I really should be working, but it's so easy to get distracted!  I just had to share this one for future reference. 

One website had this list- I haven't looked at all of them, but seems like a good reference.

OTHER
"MADE IN
THE USA"
WEBSITES:

AllAmericanBaby.net
All-AmericanToys.com
AmericanMadeMatters.com
AmericanMadeToysNFurniture
AmericansWorking.com
AmericanToyStore.com
AmeriKid.com
BuyDirectUSA.com
DownToEarthToys.com
FatBrainToys.com
HomeTownUSA.com
HowToBuyAmerican.com
MadeByYankees.net MadeInUSA.com
MadeInUSA.org
MadeInUSAForever.com
NicoAndZoe.com
ShopForAmerica.com
StillMadeInUSA.com
SupportTheUSA.com
ToysOfUSA.com
USAB2C.com
USMadeToys.com

This one's interesting.  An indoor swing. 
http://www.playawaytoy.com/toddlerswing.aspx

If I need a nursing cover, this one is nice:
http://www.2jackaroo.com/wraps.html

I can't stop . . .
Here's a company I have never heard of that does All US teethers, duckies, toys, and an AppCrayon (really, they make it.)  
http://www.dano2.com/

All USA wood train sets (tracks and all), in addition to USA wooden rattlers and teethers:
Made in Vermont.
http://www.maplelandmark.com/

And lots of other wooden toys and things.

And one more picture, what every little boy needs when he gets a little older:

And one last thing about these wooden toys, they're not expensive, at all!  Here's a Jeep for 4.50.

Clothing (baby and adult) made in SC, mostly from Bamboo. 
http://www.bamboosa.com/

Leather Baby booties: http://www.footwearbyfootskins.com/store/item.asp?Category=7&SubCategoryID=&GroupID=&SKU=100
What baby doesn't need these?  They also have older ages.  I wouldn't mind the adult slippers myself! (the adult ones are a little pricey for me, but then again, they are genuine leather and natural sheepskin, so really not too bad.)

Made in USA toothbrushes, for all age groups:  http://www.radiustoothbrush.com/purebabytoothbrush-3.aspx Available at Target, Whole Foods, and more.

Well, I still haven't found a "pack 'n play" but certainly plenty of other stuff!  And, there's still more to look at, later though. 

We got a swaddle blanket from a company that makes most of their stuff in US too.  So I checked out their website and they have some other nice things.

www.swaddledesigns.com

You have to read the descriptions though, cuz their "body suit" (onesie) is Imported, whereas this wearable blanket is USA.

We also got a pacifier clip as a gift from a company called MAM.  They aren't USA, but it looks like they are all European, with no production in China from what I gather on their website.  They make pacifiers, teethers, bottles and cups, & oral care (toothbrushes.)  Just in case Walter decides he doesn't like USA pacifiers/bottles! 

http://www.mambaby.com/mam/home,26794.html

Hoohobbers

Found a company that manufactures all of their stuff in Chicago.  They make moses baskets, and linens, and diaper bags (should we need another,) but most importantly, Baby Rockers (bouncy chairs.)

And for future reference, fold-up rocking horses:

And much more . . .

Their website:  http://www.hoohobbers.com/index.html
Their stuff is also on Amazon. 

Strollers, Car Seats, Carriers, Oh My!

It's time to choose our baby seat/carrier/stroller and to decide whether to do all-in-one, or separates.  So, today I took a look at what Britax has to offer. 

There are 2 strollers to consider, since JP wants 3 wheel.  One of them has a double wheel in the front, so I'll have to see what he thinks, but there are some pros and cons to each- like the one with the double front wheel is much lighter.  Both of these strollers carry the kid up to 55 lbs, and can be integrated with Britax's infant car seats.  But before I compare the two, let's look at our 3 options:

1- Buy a "Next Generation Convertible Car Seat" which fits 5-70 lbs, but is not a carrier and does not fit in a stroller.  Thus, use no carrier and/or body-fit carrier and look at stroller options.  "B-Agile" stroller fits infant up to 55lbs.  "B-Scene" without infant car seat fits 6 months up to 55 lbs.  Instead of car seat, we could buy the bassinet accessory to make it work for an infant. 


