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Search Results for "thinksport+review"

Jan

16

Product Review: ThinkSport Sports Bottle

Filed Under Eco-Mama, Product Reviews

thinksport Since I’ve researched so much information regarding Bisphenol-A and leeching plastics, I am slowly trying to eliminate unnecessary plastic in my life. One thing I have done is stopped my use of plastic bottled water. Not only do those little bottles find their way into landfills when they aren’t recycled but they consume resources to make and really, do I need a new bottle of water every time I go to the gym in the morning? No. Enter ThinkSport. After discovering ThinkBaby‘s new line of bottles and cups I stumbled on their stainless steel sport bottles. I fell in love instantly. Here was my opportunity to do what I’ve been saying I’ll do for years.

I ordered a ThinkSport in black. The bottle is larger (holds 750ml) than most little water bottles which works out pretty well since I don’t have to refill as often and it makes for a good take along when I need extra water to fill up my son’s sippy cup when we’re out and about. Also, the bottle just looks cool. It has a nice tapered waist and fits in your hand perfectly. The spout is the perfect size opening. I always hated those wide neck Nalgene’s because I inevitably spilled water all over myself when using it. (Not to mention possibly ingesting BPA in the process). The bottle has a double walled vacuum sealed stainless steel construction so it keeps cold liquids cold and I assume hot liquids hot for longer periods of time. I take it everywhere I go. I drag it around by it’s little strap.

A little extra nicety… it includes a removable screen part that you can insert to keep ice cubes or tea leaves in the body of the bottle instead of sneaking out into the spout. I took it out for general gym use but I can totally see the benefits of using it. It is easy to remove and put back in…it has a little handle. Sweet.

The Bottom Line: In summary, I love it. I use it daily and have it by my side at all times. Having a cool non-plastic bottle that is mine and only mine has encouraged me to drink more water during the day, which is of course a health benefit. My only critique is the exterior. I have the black model and it has been dropped in the parking lot a few times and sustained only minor scratch damage. That, I don’t mind… but the metal exterior makes this bottle a little bit clangy. It clangs on my keys and if dropped everyone hears you in a 5 mile radius. It might benefit from a rubber sheath or coating to soften the blow and make it a teeny bit more durable. But that won’t stop me from using it. It works great, feels good to hold and is totally non-toxic from every angle. Free of Bisphenol-a, phthalates, polycarbonate, cadmium and lead. It gets a whole hearted thumbs up. My husband tried to steal it so I’ll be ordering another one for him.

Get it here: Amazon.com

Search Results for "thinksport+review"

Jan

20

Review: ThinkBaby Feeding Set

Filed Under Food Safety, Green Mama, Product Reviews

thinkbaby 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,

Search Results for "thinksport+review"

Jun

4

Review: Luna Panties

Filed Under Eco-Mama, Product Reviews

Even though I loved cloth diapering, I wasn’t really into what is affectionately referred to in the underground crunchy world “mama cloth.” Which is the term for reusable pads. I gave the diva cup a whirl, and found it uncomfortable, and I really didn’t want to even deal with MORE laundry than I already have. My daughter refuses to wear a bib, and I don’t even want to talk about my losing battle with stains on every single one of her outfits.

But when I was approached to do a review of Luna Panties, by Green and Clean Mom, I figured, why not? I’m the crunchier of the two of us, so it just made more sense for me to try. I had no idea what I was in store for.

When the panties arrived, I was pretty surprised at how cute they were. Very simple bikini with a pad on the inside. All I pictured was this horrendous hippie type thing that was going to look like something my Grandma used in 1927 with the garters and all of that nonsense. But it was very modern and not at all bulky.

As for the fit, I think I should have gone with a different fit, because while they weren’t too small, they just weren’t the right type for my current body shape. After two kids, things have shifted and I probably would prefer something like a boy short. I chose to wear them on a lighter day, because the second thing about my post baby body, is my period. By the look of them, I’m not sure they would have been up to the challenge of the day 2 “Oh my god, am I going to need a blood transfusion?”

Overall, they stayed in place and did the job they were supposed to do. Since they were black, I wasn’t worried about any staining, and they didn’t leak through and stain my pants. If I were more interested in cloth pads, these would totally fit the bill. Everything is all in one, which I loved. If you’re interested in trying out cloth pads, definitely consider the Luna Panties. They’re the perfect no fuss option.

A little bit more about the Luna company:

Lunapads is a woman run company (love that!) that was created back in 1993, when the founder, Madeleine Shaw, wanted to find a healthier alternative to disposable pads and tampons. She created a small operation in Vancouver, Canada, and started selling her products in health food stores around the country. The business grew and they now help keep 1 million pads and tampons out of landfills monthly.

They also are very keen on giving back to the community, which is why they created the mission called, Pads4girls, which they donate time and goods for women and girls in under developed countries. Many girls don’t have even the most basic needs for their periods, sadly.

