Helping your kids to want less and be more grateful this Christmas!

As parents we naturally want to give our children the best and we want them to have more. But studies have repeatedly shown, money doesn’t bring happiness and neither does the accumulation of more ‘stuff’. In fact having too much, which often happens at Christmas can have more stress than it’s worth. (not to mention the stress on poor Mum who has to tidy up all this stuff throughout the year!

So here are a few tips to help your children to want less this Christmas and be grateful for what they do get….

      1. Talk to them about items they desire, will it truly make them happy? Will they get sick of it quickly?   

     

       2. Remind them that cheap toys often break easily, they tire of playing with them quickly and then end up in landfill. Let older children know that Australia is the second biggest producer of landfill in the world!    

         

      3. Suggest to you child that they donate one toy to charity for each toy they receive. (A good way to clear the clutter and encourages them to think of others less fortunate) 

     

      4.Role play with children an appropriate response to receiving a gift before the big day. Talk to them about how the giver has invested time into choosing a present especially for them. (I’m sure we have all experienced a child who turns up their nose at an unwanted present!)

    5.  Encourage children to write a gratitude list after Christmas (or chat with younger ones), listing everything that happened at Christmas or even throughout the year that they are thankful for.

  

      6. And finally when your family does receive an abundance of toys at Christmas (especially if they have a birthday close to the day) do a toy rotation roster. Divide toys into 4 lots and rotate on a fortnightly or monthly basis. With babies and younger kid’s you can do it immediately because they have no idea what they received but with older kids you will have to wait a little while until they tire of their new toys.  This causes them to play with play with the toys that are out as they seem ‘new’ every rotation and are not just strewn everywhere around the room and barely touched.

      If you would like to read more on toy rotation click here   

Merry Christmas. xx

"Excuse me, but I think your gut is leaking!"

Weird I know! But please hang in there, this one’s a game changer! Here’s a funny cartoon just to keep your interest.

There’s a theory (a very valid one) going around in all the health circles at the moment, called ‘Leaky gut’. It’s where a person’s gut wall breaks down and becomes leaky (more scientifically known as gut impermeability.)  When you have a leaky gut, the bad stuff like toxins, bacteria and undigested food get into your body instead of being dumped in the loo! And when this happens your immune system gets all out of wack and crazy things start happening…

Signs of a leaky gut include (but are not limited to)

Fatigue, depression, weight problems, auto-immune diseases, irritable bowel, psoriasis and asthma.

I myself had nearly all of these symptoms at one stage or another and having MS (an auto-immune disease) it is now commonly known that ALL auto-immune diseases start with a leaky gut.

This is not something that many GP’s will know about- why? Because there is no drug to fix it!

If you think you may be suffering from a leaky gut you can find lots of info on the internet including how to heal it naturally. There is heaps on you-tube and a site I recommend is www.solvingleakygut.com. I myself have done their protocol

We are more bug than human!

Yep that’s right! The number of bacteria living in our gut (100 trillion) outweigh the number of actual human cells we have in the body by 10:1. Eww- I’m a giant walking bug!

You can even blame 5 pounds of your body weight onto your gut micro biome, but what you really want to be concerned about is getting the balance of good bacteria right. It is common knowledge that antibiotics throw the balance of good and bad bacteria out of wack but so too does:

·         

*         * A diet high in sugar and processed foods

·         * Alcohol

·         * Artificial sweeteners

·         * Chemical sprays on your fruit and veggies

·         * Anti-bacterial soaps      and

·         * STRESS

Your gut micro biome plays a major role in your mood, food cravings, irritable bowel symptoms, obesity, your immune system and chronic illness. While it is just become a major topic amongst health professionals and even the media, Hippocrates (the father of modern medicine) 2000 years ago said “All chronic disease begins in the gut” Go figure?

So, it is really important to take a probiotic but which one to take? Well, it’s a bit like shopping for a dress- very individual and you may like to shop around to see what suits you. The best way is to rotate the different kinds/brands you use to increase the variety of species to which you are exposed.

