May
30
Gerber Packaging BPA Free
Filed Under Bisphenol-A, Product Safety | Comments Off
As we’ve established already, we have gotten mixed information regarding the plastic used in the Gerber baby food packs. But in general, all of the info we’ve received has still maintained that Gerber baby food packs are BPA Free. The tumultuous nature of this issue, coupled with the fact that the plastic numbers change each time someone calls Gerber has still made parents uneasy and waiting to know what the rest of their items are packaged in.
The last time I phoned Gerber, which was call #47 in the last 2 months, the woman I spoke to assured me that all of Gerber’s food packaging was BPA Free. They aren’t all polystyrene free though which makes me want to throw things. Anyway, after being asked a number of times about a few other popular Gerber items I thought I’d call them again to see what a few other items were packaged in.
One item is the Gerber Finger Foods, specifically the Fruit and Veggie Puffs. Apparently they have a #7 on the package and Gerber informed me that it was made with a “layered polypropylene” (#5) and the lid was LDPE (low density polyethylene or #4). Now, every time Gerber tells me its layered polypropylene I wonder why it warrants a #7 categorization if its all polypropylene. But I suppose the fact that there is more than one type of PP being used they are required to put it in the mixed #7 class.
Next up was the Gerber Graduates lil’ meals. They told me the container is also layered polypropylene 
(#5) with a LDPE lid (#4), and the label is polystyrene (#6… ew). The label doesn’t touch the food apparently but it’s worth mentioning.
Finally, I inquired about the Gerber juices, particularly the packs of small juices, which are marked with a #7 as well. Gerber says they are also, “layered polypropylene” (#5).
Gerber maintains that their food packaging is all BPA Free but I encourage parents to call and check fro themselves if you have doubts about any kind of packaging they provide. Gerber has an awesome hotline that is open 24/7 and I have never waited more than a minute or two for a representative to pick up.
Gerber Hotline: 1-800-4-GERBER
May
29
Wii are harmful to your health
Filed Under Product Safety | Comments Off
Greenpeace released a report last week regarding extensive testing that they had done on gaming consoles. Now, while I’m sure that your baby or toddler, aren’t playing video games, you may have an elementary aged child or teenager who is, and we don’t like to limit ourselves to only keeping your babies and toddlers safe. According to Greenpeace, game consoles are one of the fastest growing markets for consumer electronics. I know we ourselves have a few gaming consoles for rainy days.
Their findings weren’t exactly surprising. Greenpeace detected the use of PVC, phthalates, as well as beryllium and bromine, which are chemical fire retardants. All game consoles that were tested complied with European Union’s Restriction of Hazardous Substances (EU RoHS). Which means that there was no cadmium or mercury detected in any of the materials, and lead and chromium were found in some of the samples that were tested. The three major players (Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo) have said that they would phase out BBR and PVC by 2010 (although Sony only intends to phase out these chemicals on mobile products like the PSP and has not committed to other game consoles). Nintendo has not given a definitive date.
You can download the PDF of Greenpeace’s full executive summary “Playing Dirty” here.
May
28
Babies R Us Taking Returns on Bottles with BPA
Filed Under Bisphenol-A | Comments Off
I’ve gotten some reports from parents who have successfully returned, for store credit, bottles that contain BPA at Babies R Us. This includes used items as well as new and I’ve been told you may not need a receipt. A few readers over at Freebies 4 Mom have reported successful receipt-less returns, however it is my understanding that each store may have a different policy. With so many moms recently emailing us to question whether they should bother spending the money on new bottles, this may come as good news.
My unsolicited advice when going this route:
- Call your local Babies R Us store and ask what their policy is on BPA product returns
- Ask to speak to the manager to clarify what policy they are following and what you need to bring to receive a store credit/return.
- Bring bottles and cups in the store clean and bring receipts if you have them.
- Bring our BPA Free Bottle and Cup Cheat Sheet with you to make sure you’re buying BPA Free replacements.
