We've sung the praises of Plan Toys' sustainable baby items many times before - everything from their sustainable rubberwood sourcing to their plant-based paints to their glue formula is spic and span. But when it comes to baby toy design, our heart has long belonged to Haba. Plan's new Baby Car, however, approaches the sublime.

It took about twenty seconds for Z to wrest control of this toy and show us (very briefly, before my Flip filled up) how to properly mash a Baby Car.


Seriously, this toy rocks. We recommend it for six months plus, and it will be close at hand for years. It's currently about $14 on Amazon.com.

Nope, we aren't keeping it.

Green Toys has done it again. This under-$25 set of "My First Blocks" from Green Toys - makers of some of our other favorite stuff, including the world's best recycled plastic tea set - are chunky but hollow, making them lightweight and giving them built-in handles all the way around for little hands.

Recommended for kids ages six months to three years by the company, we'd bump it up to a year and call it good. Any kid who enjoys combining blocks with other play items like Z does would get use from these well beyond that upper limit. We also appreciate that this set is of moderate size, for those of us who already have plenty of toys, but no oversized-Lego-style locking blocks for toddlers.


Is it just me, or are those solar panels?

Pictured at top with Zonk, aka "blanket monkey," a Super Zero doll by All New Materials, makes of the equally awesome Deglingos line and truly brilliant Woodours.

In accordance with our Keep No Stuff policy, we aren't keeping the blocks. We donated to charity last year to pick up the Super Zero, which Z fell in love and selected as a Christmas gift after we included it in our 2009 Soft Toy Gift Guide.

We've begun expanding the ZRecs Guide to include a number of major brands of infant toys, and Fisher-Price is one of them. Astute users of the Guide may notice that every single Fisher-Price product listed is currently flagged with a Low confidence rating, which is the way we show that we are not at all convinced that a product is safe. Sometimes we assign Low confidence ratings because companies have lied to us in the past, because we have received contradictory information from company contacts, or because they just won't tell us anything at all.

Special treatment for a major past offender

The AP reported today that Mattel has received approval from the Consumer Product Safety Commission to use even more of its labs to self-certify Mattel toys' compliance with federal safety standards, rather than using third-party testing labs as all other companies in the known universe are now required to do. This is an expansion of a special - nay, unique - privilege they first granted the company last summer. That move led us to lower our confidence in Fisher-Price teethers then in the Guide to "Low," and when we added more Fisher-Price products this past winter, we stuck with the designation.

Considering that Mattel's 2007 toy recalls provided a massive boost for children's product safety reform, thanks to which our children are now supposedly protected from hazardous levels of lead in toys and other kids' stuff thanks to increased testing requirements and tightened restrictions, this is quite a corporate win. Fox, henhouse. Enjoy.

The conflict of interest

The CPSC states that they have empowered Mattel to conduct its own testing because its facilities are awesome. This is bogus. The problem with company-conducted testing is the clear conflict of interest and the potential for corruption of either specific test results or of the testing process itself.

Imagine that a major Mattel competitor were offered the opportunity to have their toys tested in Mattel's totally rockin' product testing facilities. How many do you think would find this an acceptable alternative to independent, third-party testing by an outside lab that was not in the business of selling toys? None, I'd wager. Does that mean they're paranoid? No. It means they don't operate with blinders on, which is exactly what the CPSC is doing in accepting Mattel's proposal. To assert otherwise is pure politics, and an insult to consumers' intelligence.

Our solution

Unless and until the CPSC gets its act together and holds Mattel accountable for third-party testing, all Fisher-Price products - as well as products by any other subsidiary or brand of Mattel that cannot demonstrate to us that they are committed to independent, third-party lab testing for their products - will be flagged as Low confidence. For consumers who rely on our guide for information about whether we consider a product to be safe, it's the best red flag we can wave for products for which we lack proof of known hazards, but which cannot demonstrate to our satisfaction that their products are safe for your children.

If this breakdown of a basic system of checks and balances is ever extended to other companies (and if others, heartened by Mattel's success, were to invest in significant testing facilities, they'd have every right to petition for - or sue for - equal treatment), we'll take the same precautionary approach with their products in the ZRecs Guide.

So when you see that we've assigned a "Low" confidence rating to the chemicals of concern listed under a bath toy, infant toy, or teether, the reason may be that it's a company or brand owned by Mattel. And if you like to have a reasonable degree of confidence in the things your baby puts in his or her mouth or that your child uses in the bathtub (two exposure conditions we pay special attention to), we recommend any of the many brands and companies that are required to have their products tested by third parties - more and more of which you'll find in the ZRecs Guide in the days and weeks ahead.