However, taking a probiotic whilst still eating a crappy diet will not be as effective- damn it! Also eating probiotic rich foods like sauerkraut, good quality yoghurt and drinking kombucha (a fermented tea drink) will have an even greater impact.  We all love to look after our pets so feed your bugs well- they love lots of fibre from fruit and vegies but sugar and refined food will feed your bad bacteria such as Candida Albicans. The nasty bug that causes things like thrush, gas and fatigue!

And finally- Let your kids eat dirt! 

8 easy ways to detox your home!

8 EASY WAYS TO DETOX YOUR HOME!

You may have done some weird green drinking, herb taking detox in order to eliminate internal toxins from your body, but can you say that you have done anything about the toxins in your home? 

The average home contains up to 1000 chemicals, many of which we are unable to see or smell. Unfortunately the air inside our home is three times more polluted that outside  and here in Ballarat in winter we spend so much time indoors. 

Common household and body care products are increasingly being found to have negative health effects and while these chemicals may be tolerated individually and in small doses, problems can arise when one is exposed to them in combination. They can have an effect on any of our nervous, immune, reproductive, endocrine, cardiovascular, and respiratory systems.

Detoxing our bodies and our living spaces will allow the body’s own detoxification to function more efficiently. This strengthens our resilience to the daily onslaught of factors impacting our health.

You could choose to change one thing a week or one a month or heck just choose one full stop and it will be moving in the right direction…

Tip One

No shoes inside thank you very much!

Yep- it’s that easy. That’s how a lot of dirt pesticides and lead can enter your home.

Tip two

Keep the air clean.

Try opening your doors and windows as much as possible to circulate the stale and toxic air (hard here in Antarctica in winter, I know!)

Tip three

Have indoor plants

Plants remove toxins from the air and renew stale air by exchanging carbon dioxide with oxygen. Read our previous blog post on indoor plants here…

Tip four

Switch from standard household cleaners to greener, safer options.

It’ll be safer and cheaper and not to mention, fun to explore mixing up some concoctions!

Tip five

Replace skin care products with less toxic, chemical free products

On average a woman can be exposed to 500 different chemicals in a day from her daily beauty routine. I personally love Twenty8 skin care and use coconut oil for near everything.

Tip six

Keep plastic to a minimum

Some plastics contain BPA, linked to cancer and others phthalates, which are linked to weight gain and developmental problems. Storing food in glass and ceramics is a safer option.

Tip seven

Check for mould

Check your windows and walls for moulds and remove promptly. Mould is extremely toxic especially to children and babies.

Tip eight

Avoid toxic ‘stinkin thinkin’

Finally no amount of detoxification of the body or the home is as important as removing the toxic thoughts. A house full of resentment, jealousy or unhappiness will be just as toxic!

Why should you eat local and seasonal produce?

Great question that you have asked! So it's really become a bit of a thing at the mo to spend Saturday mornings at your local farmers market getting all the funny looking vegetables - but why exactly should one eat locally grown and seasonal produce?

Seasonal foods are picked at the peak of freshness and offer higher nutritional content with a variety of vitamins, minerals enzymes and anti-oxidants. When you eat with the seasons you can enjoy a rainbow of colorful and diverse foods that are in tune with our natural rhythms and  help support our bodies natural cleansing and healing abilities. For example in winter we are supplied with root vegetables that can be cooked in warming foods (think stews, soups and roasts.) Whereas in spring the focus is on green leafy vegetables to promote cleansing and detoxing ready for summer when all the delicious  fruits and summer vegetables are available. Eating with the seasons will stop you from having potatoes, carrots and peas on your plate all year round! (I seem to remember having meat and those three veggies a lot as a kid) Many out of season fruit and vegetables depend on waxes, chemicals and preservatives to keep them looking half edible and consequently less nutritious. 

So why local? Most foods begin to loses their nutrients the moment they are picked, so the quicker you can get them on your plate the better they will be for your body. Some fruit and vegetables on supermarket shelves were picked up to a year ago and have been in cold storage since! Not to mention some poor little buggers that have been flown across half the world just so you can have apples in December! By eating locally produced foods not only are you helping the environment by decreasing 'food miles' you are also contributing to your community and supporting it's farmers.

