Dec
30
As already introduced by our friends at The Soft Landing, the company ThinkBaby LLC has released their line of non-toxic bottles and training cups on the market. As the concern over Bisphenol-a, phthalates and lead increase, more companies are coming out with safe products as alternatives to the slew of old traditional bottles lining the shelves at Babies R Us. As a mom, even the slightest questionable risk is enough to make me switch to a safe alternative. Now, we have more options for our babies and kids.
ThinkBaby has three products on the market, a 5oz bottle, a 9oz bottle and a handled training cup all with travel caps. Their design is sleek and cool looking but looks as though they maintain the functionality that is important to moms who have problems colicky babies. The bottle has a unique venting system to reduce gas and spit up. All the parts are interchangeable between products which sounds handy.
For active moms and dads, they have a slick looking ThinkSport stainless steel bottle which is totally non-toxic as well. I know many have tossed their trusty Nalgene’s for stainless steel bottles. The bottles construction allows for better insulation and keeps liquids hot or cold for hours and is free of PVC, BPA, and Phthalates.
The Soft Landing carries the ThinkBaby line in starter kits, individual bottles as well as ThinkBaby accessories and sports bottles. Take advantage of the 10% off coupon while it lasts. Use “SAFEMAMA” at checkout for 10% off until 12/31/07!
Dec
27
Phthalates in Toys: Hidden Dangers
Filed Under Phthalates Info | Comments Off
Many parents find themselves and their kids surrounded by a bevy of new toys as a result of the holiday season. Now is the time, if you haven’t already to do some thorough inspection on unanticipated gifts to make sure they’re safe for your kids. That means more than check the age limit. The surface of many plastic toys designed for little kids contains a harmful chemical called phthalates, which has already been banned from use in children’s toys in California, according to an article in Inside Bay Area.
There of course is still some doubt over whether they are dangerous but the proof is starting to pile up. And the risks sound worthy of a further look into the products and toys in your home:
Phthalates are added to plastic products to make them soft and pliable. They are widely used in products that often wind up young children’s mouths — rubber ducks, teething rings and soft bath books. They are also found in common household items like vinyl shower curtains, paint, and nail polish.
The danger is this: when a child places a plastic toy into his or her mouth, these harmful chemicals leach out of the plastic and into the system — and exposure to phthalates can cause serious long-term health effects, such as reproductive defects.
Europe and Mexico have already banned the use of it in toys and prohibited the import of them. That puts the U.S. at risk of becoming a “dumping ground” for banned toys. What’s a parent to do? Like many other things we worry about, this risk isn’t an easy one to avoid, but can be if you’re diligent.
Check toys against the research at HeathyToys.org for this and other dangers like lead.
Opt for less plastic in your home and more of toys made with wood, cloth or other safer materials. If for teething babies, try to look for safe alternatives such as latex or silicone.
Look for toys with labels on packaging that state they are phthalate-free. More things are popping up on teh shelves that are actually labeled. They will have a No PVC and/or a No Phthalates symbol on the packaging.
Source: Inside bay Area
Dec
24
Happy Holidays from Safe Mama!
Filed Under Website News | 2 Comments
Thanks to everyone who’s been reading and visiting the site. I hoped in putting this together that I’d help people keep on top of the things that worry us about protecting our kids. It’s not easy being on the consumer end of the world and being at the mercy of information to make the decisions that most effect our families. I hope we’ve at least given back a little comfort in knowing where you can go to find the safety information you need to protect yourself and your family.
I wasn’t sure what kind of response I would get but it’s clear to me that my efforts have not gone unappreciated. I plan to expand and re-organize Safe Mama in the new year to make all the feeds and information accessible as well as add blogs to exclusively cover going green as well as a section just for moms where we’ll cover natural and safe beauty alternatives and beauty news. As long as I can find time to do it all!
We wish everyone a warm and SAFE holiday this year and a most Happy New Year!
Dec
21
Toy Industry Execs Talk Tougher Toy Safety Standards
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On Thursday Toy Industry Executives met to discuss making toy testing a mandatory practice as well as increasing the funding for the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Currently, toy testing for lead paint and other hazards is a voluntary practice by toy makers. Bills in the House and Senate would require third party toy testing but the details of the “rules” are still a bit fuzzy and won’t likely be hammered out until early 2008.
On Wednesday, the House approved legislation that would reduce the amount of permissible lead in consumer products, require manufacturers to include tracking labels so that recalled products can be quickly traced, and significantly boost the CPSC’s budget.