1- Buy a "Chaperone" or "B-Safe" infant car seat that fits 4-30 lbs, and up to 42" or less height (which seems to be between 1-2 years old.)  Buy the "B-Scene" or "B-Agile" Stroller, which are compatible with these infant seats.  The seat is a carrier, and fits the strollers.  But, a new car seat would have to be purchased at 1-2 years old.  

We need to call around and find a store that has both strollers in stock so that we can try them out and compare them, and then once we decide on car-seat, we have to find a store that stocks the one we want so we can fit it in our vehicles. 

Buy Buy Baby has them on their website, and we do have a 20% off single item coupon, and 10% off registry items.
B-Agile= 249.99  B-Scene= 399.99  Chaperone= 229.99  B-Safe 179.99
Chaperone extra base = 89.99  B-Safe extra base = 79.99

Smart Momma also has them on their website:
B-Agile (only available in red) = 199.99
B-Safe and B-Agile combo (red) = 335.99
B-Safe= 139.99  B-Safe extra base= 76.99
Chaperone= 199.99  Black/Silver= 179.99  Chaperone extra base= 74.99
B-Scene not listed

Tots to Teens website has:
Neither Stroller
Chaperone= 229.99 Chaperone extra base= 89.99

Babies 'R Us website shows:
B-Agile= 249.99  B-Scene= 399.99
Chaperone= 183.99
B-Safe = 143.99  B-Safe extra base= 79.99

No more local stores listed.
Here's a peek at Amazon:
B-Scene= 339.99 +6.49 ship
B-Agile= 194.99 (free ship with amazon prime)
B-Safe= 139.99 (free ship w/ prime)  B-Safe extra base= 71.36 (free sh w/ prime)
Chaperone= 165.93 (prime)  Chap extra base = 85.09 (prime)
B-Agile & B-Safe combo= 346.77 (prime)

The Britax website lists the "Next Generation Convertible Car Seats" ranging from 199.99-379.99
They list their other car seats from 111.99-379.99
Buy Buy Baby seems to use MSRP, so that's who would have these prices, but others would be less.  


Well, guess I should get to some real work to help pay for all this!   

Another Ribbon

We have a couple items from this company, but I love them all, so I must post them and not forget them either.  All of their products are Made in the USA!

Green Toys & Green Eats

http://www.greentoys.com/index.html
http://www.greentoys.com/greeneats/index.html

Great stuff.

Another ribbon around my finger . . .

Little Tikes makes stuff in the USA, and labels it on their website!  http://www.littletikes.com/

They seem to tell you if it's made in the USA, but if it's not, they don't tell you where it's made. 

I added a couple things to our Buy Buy Baby Registry.  This one isn't on their site, and is for 9+ months anyway, so for future reference:  Push & Ride Racer: http://www.littletikes.com/kids-toys/push-ride-racer

They have toddler swings and outdoor toy chests made in the USA if we decide we need those things.  

They also have lots of cool stuff for over 1 year old.  Wagons, cars, sandboxes, rocking horses (dogs even), outside play-sets, and more.


He needs to hurry up and learn how to sit up! 

Before I Forget

Alright, time is drawing near, so I'm doing some more searching, and just need to copy a few things here so that I can remember them.  I haven't seen any body carriers that are Made in the USA, but I did find one that's not made in China. 

It's by Step2, who makes a lot, but not all, of their products in the US.  This carrier isn't listed on either of my registry sites, so I know I'll forget it if I don't post it here.  It's 29.99 on http://www.step2.com/p/Infinity-5-in-1-Carrier.

Infinity™ 5-in-1 Carrier

Convertible 5-in-1 Carrier with three carrying positions, padded shoulder straps, an attachable bib and hood. Made in Thailand.

