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!