Jan
6
Filed Under: Eco-Mama, Green Mama, SafeMama Press
This is a little overdue and I admit I’ve been sitting on a fresh copy of Itsabelly’s premier book Going Green With Baby since December. I am so proud of those ladies and the wonderful book they’ve put together! I’ve taken some time to read through the book and I am really impressed with its thorough yet bite size approach to going green - without all the scary “we’re all gonna die” feel to it like some others I’ve looked into.
They cover everything you can think of from baby gear, crib mattresses, nursery supplies, cloth diapering and bath and skin care they really cover a wide range of topics in easily navigable sections. This book is a MUST for any new mom. There is insight and commentary from a bevy of our trusted colleages like Under the Nile, gDiapers, TheSoftLanding.com and Earth Mama Angel Baby. Plus! There is a fabulous little chapter introduction from yours truly, Kathy from right here at SafeMama.com. I was thrilled to participate and think this is a terrific book. Congratulations Jennifer Lo Prete and Melissa Moog from Itsabelly for birthing Going Green With Baby! Great job ladies!
Get a Copy! Pick up a copy or two from Itsabelly today for only $17.95: Itsabelly.com
Related articles:
- Book Review and Giveaway! The Baby Gizmo Buying Guide
- SafeMama Book Review: Healthy Child Healthy World
- Happy Holidays from Safe Mama!
Jan
5
Filed Under: Product Reviews
I hope that everyone had a great holiday season. We here at SafeMama and LovelyMama took a little bit of an extended vacation. My husband was off from work, so we did the pure quality family time. I do miss it, but I’m glad to be back “in the office” and am raring and ready to go for the new year. We’re hoping for an exciting year here, and have lots of ideas in the works.
First up is a few products I had recieved a little while back from Eco Store. One was an oxygen whitener, which I really liked. I put it through the paces. First I tried it out on some dingy socks. I soaked them for a couple of hours in a mix of the whitener and water, and they came out good as new. However you definitely want to test for color fastness, because while it’s safe for colors in very small amounts, it’s definitely a whitener in concentrated form. I learned that the hard way with a pair of my son’s gray socks. They’re now a patchy gray. Oops. Next I took a teaspoon of the solution and put it in my carpet cleaner with a dab of Dr Bronner’s liquid soap and some vinegar. My carpet is as good as new. It helped remove some tough stains.
The laundry detergent works well. It’s a powder form, which I’m generally not a fan of. However, it works great and my clothes come out smelling like clean clothes. Unlike artificial laundry scent of conventional products. The other big factor in my liking the product is that it didn’t aggravate my son’s sensitive skin. Especially his sensitive dry winter skin. Eco Store’s laundry detergent gets a thumbs up from me.
The last thing we reviewed (and by “we” I mean my patient husband) was the bar soap. My husband who is sensitive to scents liked the scent, but he said it tended to dry his skin a little. He’s a hardcore Dove fan, so he’s a wee bit picky about his soap.
Eco Store has a great line of products and they work well without the harsh chemcials. I really liked that I could use a product in my carpet cleaner and not worry about my son coming in contact with anything that might hurt him.
Get it: You can order any of the Eco Store line directly off of their website.
Related articles:
Dec
28
Filed Under: Product Safety
We hope you have all been enjoying the holidays! We’ve been on a small holiday break to spend time with our families but rest assured, we’ll be back in SafeMama action soon. In the meantime, we hope everyone had a safe holiday and is looking forward to a happy healthy 2009!
Related articles:
Dec
22
Filed Under: Giveaways Coupons
Greetings SafeMama readers. Posting will continue to be a little light around here with the holidays fast approaching (only two shopping days left!).
Just wanted to announce the winner of our B nature giveaway. Congrats to Amber D! Expect an email from us shortly with the details.
And keep an eye out as we pick the winner for the Momo Holiday Giveaway - Entries still accepted until Midnight EST tonight! Enter now!
And today is your last chance to enter the giveaway for the Maya Wrap. Simply follow the instructions in the original post. This is a totally awesome giveaway that you don’t want to miss out on. I’d love to have one of these for myself.
Hope everyone is having a safe and happy Holiday season so far!
Edit: Kathy here…Also wanted to congratulate Joanne K for winning the Wee Generation Diaper Bag!
Related articles:
Dec
17
Filed Under: Articles, Bisphenol-A
After a year of nothing but controversy for the FDA regarding it’s (in)decision about BPA, they’ve stated that while they won’t change their decision about its safety, they will continue to “study” the chemical over the next several years:
The FDA has maintained that BPA is safe, relying largely on two studies that were funded by the chemical industry.
In October, the FDA was faulted by its own panel of independent science advisers, who said the agency’s position on BPA was scientifically flawed. The panel said the agency should revisit its assessment and take into account the studies it had ignored.
