Jan
29
News: BPA stays in body longer than once thought
Filed Under Articles, Bisphenol-A | Comments Off
As if there weren’t enough issues regarding BPA, a new study has shown that BPA lingers longer in the body than they once thought:
“What this study shows is that either we are getting exposed to a lot more BPA than we thought, or it’s hanging around longer than we thought, or both,” said lead researcher Dr. Richard W. Stahlhut, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Rochester Medical Center’s Environmental Health Sciences Center, in New York.
So as far was we can tell, they’re still unsure as to what’s causing BPA to linger in the body. My guess is both. BPA is in nearly everything:
Stahlhut noted that BPA is used to harden plastics in many products, including plastic bottles, PVC water pipes and food-storage containers. It’s also used to coat the inside of metal food cans and in dental sealants. It’s even found in cash register receipts and recycled paper, he said.
While it sounds nearly impossible to avoid BPA entirely (believe me, I’ve tried), there are lots of things you can do to limit your exposure to BPA:
- Kathy wrote a great post about limiting exposure to BPA in food products, you can read it here.
- When possible, use glass drinkware, or stainless steel, if you’re out and about.
- If we’ve said it once, we’ve said it a thousand times, never put any plastic in the microwave. Even “safe” plastics can have leaching capabilities as the plastic starts to break down.
- Use BPA free bottles, cups and dishware for babies and toddlers. I realize that using glass or ceramic for children isn’t an option, so we have a list of safer dishware choices, as well as safer bottle, breast milk storage and pump choices, as well.
- Avoid plastics with the recycling codes 3, 6&7.
- Avoid or limit your exposure to PVC. This can be a little tricky, because sometimes, it’s just not labeled, but when I’m buying something that could potentially contain PVC, I try to smell it before buying. If it smells noxious, it’s probably not something you want in your home.
What are the ways you’ve tried to limit your exposure to BPA? Send us your tips and we’ll post them here.
Jan
29
Dear SafeMama: Returning to a website near you
Filed Under Dear SafeMama | Comments Off
I’m sure that you’ve noticed that Dear SafeMama kind of took an unexpected hiatus. With both of us ending up expecting our second children in the spring/summer, we’ve both been feeling a little hazy. The first trimester for me brought extreme exhaustion and fog. Poor Kathy, who was hot on my heels, not only had the fog and exhaustion but morning sickness as well.
Now that we’re feeling better, we’re hoping to bring Dear SafeMama back and make it better than ever. But we need your help. You’re always good at throwing us some good curveballs with your questions. Send us your very best. Just be gentle. We’re still suffering from mom and pregnancy brain. We’re a fun bunch around here.
To send in your questions, simply go to the contact link and select “Dear SafeMama” in the dropdown box. Or browse past Dear SafeMama questions to see if your question has already been answered.
Jan
28
Mercury in High Fructose Corn Syrup
Filed Under Articles, Food Safety | Comments Off
If you needed another reason to avoid high fructose corn syrup in your food, then here it is. One of my favorite blogs Eco Child’s Play tipped me off to a new study that revealed that “Mercury was found in nearly 50% of tested samples of commercial high fructose corn syrup” according to an article published by Environmental Health.
Another study done by The Institute of Agriculture and Trade Policy found that one in three products with HFCS listed as a main ingredient was found to contain mercury.
In our own limited testing, we could detect mercury in about one of every three common foods or beverages where HFCS was the first or second labeled ingredient. Many of these foods are heavily marketed to children, who in turn are among those most vulnerable to mercury’s toxic effects.
…
Just published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal, Environmental Health, is the bombshell that commercial HFCS appears to be routinely contaminated with mercury. It turns out the contamination isn’t so much accidental as newly recognized, given the fact that much HFCS has been made and continues to be made using “mercury-grade” caustic soda.
Where is it found? It can be found in just abot everything… the obvious place is candy, soda and sweets but HFCS is also found in bread, breakfast cereals, tomato sauces, breadcrumbs, granola bars, ketchup, crackers, cough syrups, dill pickles, frozen pizzas, meats, marinades, barbecue sauces, salad dressing …. etc. It’s everywhere and some experts blame HFCS for the increasingly scary epidemic of obesity and diabetes in the U.S. All the more reason to eat real food, whole food and unprocessed food if you ask me.
