Jul

31

I’m Still Here I Swear!

Filed Under Website News | 6 Comments

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    Sorry for the silence around here lately.  I’ve been really busy working on some back to school cheat sheets for you which has resulted in my needing to make a lot of phone calls and send a lot of emails so posting has been slow coming.  I’m also busying readying myself for BlogHer in NYC!  On top of my having to start packing and shopping and getting my husband prepared to watch the kids for 4 days (oh man) …. my wallet was stolen. So I had to spend time waiting in line at the DMV for a new license and getting my new cards shipped to me this week.

    But! All is well now and I am really looking forward to hanging around at BlogHer and seeing/meeting everyone. I’ll be floating around with my lovely business partner Joelle from Moxie Design Studios (my day job) as well as hob knobbing at the various parties afterward. I’ll definitely be at A Green Affair on Saturday night (Its possible you’ll see my SafeMama logo on my back) and if you want to stop by and see me, Joelle and I are doing a quick book signing for The IT Girls Guide to Blogging with Moxie on Saturday Aug 7th at 4:15 – 5:00 on Floor 2 in the BlogHer Bookstore.  So please come by and say hi, get your book signed or check out the bookstore and see what’s in there.  Lots of great stuff in there I suspect.

    I have some reviews to share with you this week and hopefully I can get the last few companies to get back to me about their products and I can share with you the cheat sheet I’ve been preparing. Leave a comment if you’ll be at BlogHer this year… I’d love to meet you!

    Jul

    23

    Review: CaliBowl Santa Barbara Ceramic Bowls

    Filed Under Food Safety, Product Reviews | 9 Comments

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      In my quest for anything non-plastic I learned about CaliBowls from The Soft Landing.  I ordered some to try out in green and blue.  I was bent on replacing the plastic Munchkin bowls we’d been using which had become a hassle.  Since you can’t put hot food in plastic I’ve been using my regular glass bowls.  This is fine generally but my son is 4 and when he eats things like cereal or rice, it gets all over the table.

      Then I got my CaliBowls and the clouds parted.  The sun shone through the trees and the heavens glowed.  Ok not really but my mess occurrences decreased dramatically.  Originally I thought they were just good looking ceramic bowls.  But actually they are much more genius than that.  They have an angled lip around the top of the bowl so food falls back in that would otherwise fall over the edge onto the table or your kid.  They are also great for serving dips and salsas!

      These are a great alternative to plastic… dishwasher and microwave safe and since they are ceramic there is no concern over BPP, PVC or Phthalates.  I’d recommend them for slightly older children who are past flipping things upside down or on the floor (Let’s just say my 1 year old doesn’t get the privledge) or for adults.  My husband uses them all the time for salsa or ice cream.  Thumbs up!

      Get Them: You can pick up these great bowls at The Soft Landing and they come in an olive green, light blue or dark red and come 2 in a set. A worthy investment!  CaliBowl also makes a BPA, PVC and Phthalate free plastic suction bowl for the little ones.

      Jul

      19

      Review: Broody Chick Natural Products

      Filed Under Product Reviews, Skin Care | 2 Comments

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        I reviewed Broody Chick’s compostable diapers a while back and really loved them.  They’re soft which has always been a peeve of mine with eco-friendly diapers. They’re kind of scratchy.  Anyway, after loving her diapers I wanted to see what else she made and was so pleased to find out she had a line of bath care products!  I was excited to check out the whole line.  Broody Chick is a company based in Sidney,  British Columbia.  And the “chick” is a mother of 3 boys who was tired of looking for skin care without chemicals.  So she made her own.  Using local ingredients and selling from her family run cottage based business, Broody Chick continues to provide products to Canadian stores and online shops through their website.

        Broody Chick carries a great range of bath products including a very gentle and mild Bath Bar and Every Body Wash, Every Body Lotion and baby care items like her awesome Boody Balm and Wonderbalm.  I have been using her products for some time (this review is long overdue!) and really love the pure, clean and effective nature of them.  Not to mention they are essentially chemical free.