• 3 carrying positions let baby face-in, face-out or ride backpack style
• 2 seating positions: Shopping cart and dining chair restraint
• Padded shoulder straps for all day comfort
• Padded head and back support
• Dual adjustable side openings for easy in and out
• Built-in hood protects baby from sun and rain
• Carrier detaches from straps for easy washing
• Accessory pocket
• Suitable for babies 8-26 lbs (3.6-11.8 kg)
• Infantino product number: 200-437
• Watch video of how to use this carrier

Love the Step2 website, cuz they actually tell you on each product where it is made, which is rare.

Went through their whole infant website.  Here's all of their Made in USA stuff for infants:

-Play Up Toddler Swing & Slide™ http://www.step2.com/p/Play-Up-Toddler-Swing-Slide

-Sizzlin' Shapes Kitchen

Cook up the fun in this shape-sorting kitchen. Made in USA with components made in China.  http://www.step2.com/p/Sizzlin-Shapes-Kitchen

-Sports-tastic Activity Center™

Customer Reviews (20)

Slide & dunk, kick & climb! Made in USA of US and imported parts. Some parts made in China.  http://www.step2.com/p/Sports-tastic-Activity-Center

-Toddler Swing

Customer Reviews (120)

An easy loading and comfortable swing seat for children ages 9 to 36 months. Made in USA of US and imported parts. Ropes and harness made in China.  http://www.step2.com/p/Toddler-Swing

-Up & Down Elephant™

Slide off the nose on this cute, elephant-styled activity center! Made in USA.  http://www.step2.com/p/Up-Down-Elephant


That's it in the Infant category- most of their Made in USA stuff is for the older age categories.  But they do have a whole list of Made in USA for future reference:  http://www.step2.com/made-in-usa/

 

Local Store

We stopped in to the local store that I found when I was looking at diaper bags online.  Unfortunately, they did not have the bags in stock (they can order them.)  But, the owner was very knowledgeable about where everything is made.  All of her furniture is USA or Canada.  All of her bedding is made in America.  She had hundreds of swatches to choose from- it was overwhelming! 

She did have a crib/armoire set on sale that was kind of enticing.  It's made in Canada.  It is convertible and she is selling all the conversion pieces with it.  Here's a picture:

Here's the matching armoire, which supposedly we could put the changing table inside, but it doesn't seem wide enough for the kid to get very big, even though in a perfect world, I wouldn't still be changing diapers that long! 

In fact the dimensions are 39.75" W x 18" D x 72.25".  So, I guess they're out of diapers by 40"?  It just didn't look all that roomy!  

Well, it's something to think about anyways.  I wasn't going to buy any furniture besides the crib and the glider, so I'm not sure.  Having everything enclosed does sound nice, but is it worth the extra dough?  Cuz, even though it's on sale, it's still more than just buying the Young America crib by itself!

The bedding option I think I remember is Bella Notte. 

http://www.bellanottelinens.com/#/products/baby/20100503_bnl_120

I can't remember the rest, but there were tons of swatches.  Something to think about.

Oh, and the store is Oh Baby!/dilly dally in North Hills. 

Rug

We are going for the ultimate in "Made in USA" for the rug in the nursery, and if that turns out well, possibly for the dining and upstairs living rooms as well.  The cost of the rug is also going to help offset some of the costs with the crib that we like. 

So, what is super made in the USA, very economical, very easy to clean, and doesn't house dust mites? 

Well, a homemade canvas floor-cloth!  I have found examples of fabric and painted ones, and due to it's clean-ability, and lack of dust mites, I am going to paint my own! We actually saw examples of these this past weekend in Charleston, as they date back all the way to the 1700s.

There are lots of webpages with instructions for DIY floor-cloths/canvas rugs.  Here are some that people have handmade themselves!  I found these all over the internet.

 There are also tons of sites filled with professional canvas floor-cloths, but I am sure my finished product will not compare, so I'll leave those out there on their own part of the internet. 

Sending Emails Works

I emailed Kolcraft to ask which of their products are made in the USA, since I couldn't really find the info on their website.  They got back to me very quickly with this reply:

Hello Amy,

Presently, our mattresses and walkers are made here in the US. Our strollers and bassinets are made in China.

Sincerely,

Nedda Lujan

Manager Consumer Services- PHR

So, guess I'll have to check out their walkers too.