I’m going off the assumption that they won’t provide this perk forever so I encourage you to get on it if you want to make a change to BPA Free. Let us know how it went!
May
28
Kid-Safe Chemicals Act
Filed Under Articles | Comments Off
I’ve gotten to the point now, where I’m a complete toxiphobe. I question just about every single product. You couldn’t stop me from eating junk food, let alone read the ingredients label. Yellow Lake #5? Exactly what shade of yellow is that? And how many other Yellow Lakes are there? (Insert bad pee joke here)
And as I’ve taken the dive into parenthood, I realized that I didn’t care, because sadly, I was selfish, and really had no reason to care, but now I look at my son, and wonder just how much damage I’ve caused him, not only with BPA laden bottles, or phthalate riddled shampoos in his early life, but how much damage did I cause him as a result of my own actions? The chemical laden shampoos and body washes. The oh so girly but probably cancerous dusting powder. The polycarbonate water bottle that I sucked 80 some odd ounces of water out of on a daily basis? I try not to beat myself up. I really had no idea. And I know I’m not alone.
That’s why the EWG is working on passing the Kid-Safe Chemicals Act (KSCA)
The nation’s toxic chemical regulatory law, the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) is in drastic need of reform. Passed in 1976 and never amended since, TSCA is widely regarded as the weakest of all major environmental laws on the books today.
When passed, TSCA declared safe some 62,000 chemicals already on the market, even though there were little or no data to support this policy. Since that time another 20,000 chemicals have been put into commerce in the United States, also with little or no data to support their safety.
I spend my days (well, as much as a toddler allows) reading ingredient labels on various products and then cross referencing them with various sources in the hopes of not only keeping my own family safe, but other families safe too. The sheer amount of chemicals out there that are in your regular every day products is disturbing. And it’s easy to understand why. There are so many governmental loopholes that allow a lot of companies to get away with putting toxic chemicals into their products.
The human race is now polluted with hundreds of industrial chemicals with little or no understanding of the consequences. Babies are born pre-polluted with as many as 300 industrial chemicals in their bodies when they enter the world. Testing by Environmental Working Group has identified 455 chemicals in people, and again, no one has any idea if these exposures are safe.
We are at a tipping point, where the pollution in people is increasingly associated with a range of serious diseases and conditions from childhood cancer, to autism, ADHD, learning deficits, infertility, and birth defects. Yet even as our knowledge about the link between chemical exposure and human disease grows, the government has almost no authority to protect people from even the most hazardous chemicals on the market.
300 Industrial chemicals! Before they’re even born. It makes you feel as if you’re trying to fight an uphill battle. You eat right, exercise, and then you find out that companies you thought you trusted, get around the system somehow. Making you feel as if you’re overreacting, because the amount of a certain chemical in their product is “within safe acceptable levels.” How do they actually know if there aren’t enough studies being done? And how do they know that other products you’re using don’t contain “safe acceptable levels” in addition to the already “safe acceptable levels.” I’m trying not to be an alarmist, here. At the end of the day, I just want what’s best for my child. We all do, and we should all be afforded that right.
You can read more about the KSCA here. Let’s hope that they not only pass this act, but also pass a similar act for adults too.
May
24
Car Seat Toxicity: HealthyCar.org
Filed Under Car Safety | Comments Off
It’s always something, isn’t it? With all the talk about reducing the levels of toxins and chemicals our babies and kids are exposed to during the most formative years of their lives, it’s only natural people start wondering about that car seat your precious bundle sits in. Last year a reader wrote in to ask about finding organic car seats… unfortunately, this country isn’t quite there yet and while you can find organic seat covers, covering a car seat isn’t recommended by some car safety officials. (If anyone has more solid information about car seat covers and the laws/rules surrounding them I’d welcome it…. I can’t seem to find too much official information.)
