Eco-friendly baby/family products MADE in USA

UPDATE: I am no longer an Ambassador as of 1/1/19, but I still LOVE the books very much & will continue to purchase them as a customer!

I’ve fallen so in love with our Barefoot Books collection that the rest of our collection really doesn’t seem to have much to offer. It all started when my Mom gifted my kiddos the Yoga cards deck. I had never heard of Barefoot Books prior to that. Seeing my 2 kiddos who rarely sit still, doing breathing exercises & practicing Double Downward Dog, I thought to myself: I wonder what else this company offers??  And the answer was: SO MUCH. Raising kids in rural WI means I need to make an effort to expose them to other cultures, and it is something that is very important to me to make a priority. We travel as much as possible, but what I LOVE about books is it brings a whole new world right to us, at home, usually in bed snuggled up together. Little-by-little we have added to our Barefoot library, and there is not a single book I do not find to be a great addition.  They are so colorful, from cover to cover, they are vibrant, beautifully illustrated & just truly great stories! If I had to pick a favorite, which is not easy, I would have to say it’s the Barefoot Book of Earth Tales. It features fabulous nature-inspired tales from several different cultures, and I just adore the lessons it weaves into these fabulous stories. We also have, and have thoroughly enjoyed, the Barefoot Books of:  Children, Animals, Pirates, Princesses, and there are still so many more that we have not yet added to our library.

Puzzles are an absolute favorite way to spend time together. We have several of their puzzles & love them! We have the 100 piece princess puzzle, which is definitely on the challenging side, even for me, but we manage to get it together. We also have & love: Growing a Garden (below) & the Fairy House (which I see is no longer available). There are many more puzzles available!

Games. I ADORE their games, for 1 main reason: they are cooperative, not competitive, what a fabulous idea……! We recently added The Fairy Game & it has been a big hit.

Before that we played the heck out of Dinosaur Escape. We also own Simple Math Lotto & Earth Science Bingo. And I cannot recommend Alphabet Go Fish highly enough. We took this with us on our trip to Belize last January, and we played soooo many games of it. It’s perfect for taking along in your purse, and we pulled it out numerous times when we had to wait for food in a restaurant, in an airport, etc, and it was fun, educational, and really helped pass the time for my less than patient kiddos.

YES, they are printed in China, this is the only part I dislike, and some of you may be surprised & turned off even, wondering why I would go against my made in USA mission?? I really, truly feel these books are THAT great, that I’m willing to overlook this detail. Also, they have a strong sustainability mission, and I truly believe are trying their very best to have the least environmental impact possible.

ABOUT: Our commitment to green business practices grows from the Barefoot team and our Ambassador community’s deep-rooted desire to lessen our impact on the planet. From sustainably sourced paper to vegetable-based ink, the materials that make up our books are ones that you can feel good about having in your classroom or home. Want to learn more? Find out how we’ve planted trees across the globe, and read on to learn how our production processes are contributing to a more sustainable future.

Paper

Paper is core to a publisher’s business. We want to protect the world’s remaining ancient forests and ensure that the forestry and paper manufacture undertaken on behalf of Barefoot Books is ethical and legal. The welfare of the people involved in and affected by the supply of paper to Barefoot Books is also of paramount importance to us.

Our printers do not use paper that contains pulp from illegal or unsustainable sources in the manufacture of our books. We use paper that has been graded 3* by the PREPS Grading System or certified by the FSC, the gold standard in forest management and responsibly sourced paper. We continue to work with our suppliers to improve the environmental credentials of our products. Our board books and activity books are made using recycled paper.

Ink

All of the ink used by our printers is vegetable based.

Manufacturing Standards

Barefoot Books supports a common, internationally recognized social accountability standard to cover working conditions, health and safety issues, remuneration, working hours and the prohibition of the use of child and forced labor . It’s called the CARE Process. It is the standard used by the global toy industry and is managed by their industry body, the International Council of Toy Industries (ICTI). All of our printing partners carry ICTI CARE certification.

Recycling

Our print suppliers have systems in place to feed paper offcuts and wastage back into their supply chain. Our packaging is made from recycled material and recycled again after use. We recycle as much as possible in our own offices.

Transporting books from the manufacturer to our warehouse

We tailor print runs to fill shipping containers. This reduces the number of sea and land journeys made on Barefoot Books’ behalf, allowing us control and reduce our carbon footprint.

I love that you can shop by age, subject or format and they offer great gift sets & story collections (Compassionate Citizens Set, on my list!). I find the website to be very organized and easy to navigate!