who we are
Owners Cheryl & Gini have carefully chosen all the products in the store based on guidelines of sustainability, non-toxicity, and fair trade practices. We also understand that while you are looking for eco-friendly products, you do not want to sacrifice style. We spend so much time finding the right products, why would we stop there? We understand that in order to make the right decisions about products you need knowledgeable and helpful staff. We carefully choose our staff and train them extensively to ensure that your time with us is well spent.
Gini, Co-Owner
Gini is often downstairs working on orders and creating staff schedules. Her goal at baby on the hip is to continue finding green solutions, green products, and keep a vigilant eye on what people are putting in the recycling bin.
Cheryl, Co-Owner
Cheryl is also downstairs hard at work. She can be found crunching numbers, creating graphs, and figuring out ways to make customers happy. She takes breaks to play with her dog Bailey who is actively fetching the ball downstairs.
Joe, On-Line Customer Service
Joe is hard at work at the computer answering your emails, creating your registries, and fulfilling your online orders. He's also actively helping us to maintain our website with new products, updates, and general info. He takes a break now and then to throw the ball for Bailey and he has a secret love for the Blablas.
Arlene, Sales & PT Supervisor
Arlene is an amazing worker and has a need to clean! She is always available to customers in order to give memorable one-on-one service. Her extensive knowledge of baby products can be delivered to you in Portuguese or French. Ooo la la!
Wendy, Sales, Merchandising, & PT Supervisor
Wendy is here to give you advice on what you need, what you don't, and how to create the most stylish nursery on your block. Her artistic skills can be seen throughout the store, including in her paintings that she has displayed on our walls.
Louise, Sales
Louise hangs out at baby on the hip on the weekends when she is not busy attending U of T. Her quirky humour and laid back style make baby shopping both fun and simple. When not at work, she can be found enjoying a Kamikaze Roll at Sushi Marche down the street.
Shannon, Sales
Shannon also hangs out at baby on the hip on the weekends when she is not busy studying and teaching at York U. Her extensive product knowledge and laid-back east-coast style have helped numerous couples make the best decisions for their babies. Shannon gets giddily excited when you ask her about cloth diapers.
photos courtesy of Katie Bateman.
Jasmin, Sales
Our newest member to the team is Jasmin, who has an eye for style and has quickly become an expert in all things baby. She has extensive experience with children of all ages, and she's happy to play with your toddlers during your visit so you can have precious free time to look around.
how we are green
baby on the hip tries to make every aspect of its business as green as possible. We recognize that by implementing policies and establishing practices, we make being green easier for our staff as well as for our customers. In addition to offering eco-conscientious baby products, we also maintain the following practices:
Greenshift Supplies
We exclusively use Greenshift as our supplier for all of our plastic, paper, and cleaning supplies. Greenshift has been a source for green supplies since 2001 and they do extensive research and assessment to ensure that the products they sell are the greenest available on the market. For more information please visit www.greenshift.ca
Bullfrog Powered
Baby on the hip has been Bullfrog powered with 100% green electricity since opening. We support Bullfrog's efforts to increase sustainable energy in the power grid, and reduce the carbon-producing effects of traditional energy means. If you are interested in becoming bullfrog powered at your home or business, please visit www.bullfrogpower.com and enter the promotional code BABYONTHEHIP to receive $25 off your first residential bill.
Member of Green Enterprise Toronto
As a member of GET we are supporting green businesses and the local economy in the Greater Toronto Area. In addition to green networking, workshops, and promotion of the local economy, GET allows consumers access to its database so they can find eco-friendly businesses. More information can be found at http://www.greenenterprise.net
Eco-friendly Wrapping and Printing
First, we always ask our customers if a bag is needed, and often it is not! If you need a bag it's OK, because all of our bags, tissue paper, and gift wrap are made from 100% post-consumer recycled paper. Furthermore, our business cards, flyers, and other promotional material are printed on FSC Certified paper. Since all of these items are recyclable, we encourage customers to continue the loop and recycle our supplies.
Use of Recycled Shipping Supplies
We are happy to report that for all of our shipping needs, we have yet to use a 'new' box or packaging materials. We store any supplies we receive that we think may be handy at a later date, including paper, plastic bags, and boxes. We hate throwing things away, and we do our best to find a good home for our waste.
June Caldwell Centre Donation Box
Since babies outgrow items so quickly, it makes sense to pass them along to a family who is experiencing financial hardship. The June Caldwell Centre is a safe place for teenage moms to begin parenthood with their newborns, and they certainly appreciate your gently used items. And while you are helping out a new family with your donation, you are also recycling and removing items that could potentially end up in a landfill.
Green Bin Program
We strongly encourage the use of the Toronto Green Bin program for both our customers and our staff. Since we are happy to offer a washroom and change table for customer use, we post signs and information reminding our customers what goes where. Our staff is also extensively trained to make sure that waste is diverted into the correct bins. Our conscientious staff has been seen with their hand in the waste basket sorting waste that has gone astray!