Feb

22

Looking At Crocs

Filed Under Product Reviews, Product Safety | 10 Comments

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    I’ve been asked about Crocs™ before a hundred or so times and people have a lot of questions and strong opinions surrounding “Are they safe?”.  With all the chemicals surrounding us these days, parents are becoming more and more curious about the things we use on a day to day basis. So I’ll break it down for you and give you the scoop on whether SafeMama thinks Crocs are “safe”.

    Crocs™ as a company is quite philanthropic and they do offer a recycling program that brings shoes to underdeveloped countries through their Crocs Cares program.  You can drop off used Crocs at your local drop-off location and they will be cleaned and re-purposed in developing nations that need them. So instead of ending up in a landfill they will becomes shoes to someone who might not have any shoes at all.  I’m okay with that.

    Based on the materials, they now have hundreds of styles and use a mix of materials but their most well known shoes, the Classic Crocs and other varieties of this shoe, are made from their patented Croslite™ material. Since they don’t disclose the nature of the material its hard to determine what it is exactly but I did ask their representative a few questions about it and was given some reassurance that the chemicals we typically avoid are not in Crocs.  They said they did not contain fire retardant chemicals, or plasticizers such as phthalates and that they were also free of colophony, abitol, abietic acid, chromium, bisphenol A or neomycin but that some models do use glue in their construction.

    When pressed about their prior anti-microbial status I was also assured that they do not contain any Microban or similar anti-microbial chemicals and that the closed cell nature of the material is what offered that trait.  I felt a bit better about the material after hearing that.  I can’t say that I’m totally convinced that they aren’t 100% non-toxic.  If you have ever been in a Crocs store, the odor of the shoes off gassing is powerful enough to make you wonder. Jury is still out on that but for now, they’re assured me they are free of some of the chemicals we tend to avoid like phthalates and fire retardants.

    From a safety standpoint, there were reports a few years ago about Crocs posing an issue with escalators and missing toes.  I haven’t heard any reports about that since but I think it’s safe to say that Crocs are best worn for casual play, beach or backyard time since they are comfy and offer some support.  I would recommend socks and sneakers for any playground or physical activities though. It absolutely drives me nutty seeing kids play barefoot or with flimsy sandals on playgrounds.  Kids could step on something sharp or twist an ankle very easy… I always wondered if I was the only one who worried about that.

    That being said, I was totally unaware that Crocs now makes Crocband Sneakids which are basically sneakers made of Croslite™! Crocs sent us a pair to try out and I have to admit to liking them. I will also admit that we have owned Crocs in the past and they make great backyard shoes or beach shoes since they can be easily rinsed off.  Not to mention they are much easier to slip on and off than socks and sneakers.  Crocs have their place and now with these new Crocband Sneakids, I’d even venture to say they would be better for playground use too. They’re a bit tight at first but once broken in they fit well and don’t have the risk of slipping off like traditional Crocs. They look pretty sharp on my little guy and he can run and jump in them as well as a regular sneaker.

    I know many people have strong feelings one way or the other regarding Crocs and I, too, had some misgivings and am still weary of the odor reeking out of the Crocs store, but as far as the risk of chemical exposure and use safety, I am more on their side than I was before.

    Find Them: You can see these and other Crocs brand shoes on their website Crocs.com.

    Feb

    14

    New Jammies Organic Cotton Pajamas (Giveaway!)

    Filed Under Eco-Mama, Giveaways Coupons, Product Reviews | 175 Comments

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      I was shopping in a clothing store with my family last weekend when my husband held up a pair of kids pajamas and said “How about these? Are these ok?“.  I shook my head “no” and he put them down knowing that he was defeated. “How can you tell which ones are good?“.  The truth is, it’s really hard to tell and I just go with my gut instinct.  But typically kids pajamas need to be either flame resistant or snug fitting according to the law set forth by CPSC. Some are treated in ways that are not as harmful to be near.  They are bonded to the fabric in such a way that they don’t pose as much of a risk and some use chemicals like PROBAN where it’s active ingredient has been “linked to genetic abnormalities and damage to the liver, skin and nervous system. It also promotes the growth of cancerous tumors”.  See this article by the great people at The Daily Green to learn more.  The problem with both options is that you don’t know what methods they used to make the clothing flame resistant.  For this reason I typically shy away from purchasing sleepwear made of polyester or flame resistant cotton.