But anyway, car seats are required by law… you can’t leave the hospital with your newborn without one. But the seat you choose is entirely up to you, and wouldn’t you want a seat that off-gasses less icky stuff like bromine, lead and chlorine? Well if so, there is a website available that allows you to search for car seats, or check the seat you currently own, for dangerous or “unhealthy” levels of these kinds of toxins, called HealthyCar.org. They’ve created a full report on vehicles AND car seats and rate them from Low to High concern levels. You can search by seat Type, by seat Model and they have a Best and Worst list to gawk at too. Overall, an interesting resource, and one I’ll be consulting when making future car seat (or car) purchases.
May
23
FAQ: Are Bottle Sterilizers and Warmers Safe?
Filed Under Bisphenol-A, Dear SafeMama, FAQ | Comments Off
We’ve been asked a bazillion times whether bottle sterilizers and bottle warmers are safe, and the questions surrounding them are usually layered. Do they contain BPA? If so can using them on my BPA Free bottles do any harm?
Not many, but some bottle sterilizers and warmers do contain polycarbonate plastic. Our friends at Z Recommends recently published an article about bottle sterilizers and added them to their extensive BPA Report. Please read their post about bottle sterilization and for a short list of BPA Free sterilizers. Note that many sterilizers come packaged with polycarbonate bottles.
Bottle warmers fall into the same category and while they are handy (I’ve heard) we don’t recommend them on the Heat and Plastic don’t mix level. But since moms want to know what everything is made of these days, Safe Mama Resident Researcher Jamie (We love her!) got on it and came up with a short list of popular Bottle Warmers and their materials:
Munchkin Deluxe Auto Bottle Warmer: Polypropylene (#5) and other materials but does not contain polycarbonate (Note: These were recently recalled due to fire hazard)
The First Years Night and Day Bottle Warmer by Learning Curve: Polypropylene (#5) except buttons are polycarbonate
Phillips Avent Express Bottle & Baby Food Warmer: Polypropylene (#5)
Phillips Avent iQ Electric Bottle & Baby Food Warmer: Polypropylene (#5)
Things to keep in mind, as a general rule, us SafeMama’s don’t recommend using bottle sterilizers or bottle warmers in general. Heat and plastic are not our favorite combination and while they are conveniences, a little soap and water, or heating a fresh bottle in a glass container will do the trick without cooking your bottles.
Again, these are just recommendations and you, as parents, can judge whether you want to use these products.
May
21
What’s the deal with Avent?
Filed Under Bisphenol-A, Dear SafeMama, FAQ | Comments Off
We here at Safe Mama, get TONS of emails regarding Avent products. More than we can handle. Avent is one of the most popular brands on the market, so it stands to reason that we would get lots of inquiries on their products.
This information was posted here previously, but in light of the inquiries, I thought it warranted being posted again, as this information is helpful to parents. A lot of companies are completely willing to disclose what materials are in their products. Sometimes it’s a quick call to the manufacturer. Other times, it’s as simple as going to their website and doing a search. In the case of Avent, they have a complete materials chart, as a pdf, right on their website. Which is why we can’t stress enough to our readers to please, PLEASE, do a complete search of the archives (on the left hand side) and FAQ before hitting the contact form. We love to hear from you. It makes our hearts feel all tingly and bubbly inside when we know we’re able to answer a question for you, but we get so many Avent questions, we can’t keep up with them. Hopefully having this chart posted a couple of times will help you out. You can cross reference the recycling codes on Avent’s chart with our BPA crash course post to give you the quick and dirty.
And now for some other Avent related news:
We had passed along some information, somewhat recently, that Avent was launching a BPA free bottle this summer. Avent has released a new bottle, which is similar to Playtex’s drop in nurser system. The outer shell of the bottle, is still polycarbonate, but the liner is polyethylene, which is a safe plastic, and keeps the liquid from touching any part of the bottle. With this information in hand, it’s up to you to make that decision on whether or not you want to use this product. But it looks as if the nipples are the same as the conventional Avent bottle, which may be of help to Safe Mama readers. You can purchase this bottle right on their website, if you can’t find it in your local stores yet.
I thought I would also make mention of Evoprene, a material that’s used for the spout of the Avent Magic Sippy Cups. Evoprene is a safe plastic that is free of PVC, BPA and Phthalates.
