Hazelnut Kids Blog

Hazelnut Kids is moving to a new office/warehouse location within Traverse City on June 13. We’ve outgrown our current space, and the new location will give us plenty of room to expand whenever we need to. So effective June 16 Traverse City orders can be picked up at our office at 807 Airport Access Rd (near Parsons), Unit 100, Traverse City, MI 49686, and that will be our new shipping address.

We’ve decided to frequently highlight a favorite natural toy of ours, as certain toys are customer favorites when they see them in person, but are harder to appreciate on a computer screen.  So, today’s featured toy is our Wooden Toy Camera from North Star Toys. 

Since kids love cameras (playing with them, not necessarily being on the receiving end of the bright flash), it just makes sense to save your camera by giving your child his own play camera.  And this camera is a work of art.  It is made of various hard woods so the natural color differences give it depth.  The button on the top presses down, so the child can feel like she’s really taking a picture, and the pretend lens on the front rotates so the child can focus the camera.  Ok, so most of that stuff is done automatically on cameras now, and no, this is not a camera phone, but we like the simplicity of it!  It is made in America by a wonderful family business that has been creating natural toys for over 20 years.  At only $22.90, it’s a great deal for a toy that will be played with for years, plus it will build your child’s confidence as he proudly uses his very own camera.  

Sheri at HazelnutKids.com

We at Hazelnut Kids love to read reviews of our products, our customer service and our website, so now through June 30, 2008 each approved product review will earn one entry into our $50 gift certificate drawing, and each approved customer testimonial will receive two entries into the drawing. The drawing will be held on July 1, 2008 when three entries will be drawn and each winner will receive a $50 gift certificate to Hazelnut Kids.  Our customers seem to love spreading the good word about our natural toys, so now those words will earn entries!  And, as always, each review also earns 30 Loyalty Rewards Points.

Why do we say ‘approved’ review or testimonial? No, we don’t sort out any negative reviews (they are helpful, too)! We approve reviews based on their descriptiveness. A review that says ‘Great product!’, wouldn’t be very helpful to a visitor to our site, so that review would not be approved. But, a review that says, ‘Great teether! Our 11 month old has been chewing on this for 5 months and it still looks like new.” would benefit visitors, so it would be approved.

There is no limit to the number of reviews you can submit (and entries you can earn), so let’s hear what you think about all of our toys that you own!  Please visit our Gift Certificate Drawing page for details. Good luck!

At Hazelnut Kids we always donate 1% of our sales to land conservancies and have one tree planted for every product purchased, but now through Earth Day 2008, we will donate 2% of our sales to land conservancies and have three trees planted for every product purchased. So, if you buy 4 toys totaling $100, we will donate $2 to land conservancies and have 12 trees planted through Trees for the Future!

What else are we doing (every day)?

• Carrying toys that are made with the health of children and the Earth as the primary focus. The materials used to make our toys include wood, bamboo, organic cotton, wool, and non-toxic colorings. Our toys will last a long time so they can be passed down to future generations, donated to organizations such as Goodwill, or resold, and when the time comes to dispose of them, most can be recycled.
• Using 100 percent post-consumer-waste, recycled gift wrap and gift cards from Earth Love’n Paper Products (which utilizes chlorine-free processing). Not only is the paper recycled, it is recyclable, and it is made so well that it can be used again.
• Using 100 percent recycled gift boxes.
• Using packing boxes with a 100 percent recycled exterior and a liner made of 20-30 percent recycled material.
• Using 100 percent recycled kraft paper as our packaging fill.
• Minimizing printing, using 100 percent PCW recycled paper when we do print, recycling in our office, and using staple-less staplers.
• Using recycled paper with vegetable-inks for marketing materials.
• Constantly looking for ways to make an even greater difference.

Thank you for helping us to support the Earth.

At Hazelnut Kids we carry two brands of wooden play foods: Haba and Plan Toys. Since we believe that wooden play kitchens are one of the best toys to give children, it was important to us to find a large variety of wooden play foods. But, sometimes customers are surprised at the size of the foods, so I’d like to talk about that today.

Our Plan Toys sets are much larger than the Haba sets. Some come with a cutting tray and one set has velcro in the middle of the foods so that children can practice cutting foods. They all come in sets (not individual foods).

We have a large selection of Haba foods which are sold individually (except for the Fruit and Vegetable Set that we put together and comes with two shopping nets). They are smaller than Plan Toys foods, and actually quite petite.