Jan
27
Review: Better Life Floor Cleaner and Scented What-EVER
Filed Under Eco-Mama, cleaning products | Comments Off
I’ve sung the praises of Better Life’s cleaning products in the past and I am still a loyal user. Since discovering their products and the wonderful things they do I’ve been trying to be creative and figure out ways to apply them to cleaning scenarios they weren’t necessarily designed for. Soon I won’t have to. Better Life’s creators Tim Barklage and Kevin Tibbs are expanding their fantastic line of safe natural cleaning products to include products designed for other uses.. like floors!
First, welcome Simply Floored! to the collection. This citrusy mint scented floor cleaner has out performed my expectations and really does what it says. Cleans and shines your floor… but the best part? No rinsing and no sticky aftermath. This gentle cleaner is great for tile (I use it on the kitchen and bathroom floors all the time) but is also safe and effective on hardwoods, marble, bamboo, vinyl, and laminate (or any sealed surface really). You squirt a little on, wipe it off and you’re done.
And if I didn’t already love Better Life’s Wha-EVER! All Purpose Cleaner spray I’d love it now… it will now be available in a scented version for those of us who want a fresh scent… Same great all purpose cleaner just scented with essential oils of clary sage and citrus! Yum! In my last review I waxed poetic about the miracle work this product did on the gross dog stain on the wall where he sits – which is now gone completely thanks to what-EVER! Now it does the same great work but smells great too.
All their products are incredibly safe.. no petrochemicals, no VOC’s, no ethyloxylates, no parabens, no SLS or SLES, no artificial fragrances or dyes… just vegetable based cleansers and essential oils. Love this company! They get the SafeMama thumbs up from us. Better Life gets the SafeMama Excellence in Safety Award for developing such a family and planet friendly line of cleaning products. Thank you Better Life!
Get It: Their new products are coming out this month and will be available online and in some stores… check their website for availability – you can also order the other amazing products they carry on Drugstore.com
Jan
23
Review: Lusa Organics Wipe Juice
Filed Under Green Mama, Product Reviews | Comments Off
As often as possible, I try to do cloth wipes. One, to save some money on the insane amount of wipes we seem to go through in this house, and two, given that we’re already using cloth diapers 85% of the time, it just makes sense. Doing cloth wipes is super easy. I use baby washcloths and that works fine, but you can also make your own by cutting up flannel or terry cloth.
I’ve tried a number of things for actual cleaning. I pre-moist my wipes by using a solution of baby soap and some water, storing them in the wipes warmer, but that didn’t work out well. Neither did just a plain old conventional wipes container. The wipes started to smell, so I keep dry wipes at my finger tips and use a spray bottle. Again, trying a couple of different things until I tried Lusa Organics baby wipe juice.
I can’t really say enough about this stuff. First, it’s super concentrated, so I really only need about a teaspoon to some warm water and I have enough wipe juice to last me for months, from one bottle. The actual bottle of wipe juice will probably last me well until he’s done with diapers, so this is awesome for those of you who are on a tight budget, or just don’t like flushing your money down the toilet with disposable wipes (pun intended). Second, it keeps my son’s bottom soft and rash free. I’ve never had too much of a problem with rashes. Now and again, I might see some eczema here and there, but since I’ve started using this stuff, his skin has been totally clear. It’s great for quick cleaning of other things. Hands, face, snotty noses. All without drying or chafing the skin. The few times my son has had a flare up, I’ve used the Booty Balm and it literally makes his skin clear after a diaper change. Granted, my son’s skin never gets that bad, but after one diaper change? The booty balm is also great for chapped noses and minor scrapes.
We give Lusa’s products the SafeMama excellence in safety award. All of Lusa’s products are chemical free and use as many organic ingredients as possible. They’re great even for those with the most sensitive skin. They also have products for Mama as well.
Get it: You can order any of Lusa Organic’s products directly off their website.
Bonus! Enter “safe mama shop” in the comments during checkout when ordering from LuSa Organics and you’ll get a free gift with your order!
Jan
21
SafeMama Review: Chem Dry carpet cleaners
Filed Under Product Reviews | Comments Off
We’ve gotten a TON of requests from our readers regarding safer professional carpet cleaning. I’ve been searching, and actually did find a company that a friend used in California, but they’re a limited franchise, and I was unable to find them anywhere else. Great if you live in the bay area, not really great if you live on the other side of the country. My searches came up pretty empty for anything else that might be an option
Since our carpets were new, I put it aside for a little while. And then I became pregnant. And then my already heavy shedding dog started to shed 4 times as much as he originally shed. I began to come unglued. So I started to search again, and found ChemDry. ChemDry uses a water based carbonated solution that brings dirt to the surface, once the dirt has risen, they use a giant professional buffer to basically take the dirt away.