May
20
SafeMama Review: Stuff 4 Sprouts
Filed Under Product Reviews | Comments Off
Last year, while looking for yet more lotion for my son (I don’t have a problem and I can quit at anytime, I swear), I came across Stuff 4 Sprouts. It looked cute, with fun scents, and natural. Kristen was nice enough to recently send me some samples of their cream and lip balm. She sent me the Blueberry cream, which currently has phthalates in it, but will be phthalate free by next month. She does disclose this though on her website, as well. I liked the cream. It’s a little greasy at first, but it absorbs nicely and lasts through a few washings. Since it’s a cream for kids, the smell is fun. I mean, what kid wants to smell like an old lady’s attic? They also have the cream in fresh cut grass. Fresh. Cut. Grass! That is one of my all time favorite smells ever. All in all, I liked the way it made my hands feel.
The lip stuff (for extra crispy kissers) was awesome. It comes in a wider tube for smaller hands and even though it’s for kids, I’m all over anything that smells like chocolate. The lip balm is awesome and comes in three kid friendly flavors: chocolate, frosting, and peanut butter and jelly (no peanuts are used in the actual product, so no worries of allergies).
All of Stuff 4 Sprout’s products are paraben and phthalate free, with the exception of the blueberry muffin cream, which as I mentioned is changing to phthalate free as well soon. And a bonus for me is that Kristen lives in my area. I love supporting local businesses.
Safe Mama readers can order online at Stuff4Sprouts.com and receive 15% off your order when you use the code: SAFEMM15. Code is good through the end of June.
May
16
FDA defending BPA
Filed Under Articles, Bisphenol-A | Comments Off
After recently reporting that the FDA was going to take another look at the safety of BPA, it looks as if the FDA won’t recommend that consumers stop using products containing Bisphenol-A.
For its part, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., makers of Nalgene bottles, have announced that they will stop using polycarbonate. Wal-Mart says it expects all baby bottles it carries to be free of the material by early next year, and Toys R Us has discussed a similar plan.
If such major players are clearly expressing concern over BPA, what legs does the FDA have to stand on for its reassurance? According to Reuters, the FDA’s associate commissioner for science, Norris Alderson, said the feds are reviewing safety concerns, and pointed to two industry-funded studies claiming it poses no risk.
I’ll tell you why companies are eradicating products made of polycarbonate, and stores are eliminating it from their shelves. It’s because of consumers, not because of the FDA. I had an interesting conversation with a representative from the makers of Dr. Brown’s bottles. The sales of the original Dr. Brown’s polycarbonate bottles are still going strong. They still maintain that it’s safe to use (he even stated they used them for his own child) and as long as there’s a market for it, they’re going to continue to manufacture them. But even if the FDA doesn’t back down, people are still going to want the choice. While it bothers me that the FDA is sticking to its original statement, people are become more aware, and if they’re anything like me (without getting too political here), they don’t trust that the FDA really cares about our safety anyway.
Source: The Daily Green
May
14
SafeMama’s Safer Sunscreen Showdown!
Filed Under Skin Care | Comments Off
Update Note: We published an updated cheat sheet for sunscreen which you can find here: SafeMama’s 2009 Safer Sunscreen Cheat Sheet – please refer to the new version with many more brands to choose from.
We here at SafeMama™ consider ourselves to be pretty picky when it comes to sunscreens. Heck, we’re pretty picky when it comes to just about any skin care product these days (This is my last bottle of Aveda shampoo, I swear ) and we like to think that’s a good thing. We know a lot of you have asked us for sunscreen recommendations, and with summer just around the bend, we got busy testing them out. We’ve tried just about every sunscreen on the market before we were happy with the short list of the whole five sunscreens we considered to be on the safer side. We sniffed, we slathered, we absorbed. And now we’re sharing our findings with you.
