Celebrity Parents are Going Greener

Just last year Mattel, Fisher-Price and others pulled millions of Chinese-manufactured, lead-containing toys off the market. The chair of Toys R Us even issued a missive about how his company is handling the crisis. Suddenly, toy safety became a parent's primo worry.

These days, moms are itching from the recent rash of reports about scary ingredients in certain baby products. As has been widely reported, including in The Daily Green, some powders, lotions and shampoos are linked to higher levels of phthalates, which can cause reproductive and neurological damage in wee ones.

Gwyneth Paltrow with daughter Apple and mom Blythe Danner.

Happily, there are safe alternatives. Coco Arquette tells Mom, Courteney Cox, to buy Little Twig, a sensitive bath-product line, because the 3-year-old wants her baby-soft skin to last a lifetime. Even little Apple Martin wards off harsh Big Apple winter-skin blues with Little Twig's organic and chemical-free products, because she knows her eco-loving parents, Gwyneth and Chris, approve.

Courteney Cox and husband David Arquette.

The organic and safe baby-products sector is so green-hot that one of the most crowded pre-Golden Globes gifting suites wasn't Jimmy Choo or Chanel, it was Mustela, a European hypoallergenic baby-products line. Moms Denise Richards, Joely Fisher and Chandra Wilson scored swag alongside pregger stars Rena Sofer, Nia Long and Melissa Joan Hart. And twin-bump-sporter J-Lo supposedly stocked up for her soon-to-be Jenny and Jimmy from the block.

Stellar eco-baby love extends to everyteenything-disposable diapers, organic clothing, vegan food, soymilk, and even anti-SIDS baby blankets. Mariska Hargitay's 1-year-old, August, and P. Diddy's year-old twins are said to use the Halo SleepSack, a wearable organic-fabric blanket that carries the seal of First Candle/SIDS Alliance.

Mariska Hargitay with husband Peter Hermann

Nicole Richie and Joel Madden were recently spotted leaving a Whole Foods market with disposable diapers for their newborn, Harlow Winter Kate Madden. And Ryan and Trista Sutter built a toxic-free nursery for their baby bachelor using tips from Green Nest -- maybe because Dad took part in "The EcoZone Project," a TV show where he helps give celebrity homes a green makeover.

Nicole Richie and Joel Madden.

To swathe their star babes in seriously stylish onesies, Brooke Shields and Jenna Elfman look to BabySoy clothing, which is made from soybean fibers and other renewable resources. And Wal-mart -- yes Wal-mart -- carries George Baby, a line of adorable baby clothes made from 100% certified organic cotton.

Brooke Shields and daughter Grier Henchy.

Proving once and for all that Punky Brewster's all grown up, actress/mom Soleil Moon Frye got into the baby eco-act by opening The Little Seed, an organic baby store in Los Angeles that specializes in baby skincare, bedding, toys and clothes. "We wanted to create a physical space where parents had the option to purchase stylish organic or eco-products exclusively," she explained to celebritybabyblog.com.

Sheryl Crow, vowing to raise 10-month-old Wyatt in a nontoxic environment, taped a video for the Wee Generation collaboration between Healthy Child Healthy World, Seventh Generation and babystyle -- plus she posted pics from her eco-baby shower. (Check out the site for cool tips on how to throw your own.)

Trista and Ryan Sutter of The Bachelorette.

Speaking of baby gifting, before Violet Affleck made her debut, Jennifer Garner received a Valence diaper bag, thankfully free of AZO and phthalates.

Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck with their child.

Mom-to-be Nicole Kidman has reportedly snapped up organic linen, toys and clothing from Baby Bee Cino in Sydney. Mrs. Urban follows in the footsteps of another Oscar winner-mother of three and green warrior, Julia Roberts, who campaigned with Earth Biofuels to convert 500,000 diesel-burning school buses to clean-burning biodiesel. "By focusing on school buses," Roberts told People Magazine, "we can affect the health and well-being of the people most susceptible to that pollution -- our children -- today."

When it comes to kids, the green stars are aligned.

GREEN THUMBS UP TO...
Robert Redford, for supporting Red Feather Development, a group dedicated to helping American Indian nations create sustainable solutions to the housing crisis in reservation communities. Shockingly, upwards of 300,000 tribal members are living in substandard living conditions with no running water, electricity and sanitation.

Pregnant Jennifer Lopez and husband Marc Anthony.

BROWN THUMBS DOWN TO...
Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York. The New York Post reported that Fergie's involved with a tourist resort development that threatens unspoiled Brazilian coastline, which is home to the endangered hawksbill turtle. Her rep insists Fergie is simply advising on the resort's equestrian plan and has no financial involvement. Hmmm, let's see: destroy a bit of pristine coastline for a...polo field?