch the fish below me.

Cause:  I am concerned about water pollution because I grew up underwater.  Did you know that water covers more than 70% of the Earth’s surface?  When harmful substances such as oil or industrial waste are dumped into oceans, ponds and rivers the water becomes polluted.

What can you do to help?  You can help to conserve water by not leaving the sink running while you brush your teeth.  You can also make sure that you and your friends do not put garbage into lakes, streams or the ocean.  Trash belongs in a garbage can.

Activities: Watching fish, Flying

Interests: Water Conservation, Water Purification

Quote: “Come fly with me, I will show you wondrous sights beyond the sea.” – David L Harrison

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Cyber Monday Sale for Your Organic Baby!

November 29th, 2010

Shop www.littletwig.com today for 40% off your favorite little twig bath products!  We are also offering free shipping on orders of $50.00 or more.  No coupon necessary, just log on to our online store!

little twig offers a personal care line for families made with natural and organic ingredients to nurture sensitive skin.  We have also made a commitment to donate 1% of all sales to 1% For the Planet.

Don’t miss this great sale on natural and organic baby products!

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Buddy the Bee

November 22nd, 2010

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Buddy the Bee

Favorite: Honey

BFF: Camper the Caterpillar

Hometown: Acadia National Park, Maine

Favorite little twig product: little twig Bodymilk: Calming Lavender

Job: Mascot for little twig.  I help promote little twig’s commitment to nurture families organically. You can find me on little twig’s Body Milk!

Bio: I am a hard-working honeybee that lives in a nest made of wax.  I land on flowers to gather nectar.  I can turn sucrose to glucose and fructose.   When the moisture evaporates, I have honey!  I also help to pollinate plants.

Cause:  I am dedicated to teaching families about the importance of recycling!  Did you know that paper, metal, aluminum cans, glass, plastic, steel and rubber can all be recycled?  I make toys, crafts and games out of things that other people throw away which helps the environment.

What can you do to help?  I encourage families to start recycling at home.   You can also ask your teachers at day care and school to set up recycling bins.  If seventy-three kids recycled five plastic containers each, it would save enough energy to power a CFL light bulb for a year.  Start now by recycling your little twig containers.

Activities: Make honey, Pollinate flowers

Interests:  Recycling and Conserving

Quote: How doth the little busy bee Improve each shining hour, And gather honey all the day From every opening flower. – Issac Watts

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How to: Teach Your Children to Preserve the Planet

November 15th, 2010

The best time to teach your children about how to preserve the planet is now.  As Sarah R. says, “watching parents do the right thing is the easiest way for kids to learn.”

1.)  Bring tote bags with you to the grocery store.  This helps to limit the number of plastic bags that will end up in landfills.  It takes hundreds of years for plastic bags to break down.

2.)  Make education fun! Sesame Street has some great videos on recycling you can watch with your kids.  You can also check out the Jack Johnson’s 3 R song.

3.)  You can teach your children about water conservation during bath time and while they brush their teeth.

4.)  Start a family garden.  It is eco-friendly and also delicious!

5.)  Make sure your family conserves energy by turning off lights and appliances when they are not being used.

6.)  Instruct your children to place empty containers into the recycling bin.

Thanks to our little twig fans for providing these great tips!  We hope it will inspire parents to realize that their children are never too young to start learning about the environment.

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Posted in Environment, Recycling | 1 Comment »

Blu the Butterfly

November 9th, 2010

Blu the Butterfly

Favorite: Flowers

BFF: Ace the Ant

Favorite little twig product: Extra Mild Unscented Bubble Bath

Hometown: Yellowstone National Park, West Yellowstone, Wyoming

Job: Mascot for little twig.  I help promote little twig’s commitment to nurture families organically. You can find me on little twig’s Bubble Bath!  Bubbles will make bath time fun for your organic baby.

Bio: I help pollinate plants.  I drink nectar from flowers through my tongue and pick up pollen on my feet and wings.  When I land on other plants, I spread this pollen to help them grow!

Cause:  Air pollution.  I fly everywhere I go so I am concerned about air quality.  As society continues to grow, we burn more coal and heavy oil in our automobile exhausts and factories.  These emissions cause smog, which is harmful for butterflies and for people too.  Also, when we burn fossil fuels carbon dioxide builds up and becomes trapped close to the earth.  The build up of carbon dioxide is called the greenhouse effect.  The greenhouse effect contributes to air pollution.

What can you do to help?  Make sure you and your family travel in a fuel-efficient car.  Also, try to walk or bicycle to nearby places like the grocery store or post office.  You and your family can also plant trees.  Trees absorb carbon dioxide and produce oxygen!

