Your Guide to Eco-Friendly Baby Toys
You may think that eco-friendly toys are expensive, hard to find or just won’t offer your baby the same stimulation as mainstream toys. Well then you are in for a pleasant surprise! In this guide we’ll tell you what you need to know about organic and earth-friendly toys from why they are a better choice for your baby to how to choose the right toy.Why buy an eco-friendly toy? What are the benefits?Eco-friendly toys are a great choice for your baby or a gift you know you can feel about. This is because natural and organic eco-friendly toys do not contain potentially harmful chemicals such as phlatates, bisphenol A, soft vinyl PVC, formaldehyde, lead or flame retardants – and that’s just to name a few! It can’t be good to expose your baby to all those chemicals and potential irritants – not when there are great natural alternatives that are so much better for the environment too (did you know that non of plastic humankind has created has yet degraded? )How to choose an eco-friendly baby toy.1. Safety – Your first consideration when choosing a baby toy is safety. Just because it’s natural or organic doesn’t automatically mean that its safe, so look for small parts (most organic toys tend not to have buttons and the like but check toys meet safety standards.2. Materials – for a wooden toy to be eco-friendly the wood needs to come from ethical/sustainable sources (many are now made from old rubber trees that no longer produce latex) and soft toys should be made from natural fibres such as cotton, wool or bamboo and should have been grown without the use of chemicals3. Labelling – for true earth-friendly toys look for labels such asa. Non-toxicb. Sustainable materialsc. Vegetable based, water soluble paintsd. Natural/organic4. Which toys? – of course it’s highly unlikely that all your baby’s toys will be natural, organic or eco-friendly so what are the most important toys that should consider adding to your toy box? Try to make as many toys for a young baby natural/organic as possible – remember they don’t really need those many when they are little. This is important because the younger a child is the less able their body is cope with toxins and all babies have a tendency to put everything in their mouths! So the best choices (and they aren’t too expensive either) are wooden or safer natural rattles and teethers. Organic soft toys offer a safer option for your baby. Having not been manufactured with chemicals or nasty fire retardants not only are they safer for your baby but much more allergy friendly. So look for organic soft toys for teething, soft building blocks and as blankies/comforters/snuggle buddies.5. How to find organic and eco-friendly toysWell the good news is that these great baby and earth-friendly toys can be found in a growing number of mainstream shops (although choice maybe limited) and speciality shops most of which are online which always makes for convenient shopping!
Australia Vacation Rentals – The Popular Options Reviewed
It is vacation time and you have selected Australia as your relaxing destination. The idea of the Australia vacation rentals is to have the feeling that you are in a “home away from home.” Of course, before choosing this type of stay you have to know what your options are.In the whole of Australia there are generally two kinds of self served accommodations. There are the standard condos, cottages and villas in resort complexes and the free rentals offered directly by the owner. The former are more costly and are especially abundant in the big tourist hubs such as Sydney and the Great Barrier Reef. These are more costly, but you get a certain guarantee that the property is well managed and maintained. Also, you will have a variety of dining and entertainment facilities in close proximity in the complex. These types of Australia vacation rentals are perfect for large groups and especially for families with children. If you want to get a discount there you should book well in advance.Your alternative is to hire a property that is managed and rented by the owner. These are generally cheaper than the previous type and you can reduce the costs of your stay even further by opting for a place with more modest furnishing that is further away from the tourist spots. Another advantage of these Australia vacation rentals is that you do not have to deal with a travel agent or a hotel chain, but directly with the owner. There are numerous websites with lots of ads posted that offer you to contact the landlord directly and do not charge you for the service. This allows you to negotiate the terms as well as the price of your stay. Australia is predominantly a tourist country so the owners know how the whole bargaining process works and you can expect to make a beneficial deal.There are also certain disadvantages of hiring Australia vacation rentals from their owner. Unfortunately, some of the offers are fake or sometimes the owners are not really honest do not let you see the real condition of the property before you actually go there. Thus, it is always best to ask them about how well maintained the place is and to show you some recent pictures. Also, you must not pay anything before you and the landlord have signed a written agreement beneficial for both sides. Some websites offering vacation homes in Australia offer to offset this risk for you for a small sum. Such a guarantee will protect your deposit as well as protect you from staying in a property which is in poor condition.
Types of Property in Costa Rica
Real Estate in Costa Rica: Purchasing a PropertyYou’ve been shopping around Costa Rica for the perfect piece of real estate, and after looking at a number of attractive properties, you finally found it.What now?The first thing you should do is find out exactly what type of property you’re looking at. The following are the five major property types in Costa Rica.Fee SimpleJust like in North American and European countries, different property types have different laws and conditions attached to them. The most common type of property foreigners look for in Costa Rica is Fee Simple, or freehold ownership, which is the same as it is in the U.S., Canada, England and most other common-law countries. In short, the buyer has absolute rights to the property, and could do what he or she wants with it, subject only to the laws of Costa RicaConcessionConcession property is different, and refers to beachfront property. About 95 per cent of beachfront property beachfront property in Costa Rica is considered concession property. Ownership of concession property is essentially a long-term lease granted by the state.Another big difference between Free Simple and Concession properties, is while foreigners have the same rights as Costa Rican citizens with Fee Simple purchases, they do are restricted when it comes to purchasing concession property. Specifically, foreigners cannot be majority owners of a concession property, but can enter into a partnership with a Costa Rican citizen, with the foreigner having no more than a 49 per cent interest in the property.CondominiumAnother property type in Costa Rican real estate is condominiums, which differs slightly from what U.S. and Canadians might think when they hear the term.In the U.S. or Canada, a condominium would usually mean a large development of apartments or townhouses, and while that is the case in Costa Rica, it also refers to a specific law called “Condominium Law.” This law provides certain benefits to developers of a wide array of properties, including single-family residence projects, finished lot projects, condos, and others. The law allows developers to restrict and regulate certain aspects of the development. As well, it allows individual condominium projects to have their own by-laws, which can often restrict owners from certain projects that would not be in keeping with the overall look and style of the project.Untitled
A fourth type of property are untitled properties, which are not recorded at the Public Registry of Properties. In some cases, families will have inhabited these types of properties for generations, while others may have never been occupied. In summary it is best to purchase titled property in Costa Rica. The process to obtain title from a property that does not have feee simple can be a very long draw out affair.For more information please contact the law offices of Barrantes & Associates US/Canada 1-800-979-4174 011 506 2 256 3807 [email protected]