Yesterday, Laura Tarantino, director of the FDA’s Office of Food Additive Safety, said the FDA will respond to that recommendation by performing additional analysis. She said she did not know if it would last months or years.
“I can’t tell you when we will finalize this,” she said. “There is a lot of work.” [full article]
Is it me, or does it smell a bit like the FDA is stalling? I don’t think we’ve made it a secret that we distrust the FDA and its inability to look out for the safety of the public. From BPA to melamine in formula, I think I know where the American public stands. It’s behind the coporation giving the biggest donation in order to skew the results their way.
The FDA might maintain the safety of BPA, but plenty of independent studies show otherwise, and we will continue to promote alternatives and spread the word about the dangers of BPA. Thankfully, a lot of companies are following suit and giving the customers what they want, and that’s safer products to feed our children with.
Related articles:
- FDA Ignored Evidence of Harm Regarding BPA Ruling
- FDA reconsidering the safety of BPA
- FDA Continues to Back BPA Safety
Dec
15
Filed Under: Giveaways Coupons
Greetings SafeParents! I meant to do this on our 1 year anniversary in November but, life got in the way, as life tends to do for us busy parents. To top off our week of giveaways I thought it would be only fitting to do a big giveaway with none other than our favorite non-toxic feeding gear friends The Soft Landing.
SafeMama wants to thank our loyal and new readers for helping us keep this resource going and for making it one of the jobs I do so rewarding. Thank you everyone for your email, your questions (I try to answer as many as I can!) and your ongoing support. So as a thank you we’re giving away a big package to one lucky reader. The Momo company has released several new items this year including glass bottles with huggers, and BPA Free bottles in an assortment of sizes. The Soft Landing has generously offered a Momo Bottle Prize Pack which includes some of their fabulous new items on sale:
1 - 9oz Borosilicate Glass Bottle
1 - Large Neoprene Hugger
1 - 6oz PES Bottle
1 - 9oz PES Bottle
1 - 2pk Wide Neck Spouts
1 - 2pk Wide Neck Handles
PLUS, with your Momo gift pack you’ll also receive a $30 Gift Certificate to The Soft Landing compliments of all of us at SafeMama.com! Here’s how to enter:
Send an email to safemamaATgmail.com with the subject “Momo Holiday Giveaway” in the subject field. Please be sure to include your full name and address to avoid delivery delays. (your info will be kept private)
You must complete BOTH steps in order to qualify for this giveaway. Contest expires at midnight December 22rd. Contest is open to US and Canadian residents only. We’ll select one winner at random. Good luck!
Giveaway Ended, thanks to all who entered and Congrats to Sharon M of Hoboken!
Related articles:
Dec
11
Filed Under: Safe Mama Tips
I know I’m struggling to finishing my shopping this year in enough time to ship everything and stay under my budget. Luckily I’ve gotten a lot of inspiration from my fellow bloggers to speed thing along with great ideas. I just wanted to share with you my favorite gift guides this year in case you need a few last minute gift ideas:
Green & Clean Mom Eco Holiday Gift Guide - Sommer has put together a great list of eco-friendly gifts for the greenie in your life. My favorite of her picks is the Organic Truffle Gift Box. Uh, yum!
Z Recommends Mostly Green Pretty Cheap Gift Guide - Our friends at Z Recs have put together several gift guides and this is their kids toy recommendations for this year. My fav, the Anamalz bendy toys.. they are so cute. They’d be perfect stocking stuffers!
SAFbaby’s Holiday Gift Guide - We love SAFBaby’s Toy Guide… they’ve selected a handful of cute and safe toy ideas for your kids
The Tranquil Parent Gift Guide - Part of the Z Recs network, this guide provides ideas for the eco-friendly adult and parent. Great gift ideas for the person who has everything.
Polliwogged Gift Guide - Adorable gift ideas for baby!
And of course, we have to remind our readers that WE have a 2008 Safe Toy Guide available too. We hand selected each product for it’s interest and safety. We went with an “imagination” theme this year and we enjoyed putting it together. We hope you’ll find it handy! Also, if we find OUR Toy Guide Badge on your blog or website before December 15th, you have a chance to win a complete Boon Baby Feeding Set.
Happy Shopping everyone!
Related articles:
Dec
11
Filed Under: Eco-Mama, Giveaways Coupons
We’ve mentioned this diaper bag in the past, and I really think it’s a fabulous bag and a great idea. A group called Wee Generation is the collaboration of Seventh Generation, Healthy Child Healthy World and Rickshaw Bagworks which has joined forces on a great project. They’ve created an Eco-Friendly diaper bag. A “labor of love”, designed by parents with parents in mind, the bag boasts to appeal to men and women alike as the bag for the parent on-the-go. It has some pretty nifty features like detachable pockets and teether tethers. The exterior fabric is made from 100% post consumer recycled beverage bottles. Not to mention that when you buy the bag, 100% of the profits on each bag will be donated to Healthy Child Healthy World.