Just something for you to think about? I'm no angel at it, my kids want their apples year round and I'd rather feed them an out of season apple than a processed LCM bar. But I am becoming more conscious and increasing the amount of local and seasonal produce I purchase

Have a great day! x 

Is wheat really that bad for me? or is gluten free just another fad?!

The answer to this from my research is a resounding YES, it really is bad and no- definitely not just a fad!

The problem with modern day wheat is that Agri-business has genetically changed the crop from a 4 and a half ft plant to a 2 ft dwarf, high yield plant that is easier to harvest. Consequently it is now higher in gluten (a protein) than it was 10,000 years ago and it's not just the gluten component that causes problems within the body and mind.

Modern day wheat is also higher in gliadin (a sugar) that stimulates the appetite and has an opiate effect on the body (that's why the idea of giving up wheat breaks you into a sweat!) Amaylopectin (the starch component) is also way higher. This starch has a proven link to heart disease diabetes and obesity. Since the introduction of wheat 10,000 years ago, fossil records of humans show a decrease in brain size, a loss in bone size and height and an explosion in tooth decay and crooked teeth.

According to Dr William Davis author of 'Wheat belly' 100% of people are affected in some way by the consumption of wheat, whether it be irritable bowel, brain fog, depression or a chronic disease. "Nobody escapes the increased bowel permeability caused by the gliadin protein" says Davis, a  leading cardiologist in USA. This gut permeability is the first stage of all (possibly 200) auto-immune diseases. "All grains are a problem, but wheat is by far the worse" says Davis.

A Lot of children are becoming intolerant to wheat, showing up in things such as rashes and asthma. It also causes behavioural outbursts and impairs learning. There is a strong link between wheat consumption and ADHD and autism.

Another problem is that you find wheat in almost everything. We all know of bread, pasta, cake and biscuits but check out packaging labels- it's in chips, sauces, vinegar, lollies, processed meat, gravies, soup and even many personal care products. Look for words such as dextrose, glucose, maltodextrin, 1422, hydrolysed vegetable protein as this is all wheat!

Dr William Davis suggests that you will notice a change within a week to a month when you take wheat out of a child's diet. Adults more likely to be months. When I took wheat out of my sons diet 100% his teacher (not knowing I had) exclaimed to me that 'Kipp has been a different boy this week, he's so happy and not emotional!'

So why don't you just try and take it out of your child's diet for a week and see what changes you notice? It certainly won't hurt but it may just change a life!

You don't have to take my word for it, if you're interested and want to know more I suggest www.wheatbellyblog.com and the book 'Grain brain' by David Perlmutter

Oils ain't oils! What do you fuel your kids with?

Looks like Castrol have a great point! When it comes to your most important vehicle (your body- not the ford) the type of oil you put in it makes a huge difference to it's efficiency . I'm sure you have heard about essential fatty acids omega 3 and omega 6. These are the fats our cells need to function correctly and can not be made by the body. 

For the first 2.5 million years Humans consumed omega 6 to omega 3 at a ratio of 1:1. Today it is more likely to be 25:1 thanks to the introduction of seed oils. When the ratio shifts towards omega 6 fatty acids our body shifts towards inflammation and the development of chronic disease. These so called 'Vegetable oils' including soybean, canola, cottonseed, safflower and corn oil were originally considered waste product until World war two.

These oils are produced in large factories and in order to extract the oil from the seed a number of toxic solvents are used including hexane (eww!)

I suggest cutting out the use of omega 6 oils at home. Nearly every takeaway is cooked using them and they actually have a low smoke point and turn rancid at a high heat. Watch for packaged foods as pretty much all have it (most commonly labelled as vegetable oil) I'm talking bread, biscuits, cakes, muesli bars, soups, dips- hell nearly everything!

So what should you use to fuel your kids?

* Coconut oil: has a high smoke point, is high in omega 3 and lauric acid (a large component of breast milk). It has strong anti fungal and anti microbial properties. I personally use coconut oil in my cooking, smoothies, eat it straight from the jar, as a moisturiser, hair treatment, lip balm, make a toothpaste out of it and have even used it for furniture polish!

