I’ve kinda had it with batteries. I mean, don’t get me wrong. All my baby wants to play with, really, is the cell phone and the TV remote. And after Dr. Oz informed my mother via “Oprah” this week that children really should not use cell phones because no research has been conducted regarding what effects cell phones have on developing brains (let alone grown-up ones I suspect), I am somewhat forbidden to allow her to do so. Although I have attempted to limit the amount of plastic c-r-a-p that has invaded our small apartment, we do have a heck of a lot of it. And though the Elmo remote control does make fun sounds, I find myself yearning for more toys that do not light up and quack and move about on their own accord. More toys that I can feel good about.

And then I was walking past this neat little boutique in my neighborhood called “Liberty House” on my way to get coffee, and saw this tea set made by Green Toys in the window. I still got my coffee, but first I made a little detour into Liberty House and started my Christmas shopping early.

I love all the Green Toys products and here’s why:

• They are awesome. I love the way the Tea Set and Cookware and Dining Set both look. They are plastic so they won’t break, and they are un-fussy and not too girly which appeals to the tomboy in me. I look at the pictures and I, myself, want to play with them. That tells me something.
• They are made in the good old U. S. of A.
• The primary ingredient used to make these toys is recycled milk jugs! Woo Hoo! So maybe the guys in the basement aren’t just tossing out all that stuff I tote down there to recycle. Someone is actually using it to make stuff!
• Even the packaging is green! All the toys are packaged in recycled corrugated boxes with no plastics, cellophane or twist-ties, and are 100% recyclable. So that means it won’t take you three hours, a pair of pliers, and a phillips head screwdriver to open the darned thing while your kid screams that she just wants to “plaaaaaaay with her birthday present”.
• The toys have undergone the most rigorous safety testing and are Bisphenol-A free…so you can actually drink tea from your Tea Set! Imagine that!

Yeah, tea or coffee, as the case may be.

While my baby girl is serving up some green tea, I’ll be slurping down a cup o BPA-free joe from her faboo Green Toys tea set. Now that’s something baby’s just gotta have.

This post originally appeared on Babies Gotta Have It.