Posts Tagged "Baby Essentials"

We had the opportunity to interview Annalisa Thomas of Oilo.  Oilo is Co-founded by a mother daughter duo, Annalisa Thomas and Dorte Anderson—Oilo offers the modern mom a fresh new approach to high quality, designer-level contemporary nursery and home décor without the designer price tag.  Thomas is a former art director and graphic designer and Anderson, an interior designer with more than 25 years of custom interior design expertise.  The design history between this tremendous duo is outstanding. I love the modern style of Oilo’s collection—the colors are beautiful and the symmetrically shaped designs are just PERFECT!  Annalisa is such a sweetheart– she is sharing nursery tips with us all.

 Love!

Now, I’ll stop blabbing and introduce you to 1/2 of the creative genius of Oilo and mother of two adorable babies…

Annalisa Thomas

You and your mother are both co- founders of Oilo.  How do you make things work considering you and your mother both have a history in design, do you ever differ in design opinion? 

Definitely. But I feel like it pushes us both in directions we probably wouldn’t have explored had we done it alone. And when we both finally love the same design, we know it’s a winner.

Would you attribute the contemporary style of Oilo to your graphic design background?

I think it definitely has influenced me. I studied graphic design in Switzerland for a semester and fell in love with their simple graphics. My mom was also born in Denmark, so I’m not sure if it’s already in my blood, but I love Scandinavian design. Its sleek clean lines have always appealed to me.

Many celebrities love the modern sleek style of Oilo for their baby’s room; Oilo is perfectly priced for everyone to enjoy quality bedding for their children’s nursery.  Do you have a favorite collection that would work for parents who are a bit more traditional but want a little more of a modern edge?

I’ve seen a designer use the cobblestone for a more traditional room. The designer used an iron ornate crib and heavy drapes and the crib set looked amazing. You see many designers doing this right now—adding a modern product with a more eclectic or traditional piece to give it a new vibe. I love it!

One of the first things parents are asked is “What is the theme of your baby’s nursery?” is it necessary to have a theme?  If Grandma just needs you to have a theme how can you work in a theme with a little Oilo style?

When most people hear the word “theme” they immediately think of their great aunts scrapbook pictures of rooms decorated with bunny rabbits or elephants bordered along the ceiling, but a theme does not have to be full of characters. Many people don’t realize that picking a color palette derived from white sand beaches or nautical sailboats can also be a theme. You’re just doing it without throwing cartoons in everyone’s face.

Safety is key when planning a nursery for your baby do you have any tips on making sure baby’s nursery is free of danger and how does Oilo ensure safety?

We have a safety page on our site that informs mothers of crib bedding safety. Although we offer blankets, we made sure to call them “play” blankets so moms know they are only for “play time” not for the crib, where there is a higher risk of suffocation in young babies.

For parent’s who cannot paint their baby’s nursery what suggestions do you have to bring in color and life to plain walls?

I’m not a crafty person, nor do I like to spend the money on hiring someone to come paint, so I rarely paint rooms from the original colors I picked—which is usually a neutral color so I can easily swap a room from an office, to girl’s room, to a boy’s room if I choose. That being said I use art, bedding, contrasting furniture, accessories, drapes and multiple textures to spice up a room. I never let a boring wall color get me down. If anything I feel like it’s an opportunity to do more with everything else.

Oilo has some of the most gorgeous glider chairs I have ever seen, why is it important to have a glider chair for those new parents who don’t know…. yet?

Getting a good glider has been my best purchase yet. When you are a first time mom you don’t realize how much time you will be spending in a glider. My friends and I were just laughing about how 10 hours of each day with a newborn is spent feeding the baby, so it’s no wonder you don’t get anything done! So you may as well come to terms with it and get comfy. Get a comfy, easy-to-clean glider, like Oilo’s and load yourself with books, magazines, lots of water (I never knew nursing could make you so thirsty), a snuggly blanket, and a good nursing pillow, because when that newborn arrives you will quickly realize this spot is your new home! {agreed!}

Then before you know it that newborn is not so tiny anymore, but a busy, busy toddler who won’t sit still for more than two seconds, except at night when they are so exhausted from their toddler exploring day, which then you can squeeze in a few more cuddles while rocking them to sleep.

If you had to give a new parent one tip when planning baby’s nursery what would it be?

Pick three things you absolutely love then slowly build around those items, making sure everything coordinates along the way. It sounds too simple, but it works every time.

What a pleasure to have Annalisa share these wonderful tips!  I encourage you all to please go check out

www.oilostudio.com and connect with Oilo on Facebook and Twitter.

What does your baby's room look like? Theme or no theme?

Jessica Alba and Christopher Gavigan at an Honest.com Launch party{source}

It was such an honor to interview an amazing parent who is trying to make changes in this big world.  Christopher Gavigan is the co-founder of The Honest Co, he is also a nationally recognized environmental health leader, author, and speaker, and the former CEO / Executive Director of Healthy Child Healthy World, a national nonprofit focused on protecting children’s health through sustainable, nontoxic family lifestyles. He sits on the Board of Directors of Mount Sinai Hospital’s Children Environmental Health Center, is a Chief Advisor to the Green Product Innovation Institute and on the Advisory Board of UCLA’s Environmental Health Science Department.

What made you become so environmentally focused? 

There was this lawn service company that would come spray our lawn when I was eight or nine and within 24 hours our lawn was this animated green.  I had three brothers and we would go play near the stream that was in front of our home.  Within the first 48 hours of the company coming to our home the fish in the stream were dead.  We asked our Dad, “What is happening?”  I was saddened and appalled, and so was our father.