* Olive oil:  for dressing and baking (not to be heated at high levels as it has a low smoke point)

* Use butter: NOT margarine (see previous blog post)

* Eat grass fed organic meat as it is high in omega 3 whereas commercially produced cattle have been fed grains and subsequently are high in omega 6.

* Use fat like lard and duck fat. Fat? What? Yep, fat doesn't make you fat folks- toxins do! I personally use it to coat my roast veggies with- just like Grandma did! Turns out vintage clothes aren't the only things coming back in vogue.

Bring on vintage nutrition!

A FUNctional way to detox your home!

Studies have shown that the inside of the home is more toxic than the outside. Along with regularly opening up doors and windows, one way of the best ways to combat this is by using indoor plants

Indoor plants reduce indoor pollution by sucking toxins through their leaves and their soil and root system remove toxic vapours. They also purify and renew stale air by exchanging carbon dioxide with oxygen. Variety is 'the spice of life' and plants adhere to this rule. Different plants remove different toxins so it is best to have a variety of indoor plants. Cactus's for example are ideal to sit in you office as they are great at sucking up the EMF emanating from your computer

I personally have at least one plant in every room of my house. It becomes quite addictive, and just like tattoos - once you get one, you just want to keep getting more!

You can train your Kids like robots!

It's true -you could train them to massage your feet and bring you a beer! That's not quite what I discovered whilst on my health mission but it is true that the first 7 years of a person's life controls 95% of the rest of their life.

Why is this you ask?

EEG's taken of babies and children show they are in  low frequency brain waves known as delta and theta. This is the same state as hypnosis (You will change your own nappy, I repeat, you will change your own nappy!) At 7  it changes to our adult brain waves known as Delta and Beta.  We all know that babies and kids learn by observation. In this hypnotic state they are basically just downloading behaviours, beliefs and worldly wisdom from their parents into their subconscious mind. And once its there-

It controls their biology for the rest of their lives!

As an adult, if your conscious mind wanders (that's the part of your brain that controls your wishes and desires) it will default back to the subconscious mind. It is believed that most people spend 95% of their time on their subconscious mind..........

so basically most of the time your living the life of someone else's beliefs. How many times do you think- My God I just sounded like my mother!

So apparently the areas of your life you are struggling with is likely to be a conflict between your desires (conscious mind) and your beliefs (subconscious mind) Is it any wonder that you do everything to be wealthy but seem to get nowhere when as a child you were told

"Money doesn't grow on trees"
"Money's hard to come by"
"You have to work hard and long hours to make money"   and anyway
"rich people are selfish!"

So what can you do to change these beliefs you were fed as a child. The answer is to live more in the MOMENT. Try and stay in your conscious mind and believe me it is hard to do. Try being in the moment for a minute, then in the moment for a Monday and then maybe for the month of  May!

As for my kids- I'm trying to teach them about nutrition and be a good example. I'm trying to train them like a robot, telling them things over and over again like "It's important to love yourself", "You are amazing", " You can do anything you want when you grow up, as long as it makes you happy:" So that when they grow up they Love and respect themselves and their bodies, have a job they Love and if they have any tough times know that they are amazing!

If you want to know more a great book is 'Buddhism for mothers'  by Sarah Napthali or google anything on this topic from Bruce Lipton

Please...Don't let dodgy Genes control you Kids!

So it turns out that we can CONTROL how our genes are expressed. I recently took part in a webinar with  Dr Bruce Lipton, a cell biologist who specializes in stem cell research. He has proven that by putting identical cells into three different petrie dishes and changing the environment in each dish, the DNA of that cell also changes accordingly. 

This is good!

So your genes don't control you- your ENVIRONMENT controls your genes!
So what exactly is the 'ENVIRONMENT'?

It's the food  and water you put into your body, the toxins you breathe in and put on your skin and according to Dr Bruce Lipton the most important environmental factor, wait for it... this deserves capitals

THE TOXIC THOUGHTS YOU THINK AND THE BELIEFS YOU HOLD ABOUT YOURSELF!

So this is the reason I have started to blog about how to improve our  kid's 'environment's' because I'm so passionate about getting them started on the right foot which I believe I did not!

Back to some biology from school- Yay!