A similar product safety bill approved by the Senate in October has even stricter provisions. It would protect private-sector whistleblowers and allow states’ attorneys general to sue companies for violating federal product safety laws.
On December 11, 2007 the U.S. and China signed a safety agreement to safeguard food and pet supplies since China manufacturing entered the danger spotlight in March from tainted pet food. Nearly 85% of toys are made in China, according to the CNN article, so more quality control is part of the program which would hopefully involve independent auditing to ensure safety standards are being followed in foreign countries.
Joan Lawrence, TIA’s vice president for safety standards and regulatory affairs, said the group hoped to present its final testing and safety enforcement plan to the CPSC on Dec. 31. [2007]
Source: CNN Money
Dec
19
More Toy Recalls Keep Parents on their Toes
Filed Under Product Recalls, Toy Safety | Comments Off
Just when we thought we could relax a tiny bit… more toy recalls. If there is a lesson in all these toy recalls this year, it’s that as parents, we need to make sure we are as informed as possible and we stay on top of the most recent information. We thought we’d be safe with purchasing wood toy alternatives then a new slew of recalls include wood blocks and wood toys that violate lead paint standards.
The Soldier Bear company recalled a handful of their wood toys including a wood pull a long wagon filled with blocks, a wood clock and wooden ride on horse for toddlers all found with excess levels of lead in their surface paint. The toys were manufactured in China which to some is not a huge surprise. Keep up with the CPSC recalls by checking their website or subscribing to their rss feed to be updated on the most recent recalls.
Dec
19
Product Review: Thermos Foogo
Filed Under Product Reviews | 12 Comments
I’ve checked out quite a few sippy cups both plastic and stainless steel. We’ve put the Boon Sippy through the test, the BornFree Drinking Cup, the Sigg water bottle… but nothing has come close to winning my love and affection quite like the Thermos Foogo sippy cup. I love… this sippy. My kid loves this sippy. The world should love this sippy.
The cup is made of all bpa free materials and has a double wall insulated stainless steel body where the liquids are held. I should mention that this insulation keeps liquids cold or hot longer than any other we’ve tried. It has a valve construction in the top portion which comes apart for easy cleaning. Including the main cup portion there are a total of 4 pieces, which isn’t bad considering cups like the BornFree which has about 7. I do like how the handles are part of the cup and don’t come off… although they do have a handless cup too for those who might prefer that style. It’s not the biggest cup ever so it gets emptied by my toddler through the day but, that’s actually ideal since water doesn’t sit in there for long periods like it might with other larger ones.
We’ve put it through the ringer since it’s so durable and it’s not scratched, dented or marked or scuffed in any way. And it’s been kicked around the driveway outside, so that’s saying something. It still looks as good as the day we got it.
Does it leak? No. My kid likes to carry cups around by the handles which means he drinks more water during the day, but it also means drippy cups don’t work well for us. That is not a problem with this cup. You can hold it upside down for quite a bit before any water, if any at all, comes out. No water leaks from the seam of the top or anywhere else if left on its side. I actually found this cup sideways and upside down between two couch cushions and there was nothing even remotely wet.
The Bottom Line: This sippy gets the Safe Mama stamp of BPA Free Approval. We have one, which was provided by The Soft Landing for testing and review purposes but I am going to buy a couple more as well as the larger straw bottle to keep on hand for on the go refills. Thank you to The Soft Landing for providing the test cup. They are offering a 10% off discount for Safe Mama readers… use the code “SAFEMAMA” at check out until 12/31/07. They have flat rate shipping on orders over $50 too!
Dec
17
HealthyToys.org Toy Check via SMS
Filed Under Toy Safety | 2 Comments
It’s nearly impossible to know everything there is to know about choosing safe toys. As hard as we might try, there are just too many toys and too many possible dangers. What was once a joyful trip to the toy store is now a doubt filled trip to the unknown danger store. Ok it’s not quite that dramatic but I find myself questioning every single thing I pick up. Moms Rising and Healthy Toys to the rescue. Moms Rising has created a texting tool that you can use from anywhere you have a signal. Simply send a text message to the Healthy Toys database and it will reply with their tested rating of that toy (if it’s in there). No more guessing and returning.
SMS Text healthytoys [toy name] to 41411
and we’ll reply instantly with the results from healthytoys.org
The Joy is back in toy shopping! Thank you Moms Rising!
SMS text wiz? Try a more complex search:
- Text “healthytoys [high/med/low] [toy name]” to 41411 — to limit your search results to only those toys with a high, med, or low toxins rating — e.g. “healthytoys low slinky” will only return the Slinky that got a “low toxins” test rating by HealthyToys.org.