I have to admit, I was a bit skeptical. How are you going to deeply clean my carpet, when you’re essentially using club soda and a giant floor buffer?
But I have to say, I am really REALLY impressed. As I mentioned, my old stinky lab has been shedding more than ever. I had made a point to vacuum beforehand, however, the good folks at ChemDry showed up an hour early. I was pretty mortified as my stairs, once a lovely light beige, were now nearly entirely black with dog hair. They told me not to worry about it, and brushed my staircase and rugs before cleaning. The cleaning got rid of probably 98% of the dog hair and the few stains that we did have are gone.
There’s no chemical smell whatsovever (since they don’t use chemicals) and because they’re not saturating your carpet, everything dries very quickly. They came at noon and my carpet is already dry. And it looks fantastic (although, I’m sure it helps that our carpets are only a little over a year old). They do have other services, and the representative did tell me that they have a sanitizer as well, but he didn’t recommend it for people who were more into green cleaning. I personally don’t feel as if my carpets are any less clean not having gone with this option. Also, they were relatively inexpensive. for two bedrooms, a hallway, staircase, and a family room, all pretty large rooms, it only cost us about $180. That’s much cheaper than other commercial carpet cleaners that use harsh chemicals.
Where to find them: ChemDry has more than 2500 locations around the U.S. To find the one closest to you, use their location finder.
Jan
20
Review: ThinkBaby Feeding Set
Filed Under Food Safety, Green Mama, Product Reviews | Comments Off
As a mom to a 3 year old attending preschool, food storage came to the forefront of my focus lately. He’s already outfitted with a safe lunchbox, but I wanted to make sure the food inside was wrapped safely, while being reusable to reduce waste. I got the chance to try out the new ThinkBaby Feeding Set and they have developed a great set that has a permanent home in our container repertoire.
The Thinkbaby Set is all lined with food grade stainless steel while the outer durable orange covering and lids are made with polypropylene. ThinkBaby prides themselves with the level of safety all parents hope for. All ThinkBaby items are free of BPA, Phthalates, PVC, lead, nitrosamines and melamine. And I can definitely appreciate that.
The ThinkBaby feeding set includes several items, packed into a cute gift box. It includes a rectangle Bento Box with snap on lid, soup bowl and baby bowl with lids – which have come in most handy for many scenarios. I pack fruit or snacks in the bowls, or store cold pasta salads and mini sandwiches in the Bento Box for the lunchbox. I also use them to bring fruit and snacks in my diaperbag to the playground or to grandma’s house. They even include a fork and spoon, perfectly sized for little hands and mouths… and they fit right in the Bento when you’re done. My only gripe was that a standard sandwich doesn’t fit in the Bento Box but if cut up smaller it works just fine.
My favorite, and mostly due to the stage my son is at, is the cup. I was just thinking about looking for a kid sized mug for him and ThinkBaby has that covered too. The cup is a great size, and has a generous handle making it really easy for him to pick up and use without spilling.
I’ve always loved all the ThinkBaby and ThinkSport products and this set is no exception to that love. I’ll be using this for my 3 year old son andfor my new baby when he or she starts baby food – this would make a perfect baby food storage set for on-the-go. Thumbs up from SafeMama!
Get it: You can pick up a set right on ThinkBaby’s website or at The Soft Landing,
Jan
18
FDA Warns Against Salmonella Outbreak in Peanut Butter Products
Filed Under Food Safety, Product Recalls | Comments Off
(Updated 1-20-09) Just a heads up to our fellow SafeParents regarding the recent slew of recalls and announcements regarding a Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak in the U.S. Some of you may have heard it already but this was relatively new news to me so I thought I’d share just in case.
Sample results from a plant owned by Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) located in Georgia have been targeted as one source of the contamination. The plant manufactures peanut butter and peanut paste, a concentrated product consisting of ground, roasted peanuts.. many of which are sold to other companies for use as ingredients in other products. The products they think are affected were manufactured after July 1, 2008.
“Because identification of products subject to recall is continuing, the FDA urges consumers to postpone eating commercially-prepared or manufactured peanut butter-containing products and institutionally-served peanut butter until further information becomes available about which products may be affected. Efforts to specifically identify those products are ongoing.”