Activities: Flying, Gardening

Interests: Travel.  Every winter I fly to California to visit my BFF Ace the Ant!

Quote: “Beautiful and graceful, varied and enchanting, small but approachable, butterflies lead you to the sunny side of life.  And everyone deserves a little sunshine.”  ~Jeffrey Glassberg

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Ace the Ant

November 4th, 2010

Ace the Ant

Favorite: Fruit

BFF: Blu the Butterfly

Hometown: Manhattan Beach, CA

Favorite little twig product: Baby Powder: Extra Mild Unscented

Job: Mascot for little twig. I help promote little twig’s commitment to nurture families organically. You can find me on little twig’s Baby Powder!

Bio: I live in a large home underground called a colony with thousands of other ants. I am a hard worker and I help to build anthills. My work aerates the soil so that plants can grow big and strong!

Cause: Soil Pollution. I think it is very important that we take care of and preserve the soil – it is my home! Some farmers use chemicals such as insecticides and pesticides on their crops. When these chemicals enter the soil it becomes contaminated and polluted. Crops do not grow well in polluted soil and when there are fewer plants with root systems in the dirt the soil can erode and blow away. Polluted soil is also not good for insects like me! It’s a good thing that there are some farmers that are growing their crops organically. This means that they use environmentally friendly insect control methods that do not contaminate the soil or the crops.

What can you do to help? I encourage families to buy organic fruits and veggies because they are harvested without harmful pesticides. You can also grow your own garden with natural and organic fertilizers.

Activities: Working, building, foraging

Interests: Environment, organic farming

Quote: “Ants are good citizens they place group interests first.” – Clarence Day

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Phthalates

November 2nd, 2010

You may know that little twig products do not contain phthalates but do you understand why this is so important?  Here is some information on why it is so important to select phthalate-free personal care products for your children.

Phthalates are found in many perfumes, moisturizers and liquid soaps where they serve as a solvent, viscosity controlling agent and emulsifying agent.  They are also found in many plastics. Children are exposed to more phthalates than adults.  Infants and toddlers have the highest risk of exposure.  “Young infants are more vulnerable to the potential adverse effects of phthalates given their increased dosage per unit body surface area, metabolic capabilities and developing endocrine and reproductive systems,” wanrs S. Sathyanarayana in a study published in Pediatrics.

phthalate-free personal careAnother study in the Journal of Pediatrics found that prenatal exposure to phthalates was related to low birth weight in infants.  (Science Daily) Therefore, pregnant women should also avoid products that contain phthalates.  Pick up a bottle of little twig Calming Lavender Bodymilk for a pregnant friend – you will be doing her and her soon-to-be bundle of joy a big favor!

Our goal at little twig is to help educate parents to make healthy decisions for their families. We want to thank you for purchasing phthalate-free little twig products!

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The Dangers of Synthetic Fragrances

October 25th, 2010

Are you aware of the dangers of synthetic fragrances?  little twig products are scented with essential oils and not synthetic fragrances.  This helps to keep our products extra mild and gentle for your little ones but it is important to understand the benefits of using essential oils instead of synthetic fragrances.

The skin is extremely porous and the sensitive skin on babies is even more permeable.  Princeton University warns, “The simplest way for chemicals to enter the body is through direct contact with the skin or eyes.”  This means that if you are using a baby wash or lotion with conventional fragrances that the chemicals will be absorbed directly into your child’s bloodstream.  Once chemicals are absorbed into the bloodstream, “the chemical can cause toxic effects on other parts of the body.”

Another important fact to remember is, “skin that is dry or cracked…offers less resistance.”  little twig’s Extra Mild Unscented Bodymilk is the perfect moisturizer because it will hydrate and moisturize without exposing your child to harmful chemicals and toxins.

The website for Organic Consumers states that, “synthetic fragrances may have as many as 200 ingredients.  All they have to say is fragrance.”  little twig has full disclosure on all of our product labels; we want to keep our customers educated about the purity of our product and ingredients.

Problems caused by the chemicals in synthetic fragrance include, “headaches, dizziness, rash, hyper pigmentation, violent coughing, vomiting and skin irritation.”  It is especially important for asthmatics to avoid synthetic scents.

Did you know that indoor air is often more polluted than outdoor air?  The Guide to Less Toxic Products informs readers that indoor air, “is often eight to ten times more polluted than outdoor air.”  They also warn that personal care products are a major source of indoor air pollution.  You may want to consider using little twig not only for your children, but yourself as well to lower your contribution to indoor air pollution.

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