We talk a lot about tea sets and tea parties in our house (what with all the repeated reads of A Bargain for Frances), and reader Cathleen recently wrote in about a chic eco-friendly toy line that includes a tea set that I plan on getting for Laurel. Cathleen writes: “I recently saw Green Toys products in a store in New Hampshire…They are made from recycled milk jugs, made in the USA, have no Bisphenol-A, and are SO cute to boot!” In addition to the tea set, Green Toys offers cookware and dining, indoor gardening, and sand play sets.

Laurel recently has decided to make her opinion of my periodic “thrill of the bid” shopping habits known; she yells “Ebay!” then laughs hysterically.

The shopping does serve a function, though. I recently picked up a 10-piece set of Russian nesting dolls on Ebay (we discovered while visiting relatives that she loves the nesting and un-nesting) and they have been a huge hit with Laurel and her older toddler friends (i.e., the ones past the stage of mouthing everything).

And in addition to offering impressive practice with shape sorting, matching, and hand/eye coordination, Laurel’s curiosity has resulted in a lot of conversation about artists (“Who made these dolls?”), the Russian Federation (“Where are these dolls from?”), and culturally oriented craftsmanship (“Why do Russian artists make these?”). When we’re not engaged in Q&A, the dolls also have kept Laurel busy independently to give me a little time to prep dinner, pick up around the house, or check my e-mail.

Our friends Andrew and Nooshi are similarly resistant to battery-operated toys so a visit to their home typically guarantees learning about some nifty, classic toy options. Laurel and Jack couldn’t get enough of this Choral Top ($16.95 at Amazon). The pump action creates a whirl of bright color and triggers the sounding of harmonious tones. The latter vaguely reminded me of some of the experimental stimuli I used to monkey around with during my research days, but I won’t hold it against this cool classic.

Babies born in the Year of the Pig (this year, between February 18, 2007 and February 6, 2008) are friendly and loyal souls who crave creature comforts; no doubt they’ll find confidants in some of these amazing cuddly pigs from the ever-awesome Oompa Toys.

Among Oompa’s soft and squishy pig collection is the German patchwork Rollie Pollie Pig (shown; $24.99), the 100% organic cotton Lana Pig, the ultra cuddly Jellycat triumvirate of Large Truffles Pig, Slackajack Piglet, and Bunglie Pig, and the Peruvian hand knit Blabla Pig Rattle.

And for piggy banks off the beaten path, check out Oompa’s groovy, mod Posh Pig Banks and the bright and cheery Haba Piggy Bank.

Infants are all about oral, and my pal Paige’s son loves his Sophie Giraffe ($18.95 at Craftsbury Kids). Made of fine rubber and food quality paints, this classic French toy is designed to soothe teething gums and stimulate the senses through its squeaky, easily graspable figure.

What will they think of next? End your days of crawling around picking up broken crayons with Crayola’s Twistable Crayons (available at CVS in various widths and numbers). A mama pal originally got them to deal with her toddler son’s waxy oral fixation; these crayons also serve as a fun means to sort and name colors, in addition to the usual scribbling.

The Georello Jungle is a classic example of why I don’t include listed age limits for toys and books; rather, I note developmental aspects of the item that would mesh with wherever your babe is at.

This super cool toy is part puzzle, part color learning tool, part mechanics 101 lesson. The Georello Jungle is the one toy in our house that garners play irrespective of age (e.g., 21 months to about 60 years!). Toddlers love locking the base puzzle pieces together and, as I recently discovered, matching the colors of the animals to the colors of the base pieces. Adults cannot resist attempting to construct super cool, spinning gear patterns.

The 50-piece set includes base pieces, meshing gears, wild animals, and palm trees. I picked mine up at Henry Bear's Park (Huron Village, Arlington Center); also available at Amazon for $15.99.

While I love trundling around little boutiques on foot, sometimes one stop shopping is the way to go. Boston area mama Jeniphir Taylor-McIntire, a sales consultant for Natural Family Boutique, recently pointed me to her online store.

Natural Family Boutique offers eco-friendly products to support families from conception to weaning. The site offers Haba toys (my favorite toy line, period!) and apparel for babes, indulgent jewelry, spa, and home items for mamas, and lots of products for new parents (breastfeeding, baby care, and cloth diapering supplies, pregnancy, birth and postpartum products, books & CDs, slings). The site also offers resource material on breastfeeding, pregnancy and birth, nutrition, parenting, natural living, and activism.

Host a mama’s night out NFB party with Jenipher and get discounts and freebies along the way. Send Jenipher an email to find out more.

UPDATE 8/15/07: Sadly, Natural Family Boutique has closed its virtual doors. Please visit our category links to the left for more fabulous toy, gear, and pregnancy resources.

I know there are issues with traffic congestion and pollution, but those problems aside, oh what a happy day it would be if IKEA ever arrived in Somerville. Meanwhile, head to Stoughton for your Scandinavian fix. Where else can you get these super fun Mula stack and nest cups? The set of seven cups is $2.49 and is a hit with babes who love building towers or putting objects inside other objects.

If you haven’t been to IKEA before, here are a few shopping tips: 1) arrive as early as possible before the crowds build up; 2) pick up a retail slip at the beginning of the journey or bring pen and paper to jot down location/item information for items that only live in the warehouse at the end of the yellow brick road; 3) jot down backup items in case the item you want is not in stock in the warehouse. The fact that you can get all the way to the end before knowing your product is out of stock is a major problem with the system.

And be sure to clean up your babe’s paws if he/she plays in the kids’ area. Our babe caught a cold immediately after our last visit.