Also want to show these new babies off… fun times ahead here at Bibbat & Babbat. Click on the picture for the price

It is said that the infamous dollhouse began in the 1600’s when they were referred to as ‘baby houses’ or ‘cabinets’. The first known dollhouse was built for a Bavarian Duke, Albert V, in the 16th Century (http://www.dollhousesgalore.com/collector-dollhouse-kits/thehistoryofdollhousesarticle.cfm) Originally they were designed for adults or the upper class. Because many could not afford dollhouses they would build their own and call them ‘cupboard dollhouses’. Germany was the leader of dollhouse making before World War 1, they shipped these dollhouses all the way through Europe and even to America. Around 1894 the McLoughlin Company in New York designed a dollhouse that had four rooms which children could share in their play games. It was placed on a table over a turntable so all children could spin the house around so that each child could play in each room.

In 1924 Sir Edwin Lutyens designed Queen Mary the Queen of Englands Dollhouse when she was a little girl. This house included electricity, a water system, gold leaf etchings, a grandfather clock including Chimes, original paintings, marble tiled floors, hand carved ceilings, and two elevators.

Up until the 1970’s dollhouses were made from metal and plastic and then a dollhouse revolution hit, an interest in wooden dollhouses became popular and have kind of stayed the same since.

Take a look at the twist Bibbat & Babbat have put on the new  furniture for dollhouses we have received in store each only $18.50!

*This information taken from Dollhousesgalore.com & Manhattan Dollhouse

Billy – age 4: “When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.”

Rebecca- age 8: “When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn’t bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That’s love.”

Karl – age 5: “Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.”

Chrissie – age 6: “Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs.”

Terri – age 4: “Love is what makes you smile when you’re tired.”

Danny – age 7: “Love is when my mummy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.”

Emily – age 8: “‘Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mummy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss.”

How cute!? To read more go here. We hope this made you smile, just as it did for us Happy Valentine’s Day for yesterday!

Perhaps it is just our attitude here in Byron Bay, we are spoilt by clean air, fresh food and a healthy lifestyle. But one thing we have noticed, after reading this article on the dangers of PVC by Carol Neugent we realised a common trend…products made of natural materials appeal to not only us but others aswell. Why? Many reasons. But I suppose that comes down to your own perceptions and life choices but if you are a parent perhaps you should take these factors into consideration. (These facts sourced from ‘Health concerns about plastic toys’ by Carol Neugent. To read the full article check http://www.ecomall.com/greenshopping/ftoys.htm)

PVC

PVC (polyvinyl chloride) commonly known as vinyl, is the plastic used in products when flexibility is important. Teething rings, toys, window shades, medical supplies, water pipes, plastic wraps, siding, flooring, rain gear, shower curtains, are just some products that often use PVC plastic. PVC production has increased 100 times during the last 40 years. PVC is both a health hazard and a pollutant this is because PVC contains PVC toys contain, phthalates, lead, cadmium, light stabilizers, heat stabilizers, anti-oxidants, barium, and other chemical compounds.

All of these big words with even bigger meanings and health risks so we are going to go over them one by one…

PVC contains phthalates… phthalates (pronounced “thalates”) are chemical compounds that make PVC soft and elastic and account for a high percentage of a finished product’s weight. phthalates never chemically bind to the plastic and have a tendency to leach at a rate of up to 1% each year. DEHP is the most widely used phthalate in PVC plastics, and has been labeled by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as a probable human carcinogen. Bottles of DINP used in the lab, the phthalate most commonly used in toys, must be labeled with a warning that reads in part: “May cause cancer; harmful by inhalation, in contact with skin, and if swallowed; possible risk of irreversible effects…” A typical teething ring may contain 40% by weight of DINP.

Lead

High levels of lead are also found in PVC. Studies have shown that vinyl windows can deteriorate from the effects of the heat and sun. This deterioration releases lead dust at dangerous levels. Vinyl window shades containing lead have been banned in the U.S. What about toys made from PVC that are left in the sun? A study conducted by Greenpeace and the University of North Carolina raised some concern that the same type of deterioration can happen in toys.

Dioxin

The disposal of PVC can also impact human health. One of the most toxic chemicals known to humans – dioxin – is a by-product of both the manufacturing and the incineration of certain chlorine based products, including PVC. The Environmental Protection Agency classifies dioxin as a Class I Carcinogen. Exposure to dioxin has been shown to cause reproductive and developmental problems, immune system damage and hormone interference.

Dioxin is in our foods and is fat-soluble, accumulating in higher and higher concentrations as it travels up the food chain. There is no way to rid our bodies of dioxin; except through pregnancy and lactation: Dioxin crosses the placenta and travels through breast milk.

So how do you feel about this? Did you know about this? The more we educate others the more people will know that PVC is not acceptable for children’s growth, especially when there are so many healthy alternatives such as eco-friendly and child safe toys.

Neugent then goes on to explore a list of options on what to do about the issue, some of them include.

-Writing to your local legislators urging toy factories to stop producing toys that are made of PVC.

-Do not microwave food in cling wraps and try to avoid microwaved food in plastic containers.

-Purchase toys that are made from natural products! They last longer, are better for the environment and safer for your children.

Here’s some for you… 

Clock puzzle

Fire Engine

New to Bibbat & Babbat – This pine table & chair set! Click on the image for more information.

Again we would like to thank Carol Neugent for all this great information.

http://www.ecomall.com/greenshopping/ftoys.htm

For further reading on PVC check out this article written by Greenpeace http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/campaigns/toxics/polyvinyl-chloride/ in 2005. This article explores the effects of PVC on the environment and also links to other great articles relating to the issue. Keep following to see further updates on the dangers of plastic.

Look what we made on a day rainy!