I know I’d love to get one of these in my hands but instead, we’re giving one away to one of our lucky readers. You’ll receive a Wee Generation Diaper Bag loaded with $100 worth of eco-friendly treats including Seventh Generation baby product vouchers, a copy of the book Naturally Clean: The Seventh Generation Guide to Safe and Healthy Non-Toxic Cleaning, a Wee Generation baby T and healthy household tips from Healthy Child Healthy World.
To Win It:
1. Send an email to safemamaATgmail.com with the subject “Wee Generation Giveaway” in the subject field. Please be sure to include your full name and address to avoid delivery delays. (your info will be kept private)
2. Click on the seventhgeneration.com leaderboard Ad at the top of our website and tell us which of the 3 Seventh Generation products shown you’d be most interested in trying. And tell us your answer in the email.
You must complete BOTH steps in order to qualify for this giveaway. Contest expires at midnight December 19rd. Contest is open to US and Canadian residents only. We’ll select one winner at random. Good luck!
Contest Closed, thanks to all who entered!
Related articles:
- Eco Diaper Bag from Wee Generation
- Weekly Link Roundup: New Resources and Fun Stuff
- Giveaways galore for the holidays.
Dec
10
Filed Under: Giveaways Coupons, Product Reviews
When my son was born, I didn’t really get into the wrap scene, as I was always afraid of him falling out of the bottom of one. We had a Bjorn, but he was never a fan of it. I preferred carrying him around if I needed to, only adding a hotsling to our collection when he was able to sit up and hang on.
With number two on the way, I know that I’m going to need something if I’m ever going to have use of my hands ever again. And I will admit, that while I wasn’t too into attachment parenting before my son was born, and now I still cart him around as often as possible. With this one, I plan on doing things a little differently. And did I mention that I like having the use of my hands?
The problem is that there are about 8 million different types of slings and wraps out there and I don’t have disposable income.
I was lucky enough to be able to try out the new organic version of the Maya Wrap. The Maya wrap is a ring sling and is incredibly easy to put on and cinch up when you need adjustment. While I didn’t have a baby to try it out on, I was able to easily get it on with one hand and adjust it without too much fuss, something I know that I’ll definitely need the ability to do when I have an infant. These are also great for nursing, as there’s a lot of fabric so that you can nurse discreetly in public.
The new organic line comes in three styles, all of which are pretty nice. I’d definitely want to snag one for myself.
Get It: You can order the Maya Wrap from Papoose Shop and enjoy 10% off your order until Feb 28th using code Safemama10. You can also find this code along with other codes in our shopping mall.
Bonus! We have one organic Maya Wrap in lollipop (shown above) to give away. This would make any new mom thrilled (this mom would be thrilled to get this for #2, nudge nudge wink wink ;o) and is close to $100 in value. Here’s how to enter:
1. Send an email to safemama.contestsATgmail.com with the subject “Maya Wrap Giveaway” in the subject field. Please be sure to include your full name and address to avoid delivery delays.
2. Log onto shoppapoose.com and tell us what your favorite product that Papoose carries. And tell us your answer in the email.
You must complete BOTH steps in order to qualify for this giveaway. Contest expires at midnight December 23rd. Please allow 2-3 weeks for delivery of prize. Contest is open to US and Canadian residents only.
Related articles:
- Giveaways galore for the holidays.
- SafeMama & The Soft Landing Holiday Giveaway
- SafeMama Review: B nature organics
Dec
9
Filed Under: Giveaways Coupons, Product Reviews
Before my son was born, I received what seemed to be a lifetime supply of 0-3 month onesies. Everyone told me: “you can never have enough onesies, especially in the beginning.” While, yes, I went through my fair share of onesies, a large portion of the stack went virtually untouched. I did laundry often enough, that I really probably only needed 7 or 8, maybe less.
As my son got older, I needed less, and I found that I would rather purchase key pieces in an organic fabric, than more for less, by buying conventional. The problem with organic clothing is that there’s not a lot of stuff out there, and most of it is extremely expensive. And while I understand the cost, there are just some instances where I have to be smart about what I spend. Toddlers are pretty messy, and I get the reason for “play clothes” now that he’s older.
Enter B nature organics. This is exactly what someone like me needs. Minimalistic design, affordability, yet still stylish to dress up or bum around in. B nature’s clothing line is high quality in both fabric and construction. Any dyes that are used are low impact dyes and the process from start to finish is certifed organic. And yet, the product itself is affordable. You only need a few pieces and you can mix and match to keep the look fresh. Did I mention that it’s all super soft? I wish they made this stuff for adults.
While baby jeans are cute, I tend to be geared towards knits for babies, because they’re functional and comfortable. Save the baby jeans for special occasions, and keep them in clothing that is not only comfortable but good for them and the environment.