So far the list of companies recalling their peanut butter products are:
- King Nut Companies
- Hy-Vee Inc. : Peanut Butter Cookies, Monster Cookies, Peanut Butter Reese’s Pieces Cookies, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies, Lunchbox Reese’s Pieces Cookies, Lunchbox Peanut Butter Cookies, People Chow Party Mix and Assorted Truffle Fudge.
- Kellogg Company: Including some Austin® Quality Foods, Keebler®and Famous Amos®
- Perry’s Ice Cream Company: Includes some Wegmans
- McKee Foods Corporation: (Little Debbie)
- Ralcorp Frozen Bakery Products, Inc (Walmart Brands)
- The South Bend Chocolate Company
- Cliff Bar
- Abbott Nutrition includeing ZonePerfect and Nutirpals
- Kroger Ice Cream
To keep watch on the list of companies and products recalled in this case visit the FDA Website for updated information.
Jan
16
Vicks VapoRub Unsafe for the under two crowd
Filed Under Articles, Health & Medicine | Comments Off
There’s been a warning issued this week, to parents who are using Vicks VapoRub on children under the age of two.
The popular cold remedy Vicks VapoRub may cause airway inflammation that can restrict breathing in infants and toddlers, a new study says.
Doctors at Wake Forest University started their study after treating an 18-month-old girl who had developed severe respiratory distress after the salve had been put directly under her nose to relieve cold symptoms.
This is another classic case of someone not properly reading the labels of medicines before administering them to children. Vicks VapoRub is clearly labeled for ages two and above. And there’s a reason that even children’s medicines are meant for children over the age of two.
Over the counter medications can be extremely dangerous to babies and even toddlers and young children. For one, their systems are not fully developed and are not able to handle medication the way older children and adults can. Another problem is user error. Giving the proper dosage to the right age can even sometimes be confusing. Trying to halve a dosage for a younger child is just asking for trouble. So what do you do if your child is sick and in need of medication?
- Always read labels carefully before administering medications. If you have any questions call your pediatrician.
- Never administer any medication that is not of appropriate age for them, unless your pediatrician gives you the OK. Always verify the dose with the doctor and make sure you follow their directions properly. Most pediatricians won’t OK medications for children under two anyway.
- Don’t use swap prescriptions. Don’t give your baby or toddler a leftover prescription that’s meant for your older child.
- Always be sure to double check the expiration date. Giving you or your child expired drugs could also be dangerous.
- If administering homeopathic medications, always disclose all remedies to your pediatrician, so that they know that you are giving them something. Homeopathic remedies are considered safe, but you still have to be careful when giving them to younger children. Especially babies.
When it comes to medicine, use common sense. Even if your friend or your mother used a medication, and had no problems, doesn’t mean that it’s OK. New studies are released and times change. Don’t just take matters into your own hands, call the doctor. It’s better to be safe than sorry.
There are also alternative remedies out there if your baby is congested. We’ve used Nature’s Baby Organics Ah-Choo Chest Rub with great results. That said, I wouldn’t recommend this for children under the age of one. A humidifier should help with some of the congestion for smaller babies. As well as saline drops (provided your pediatrician says it’s OK first).
Jan
16
SafeMama Review: Road’s End Mac and Chreese
Filed Under Green Mama, Product Reviews, allergies | Comments Off
In my never-ending quest for allergen-free alternatives to what all the other kids are eating, I stumbled upon products by Road’s End. Road’s End is an organic, environmentally-friendly company that specializes in plant-based versions of ”comfort food”. Their product packaging is all recycled materials and they strive to recycle and reuse as part of their operating procedure.
What drew me to Road’s End was their “123′z and Chreese 4 Kidz”. Now I can’t lie: as an English major in college, a part of me died at the use of “z’s” in place of “s’s” here. And also, “chreese”? I decided to give it a whirl anyway, because I wanted my little guy to have the experience of mac and cheese, one of life’s greatest little pleasures. I didn’t have high hopes. At all.
But to my surprise, it was good. A little different from regular ol’ Kraft variety. It’s not as bland and not as, um, “yellow” as Kraft’s. It’s creamy, flavorful and the noodle numbers are cute. When comparing the ingredients of Road’s End and Kraft varieties, I’m definitely more comfortable with the Road’s End ingredient list.
My son was only about 14 months old at the time he first tried it and he was going through a weird texture issue, so the shape of the noodles threw him for a bit of a loop. Now he thinks they’re great and frankly I have a hide the box in the back of the cupboard or he’d want Mac and Chreese every night.
Get It: Order through the Road’s End website or use their store locator function.
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