      My handsome man modelling his Organic Cotton Owl New Jammies

      Organic cotton is always a safe choice as long as they fit snug and comfy.  New Jammies is a company that the lovely LullaBy Organics Shop introduced me to.  I’ve seen kids pajamas for much more and gotten much less.  In this case I was not disappointed. LullaBy Organics sent me a set of their Organic Cotton Owl Pajamas by New Jammies.  I wasn’t expecting miracles since most of my pajama experiences are with things that don’t last well through many washings and end up being too tight or scratchy.  I also absolutely loathe pajamas with animals or truck patches sewn on them.  Seems uncomfortable to me!  New Jammies uses soft organic cotton and eco-friendly vegetable based dyes.

      What I liked about these is that they fit true to the size.  In many cases I am buying a size larger than what my son wears since snug jammies start to shrink or warp with wash.  New Jammies, after many MANY washings (these got a lot of abuse for reasons beyond my usual control) and they still held true to size.  The eco-friendly dyes haven’t washed out and they still are soft as ever and look like new (aside from that strawberry stain on the short we made).  I also like that the bottom of the pants don’t have any annoying seams or cinching.  They have stayed super soft and comfortable and look adorable.  I grab for them first every time.

      Get Them! You can purchase New Jammies super soft organic cotton pajamas on Lullaby Organics website.

      Win It

      Lullaby Organics is giving one lucky reader a set of Organic Cotton New Jammies!  You’ll love them… so soft and awesome.

      Here’s How To Enter (Required):

      Visit Lullaby Organics and tell me what style of New Jammies you like!  This step is required to enter the giveaway.

      For Extra Entries:(You must leave a comment for each extra entry for them to count and you must have already completed the required entry method above):

      • Fan/Like  SafeMama on Facebook (first name, last initial)
      • Fan/Like Lullaby Organics on Facebook (first name, last initial)
      • Follow @SafeMama on Twitter (Twitter name)
      • Follow @LullabyOrganics on Twitter (Twitter name)
      • Subscribe to SafeMama.com via feedburner email
      • Follow me on Google Friend Connect!
      • Tweet this giveaway (CAN BE RETWEETED ONCE A DAY – Just leave the link to the tweet itself each day in the comments):  Enter to #WIN a set of New Jammies Organic cotton pajamas from @LullabyOrganics on @SafeMama! #giveaway ends 2/23 http://tinyurl.com/6fl28bp

      One US winner will be selected at random using Random.org.  Entries will be accepted until February 23, 2011 at midnight EST.  Good Luck!

      Congratulations Tomoko, commenter #60!

      Feb

      9

      Certified Organic Snack Bars by Pure Organics

      Filed Under Food Safety | 2 Comments

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        I’m sure you’ve seen a few reviews of these floating around the green community the last few days and there is one thing we all agree on: Eating organic food on a constant basis isn’t an easy task when you have a busy life… and let’s face it, we all are busy in our own right. Work, errands, kids, pets, sports, family activities… there is always something keeping us busy.  While I aim to make healthy meals as much as possible, I find myself out running around and positively starving without notice.  Pure Bars are a really nice solution to on-the-go eating when you want to choose something healthy and organic.

        Pure Bars come in 6 flavors: Chocolate Brownie, Wild Blueberry, Cherry Cashew, Apple Cinnamon, Cranberry Orange, and Trail Mix.  All the bars use is organic natural ingredients like organic nuts, berries, fruit and seeds. Each bar has about five grams of organic fiber and almost seven grams of organic protein, making it a wise weapon in the fight against munchies.