        I use the Every Body Wash on my 1 year old and I just love the way it makes him smell.  It’s not heavily scented at all but it does have this really clean scent.  The kind you was to keep sniffing later. It makes me want to snuggle up with him and take a nap. It works in a foaming pump so I can use it all over and as a baby shampoo too.

        The Boody Balm is another favorite.  It comes in a big jar and looks like frosting, and even applies creamy and smooth.  It protects really well and doesn’t irritate my sons skin like some natural diaper creams can.  I know some of you have had trouble with CA Baby being irritating.  Boody Balm is also zinc free, so cloth diaper-ers will love it.  I just really like the texture of this stuff… it’s very soothing.  I’ve used it on myself too when I’ve gotten chaffing or irritation from workouts.

        Broody Chick also makes a very nice Sniffs and Snuffles balm that has a light eucalyptus scent for those days when your young ones have a cold.  Ditch the Vicks folks… this stuff is mild and safe.

        Rating: I also want to mention that Broody Chicks products kind of deserve to be in the Top Picks of our 2010 Safer Skin Care Cheat Sheet.  The only thing holding it in the Better Choices Section is the stearic acid which is only in the Boody Balm and the Every Body Lotion.  Other than that one minor thing this line is essentially chemical free and I highly recommend it.  All her products works and feel amazing and I use them on myself and my kids. Love.

        GET THEM: You can purchase Broody Chick bath care products and her compostable diapers and wipes at a variety of online retailers.  Check her website for online retailers and if you are in Canada (Hello Canadian readers!) you can find them at several Canadian stores.

        Jul

        14

        Parents New Challenge: Banning Microban?

        Filed Under Chemicals, Product Safety | 20 Comments

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          I’ve been aware of Microban for a while and I have discussed it somewhat briefly with Jennifer McNichols from ZRecommends last month.  With the “back-to-school” posts surely being worked on right now (we are too) I wanted to look into the use of Microban and perhaps raise some awareness about it before school shopping begins.  I noticed that school supplies have shown up in Target here in the south since school starts back on August 9th.  I cruised through there and noticed alarmingly just how many school supplies boast MICROBAN on the labels.  Jennifer and I were commenting on how hard it had been for her to find a pair of kid scissors without Microban recently and while I was not surprised, it really didn’t sink in how big of an issue this might become until I went looking or a simple set of protractors for my son.  All but one set of them had a Microban label on the package.

          What Does Microban Do?

          I think there is some confusion about what Microban is and isn’t.  If you asked someone randomly what they thought it was they’d probably say something like “It makes things germ resistant”.  (I asked 3 random people the question “What do you think Microban does?” and all three people told me the same thing: That it helps protect us from germs.) Considering it’s used in a lot of kitchen and childrens products you might even assume it helps stop the spread of germs therefore protecting you from getting sick.  Here is the description of what it really does right from the Microban website:

          *Microban® antimicrobial product protection is engineered to protect products from bacteria, mold and in some cases algae that can cause stains, odors and product deterioration. Microban protection is not designed to protect users from disease causing microorganisms. … Microban product protection inhibits the growth of microorganisms that can cause stains, odors and product degradation.

          Hmm.  So adding Microan to my child’s pencil will keep the pencil from getting bacteria, mold or algae on it.  Because pencils and kid scissors are so prone to getting stained and deteriorating.  The horror.  So its not protecting your child or the product user from spreading or contracting germs, it’s protecting the product from getting discolored or moldy. It protects products from bacteria, yes but the bacteria that causes mold  – not diseases. This is according to Microban.  I’ve read in other articles that Microban does create a resistance to some bacteria that could cause infections but that Microban is very clear not to make that claim.  Microban may be successful in harming good microbes (the ones we need) as well.

          What Is Microban?

          Microban is a proprietary mix of chemicals (they call it “technologies”) possibly containing Triclosan.  It is added to a product during manufacturing and becomes part of its molecular structure.  The problem is that we don’t know what is in Microban.  It’s all very secretive and proprietary.  According to the Environmental Working Group:

          “Contrary to popular belief, triclosan is not the same as Microban. Triclosan is officially registered under the EPA as “Microban additive B” – that is to say, any given product sold under the Microban trade name does not necessarily contain triclosan. Which antimicrobial agent is being used for those products, however, the company will not disclose: it could quite literally be anything!”