We each have 50 trillion cells in our body each containing DNA. A cell will either:

In a positive environment be in a growth mode (build a new house)                             OR
In a negative environment be in a protective mode (renovate the dodgy house they already have)

This science is called Epigenetics (meaning- above the genes) and according to Bruce "Inhibiting growth processes continuously inhibits life sustaining energy" meaning more simply, capitals again please...

TOXIC ENVIRONMENTS STOP YOU PRODUCING ENERGY MAKING YOU FEEL TIRED,SICK AND UNHEALTHY!

Is there any damn wonder I feel tired all the time and everyone around me often complains that fatigue is a big problem in their day to day life. I have also noticed a strong connection between when Kipp eats wheat and his energy levels (wheat is a food sensitivity for him)

I had my genes tested last year and no surprise I had a lot of dodgy genes for inflammation (M.S is an inflammatory disease.) I will be interested to see how my genes have changed now that I am cleaning up my environment. I feel like I am 80% on my healing journey as I have really cleaned up my diet and not being on any MS medication have no reoccurring symptoms aside from some fatigue. So now I am working on changing my thoughts and beliefs to change my gene expression.

You don't have to take my word for it- If you are interested and want to know more I recommend 'The biology of belief' by Bruce Lipton, a very 'sciency' read or you can go to his website www.brucelipton.com for free articles or just check his talks out on Youtube.

Please don't feed your kid's margarine- it's but one molecule from plastic!

Margarine was invented in 1869 in a period of population increase and a solution to the shortage of butter. I think the word ‘invented’ should be enough of a blaring alarm bell!  It was originally made from animal fat but has changed a lot since then, 

so let’s take a look at how it is made?

Manufacturers begin with the cheapest oils-corn, soy, cottonseed or canola (labelled as vegetable oils- hey what? I thought it was from a vegetable!) These oils are mixed with tiny metal particles, usually nickel oxide and subjected to hydrogen gas at high temperature to solidify the normally runny oil. What?! That’s not all- it is then steam cleaned to remove the unpleasant odour, bleached to take away its unappealing grey colour then dyes are added to make it look like butter!

Now let’s take look at butter.....

Butter is an old English word derived from the word ‘better’, meaning superior to... Not really! I just made that up but I do think that it is no coincidence that the words are similar!

Butter is made from the cream that rises to the top of cow’s milk and whipped madly. Unfortunately pretty much all commercial milk as been pasteurised (heated at high temp to kill bacteria) and it would be best if you could get your hands on some raw cream from a local dairy and make your own butter like in the good old days, but hey- who has the time? (I did say better not best!)

Butter is high in so many vital nutrients- vitamin A, D, K and E and all the co-factors needed to provide maximum benefit for these vitamins (clever Mother Nature!) There’s so much more, including essential fatty acids and minerals. You don’t just have to take my word for it- if you’re interested and want to know more I suggest you research www.westonaprice.org

Personally I buy organic butter as I know it is made from cows that have been fed on grass (what they are designed to eat- not grains too fatten them up and injected with hormones to increase their supply) It is more expensive but I stock up on the organic butter from Aldi (God bless them) as it’s only $2.90 for 250g. Shame to say that I myself personally, am dairy intolerant.  I shudder at the thought that for years I ate Nuttlex thinking I was doing a good thing cos the marketing says it was a good dairy alternative. Now I make my own Ghee from the butter (it removes all the dairy protein) and still gives me the great benefits!

SO please, just think twice before spreading the marg on your kid’s sandwiches and definitely do not cook with it! A small change that could make a big difference in de-toxifying our kid’s lives- something I am very passionate about!

A letter to the 18 year old me! Pre- M.S diagnosis

I wish I knew then what I know now!

Dear 18 year old me,

In 7 years time you will be diagnosed with M.S, an auto-immune disease that will greatly affect you and those you love. It’s not one thing that causes it, it’s everything! So here are a few tips of things that I have learnt along my journey that will prevent this from occurring.

*The world today is quite toxic, you must do all you can to remove toxins from your body. They are coming to you in the form of the food you eat, the air you breathe, the water you drink, the things you put on your skin and even your toxic thoughts.