        After sampling all the flavors I definitely have a few favorites and others were not exactly my “thing” although other people might disagree depending on your personal tastes. My favorites were definitely the Apple Cinnamon which has a not to powerful sweet flavor and a fresh appeal to it.  I also really liked the Cranberry Orange which and the Cherry Cashew which both had unexpected flavor and texture.  I wasn’t a huge fan of the Chocolate Brownie Bar.  It was the first one I went for and admittedly, it grew on me a little once I gave it a chance. I think I would have liked it better if they hadn’t called it a brownie.  Their Trail Mix bar is more of a granola tasting bar and would be perfect for hikes or just for long days of running around.  The Wild Blueberry is good but in general I am not personally a fan of blueberry anything (though I do eat fresh blueberries often). If you like dried blueberries though you’ll enjoy this one.

        They all have a thick and almost grainy texture so you know you’re getting a lot of bang for your buck in each bar.  As a Weight Watchers person I’d use these as a meal replacement (they are roughly 5 PointsPlus for those who also follow along).  As a bonus, my kids liked the fruit versions of these and came in handy in a pinch while trying to get grocery shopping done.  Extra bonus, their snack was totally organic and nutritious instead of some lame crackers or other junk.

        These bars are Certified Organic and kosher and feature all raw ingredients so you get the maximum nutrition from the components of each bar.

        Pure Organics is offering up a Buy One Get One Free coupon if you are interested in trying them out! If you visit the Pure Bar website and fill out a quickie form you can print out your coupon and bring it to participating stores.

        If you are interested further, check out their Pure Bar Facebook page and enter to win their contest for a Trip for Two to Costa Rica and years supply of Pure Bars.  Submit your tip on living a healthy lifestyle – a winner will be chosen on February 21st!

        Pure Organics provided me with samples of their product and compensation in the form of a small gift card.  This prompted my review but did not alter the results or my opinions. The opinions expressed here are my own and I would never share a product with you that wasn’t safe for you or myself.
        buy one get one free coupon that they can print and bring into stores. http://thepurebar.com/offers/buy-one-get-one-free/

        Feb

        7

        Lead Safe or Lead Free? What Do I Look For?

        Filed Under Lead, Product Safety | 4 Comments

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          I got an email this weekend that had the wheels of conscious parenting confusion spinning and as I typed a reply to the sender I realized it warranted a post.  I get this question a lot and it seems to pop up often whether its with lunch gear or toys or bibs.  Alicia of The Soft Landing posted about this last fall in her blog post Lead-free vs. Lead-safe? What’s the difference? and it is an article I refer to often.  Alicia says,

          The term “lead-safe” refers to products that may show trace amounts of lead, but no more than the established federal safety limits.  On the other hand, some materials are naturally unlikely to contain lead, so manufacturers may choose to label them “lead-free.”

          Some materials are less likely to contain lead than others so a company selling something made out of 100% organic cotton might use the term “Lead Free” because it probably doesn’t contain any.  Other companies might stick to the more legal term of “Lead Safe” which more or less means the product has less than the permitted amount.  At the moment the legal limit in products designed for children under 12 is 300ppm (parts per million) and for paints or coatings it is 90ppm.

          By August of this year (2011) the limit should be dropping to 100ppm if all goes well.

          Which Should I Look For?

          I think more important than lead-free vs lead-safe is safety in materials. Choose materials that are less likely to contain lead and most especially avoid PVC (vinyl).  But in the case of plastics or metals, it’s tough to say. On a case by case basis is where I am at with it.  Of course “lead-free” sounds better but in reality, a claim of lead free can just mean the product tested below the limits set forth by CPSIA.   If you are unsure, email the company who makes the product and ask.

          I welcome your thoughts and questions on this topic!

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