Crib Mattress

My mom mentioned to me something about a product she found that was made in the US by Kolcraft.  So I took a second to check out their website.  It is really hard to see where most of their stuff is made from their website so I did a search on it and found that their crib mattresses are not only made in the US, but right here in North Carolina, the state I am proud to call home!  In their NC plant they make their brand, Kolcraft, along with Contours, and Sealy.  And, all of the Sealy mattress pads are manufactured in Nebraska. Yea!

Still don't know where the rest of Kolcraft's stuff is made though.  I wish companies put more information on their websites!

A Few Things to Look In To

Well, I don't have time to do any looking into things today, but I wanted to jot them down so that I don't forget!  My mom and I went to the Tots to Teens store the other day and found some noteworthy items.

1.  They have a really cool indoor play room and party room!  It is open for Open Play Monday-Friday 10-3, and also whenever it is not booked for a party outside of those times.  It costs just $5/per child/per session.  And the parties are reasonable too.  It'll be quite a while 'till I'll be using it for my own kid, but if I ever need somewhere cool to take a little one, I'll be there. 

2.  They had car seats and strollers made in the USA.  The brand is Britax, and I'll need to check them out sometime.   www.BritaxUSA.com

3.  They had a car seat assembled in the USA by Recaro.  It looks like a pretty international company, so I'll have to look in to that further sometime too.

4.  They had cute made in the USA crib bedding called Glenna Jean.  Looks kinda pricey, but maybe with more time we can find a good deal.

5.  Another crib bedding company that they carried had some made in USA and some made in China.  The American stuff was always more expensive, but again, since we have plenty of time, maybe we can find a deal.  That brand is Banana Fish. 

So, I looked really quick and instantly saw this on http://www.glennajean.com/. 

And, oh my gosh, they are so cute!  Choosing one looks like it would be nearly impossible. I was going to put a picture, but I just can't.  You'll have to look for yourself!

Oops, thought of 2 more that I almost left out:

6.  According to the guy working there, rocker/gliders by Little Castle are Made in the US.  I want to check for myself, but they sure were comfy. 

7.  He also said that the other brand of rocker/gliders that they carry, Dutailier, are made in Canada.  I know I said I'm trying to be All-American, but I like Canada too, and might be willing to make an exception.  But, I haven't confirmed it yet for myself, so we'll see.  Besides, they weren't as comfy as the other ones.

Woo hoo, I took a brief look and found this on Little Castle's website, http://www.littlecastleinc.com/, "All made in the USA."

Alright, back to work for me.  I'm going to have to work extra hard for some of the nice things I have found!!

Bag

One mommy essential that I have had my eye on, is the diaper bag.  Every one of these I have seen in any store, has been made in China.  So, I decided to browse the good-ole internet and see what I could come up with.  I came across this site, and it seems to have some nice designs, and not crazy expensive (or at least not more than all the made in China bags I have seen.)

The website: http://www.sallyspicerbags.com/collections/baby-bags
According to their website, I can find them locally at Oh Baby!/Dilly Dally at North Hills.  Guess I need to stop in there sometime!

Here's a few of the options:

About the bags from their website: The original Sally Spicer Diaper Bag, equipped with two bottle holders, a bevy of pockets (three on the inside, 1 exterior), a removable changing pad and a magnetic snap closure. Polyvinyl waterproof bottom and lining with web handles. H12 x W15 x D6.5. Made in the San Francisco, USA, start to finish!

Tell me what you think!  

Crib

So, one of the major baby items is, of course, the crib!  Today, we checked out a local store, Tots to Teens Furniture and found a whole line of Made in the USA cribs and other furniture!  It is very exciting, because not only are the cribs and furniture made in NC and VA, but we can buy them locally!

The store:  http://www.totstoteensfurniture.com/
The crib/furniture brand:  http://www.youngamerica.com/

We really like the Built To Grow Cribs that can go from baby crib, to toddler bed, all the way to a double bed.  I think this one is my favorite:

If you read this (this means you, mom!) tell me what you think!