*Please note that your often occurring farting is NOT ok just because you have 3 older brothers but a warning sign that something wrong is going on inside your gut. Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine 2000 years ago said “All chronic disease begins in the gut”

*So PLEASE investigate foods that you are intolerant to. Even though they may be ok for someone else, they are causing inflammation in YOUR gut.  I’ll save you the trouble.....for you its gluten and dairy!

*Please take note of the other warning signs, i.e.: the acne you’ve just developed especially as you never had it in your early teens when others did- another sign of inflammation in your body.  The little pot belly you’ve always had- it’s not just cause Mum has it too- It’s inflammation!

*I want you to get your mercury fillings removed that you had put in as a child; every time you chew toxic mercury vapour is released into your body. There is a strict protocol for the disposal of mercury into the environment but apparently it’s ok to put it in to people’s mouths!

*Please buy a water filter. The chlorine they put in the water to kill bacteria will also kill the good bacteria in your gut, imperatively needed for digestion. Not to mention the added fluoride in our water that is causing an iodine deficiency and your thyroid to slow.

*Don’t play with plastic toys and especially don’t put them in your mouth (hang on- your too old for toys, but I had to put that in to make it relevant to my blog!) Most plastic toys are made from non- renewable petroleum that contains many chemicals including arsenic, lead, bromine, chlorine, BPA, mercury and phthalates. If you don’t play with toys anymore be mindful of the amount of plastic you are exposed to. Packaged foods, receipts and food storage to name just a few.

*Pay attention to the things you are putting on your skin and using to cleaning your house (not that you have one yet) All of the products you are currently using contain chemicals. On average a woman puts 500 chemicals on her body per day through all her body care products! Recent research has classified that two chemicals commonly found in beauty products- parabens and phthalates as obesogens, meaning they promote fat storage in the body (remember phthalates in toys- hello chubby bubby!) MSG and fructose also have this same effect (rampant in processed foods these days) which brings me to the next tip.

*Just eat REAL food- not packaged, denatured chemically altered, low fat, high carb CRAP. Investigate into the Primal diet (It’s not a fad yet) But hey, it’s only been around for about 2 million years. It’s the way your paleolithic ancestors ate and they didn’t get M.S (or Alzheimer’s or cancer for that matter). Eat as organically as much as you can afford at each stage of your life. Eating organic grass fed meat is specifically important as grain-fed cattle are toxic! Your body stores toxins in your fat (hello muffin top) so the more toxins you ingest the more fat that will follow! Fat does not make you fat Jane- toxins do!

*Take note: DO NOT go running around like a headless chook, doing one thing only whilst thinking of the next task. It will only cause your adrenals to be exhausted. It is not your god given right as a woman to multi-task! Your future husband will break his leg 6 weeks before the wedding! You will run on adrenaline for weeks, working full time, organizing a wedding, and taking care of your beloved invalid. SLOW DOWN- this is just further depleting your adrenals, where cortisol is made, a hormone needed to calm the inflammation down consequently there because you’re living off low fat yogurt crap and exercising heaps too loose a few kilos for the wedding. Is there any wonder that you will suffer from you first M.S attack on your honeymoon!

*Quit your Interior design course half way through.  You don’t have to finish it just because you don’t like anything to get the better of you. It’s ok to reassess your life and take a different direction. You won’t enjoy decorating other people’s houses in the end anyway!

*So, find your life purpose! Hang on maybe you ARE supposed to get M.S so you can research all this stuff and spread the word to your family and friends?!

*The most important lesson that I have learnt is to be kind to yourself! If you talked to your friends the way you talk to yourself then you wouldn’t have any!!  You would never expect as much from them as you do yourself. YOU are the MOST important person in YOUR life (have you ever noticed that in EVERYTHING you do, you’re there?!)

Best of luck

Love from 33 year old me. Xx

The benefits of toy rotatation

Rotating toys is one of the easiest ways to deal with toy overload . 

“An avalanche of toys invites emotional disconnect and a sense of overwhelm".says Dr. Kim John Payne and hey if a Doctor says it, it must be true!

So what exactly are the benefits of changing my toys around monthly?

