ChildTrek Blog

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Annette Roth, Marketing Director
IR2 Media Group Inc.
Phone: 253-212-0379
Email: aroth@ir2media.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NATURAL TOYS FOR A GREEN GENERATION
Introducing ChildTrek, Tacoma’s Newest Natural Toys Store
Grand Opening Celebration from August 17 to September 14, 2008

Are you looking for unique, natural and educational toys that are safe for your child? Then come visit ChildTrek, a new toy store located in Tacoma, Washington’s historic Freighthouse Square.

Good for Kids & Planet
Miebeth Bustillo-Booth created ChildTrek to marry her love for children, education, and the environment. As a former teacher, Bustillo-Booth understands the importance of toys that promote positive childhood development. As a parent, she understands that parents want toys that are safe, fun and educational as well as good for the environment and affordable. “I believe parents and grandparents are looking for quality, unique, open-ended toys that stimulate their children’s intelligence. When they come into ChildTrek or visit ChildTrek.com, they will find toys that provide this and more,” says Bustillo-Booth.

ChildTrek believes that the best toys are good for both kids and the planet, and actively promotes the idea of living in harmony with the environment. To support this belief, ChildTrek offers green toys. They are made with natural, biodegradable, recyclable or recycled materials under sustainable practices. Most are wooden toys. Very little new plastic is used. All toys are child-safe and non-toxic. They are finished with beeswax, water- or vegetable-based dyes, or non-toxic paints. Because the toys are made under stringent quality and safety specifications, few will end up in landfills anytime soon. They will become beloved toys that are passed down to siblings, friends’ children, and perhaps grandchildren.

Childhood Discovered Naturally
ChildTrek will soon offer fun, engaging, beautifully-illustrated children’s books. They are carefully selected to instill a love for reading — the foundation for a love of learning and lifelong success. The ChildTrek storefront is family and kid-friendly, where children can openly play with toys on display. “I love to see children play at the store. It also helps parents choose toys that are just right for their kids,” says Bustillo-Booth.

Come help celebrate ChildTrek’s Grand Opening celebration from Aug. 27 - Sept. 14, 2008. There will be door prizes, specials and daily promotions. For more information, please contact Annette Roth at 253-212-0379 or via email, aroth@ir2media.com. You can also visit the user-friendly and highly-informative website at http://www.childtrek.com.

ChildTrek Storefront Address
ChildTrek is located just two blocks north of the Tacoma Dome. Take Exit 133, right at the off ramp. Freighthouse Square is the green building just 2 blocks ahead. See you soon!

ChildTrek Toys, Books & Gifts
430 East 25th St., Suite #3
Freighthouse Square
Tacoma, WA 98421

800-406-8735 (Customer service available M-F (10 am - 5 pm PST)

Store Hours
Monday - Saturday: 10 am - 7 pm
Sunday: 12 noon - 5 pm

Come see us soon!

By Miebeth Bustillo-Booth, ChildTrek Founder

Really Cool Cars
ChildTrek is proud to carry heirloom-quality construction vehicles by Automoblox. Designed by world-class industrial designer Patrick Callelo, Automoblox cars fuse the durability and character of classic wooden cars with the sophistication of modern design. Check out the 2008 X9X Sports Utility. It is the perfext mix of style and utility. Take a look at value packed Automoblox Minis. They are scaled-down versions of the C9 Sports Car, S9 Sedan and T9. Both the full-sized and mini vehicles are designed with interchangeable parts for customized, three-dimensional play.

Create Custom Vehicles
The Automoblox line of interchangeable car parts truly inspires building and playing out of the box. The removable connectors, interchangeable roofs, and changeable wheels, tires and body blocks among the different Automoblox cars allow for plenty of exciting custom designs. The patented removable connectors offer a level of complexity to the play experience. Each car comes with a 17 digit Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) just like real cars. It identifies the year and model of your car.