For more information on this great idea visit their website at: http://www.kidskonserve.com/

Now this next idea… not quite available in stores. And probably won’t be for some time. But check this out.. how about saving all that water that goes into washing clothes? Think about this, your everyday top-loading washing machine can use up to 40 gallons of water per cycle where as your everyday front loading washing machine can use between 10-24 gallons of water per cycle (http://www.ehow.com/facts). Covert that into Australian talk that’s about 150 litres for a top loader and about 30-90 litres for a front loader! Here’s the full article here as I  can’t even begin to explain to you what these scientists have come up with, but the jist I got was they have found a way for clothes to clean themselves!? What the?? Yes apparently with some new form of technology that they are still testing you simply hang the clothes out in the sun and … tada!… clean.

Ok so we have the cleaning and the lunches covered, now to the other impoartant stuff… We have just got to cover education and play… got it! Bibbat and Babbat.

See our selection of toys below, all ethically correct and safe for the environment, healthy for your child and educational.

Aboriginal Animal piece puzzle

Activity Cube

Beginners Maths Box

Bug Catchers Net

Skittles

As Ruby’s parents we have always supported her to cry freely. She woud like to tell you about why she thinks this is something she would like all parents to do. Watch her speech and tell us what you think.

This is what home looks like right now… It’s another rainy summer. So how do you play outside? You don’t.  But look at what these women in the U.S have have come up with… http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/object/article?f=/g/a/2010/08/06/hearstmagfamily671658.DTL&object=%2Fg%2Fpictures%2F2010%2F08%2F06%2Fhearstmagfamily671658-rbk-snorkling-in-tub-0310-de.jpg

More importantly how sweet are the photos? Take a look through all 9 and see what each family does to pass the time on rainy days. Just a little inspiring I say. And that is exactly what you need on a day like today, in weather we have right now… the more inspiration the better!

Here is some more inspiration that Bibbat & Babbat have come up with… this new toy arrives in store next week. 

This is an Aboriginal Puzzle piece that will be available online and in-store next week. Those families sure do have some pretty good ideas for the rainy weather but so do us Aussies! Stay tuned for more great ideas for kids especially with tomorrow being a public holiday, looks like it’s another day inside together with this rain!

Here’s a little research we have collaborated to help you understand our love for wooden toys.

Last week in The New Age an interesting article found its way to our attention, Is life making you ill? The article originally taken from Shape Magazine (http://www.shape.com/) explores major parts of our everyday lives that are making us ill. One particular part of the article that sparked our interest was a section highlighting the use of plastic in our everyday life. Here read this part for yourself…

“Plastics, used to make hard toys, bottles and food containers, have received a bad rap for good reason. Studies have shown that certain plastics might contain the toxic chemical bisphenol-A (BPA), which is an endocrine disruptor…

A report highlighted how BPA exposure can cause an increase in early sexual development; neuro-behavioural problems like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism, an increase in childhood and adult obesity and type 2 diabetes, a decrease in sperm count; and an increase in hormonal cancers, such as prostate and breast cancers.

“For now, chronic exposure has not been properly assessed, but the effects are likely,” says Edelstein (Dr Sascha Edelstein, a gynecologist and fertility specialist)”

These facts and figures are taken from the Environmental blog… http://www.theenvironmentalblog.org/ in the article This Christmas: Dangerous Toys us squirming a little in eagerness to spread the word as it magnifies exactly what we should all know about the dangers of plastic toys. Take a little read of some of the points that we found very valid…

• ŸPolyvinyl chloride (PVC), one of today’s deadliest produced plastic, is used by most plastic toy manufacturers in their products.
• ŸBattery operated toys pose a risk to the environment because batteries cannot be recycled and are in danger of being improperly disposed. Batteries may discharge lead and acid into the environment when not disposed properly.
• Ÿ Toys that contain unsafe levels of lead which can cause developmental, cognitive, and motor function problems in a child.
• Ÿ Cadmium in toys pose the risk of affecting a child’s motor skills and behavior.
• Ÿ Chloride (PVC), a chemical used in plastic toys, is linked to be a contributor to asthma
• Ÿ Thousands of children’s toys are recalled every year due to dangerous amounts of toxins and noxious chemicals in them. In 2007, Mattel recalled 967,000 or almost a million toys made in its factories in China due to dangers posed by the lead paint used in its toys.

Are you just as baffled as we are that this is happening? Read the full article here… http://www.theenvironmentalblog.org/2011/12/christmas-dangerous-toys/

Another article that we found quite relevant is “Toxic chemicals in toys and Children’s Jeweler”

This article speaks of the chemical PHTHALATES which is what is used in toys to make plastic softer…

“Many consumer products contain harmful chemicals. We are only beginning to understand their health effects, especially to babies and young children who are more vulnerable to these effects because their systems are still developing.

PHTHALATES are a class of chemicals used to make plastic softer. They are found in everything from rain coats to lunch boxes; from bath books to rubber duckies. U.S. EPA studies show that the cumulative impact of different phthalates leads to an exponential increase in associated harm.

Exposure to phthalates have been linked to health effects including reproductive defects, genital abnormalities and early onset puberty.

• Avoid toys made of PVC plastic which often contains phthalate softeners.
• Look for toys labeled “phthalate-free”
• Avoid soft plastic toys

Read the labels of play cosmetics and avoid products with xylene or toluene or phthalates.”

Check out more from this interesting website http://www.toysafety.mobi/

Those that are conscious about parenting will find these links highly useful. Go ahead take a look, have a little snoop around see what you can find. After all knowledge is power.

Check the link below…

http://www.dogonews.com/2012/1/7/shijiao-the-town-where-your-discarded-christmas-lights-rip