A Guide to the Best of Southern California : FOR KIDS : Babying the Planet

Necessity is the mother of invention, or so believes Alison Freebairn-Smith. Her budding line of toys made from “perfectly useful discards” is a hit with eco-conscious parents.

“When I found out how many thousands of film containers are thrown away every day, I couldn’t bear the thought of them going into a landfill,” she says. So the Sherman Oaks mother began toying with the idea of turning the plastic containers into playthings, and Reborn Toys was born.

Kin to the clothespin and corn-husk dolls of yesteryear, the toys are colorful, safe and nontoxic. A teething rattle (about $6.99) is strung with clear containers lined with visually stimulating black and white designs, brightly colored beads and a sliding wooden ring. A portion of profits goes to the San Francisco-based Earth Island Institute.

Reborn Toys are available at Joys and Toys, 7375 Melrose Ave. , (213) 658-8697 ; and Power of Play, 14425 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks , (818) 906-2123.