Green and Safe Vehicles
Each body block is made of sustainable beech wood and finished with clear, non-toxic lacquer for durability. The colorful and aggressive tires are made of rubber. The dynamically styled roof and stylish wheels are made of polycarbonate to make them virtually indestructible. Automoblox cars are designed and engineered in the United States. They are assembled in China under stringent quality and safety controls. They meet or exceed both North American (ASTM) and European (EN-71) safety standards.

Check out our growing selection today at ChildTrek.com.

By Miebeth Bustillo-Booth, ChildTrek Founder

Natural & Wood Teethers
The best teething toys are made of natural materials like wood. Wood is naturally anti-bacterial. (That’s why there are wooden cutting boards.) So it is self-cleaning. Wood is hard and will help ease teeth in. But not all wood toys are ideal. The best wooden teething toys are either unfinished or lightly finished with beeswax, water-based stains, or other non-toxic paints. It’s best to gain the manufacturer statements to this effect. At ChildTrek, only toys that have met or exceeded safety standards are available.

Great Teething Toys
Consider the Infant Grabbing Toy Mah or Giraffe by Kathe Kruse. They are made out of non-porous beech wood, lightly finished with beeswax, and made using non-toxic dyes. There are no harmful chemicals to leach out while your baby gnaws on the hard wood. The wooden ring is extra large for easy handling by small hands. The lamb and the giraffe can be removed for machine or hand wash. And they are completely adorable!

The Grabbing Star Red or Blue also by Kathe Kruse has a wooden teething ring and interesting textures for early learning stimulation. A special feature is a velcro loop at one of the star ends so that it can be fastened as a stroller toy. This achieves a couple of things: the teether is always nearby and it doubles as a grabbing toy. Smart!

The Girali Rattle by Selecta, aside from being a practical teething toy, is uniquely beautiful. It is made of native woods from Germany and finished with beeswax and non-toxic paints - completely safe for your baby.

Also, it’s hard to beat the Cherry Rattle by Camden Rose. It is lightly finished with beeswax. Its contoured design makes for interesting tactile stimulation. Its gentle rattle is soothing. As a teether - it is naturally hard to facilitate teething. Watch as your baby gnaws on this beautiful toy for hours.

Cold and Soothing
One of my personal favorites for the summer are the organic teethers by miYim and Under the Nile. Take the Bunny, Elephant, or Bear teether. Dampen, not soak it. Put it in the freezer. Then let your baby gnaw on this cool toy to help soothe tender gums. Do the same for the Fruits or the Vegetables by Under the Nile. Besides gently soothing for your baby, you are teaching your baby to “eat” his or her fruits and veggies!

Vary Teethers
It’s best to keep a few different teethers around that have varying textures and hardness. Some teeth come in easier than others. The molars, for example, are especially hard on infants.

Check out ChildTrek’s selection of ideal teething toys.

By Miebeth Bustillo-Booth, ChildTrek Founder

On July 1, ChildTrek quietly opened its first storefront in the City of Destiny - Tacoma, Washington - at historic Freighthouse Square. We were pleased to see many come in and check out the unique, natural and educational toys.

There are still some design refinements to attend to and more wooden toys to come!

Also, I want to personally thank all of ChildTrek’s online customers for your patience as we shifted shipping from Missouri to Washington. I truly appreciate honoring us with your business during this transition period. I am glad to say that shipping and customer phone service are now back to normal.

Below are pictures of the store after hours.

If you are in the area, please come by and visit us soon!

By Miebeth Bustillo-Booth, ChildTrek Founder

Old is New Again

There’s great satisfaction in giving old things new life. A bit of sanding here, a fresh coat of paint or stain there, (a lot of patience), and voila! Great pieces!