The chemical fertilizer the company used had seeped into the stream and was killing the fish.  This for me was a turning point, we all live in this connected world.

I got my bachelors degree in environmental science and studies, and I did a lot of work with young children.  With the work I did with young children I was perplexed that certain homes I walked into– the families used fairly toxic chemicals around their children. There was one home that I call the Vanilla home—you walked in and a vanilla aroma hit you.  The house had vanilla spray, vanilla candles, and vanilla potpourri—you name it.  The child in the home had severe asthma and eczema and the asthma was being triggered I have no doubt about it by these toxins. After a month of taking all these things out of the home {as I demanded the mother to do} this child’s asthmatic symptoms were diminished.  He was taken off his inhalers after 3 months and essentially asthma free after year.  I saw the link—there were many instances like this and I saw what we do to our environment. Not just out there like the rivers and streams but in our own homes.

I myself have a child with asthma and eczema but I have seen a big difference since changing my lifestyle.  We haven’t used an inhaler in quite a while– what you just said is like a light bulb moment for me.

Yes, this chemical on slot in everyday living is affecting these last two generations and we have seen an increase in asthma, eczema, learning disabilities, behavioral delays, and reproductive disorders.  It’s really really scary You look at the American Academy of Pediatrics and American Cancer Society that says 89% of Cancers are environmentally linked.  This means that something happens during your life from the environment to your body that causes cancer.  89%.  It is a dramatic world and a dramatic shift of thinking and for people and the consciousness of people. That is why we felt so strongly when we were developing this company, that number one we are here as an educational platform to inform parents and help them with resources to minimize chemical exposure. As well it would be nice to sale products.

Would you say the number one thing that parent’s gain from purchasing from The Honest Company would be reducing chemicals?

Yeah, well it is piece of mind. Parents want to know that there is one trusted source that has curated and cultivated and manufactured, and has this philosophy and ethos in mind that we want to minimize the amount of harsh synthetics we want to use less petroleum. We only use ingredients that are the highest quality and the most stable and certainly the most historically proven in the market place.

Moms and Dads can be assured that we have done astringent testing and really astringent formulation.  These are some of the safest products you will find in the market as well as effective—I mean they have to work.  For a diaper not to work it is not going to be a winner– our diapers work.

As a mother of three I appreciate a drop-off service. I have had groceries dropped off, I know sometimes it is hard to have organic/green choices—I think this option is great for busy parents.  However, why a monthly subscription? 

We feel that it is a convenience.  Certainly will be rolling out a store shortly. However with market research and discussion and the founders we all have children under 4 ½ years old we all have two children (you could hear his proud papa smile here) I actually have a third on the way.  We were all saying “wouldn’t it be great to have one package show up with all our monthly needs.”  The bundle philosophy grew “I wont have to think about things for the whole month”– or for six weeks in the case of our family essentials bundle. What we found is it really resonated with a lot of people. They knew it would all come from one source, beautifully packaged in a timely manner and they only had to click once.  That monthly subscription truly peeked the interest with a lot people and with us too.  We created a brand we wanted, and we think The Honest Co. represents the young and modern parent.

I personally have been criticized for buying natural, green, or organic products. Many people do not feel the cost for green or organic products are worth the extra money, what do you say to that?

It is really an insurance policy you would rather pay a little extra now for the safest and healthiest products you can find for your children, as oppose to those products that haven’t been tested.  If you call any of the major manufactured diaper companies and ask what their ingredients are they wont tell you, they won’t tell you in an email, they don’t list it on the product or their website.  In order to get that information you have to get it thorough your doctor but the doctor can only get that info if your child is severely allergic to one of their ingredients– otherwise they won’t tell you. This whole smoke in mirrors is really confusing for people, and they outsource their trust to these major manufacturers and major retailers.  What is on store shelves today and what the reality and the regulatory landscape is , is that product manufacturers do not have to test their products for health and safety until it has been deemed unsafe. Asbestos is still not listed as an unhealthy ingredient that should not be used in building materials. Consumers and builders know the effects of asbestos and refrain from using it.  We have known the effects of asbestos for over 30 years.

And that is why I would tell parents that I would rather pay 10% or 20% more now then in 20 years have cancer or something you don’t know will happen.  It is a precautionary step for your children’s future to use the safest products.

How would you say your prices fare for the average American household?

Parents aren’t use to seeing bundles in a grouping, I challenge parents to look at their diaper bill over the course of a month and see how much they are paying. We are in line if not less because along with the diapers you receive a full months worth of wipes. This package is $79.95, which is under $20 a week.

Sadly, most people’s ecological footprint is not at the forefront daily, what does your company do to ensure there is a lessened impact (packaging, transportation)? 

The Honest Company uses ground shipping which has a 60% less impact than air.  Shipping goes directly to the consumer. The Honest Company works with the UPS, which is now a carbon neutral company. Our packaging is 30% post consumer recycled and the package is 100% recyclable.

With that said what do you say to those that are questioning the sale of disposable diapers versus cloth?

I think cloth diapering is a fantastic decision, however most people are unable to do so.  I applaud those parents that do.  Nonetheless the usage for disposable diapers is 98% (I’m part of that 98%.. me too).  We will be offering a diapering option shortly.  I applaud The Honest Company for that.

It was truly enlightening talking with Christopher.  I enjoyed hearing the passion in his voice, for The Honest Co., the health of children, and our future.