When I first bought Haba foods for my sons, I was surprised at the size. But, as I saw them play with them I realized how appropriate the sizes are for kids and the way that they play. If a child is preparing a feast for their friends, they may want to add several foods together in their play pan. Larger foods (such as Plan Toys) would only allow one or two foods to fit in the pan, but the child can add several of the smaller Haba foods together in the pan. They also fit on child-sized dishes more easily. As adults we are so used to larger foods and cutting them down to child sizes that we expect larger things. But it’s more fun for a child to have a whole apple that fits on their plate than it is to just have a piece of apple. Just as kids like having a play kitchen because it gives them the feeling of having their own perfectly sized world in the middle of this very big world, they like having play foods that are kid-sized, too.

Some customers ask if they can mix Plan Toys foods and Haba foods. Our response is that their sizes aren’t similar, so placing a Plan Toys apple on a plate next to a Haba banana may look a little strange, but we’ve found benefit in having foods from each brand. Both sets are designed for children 3 years and older, so if you had a child who just turned three, he may enjoy cutting the larger Plan Toys foods apart while an older child may like cooking with the smaller Haba foods. If you are just looking for one set of foods that you may not want to expand on, a Plan Toys set is nice because it is a complete set in one box (and a couple of them come with trays). But if you are looking for a set that you can continue to build upon (i.e. gifts for each birthday or holiday), Haba is a great way to go because there is so much variety.

We are proud to announce the newest addition to Hazelnut Kids – our new gift wrap from Earth Love’n Paper Products. This paper is made with 100% post-consumer recycled paper, and uses vegetable ink for printing. In addition to that, no harmful bleaching compounds are used in its production. By choosing this recycled gift wrap alternative, no new trees are cut down, less energy and water are used, and less pollution is produced. Earth Love’n Paper and Hazelnut Kids are both Trees for the Future partners, so when you purchase a gift with Hazelnut Kids and have it wrapped in our new recycled gift wrap – you’ll get the benefit of supporting new tree planting – 2 fold!

Beautiful, fun, and colorful designs!

As an Art Student, I’ll be the first to admit – it takes a lot for gift wrap designs to impress me. So many seem boring and uninventive. Not true for Earth Love’n Paper’s designs! Bright colors and whimsical figures help make this much more than gift wrap – they are works of art! Unwrap carefully – you’ll want to use this paper over and over again! And when the time comes to dispose of the paper, it is completely recyclable.

Included with our new gift wrap will be matching gift cards, also 100% post-consumer recycled paper and vegetable ink.

A great value for your pocket book, and an even greater value to our earth!

written by: Bridgett – Manager of Hazelnut Kids

Hazelnut Kids is honored to have been chosen as one of the web’s top earth-friendly retailers and included in thepurplebook: Green Edition. Of all the stores on the web, only 420 were chosen for inclusion in this book, so we are thrilled! Thepurplebook Green’s Press Release states,

“Consumers are eager to live a more eco-conscious lifestyle, but the complexity behind “living green” can cause an overwhelming sense of confusion that holds many people back from taking positive steps forward,” said Hillary Mendelsohn, author of the thepurplebook series. “The goal with thepurplebook green is to simplify Earth-friendly shopping by focusing on the growing number of web shops that turn our good intentions into reality by offering environmentally sound products. It”s a valuable resource for veteran eco-consumers as well as those newly dedicated to making better choices.”

It’s mind-boggling to think of all the work that Hillary and Ian did to create this book, yet its price is less than $10 - quite a steal for so much information. It really is a fabulous guide, so if you are interested in purchasing a copy of thepurplebook: Green Edition follow this link to Amazon.com.

Thank you, Hillary, Ian and thepurplebook!

We’ve had a great response to our new line of Kids SIGG Water Bottles. They are selling well and we’ve received a lot of positive feedback. There have been two common questions about them that we’ve been asked, so I thought I’d post them for everyone’s benefit:

1. Q: How do you clean the bottles? Do you need special tablets or cleaning brushes? A: Cleaning tablets and brushes are not necessary to clean SIGGs. Our family has had SIGGs for years and the way that we clean them is to wash the top by hand with soap and water, then place one drop of liquid dish soap in the bottle and fill the bottle halfway with hot tap water. We then put the cap on and shake the bottle vigorously. Then we rinse with more hot tap water and let it air dry. We sell the cleaning brushes at Hazelnut Kids because some people like the convenience of scrubbing with a brush (and there is a smaller brush attached to clean the top, which is nice), but they aren’t necessary.
2. Q: I’ve noticed a dimple or small dent in my bottle. Is this normal? A: Although they are incredibly strong, it is normal for them to get some dents or dings over time. Our kids have dropped their bottles and have taken them everywhere, and the bottles have a few small dents, but they are minor. The thing to keep in mind is that Sigg has engineered the bottles to be safe. According to SIGG, “The proprietary SIGG bottle lining is a water-based, non-toxic coating that is baked into the interior walls and remains flexible and crack resistant for the life of the bottle.” So even if the exterior of the bottle gets small dents or dings, the interior wall will not crack.

