Like most of America, our family is feeling the pinch in this crazy economy. We've always been the frugal type and, this year, we're trying to make gift-giving count. If we're going to spend hard-earned dollars on buying something for our kids or family and friends, we want to make sure that item wasn't made with nasty chemicals that 1) will make our kids sick, and 2) was made in a way that supports human rights and a healthy and environment. 

The Ecology Center recently published updated ratings on thousands of toys on its site Healthytoys.org. You can search by toy type or brand and even suggest your own for testing. It's a great tool to share with friends and family members who might be buying a gift for a child in your life. 

Another great tool that goes one step further is GoodGuide.com. As the name implies, the site provides ratings and gives you the lowdown on whether a product is "good" or not. The site includes ratings for personal care products, cleaning products, and most recently, toys. GoodGuide will tell you whether an product was tested on animals, if the company employs child labor, or if the product contains harmful ingredients. There is even a free application for iPhone users so you can check out a product while on the go. So if you want to know delve a bit deeper into whether a favorite "good" product is also made by a good company, check it out in the GoodGuide.

Finally, if you're the crafty type, check out www.make-baby-stuff.com  for inspiration and instructions on how to make your own toys and baby clothes using recycled materials. I picked up four wool sweaters at Goodwill this morning that I hope to turn into hand puppets and hats!

Trying to do with less, is definitely the way to go to support our planet and make it easy on our pocketbooks this holiday season. But if we do have to buy, let's do our best to make sure that what we do buy keeps our family safe and supports companies doing right by the planet and its people.