Get It: You can order B nature’s clothing directly off their website, and enjoy 10% off your purchase using code SM2008. Code expires 1/30/09.
Bonus! We have a separates set to give away. The set consists of a long sleeve crossover top and a matching set of leggings in tan. Size is 3-6 months. This would make a great gift for someone, or you can keep it for yourself. I’m tempted to snag it for number two. Here’s how to enter:
1. Send email to safemama.contestsATgmail.com with the subject “B nature giveaway” in the subject field. Please be sure to include BOTH your name AND address in the email.
2. If money were no object, would you start dressing your child exclusively in organic clothing? Why or why not? (don’t worry, your secret is safe with us).
You must follow steps 1&2 in order to be qualified for this giveaway. All information is kept private and is only used to notify the winner. Winner will be drawn at midnight December 22nd. Contest is open to U.S. Residents only. Please allow 2-3 weeks for delivery.
Contest has ended. Congrats to our winner: Amber D.
Related articles:
- Giveaways galore for the holidays.
- Cheat Sheet: Paraben and Phthalate Free Baby Products
- BeeCeuticals Re-Review & Giveaway!
Latest Childrens Product Recalls from the CPSC
- Meijer Inc. Recalls Toddler Girl's Hat and Mitten Sets Due to Choking Hazard The magnets in the hat can detach and fall out, posing a choking and aspiration hazard to young children. Magnets found by young children can be swallowed or aspirated. If more than one magnet is swallowed, the magnets can attract each other and cause intestinal perforations or blockages, which can be fatal.
- OKK Trading Recalls Toy Army Figures Due to Violation of Lead Paint Standard Surface paint on the face of the Army figures contains excessive levels of lead, violating the federal lead paint standard.
- Doll Clothing Sets Recalled by Manhattan Group Due to Violation of Lead Paint Standard Surface paints on the pajama pants contain excessive levels of lead, which violates the federal lead paint standard.
- JCPenney Recalls Arizona Newborn and Infant Pants Due to Choking Hazard The metal snap at the waist can detach posing a choking hazard to infants.
- ImagiPLAY Recalls Bead Maze Toys Due to Laceration Hazard The trees on the toys can detach, exposing a metal screw. This poses a laceration hazard to young children.
Latest FDA Press Releases
- FDA Requires New Safety Measures for Oral Sodium Phosphate Products to Reduce Risk of Acute Kidney Injury
- FDA Education Program Wins Award
- FDA Announces Permanent Injunction Against Wilderness Family Naturals LLC
- FDA, EPA and USDA Conclude That Accidental Release of Genetically Engineered Cotton Poses No Safety Risk to Humans or Animals
- FDA Announces Participants of Pilot Program for Third-Party Certification of Imported Aquacultured Shrimp
Latest Recalls in Canada
- Viking Range recalls toasters for shock hazard
- Bikes with RockShox forks recalled over crash risk
- Girls' denim jackets recalled for strangulation danger
US FDA/CFSAN Food & Cosmetic Announcements
- FDA Prevents Two Dairies from Adulterating Animal Drugs and Food
- Guidance for Industry: Substantiation for Dietary Supplement Claims Made Under Section 403(r)(6) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act
- FDA Warns Consumers About Tainted Weight Loss Pills
Popular Topics
** Cheat Sheets! article Articles Avent Bisphenol-A bottles bpa BPA-Free car seats cheat sheet coupons Dear SafeMama eco-friendly Eco-Mama EWG FAQ FDA formula giveaway green Green Mama lead melamine paraben free parabens phthalate free phthalates free Phthalates Info polypropylene Product Reviews Product Safety PVC PVC Free recalls shopping sippy cups Skin Care teethers tips toy recalls toys Toy Safety toys r us utensils winRecent Articles
- Itsabelly’s Guide to Going Green with Baby - Book Available Now!
- SafeMama Review: EcoStore USA
- SafeMama Merriment
- Giveaways galore for the holidays.
- FDA to continue to study BPA
Popular Articles
- BPA Free Bottle and Sippy Cup Cheat Sheet
- BPA Free Pacifiers and Teethers Cheat Sheet
- Cheat Sheet: Paraben and Phthalate Free Baby Products
- Baby Skin Care Products: A Quick Users Guide
- Gerber Baby Food and Number 7 Plastics
- SafeMama's Safer Sunscreen Showdown!
- Avent Launching BPA Free Bottle Summer of 08
- FAQ: What's In My Toddler's Toothbrush?
- Bisphenol-a (BPA) Crash Course
- Rubbermaid Lists BPA Free Products
SafeMama Approved Vendors
SafeMama Elsewhere
SafeMama MySpace!
Join our Facebook Group
Follow Us on Twitter
We Squidoo