Bring farm life into a child's nursery

Growing up in the suburbs of a big city, I was always enamored by farm life. As a child, driving from our home in New Orleans to see aunts and uncles two hours away, I loved passing the farms, with their cows tucked behind long white fences, and rows of crops.

I was 25 when I heard my first cow moo. I ate what I consider my very first fresh veggies at 31, when I moved to a small North Carolina town where is seems like every other yard has a vegetable garden. I also set foot on my first “farm” that year. But even then, it was just a big piece of property with a stable that housed mules and chickens… and the best, freshest eggs I’ve ever eaten. But to me, fresh eggs = farm, at its most basic level.

I learned about farms, as most of us did, as a toddler – through picture books, PBS shows and a plastic toy farm. Even looking at “vintage toys” on eBay, there’s not a big selection in the farm theme. But the infant and juvenile industry has obviously come a long way since 1969…

	Horse Bank Mudpie, $36 This hand-painted ceramic bank is 8.5×12 inches, and has a cork stopper.
	Brown Cow New Arrivals, $10 An 8-inch square picture frame with a 3-inch square opening.
	Mix, Stack & Farm Alex, $15 Stack the farm pieces and create a scene. Set includes 9 chunky, double-sided wooden beads with a wooden base. Made with wood from sustainable forests, natural ink that is non-toxic botanical oil based. The plastic blister in the package is recyclable green, and the box is made of recycled paperboard.
	Gadzooks Chick Musical Gund, $25 A 9.5” whimsical mom chick holds her baby. With a mixture of stripes and polka dots, it has great visual appeal. It has a hanging loop, and plays Brahms’ Lullaby.
	Mooey Fair Indigo, $29 This lil guy is part of the Joobles collection, and is hand-knit from organic cotton.
	Rodeo Paint Homefires, $42 A 100% acrylic rug that measures 22×34 inches. It is machine washable, handmade and hand hooked.
	Addison the Horse Wallpops, $25 Part of the ZooWallogy collection, this is vinyl, peel-and-stick, repositionable and removable wall art. It features an argyle pattern with shades of green, yellow and pink.
	Hide Em’ and Find Em’ Eggs Techno Source, $5 Farmers can only with their eggs would talk to them while they’re looking for them! Find one and find a bunny or chick inside.
	Quack! Quack! Begin Smart, $7 The shiny embossed and laminated pictures of animals seem to jump from the pages of this board book, inviting babies to reach out and touch.
	Caught from Behind The Doodle Store, $30 Image is digitally printed onto archival cotton canvas with commercial grade inkjet technology that is UV protected. Stretched onto a 1-1/2 inch-thick wood frame, giving each print an "Art Gallery" appearance. Six inches square, with larger sizes available.

If you have ideas or requests for themes for "On the Shelf," post a comment or email gerri.hunt@reedbusiness.com.