“My daughter is at the age where everything goes in her mouth. While she tends to find the least appropriate items the most appetizing – most recently the television remote control - I try my best to have safe alternatives within her reach. Fiddlehead, a new store located on Newbury Street between Hereford and Gloucester Streets, has plenty of options for me to choose from.

Named after a baby fern, Fiddlehead sells products that are recycled or made from sustainable materials. For babies and toddlers there are colorful stuffed animals crafted from wool sweaters, wooden blocks that are made in the United States from FSC certified wood and painted with non-toxic paint, hair brushes with wooden bristles that are finished in natural oils, pencils from trees pruned in Poland, picture books about recycling, and much more. While the stairs and double doors can be a little tricky to navigate with a stroller, owner Carol Miller and her staff are more than happy to help you in the door.

Just be careful, the items for moms are just as attractive. A simple trip for an organic cotton bib can easily end in the purchase of an entire dinner set made of recycled glass.”

Fiddlehead, 292 Newbury Street, Boston; Tel: 617-247-1120

Now, here’s how to win a $25 gift certificate to Fiddlehead*!