- Text “healthytoys [retailer]” to 41411 — to search for toys sold by a particular retailer — e.g. “healthytoys low costco” will return the toys sold at Costco that got a “low toxins” test rating by HealthyToys.org.
- Text “healthytoys [search term]” to 41411 — to search for toys with that term in their name, description, brand, or retailer. In other words, you can search not only for a toy name but also for Costco, or Leap Frog, or bracelet, or fuzzy, or rattle, or Spider-man, or Disney — and any toys with those words anywhere in their listing will be returned.
- Too many results? Try typing the name of the toy just as it is printed on the packaging — e.g. “healthytoys Disney Royal Shoes Set”.
Dec
16
Mama Safety in Cosmetics
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This one falls under the “For the Mama” category.
If you’re living in Minnesota, no doubt this week you’re hearing about a ban on mascara. Starting on January 1st, any beauty products containing mercury, will no longer be allowed to be sold in the state of Minnesota.
“Mercury does cause neurological damage to people even in tiny quantities,” said Sen. John Marty, the Democrat from Roseville who sponsored the ban. “Every source of mercury adds to it. We wanted to make sure it wasn’t here.”
Most makeup manufacturers have phased out the use of mercury, but it’s still added legally to some eye products as a preservative and germ-killer, said John Bailey, chief scientist with the Personal Care Products Council in Washington. That group doesn’t track mercury in beauty products and favors a national approach to regulating cosmetics, instead of laws that vary from state to state.
Federal law allows eye products to contain up to 65 parts per million of mercury. The exposure a person would get from a product used in small quantities around the eyes would not cause a problem, Bailey said.
“It’s added at very low levels, and for good reason,” he said.
you can read the rest of the article here, but it’s got some very key points, one being that there are many chemicals in cosmetics that aren’t on the label, which is very disturbing to me. I’m not sure about you, but as a girly girl, and as I get older and hopefully wiser, I would like to still be able to wear my make up and have it be good for me too.
You can search for safer cosmetics here and here, which is also linked in the sidebar on the left hand side. Let’s hope that the rest of the country follows suit. Kudos to Minnesota.
Dec
14
Better.tv and SafeMama Giveaway Stuffed Grocery Totes!
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Ok Moms and Dads, the good folks over at Better.tv have given us 3 reusable grocery totes filled with a few cool items to give away to 3 of our Safe Mama readers.
The Prizes:
2 Reusable Grocery Totes, filled with a Better.tv polo shirt and the book Kids Favorites Made Healthy from Better Homes and Gardens.
and…
1 Grocery Tote, filled with a Better.tv polo shirt and the book You and Your Baby: Healthy Eating During Pregnancy by Laura Riley M.D. OB/GYN.
How to win:
Send one email to safemama at gmail.com with the subject line Grocery Tote Giveaway and send us a link to one of your favorite online parenting resources. 3 winners will be drawn at random and announced on Friday December 14th, 2007. Thank you to Better.tv for providing the prizes!
Updated 12/14/07: Congratulations to our winners Ame, Erin and Katie! Thank you everyone who entered and sent in your parenting resources sites. Check back for more giveaways coming soon!
Dec
14
Review: Wee·Go bottle.
Filed Under Product Reviews | 3 Comments
The Soft Landing was kind enough to send me a Wee·Go bottle for my son to be a test subject. The bottle itself is a glass bottle, with a BPA free cap, nipple and a snazzy rubber sleeve that is also BPA free. The sleeve is to give Mama and baby a better grip and also to protect it from the inevitable drops. Also? Bonus! It comes in 6 snazzy colors.
I really love the look and feel of glass bottles. I bought some of the evenflo bottles, and also a few of the Born Free glass bottles. But there’s one small problem: no pressure release. My son has managed to collapse the nipple to every glass bottle that I’ve ever tried, and this one is no exception. I’m not sure if it’s just him, or if it’s just that there’s no way to release air in the glass bottles. I’ve switched out the nipples and it doesn’t seem to work. My next step is to try the experiment again with a Y cut nipple.
That said, these are still really great bottles and one thing I love about this one is that I can store water in it for his formula when we go out and not have to keep it in plastic (We usually leave glass at home, so that we don’t have to worry so much about it smashing in public). I’m still squicked about storing liquids in a plastic bottle. Even a BPA free one.
Thanks again to The Soft Landing. They’re totally awesome and have the biggest selection of BPA free products out there. Not to mention flat rate shipping on all orders over $50.
Giveaways on Mommy Likes
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