We say safer, because as a general rule of thumb, sunscreens should be used sparingly*. The active ingredients in just about every sunscreen can create harmful free-radicals when out in the sun. If you’re going to be in the sun all day, of course even chemical sunscreen is better than turning into a leather handbag, or worse, ending up with skin cancer. Some sun is GOOD for you (Vitamin D!), but if you need a sunscreen for a long day at the beach, we have a few we like best. When the option is available, use hats, cotton clothing or use the shade of umbrellas to avoid too much sun exposure.
Safe Mama Criteria: All sunscreens we approved needed to be free of parabens, phthalates, and all the nasty ingredients we avoid in regular skin care (like PEG’s). Another ingredient we watch out for is the synthetic chemical oxybenzone. Oxybenzone is an endocrine disruptor which can affect the nervous system, has been linked to cancer in some laboratory studies, and creates free-radicals when exposed to the sun which are harmful.
We’ve created a cute little handy dandy pdf file for you that you can print out and take to the store, or better yet, save a tree and shop online, as there’s a link to each sunscreen by simply mousing over the name and clicking. All sunscreens have been cross referenced when possible, with the Cosmetic Safety Database. We realize that the database is not completely accurate, but we know that some of you like to know what is in the products, so keep in mind it’s for informational purposes only, and should be used with a bit of caution.
You can find our updated 2009 List of Safer Sunscreens here, or simply by clicking the icon.
Let summer begin!
*By “sparingly” we mean in moderation. Choose a sunscreen that suits you and your family and follow the recommended usage on the bottle/tube for best protection. Use your judgment.
Giveaways on Mommy Likes
Win some Episencial Sweet Dreams Bubble Bath from SproutBaby.com! Ends March 19th!
Latest CPSC Recalls and Product Safety News
- Infant Deaths Prompt CPSC Warning About Sling Carriers for Babies
- Noncontact Electrical Tester Recalled by Fluke Due to Shock or Burn Hazard
- CPSC Issues Warning on Children's Winter and Holiday-Themed Charm Bracelets with High Levels of Cadmium
- Coil Nailers Recalled by Hitachi Koki Due to Serious Injury Hazard
- Byer California Recalls Girl's Jackets with Drawstrings Due to Strangulation Hazard
Latest FDA Recalls
- Julia's Spices Inc Recalls Hulled Sesame Seeds Because of Possible Health Risk
- Spice Industrial Inc. Recalls Lian How White Sesame Seeds Because of Possible Health Risk
- McCormick Recall Due to Possible Health Risk from HVP Ingredient Expands to Include Additional "Best By" Dates
Latest Recalls in Canada
- Enameled Steel Tea Kettle recalled over loose handle
- Big Rex kids book includes plastic dot with high lead levels
- Super Clean Degreaser recalled over packaging
Safer States Action Alerts
- BPA update: Wisconsin, Maryland, Washington
- The Toxies names the bad actors of toxics
- Focus on New York State
Visit Our Friends
Popular Topics
** Cheat Sheets! allergies Articles bath products Bisphenol-A bottles bpa BPA-Free cheat sheet cleaning products coupons CPSC Dear SafeMama eco-friendly Eco-Mama EWG FAQ FDA giveaway Giveaways Coupons green Green Mama lead links 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 utensils winRecent Articles
- SafeMama’s 2010 Safer Baby Skin Care Cheat Sheet
- Sunday Morning DIY: Lavender & Sweet Orange Hand Soap
- Fisher-Price and Mattel Settlement
- Batter Blaster Organic Pancake Batter: BPA in Packaging?
- Found: Stainless Steel Popsicle Molds (Giveaway!)
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 Dishware Cheat Sheet: BPA, PVC & Phthalate Free Dishes
- Avent Launching BPA Free Bottle Summer of 08
- SafeMama's Safer Sunscreen Showdown!
- SafeMama: Wipes Review
- Baby Cubes: BPA Free & Phthalate Free Food Storage for Baby
Fellow Safe Mama's
Grab Our Badge!
SafeMama Elsewhere
SafeMama MySpace!
Join our Facebook Group
Follow Us on Twitter
We Squidoo