Cloud b, manufacturers of much-loved infant sleep aids Twilight Turtle and Sleep Sheep, just got hit with a product recall in the EU for burn and choking hazards. Now we're wondering if they're trying to quietly phase this product out of the U.S. market without a costly and reputation-damaging recall, which would mean letting the hazardous products remain in thousands of U.S. homes.

Cloud b's infant sleep aid Dozy Dolphin has been recalled in the EU for two things you wouldn't want in your infant's crib. The notice reads: "The product poses a risk of burns because the surface of the batteries becomes too hot and is not adequately insulated; and a risk of choking because of the presence of a small part (the on/off button) that can be easily detached and could be swallowed by a child."

Here's a screen capture of the recall notice, published via the EU's rapid alert recall system on April 2:


To the company's credit, unlike in the U.S., "voluntary" actually has meaning in the European Union; if a company isn't cooperative, authorities can force the companies to withdraw the product from the market, a power they routinely use. But what about the U.S.?

Our research has yielded inconclusive but disconcerting results. You see, "Dozy Dolphin" also comes in an "On the Go" travel size, which is not mentioned in the EU recall, and this downsized edition is the only one currently sold or even mentioned on the company's website, which is a good advance indicator of any company's plans for a questionable product. But the standard-issue Dozy Dolphin is still on sale in the U.S., on Amazon.com and elsewhere. Here's just one of the listings on Amazon for what is clearly the larger, presumably original, edition of the toy, which, please remember, has been determined by EU regulators to pose both burn and choking risks for infants.


We have requested a response from Cloud b regarding their plans for the product in the U.S., and will update this post when they do.

Why it matters

Without a recall, third parties won't stop selling the product as long as units are available unless there's a recall, and of course there's the question of whether Cloud b has even stopped distributing them. Bigger still is the issue of how many of these little friends are in homes across America and in your neighborhood, and whether Cloud b is interested in getting them out of nurseries and reimbursing parents who have put their children at risk with this product. There is also the possibility that these design problems are also present in the "On the Go" version of the Dozy Dolphin; if that version isn't currently imported into the EU, it wouldn't be addressed by their recall.

Ultimately, how Cloud b decides to respond will offer some insight into their capacity to confront safety issues in the phenomenally hazard-prone "bedtime" sector of the children's product market. ZRecs has worked with companies in the past, including Melissa & Doug, to help address consumer concerns regarding international recalls of products available in the U.S. You can read about our success in working with Melissa & Doug here.

We are not aware of any past recalls of Cloud b products in the U.S. or abroad as of this writing.

What you should do

If you own a Cloud b full-size Dozy Dolphin toy or an "On the Go" version of this toy, do not throw it away. We encourage you to remove it from the crib remove the batteries, and store it until Cloud b issues a statement. Keeping the product on hand ensures that (a) if a recall were to be issued, you would have the greatest chance of recourse; (b) if it is dangerous, it will not end up in another home; and (c) if it proves to be safe, you can begin using it again.

The company does not have a published customer service phone number (!) but you can email them with questions at cs@cloudb.com.

Nobody likes to talk about survival of the fittest when it comes to earth-friendly companies founded by green dreamers driven to create fun stuff for kids. Not hard to imagine why. But it's there, and it's a safe bet that San Francisco Bay Area company Green Toys and Boulder, Colorado-based Sprig Toys have been watching each other very closely over the past couple of years, while doing their best to keep their own products secret until they're ready to launch.

However it happened, this spring marks the most intense direct competition for green-parent dollars the two companies have ever engaged in. Not only have the two companies launched infant-to-toddler toy lines, but both lines include (a) chunky plastic Lego-style building blocks and (b) a variant on the stacking ring toy, each minus the stacking pole. Not only that, but each company has a new product that offers a twist on a core product offered by the other company - Sprig with play dishes that are beginning to horn in on Green Toys' bread and butter products and Green Toys with a bathtub boat that is just plain more bathtubby than Sprig's Dolphin Adventure Playset, which we love but which does take on water.

We'll talk about Sprig's new products, and both companies' blocks, as we get them for review. But we have been playing with two of Green Toys' new products lately here at ZRecs, and we love them both.

First, Green Toys' brightly-colored Tugboat has a toddler-friendly handle and pours water from a spout at the front and a sieve-like grid on the deck.