In the last few days, ChildTrek’s new storefront in Tacoma’s historic Freighthouse Square got a fresh coat of low VOC paint. (Make that several coats of paint.) New cabinets were made and staged. True to our green mission, we found old wooden bookcases, display units, and an iron baker’s rack. They were in great shape and worked well together. They received face lifts and look terrific! Two counters that look like they came from the ’80s were joined and recrafted by a master carpenter to become ChildTrek’s new checkout counter. Not much of the ’80s is left (that’s a good thing), and it looks absolutely wonderful!

New Baby & Toddler Toys & More

New natural and wooden toys also arrived. Some like Under the Nile organic toys are already on the site. You should see be able to view the rest soon.

By the end of this week, the storefront should have internet and working phones.

There are still about a buzzilion other things to check off the ever growing list before ChildTrek quietly opens its doors on July 1 or 2. At that time, we will do a dry run and work out the kinks that will doubtless come. ChildTrek’s grand opening will be later in the month or early in August.

Below are some shots from the last week:

Come back and see the finished store next week!

By Miebeth Bustillo-Booth, ChildTrek Founder

This Week’s Progress
Watching your dream come alive is a bit surreal. First it’s in your head. Then it’s on paper. Then it starts to take shape right before your eyes. If it were not for all the logistics that keep me firmly on the ground, I would be on cloud nine. Let there be no mistake about it: Opening a toy store is a lot of work. But seeing the pieces come together is really its own energy.

Below are pictures from earlier this week. Much has already happened since. The walls are no longer blue (at least most of them, and not this blue). As soon as more pictures are available, I’ll post them here.

More about this process will be in How ChildTrek Was Born: The 3rd Trimester - the last installation of the series (read 1st Trimester, 2nd Trimester). I promise, it’s coming.

By Miebeth Bustillo-Booth, ChildTrek Founder

One ship sails East,
And another West,
By the self-same winds that blow,
Tis the set of the sails
And not the gales,
That tells the way we go.
~Ella Wheeler Wilcox

The above quote is one of my favorites.  It reminds me that life’s direction is largely determined by one’s choices. It also reminds me that like sailing a good-sized boat, it often takes several knowledgeable hands on deck working together to reach a desired destination.

ChildTrek is fortunate to have the assistance of its very talented Advisory Team made up of parents, educators, child-specialists, business owners, and accomplished professionals. Advisory members review toys and advise ChildTrek on how best to serve its customers. They will soon write blogs and parenting tips.

My heartfelt thanks to each and every advisor for graciously giving time, head and heart to ChildTrek. They are beautiful human beings. I wish you could meet them personally. They exude kindness, lightness, and are, frankly, scary smart.

Also, my unbounded love to my husband Bart, who is a superb sailor and partner in the sea of life. Thank you for helping ChildTrek set sail.

By Miebeth Bustillo-Booth, ChildTrek Founder

In June, you will find that more and more of ChildTrek’s natural toys will be “Temporarily Sold Out.” There are two very good reasons for this: 1) They are being sold (thank you!), and 2) they are not being restocked until we open ChildTrek’s first storefront on July 1. Let me explain why.

Limiting the Carbon Footprint of Moving Toys
ChildTrek currently has its inventory in a warehouse in Kansas City, Missouri. Now that ChildTrek is opening a storefront in Tacoma, the toys will be moved to Washington. This will centralize operations and ensure top-notch customer service.

Not surprisingly, such a move across six states will result in significant fuel emmissions. There’s a lot of toys. In order to limit the carbon footprint of ChildTrek’s move, the inventory in Kansas City is being sold down while we stock up in Tacoma. This will significantly reduce the use of gas and its impact to the atmosphere. I ask for your patience as ChildTrek transforms from virtual to reality.

More Natural Toys in July
On July 1, you will see a fully stocked store again. At that time, you will also see more new toy arrivals from new manufacturers that are in keeping with ChildTrek’s green living and worldwide prosperity philosophy.

Word of Mouse
My deep gratitude to all of you who are passing ChildTrek on to family and friends by word of mouse.  Thank you for your kind emails. It’s truly great to reach kindred spirits who are lining up their love of children and planet with their consumer behavior.

