Price Tag: $22.95/set of four, various other prices/options offered.
Official URL: www.fabikins.com
Rating:

Use DISCOUNT CODE: GR10 at checkout to get a 10% discount off your order. Coupon code good until May 31, 2009.

These cute little napkins came to my attention at the most fortuitous of times. I had just finished reading a recent article in the New York Times about the current state of recycling, and how many recycling plants are simply dumping large amounts of recyclables into the landfills because the market for recycled materials is down in our current economy. Reading this made me decide that it was time to move to as many reusable items as possible.

Napkins are one of the most common elements in our day to day lives. We use them with every meal. Imagine how much waste that results in over the years? Apparently the average family uses 2200 paper napkins per year! We might like to think that thin paper napkins will biodegrade quickly, but the truth is that very little actually ends up biodegrading in a landfill.

PARENT/KID FRIENDLY

FabiKins are luxuriously soft and come in a variety of kid-friendly cute designs that include construction vehicles and ballet dancers. These embellishments are beautiful and brightly colored embroidery that appears to be bonded to the napkins somehow. The napkins and embellishments hold up well when treated according to the instructions: machine wash/tumble dry. They resist staining well (most things wash out very well with the exception of grape juice and tomato sauce- although those wash out well if you stain-treat them immediately after dinner is over), wash easily, and did we mention that the bamboo fiber absorbs up to 4 times as much liquid as similar cotton fabrics? Nice!

EARTH FRIENDLY

These soft bamboo napkins are earth friendly in many ways. Bamboo is one of nature’s most sustainable resources and one of the world’s fastest growing plants. It takes 3-4 years for a bamboo plant to reach maturity, compared to 25-70 years for a US tree species. Bamboo generates 30% more oxygen than a tree, which helps with rising levels of carbon dioxide. On top of that, bamboo fabric is naturally antibacterial, needs no pesticides or fertilizers to grow, are hypoallergenic and are biodegradable. These napkins are handmade in the USA which also means that less fuel is used to transport them, and American workers and craftsmen/craftswomen are supported by our FabiKins purchases.

QUALITY & CONSTRUCTION

The kid’s napkins are 1 foot square, and made of a soft bamboo fabric that feels like a light terry cloth. One side is textured, and the other side is smooth. Seams are soft and have no loose threads or areas prone to fraying. The embellishments are very high quality with tight stitching, and no loose corners.

These napkins sell in sets of four with a beautiful drawstring bag that is made of a lightweight jersey fabric. The bag is about 7 1/2″ tall by 5 1/2″ wide, and has its own matching embellishment. Cute!

More adult-friendly styles are available in larger sizes of 18″ or 17″ square. FabiKins offers adult-friendly designs, too, including napkins customized with monograms, initials, names, sayings, and even your own designs.

BOTTOM LINE

These napkins are a beautiful item that truly makes family meals special for your children and that allows you to teach them about reusing and avoiding waste. They make a great gift for parents, and the cute embellishments make them a wonderful gift for kids, too.