Hmm, there's a boat-like word for that, isn't there? You know, the part Smokey went through to grab the captain of the Black Rock just before he was about to run through Richard Alpert with his rapier! (Self-imposed ban on mentioning Lost on ZRecs? Uncorked!)

Anyway, it's cute, functional, and well-designed. This is the kind of classic bathtub toy your parents bought in shiny red plastic without worrying about lead or BPA or phthalates or any of that other stuff, refashioned by a company you can trust to steer very clear of all that stuff, as well as made of 100% recycled materials in the U.S. (short supply chains are always greener) and sold in 100% recycled cardboard packaging.

The Tugboat retails for $13 and is available with yellow, blue, or red on top.



Next up is Green Toys' My First Stacker, also selling for $13 and standing at a serviceable 7.5" tall. Now, we are not up in arms about ring stacker poles and have not heard much buzz about children being stabbed, blinded, or otherwise maimed by them. (If you know of any, yes, please drop us a line.) Be that as it may, the idea of a stacker without a pole has some pretty cool design advantages, and Green Toys and Sprig each took advantage of a different one of them. In the case of Green Toys, they made a set of stacking shapes that also make a fantastic bathtub toy set. We check out this play option with anything made of a hard plastic we believe to be safe (regular readers will remember that Wedgits did not disappoint) and Green Toys' My First Stacker was like those nesting cups on toddler-sized steroids. Plus, getting this toy wet will not run the risk of causing dyes to bleed off of it, because colors are mixed into the plastic itself.


They would also make decent Cheerios-serving sombreros in a pinch. (Did we mention Green Toys is launching real children's bowls, plates, and utensils as well?)


The way Green Toys are made is pretty remarkable in itself, a conscientious manufacturer's response to issues raised by the locavore food movement. If this doesn't make you want to support this company, nothing will.



For the target audience and purpose these two toys were designed for, both toys are nearly perfect. I could quibble about the company's failure to allow breathing room for fonts whenever they decide to mold words into their toys, but that hardly seems fair - babies can't read, anyway, it's just another jumble of shapes to them! We highly recommend both of these toys, are naming their Tugboat a ZRecs Top Pick, and can't wait to try the rest of their spring product line.

As a regular attendee of the American International Toy Fair, one thing that has struck me this year is less technology overall, rather than more. Last year it seemed like every toy touted the code that would unlock some (un)fabulous new virtual world. This year, there's a refreshing amount of toys designed for creative, hands-on play: building toys, art toys, and some interesting hybrids of the two. Most of them aren't yet available, but you'll see some of them reviewed here on Z Recommends as they go online.

Cardboard construction made its way into several booths, inviting kids to build, color, and decorate all manner of cardboard play houses, dollhouses, toys, and furniture. With these DIY cardboard furniture kits from Elia, kids can make their own chairs and toy cubbies, which they can decorate with paint, markers, or the included sticker sheets. | $41 (mini chair), Eliafun.com


The bamboo blocks of Be Blocks are blank canvases for your creative building fun. Each set includes 18 blocks, markers, over 100 stencils, and an idea booklet. | $50, Be-Blocks.com


If you’re like Z and Jeremiah, you may be pretty good at making really cool wind-up toys out of junk. For the rest of us, there's the Wind-Up Workshop Robots from Creativity for Kids.


One of the more interesting building toys I found is Geemo from Brooklyn Junior. Made from washable polystyrene, these magnetized building pieces feel great to the touch. You can connect them to each other or to any metal surface. | $42/$80 for sets of 5 or 10, Heroeswillrise.com


It's hard to get puzzles noticed in the middle of a sea of toys, and yet these multi-solutions shape puzzles from P'kolino caught my eye both because of the bold graphic design and because, as the name suggests, there are multiple solutions to change up these faces. | Not yet available


In the simple and elegant building category, there is Totter Tower from Hape Toys. These felt-lined, angled cylinders make the loveliest structures. The felt helps to hold the cylinders together so even the littlest builders can stack them high. | Not yet available


I was a mad fort builder as a kid, so I can only imagine what I would have done with Crazy Forts. One kit comes with 44 sticks and 25 balls that assemble like giant Tinker Toys. Throw some blankets over the top and you’re good to go. | $41, Amazon.com


For interesting open-ended play, I loved Wüd Workers from Maxim Enterprise, shown at top. These kits come with blocks, bolts, wheels and tools to make vehicles, robots, and whatever you (I mean your child!) can dream up. | Not yet available

Amy Kraft writes about kids' media at Media Macaroni.