Bringing Up Baby: What You Really Need (And Don't)

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Baby Videos
The Baby Einstein series (the progenitor of the baby-video species and now a $165 million business) employs gentle, infantilized classical music and placid images of toys. But is there any reason we should introduce our children to television before they have mastered the art of eating solid food? The American Academy of Pe­diatrics recommends that children age two and under watch no television at all. It's really not hard to keep an infant entertained without resorting to the box. (Have I mentioned the revelatory thrills of Tupperware?)

Five Good Things
Sleepers/Creepers
Experts on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) advise against using blankets, pillows or bumpers in the infant's crib. Instead, tuck your baby into a sleepsack made in India by a cooperative ($39.99), elastic-bottom nightdress ($19.99) or snug-fitting, footed creeper ($29.99), all certified-organic cotton from Ecobaby.com. Also see new organic cotton baby outfits at hannaanderson.com.

Baby Bunting
To keep your baby toasty in the stroller, bundle him into Patagonia's Synchilla hooded bunting, made from post-consumer-recycled fleece ($64; patagonia.com).

Sling
Most babies love these things. What more is there to say? The Natural Baby Catalog website offers an organic-cotton sling that is sleeker and less bulky than some versions ($49.95; shop.store.yahoo.com).

A Chair That Grows
When a child has outgrown her high chair, most parents opt for a booster seat. But boosters sometimes don't fit securely on a grown-up chair, are often hard to clean and leave the child's legs dangling unsupported. The Stokke Kinder-zeat, made of beechwood from well-managed European forests and finished with formaldehyde-free stains, is a nice alternative. The chair, for children 18 months and up, has a pleasingly minimalist design. Because the seat is completely adjustable and sturdy enough to support 300 pounds, your baby can take it to college as a desk chair ($199; for local retailers, see stokkeusa.com, or call 877-978-6553).

Wooden Toys
It's hard to be a total snob about plastic toys—they're relatively inexpensive and are undeniably appealing to children. But plastic, especially PVC vinyl, may contain lead, a neurotoxin; cadmium, a carcinogen; and phthalates, which have been linked to liver and kidney damage and cancer in animals. All of these can leach onto children's hands and into their mouths. Solid wood toys are a safer bet. A set of 30 smooth wood blocks, made from reclaimed maple, black walnut, mahogany and cherry, and finished with food-grade walnut oil, is a classic toy that encourages open-ended, creative play ($20; poppywood.com).

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