          Considering the things we know about Triclosan (Lab studies link triclosan to cancer, developmental defects, and liver and inhalation toxicity), there may be cause for concern.  Triclosan is a  possible hormone disruptor and is basically a pesticide which should be avoided when possible as well.

          Should I Avoid Microban?

          I’m sure I’ll get some hate mail/comments for posting this and perhaps the Microban knee breakers might get their knickers in a twist but in my opinion (which I can’t stress enough is just my opinion…no I am not a scientist or a doctor or a chemist, so before you crawl up my tucus calling me an alarmist just chill out)… in my opinion, Microban is something to be avoided when possible.  Here are my reasons:

          1. We don’t even know what Microban actually is or whether our kids could ingest it by chewing on items containing it (pencils, pens, rulers – not to mention all of this stuff could possibly contain it).  Does it contain Triclosan?  We don’t know.  Maybe.
          2. Microban is most likely unnecessary.  It is an antimicrobial agent and as stated by the company who creates it say it “ protect products from bacteria, mold and in some cases algae that can cause stains, odors and product deterioration”. I think it just feeds into people’s paranoia about germs and nothing else.  I don’t think we’re all going to die if everything we own isn’t protected by Microban.

          What Can I Do Instead?

          Look for products without Triclosan or Microban.  This can get tough, especially with the number of items coming on the market containing them.  Stainless steel, bamboo, glass, ceramic are all materials that are usually safe from meddling by Microban.

          Instead of focusing on the items in question, focus on practicing good hygiene and hand washing.  Teach kids to wash  their hands and to not put things in their mouth.  They still will but a little dirt and germs aren’t going to kill anyone.  Just do the best you can.  You’ll be fine.  Common sense is all we need… not more chemicals.

          If Microban wants me as a consumer to trust their product, they’re going to have to tell me what it’s made of first.

          Jul

          7

          DIY Toy Cleaning

          Filed Under cleaning products, Eco-Mama, Toy Safety | 10 Comments

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            We get questions about how to safely clean toys at least once a week.  I really believe that people are getting overly paranoid about germs now that the Swine Flu did a number on our mentality about illnesses.  Thing is, I understand.  I felt it too… the uncertainty, the debating over getting flu vaccines, the worrying that our kids or us would get some horrible sickness and spread it to our families.  But I firmly believe that over sanitizing and MicroBan-ing everything we touch is unhealthy for us in the grand scheme (not to mention MicroBan and Triclosan could be  endocrine disruptors). Germs are good.. building immunity is good. Inconvenient, but good.  But again, I get it. No one wants to get sick, ever. However, I do think a level of cleanliness is important too so periodically cleaning your childs toys isn’t a bad idea… as long as you do it safely.

            True there are safer cleaning products on the market and you may have seen the commercial of the mom washing her childs bottles and toys in a bleach and water mixture in the sink.  If that’s your bag, fine.  But I think its overkill and there are less toxic methods of toy cleaning.

            Teethers and Baby Toys: Instead of thinking of it as sanitizing, think of it more or less like eliminating surface dirt. Some toys you may be able to run through the dishwasher.  Other’s might need a quick soap and water soak in the tub/sink.  Other’s may only be able to tolerate a wipe down with a cleaner and soft cloth.  Here’s a recipe for a spray bottle mixture you can use to wipe down toys and teethers.

            • 1 Cup Water
            • 1 Cup Distilled White Vinegar
            • 6 drops of Tea Tree Oil (natural antiseptic qualities)

            Mix together in a re-purposed spray bottle and either spray directly on toys or spray onto a soft cloth to wipe things down.

            Stuffed Animals: These can harbor dust mites and dust so a good way to kill that process is to put them in an airtight bag and stick them in the freezer for a few hours to kill any dust mites.  Most stuffed animals you can also stick in the washing machine if they are made from cotton or polyester and they’ll be just fine.

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