We are expanding our line of SIGGs, including a few more for older kids and adults, and expect them within the next few weeks. If you have any questions about SIGGs or anything on our website, please let us know!

Hazelnut Kids is now an authorized retailer of Sigg Swiss Engineered Water Bottles. Since we are a natural toys store, we weren’t sure about branching out into water bottles. But, since our focus is on the health of children and our Earth, and our customers were asking for alternatives to kids plastic sippy bottles, we agreed that they would be a good fit at Hazelnut Kids. Our family has used Sigg bottles for years and I’ve always been impressed by the company’s focus and the durability of the bottles, so it was an easy decision to choose Sigg.

We carry a variety of Sigg kids bottles, and a couple that will appeal to adults, too. We also have Sigg carrying straps to make it easy for kids to carry their Siggs anywhere, and ‘Kids Grips’ so even the littlest children can easily drink from a Sigg.

In case you’re unfamiliar with Sigg, here is the information from the Sigg brand facts page we’ve created on our site:

Hazelnut Kids Brand Facts: Sigg Water Bottles

Why we love Sigg: Besides being beautiful and indestructible, we love how these products can so positively impact the health of people and the planet. According to Sigg, “American’s are adding 30 million PET water bottles to our nation’s landfills every day”, yet many Sigg bottles are still being used 10 - 20 years after they are purchase. We also appreciate that the company donates 1% of sales to helping to preserve the environment.
Country: Switzerland
In business since: 1908
Materials and Safety: Extruded from a single piece of pure aluminum. The exterior is created using a solvent-free, eco-friendly,powder-based coating which is baked on to create a vibrant finish. The bottle lining is a water-based, non-toxic coating that is baked into the interior walls and remains flexible and crack resistant for the life of the bottle. Due to the finish of the liner, there is much less chance for bacteria build-up with a SIGG as opposed to plastic containers. Sigg bottles exceed FDA requirements and have been independently tested to prove 0.0% leaching. Because the liner is baked into the inner walls of the bottle, it will not flake or chip even if dented on the outside.
Awards: They were called the “World’s Toughest Water Bottle” by Backpacker magazine (June 2006) (they shot golf balls out of a 100 lb cannon at them and Siggs dented but didn’t break!); Included in Time Magazine’s “Most Amazing New Inventions of 2005″ list.
A message from Sigg: “Environmentally speaking, Sigg bottles get an A+. Not only are they designed to be reusable, they are 100% recyclable at the end of their very long lives. This is a far cry from single use, disposable water bottles (PET plastic), which create millions of tons of unnecessary waste each year. In fact, according to the Container Recycling Institute, less than 15% of plastic water bottles used in the U.S. are actually recycled - most wind up in landfills where they can take up to 1,000 years to biodegrade. Besides reducing our reliance on petroleum-based PET bottles, Sigg USA donates 1% of all sales to helping to preserve our environment.”

To view our selection, visit our water bottles page at HazelnutKids. Cheers to healthy children and the Earth!

We just received a large Plan Toys order, and have added several new Plan Toys natural toys to our site. A few of the highlights are:

1. We’ve expanded our wooden dollhouse furniture to include the Neo line (more colorful and modern than the traditional line). We’ve also added a modern doll family, so now you can choose from four different wooden doll families for your dollhouse.
2. Since the Oval Xylophone is so wildly popular, we have added the Melody Xylophone which has more keys for more musical variation, three music sheets, and a longer, sleeker look.
3. We’ve added an adorable vegetable set (there is even corn on the cob!) and a food and beverage set that compliment the other Plan Toys wooden play kitchen foods. Some customers love the small Haba wooden play foods, while others prefer the larger Plan Toys foods, so if you’re a fan of the larger foods, you’re going to love these.
4. Bee Maracas and Frog Tambourines are back in stock! They were so popular that we were surprised and disappointed when Plan Toys decided to discontinue them. Fortunately, we were able to buy up some of what was left in their stock so that we can continue to offer them for a little while (but they’ll sell out fast!).
5. For the full list, check out our new arrivals page.

Enjoy!