I sometimes feel like the act of protecting my children is a lost cause. Not to sound too morose but seriously... every time I turn around I learn of some hidden threat that I would have assumed to be utterly benign. Here are concerns that I have and what I've done to combat them:
1) BPA-- it seems to be lurking everywhere.... bottles, pacifiers, formula cans and containers (the plastic, premixed are apparently the worst) and good ol' fashioned canned food.
I purged my home of any glaringly obvious offending containers and bought me some crazy expensive Siggs (later found that Walgreens sells aluminum bottles, complete with carabiner for under $5... they don't have a sports attachment but hey, we're talking 75% savings here).
2) Latex-- apparently some studies reveal links between latex and cancer... this only effected us on a minor scale, since my children don't worship the binky god... we simply eliminated the remaining bottles that had latex nipples.
3) Parabens-- I am now a converted paraben-aphob. If you are not savvy to this serious (and debatable) topic, please see this link: http://www.terressentials.com/truthaboutparabens.html
We took about 3 hours to purge our medicine cabinets, showers, and pantry of ALL products containing them and replaced them. Interesting to note: not all "organic" products are pure products... and some cheap products are well ahead of the game and have eliminated the toxin from their list of ingredients. FYI: I LOVE the Tiny Tillia brand, affordable if you catch it on sale (think Fred Meyer if you've got one near by!)
4) Toys-- Seriously?! One in three toys tested are toxic? In AMERICA? See this frightening link: http://www.healthytoys.org/press.releases.php A reassessment by the FDA will address this (apparently in February of 2009) and make changes. Sadly, this will effect the mom-and-pop places that have been creating safe, green toys all along. We did our best by reviewing the list at healthytoys.org but they only tested select toys and they seemed fairly random and irrelevant in our lives so I'm sure there's a sweet sampling of toxins lurking in our toy boxes! I was confused to see that (for example) some Little People toys tested poorly and others were fine. Since we have a Little People empire, I am NOT looking forward to further test results. ALSO I have avoided the draw of the mega toy sales that are going down right now-- clearly the retailers don't want to get stuck holding the hot potato!
5) Toxins in disposable diapers--ignore for a moment that a disposable diaper reportedly takes 500 years to break-down, apparently we also have to be concerned about how consistent use is going to effect our children's (specifically boys) reproductive health! http://www.checnet.org/healtheHouse/education/articles-detail.asp?Main_ID=554 Yikes!
We considered, humming and ha-ing about switching to cloth diapers but stumbled upon the perfect solution for us: (drum roll, please!) gdiapers! Concerned as we were? Check them out and discover the hybrid diaper that has changed our lives! 50-150 days to break down in a landfill, or flush or compost the liners (pee only, of course!). Follow this link and become a believer: http://www.gdiapers.com/?gclid=CPvv_7WP55cCFQv7agodb2D_Dw
I guess when it's all said and done, the best we can do is stay current and mindful. And NETWORK. Anything I missed? Please, fill me in!
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3 years ago
2 comments:
Hooray...I am so happy to hear your voice booming again in the blogger world!! You always have insight into meaningful topics and I am so excited to see you back in action! I have so many things I worry about that I don't know how a parent can stay sane. Sadly, my biggest fears are germs. I have this horrible fear that my child will become sick, then dehydrate, and eventually die. I know this is ridiculous and I should seek counseling, but it is what it is. I was fine until Lizzy got a horrible stomach flu at the ripe age of 18 months and puked for 5 days straight every hour on the hour. I have never been the same.
I have found some wonderful new sippy bottles made by Nalgene that are BPA free and very cute. I got them at Mountain Gear for $6.99 each. I love them because they are very durable and not too heavy. My girls were using their Sigg bottles as weapons...not good.
I passed on your info on the gDiapers to my pregnant friend and I'm hoping she will use them. I haven't ventured to Fred Meyer yet to see what the cost would be for us, but it's on my list!!
Do you subscribe to the CPSC newsletter? If not, you should sign up. I get a daily email of toy recalls and safety hazards. Here is the link if you don't have it already...
https://www.cpsc.gov/cpsclist.aspx
I think since we are on the topic of potential dangers, I would like to add Formula to your list. Not that it's "Dangerous" but that it's not what is best for a child. The name in itself is frightening to me...sounds more like a science experiment than a food for my child. I had a lactation consultant tell me that nicotine laced breast milk is actually better for a baby than formula is. I am not nor will I ever be a smoker, but that was shocking to me. I think these days women want to do what is easy for them and not what is best for their children, and I find that sad and selfish. I try not to judge, but I will admit when I hear of a new mother, or an old mother using formula it makes me think slightly less of her.
That's all I've got for now...hugs to you!!!
I forgot to ask you...do you know about safemama.com...??? Tons of good stuff on that site :)
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