1. Inventiveness and fantasy blooms
2. Clean up time becomes a breeze
3. Less toys out equals more and deeper engagement
4. Siblings fight less
5. Everyday objects are reinvented and turned into toys
6. Over stimulation is easier to avoid
7. Children learn to play on their own
8. Toys are used in new ways
9. Teaches independence
10. You are better prepared for birthdays and holidays
11. MUM DOESN'T GO CRAZY WITH TOYS THROWN AROUND THE HOUSE EVERYWHERE!!!

Rotating toys with Mr Kipp and little Jimmy means it s all done for you. We drop off the toys, we pick them up (not off the floor- you have to do that part) and we clean them- easy!

What an awesome business! Supplier of the month- Plan toys!

Plan Toys are not only well-known for the first company in the world to manufacture wooden toys from preservative-free rubberwood, it is one of the leading companies to create new material and process to minimize waste up to zero. 

The toys are made from trees that no longer produce latex. The surplus sawdust and branches are used to make more toys and also placed in their Biomass generator to produce electricity for the whole factory and neighboring villages.

Their award winning wooden toys meet and exceed 8 different industry standards including toy safety, energy consumption and optimized packaging to name a few. Plan toys use no formaldehyde glue and organic paints! 

Their products come from extensive research into how children learn from play at each developmental stage. Each age bracket has a vast array of toys to suit each required skill. They have developed gross and fine motor toys, cause and effect toys, auditory and visual toys and social and emotional toys.

 Plan toys believe that throughout childhood, play serves as a means to develop physical abilities, cognitive skills, speech, and language understanding. While absorbed in play, children establish friendships, build self-esteem and learn new ways to solve problems. It is one of life’s great joys to watch children happily engaged in playing. By carefully choosing toys and providing a safe play area, parents can ensure that their children will make the most of this special time.

Sustainable play is the foundation of how our toys cultivate creative minds and bring children closer to nature. “Our children will grow up with knowledge and appreciation to respect and to preserve natural resources for the future generation knowing that they can make the world a better place”. Plan Toys has gained recognition globally and branched out its philosophy with natural aesthetic quality through wooden toys.

Plan Toys believes that everyone can contribute to a better world by playing sustainably. They recognize the importance of promoting good quality of life, balanced with the concern for environment. “As an environmentally and socially responsible private enterprise, we are proudly committed to our philosophy; dedication to minimizing our impact and effectively giving back to the nature and people in the society.” Plan Toys continually supports numerous social  responsibility causes.

What an awesome business that cares not only about the planet, it's employees and surrounding villages but also YOUR child!

Check out www.plantoys.com for the range of toys available

"So what's in it for me? (and my kid's of course)"Why hire from Mr Kipp and little Jimmy?

You may be asking that question and there are plenty of answers to that question....

1. The toys are beautiful timber toys that your little ones will get hours of creative and engaging play out of. When they get tired of playing with it or the toy breaks you won't have to store it  or chuck it out and replace it.

2. The toys will be delivered to you and picked up at a time and location that suits you. They will arrive in gorgeous baskets and will be clean! (with no residue or bacteria)

3. Hiring timber toys will stop the abundance of plastic toys slowly taking over your home. "An avalanche of toys invites emotional disconnect and a sense of overwhelm" says Dr Kim Payne and that's just the kids- what about the overwhelming feeling of mess for poor mum!

4. You'll be doing the planet a favor, but more importantly you will be doing your child's health a favor. Plastic toys have been known to contain harmful chemicals including Lead, pythalates and BPA. Lead poisoning in children can cause serious illness and developmental problems.

5. Spontaneous play is super important for kids as it develops a range of different qualities. Play for our children is their 'work'. Timber toys provide more interaction with the toy as they must push, pull, turn or connect parts of the toy. This leads to a more active mind.

6. Timber toys have no sharp edges. When a plastic toy breaks it can shatter into small pieces which can be dangerous for toddlers who put everything in their mouths!

Timber toys have so may positives, so what's the negative? They're expensive! especially when your little one tires of a toy in months. So that's why you should hire beautiful, safe, eco friendly toys from Mr Kipp and little Jimmy!