By Miebeth Bustillo-Booth, ChildTrek Founder

From Virtual to Reality
ChildTrek will soon open a “real” store in Tacoma, Washington’s historic Freighthouse Square. In the next few weeks, I will chronicle the store’s transformation. For now, here are some before pictures. First thing: Goodbye to all that blue. Hello green!

Grand Opening
ChildTrek opens its doors on July 1 and holds its grand opening sometime after. ChildTrek is located just to the right of the Sound Transit ticket terminals and under what I fondly call “the little engine that could.” Go to ChildTrek.com to view a selection of high-quality, unique, natural toys for babies and toddlers.

By Miebeth Bustillo-Booth, ChildTrek Founder

Thank You for Your Support!

Thank you to all of you who came to see us at the Green Power Baby Shower Expo in Seattle. It was a wonderful success! I can’t tell you enough how much Stacey and I enjoyed meeting you. We especially loved meeting the children! They are such an inspiration and reminded me why I started ChildTrek in the first place.

The Most Frequently Asked Question

You asked many child development related questions at the Expo. Let me share the most frequently asked one and recap my answer.

What kinds of toys do I give my baby who is 6 to 11 months old, sitting up or standing up, but not yet walking?

For the first few months, babies don’t do much. They sleep, pee, poop, and coo. Then one day, they add to their developmental repertoire by sitting up, crawling, rolling, and reaching out. Now what do you give them to play with?

Developmentally, babies can vary quite a bit. Since you see your infant everyday, you are the foremost expert at what your newborn is able to handle physically. So it’s good to start with your own knowledge of your baby. Nevertheless, here are some guidelines to keep in mind as you choose toys that are developmentally appropriate.

a) At this age, babies naturally want to grab and pull. It’s their way of interacting with their surrounding. The best grabbing or pulling toys are chunky and rounded so as to be easy for little, uncoordinated hands to handle. They have textures, sounds and visual feedback to give your baby important multi-sensory stimulation. Through these early multi-sensory experiences, your infant will begin to make sense of her immediate world. She will begin to synthesize information through repeat experiences and organize these in her developing brain. (This is smooth, rough, bumpy, crinkly; this makes this kind of sound, that kind of sound; this one has different colors (babies don’t actually understand colors; but varying contrasts help them differentiate one from another), etc.)

Be careful, however, from giving your child toys that are loud or over-stimulating. Keep it gentle and soothing. Babies are naturally disorganized. Their brains cannot handle information overload. And we don’t want to give them any reason to be upset (and lose the little sleep they give us in return), do we?

b) Rattles and teethers are also grabbing toys per se. However, if you are looking specifically to help your baby soothe tender gums choose ones that are made of unfinished, beeswax-finished, or non-toxic painted wood. Since wood is a natural anti-bacterial material, it is ideal for your infant. It is also safer.

With growing concerns over the possible harmful effects of phthalates - family of chemicals used to make plastic pliable - present in many children’s toys, it’s best to avoid plastic toys altogether. Choose only natural and wooden toys until there is conclusive evidence these chemicals do not disrupt hormonal development, among other things, in young children.

c) Towel dolls and stuffed animals are particularly good for babies and toddlers. They are soft, comforting, and designed to be easy to handle. As a regular companion, soft dolls and stuffed animals help young children to self soothe while in car rides, strollers, or just being a baby.

Note: Do not to put toys, pillows, blankets, or other objects in your baby’s crib. Childhood experts say that infants are safest when they sleep on their back and without things that may disrupt their breathing.

Upcoming Exhibits

We will let you know of other exhibits where ChildTrek will have a booth. If you are in the area, please do stop by. We would love to meet you and your family!

Thank you again for the for the opportunity to meet you at the Green Power Baby Shower Expo. We are also grateful that you chose natural baby, toddler, or preschooler toys from ChildTrek. We truly appreciate your business.