Get it: Order directly off of Luna Pad’s site. Prices vary based on product.

This product review was done in collaboration with Mommy Go Green Blog Tours. I was not compensated for this review aside from the samples provided by Lunapads.

Search Results for "thinksport+review"

Sep

18

SafeMama Review: Charlie’s Soap

Filed Under Product Safety

null I’ve been meaning to review Charlie’s Soap for some time, but kept putting it off. When we switched over to cloth diapers, (another post for another day), I had read extensively about conventional detergents causing build up on cloth diapers, not to mention irritation from all of the chemicals. Charlie’s Soap was one of the detergents that kept popping up with great reviews from cloth diapering moms.

We’ve gotten a lot of emails about safer detergents, so in the interest of research, and of course, wanting to switch to a safer, greener detergent, I bought the liquid concentrate, which comes in a gallon jug and lasts through approximately 128 washes. Charlie’s Soap is free of everything. There are no dyes, phosphates, perfumes or optical brighteners, just good clean coconut based surfactants. One thing I’ve heard from people using natural detergents is that their clothes don’t seem as clean. And the reason for this is optical brighteners, which are icky chemicals that trick your eyes into thinking your clothes are really whiter than they are, but they’re not necessarily cleaner. Ew.

I’m a complete convert of Charlie’s Soap now. I can honestly say that my clothes don’t look dingy, and they smell great. Like clean laundry, not like FAKE clean laundry. My son’s keratosis has cleared up since making the switch and the detergent rinses clean. A gallon jug will run you about $23, which may seem pricey, but it lasts me twice as long as regular detergents. It’s a small price to pay, knowing that I’m not contaminating the streams with disgusting stuff, and I don’t have to worry about skin irritation.

Get It: You can order Charlie’s Soap directly from their website.

Search Results for "thinksport+review"

Oct

7

SafeMama Review: CleanWell Hand Sanitizer

Filed Under Product Reviews

We’ve made no secret that we’re opposed to hand sanitizers, but we realize that sometimes you’re in a pinch and you just need to use them. We’ve also gotten tons of emails regarding CleanWell, so I figured I’d look into it more and report my findings.

CleanWell is an all natural sanitizer that is free of alcohol, triclosan and other such toxic chemicals. It works by naturally killing bacteria and is safe for all ages.

I first gave this stuff a whirl while I was at the aquarium with my son. He had just had his hands in the please touch shark tank, and given that he’s (still) teething, his hands gravitate immediately towards his mouth all.the.time. I could have easily walked him over to the bathroom which was down the hall, but I figured that CleanWell was probably the lesser of two evils, given that the soap in the bathroom was probably loaded with triclosan anyway. I can’t say that I’m a fan of the smell, and who knows if it really actually helped or not. It pleased my OCD husband to be able to kill germs on his hands. CleanWell isn’t sticky or tacky like conventional hand sanitizers can be, and one small bottle has over 200 sprays. It’s inexpensive and easy to stick in a handbag or diaper bag.

While I DO promote soap and water over hand sanitizers, there are some instances where I’m sure I’ll be glad to have it.

What I don’t like about CleanWell is the fact that they use a “proprietary” formula called Ingenium, which is their own patented formula. Look, I’m all for patents, but to me “proprietary” screams “we don’t have to tell you.” I’m sure that CleanWell is perfectly safe, just like they say, but I don’t dig the term “proprietary” when I’m using a product that goes on or into my family’s body. Again, I’ll use it in a pinch, but I may just invest in a bottle of Clean George instead.

You can find CleanWell in Target, some Whole Foods stores, or on Amazon.com

Search Results for "thinksport+review"

Jan

18

Review: Two Foogos in one.

Filed Under Bisphenol-A, Product Reviews

For most of my son’s table food life, I’ve been pretty much devout about making my own food. He started on the plain old Gerber organics, but it was short lived. Yes, it’s convenient, but it’s also expensive, and, not only did I want my son to have diverse eating tastes and a love for food in general, but I wanted to see before my own eyes what was going into that food. That said, whenever we went out, I caved to convenience. It’s kind of hard to carry homemade baby food around with you, when you’re out all day long, but I still preferred for him to have homemade. So when I found out that Foogo was coming out with a food container, I was ecstatic. It was the first of the Foogo line that I purchased, and I fell instantly in love with it. If you’ve already read Kathy’s review on the Foogo sippy, you’ll know how sturdy they are. The inside holds plenty of food (10 ounces) if you have a babe on purees or a young toddler. I was surprised at how much space is in this thing. I can fit two meals for my son in here. I don’t have to compromise for convenience anymore. I love it.

Now, the straw bottle. I purchased this before I actually purchased the sippy. We had been using the Born Free sippys, which are nowhere near leak proof. My son wasn’t really ever keen on the valves in conventional sippy cups. I’m sure it had a lot to do with age, but if he had to work too hard to get liquid out of his cup, I could pretty much guarantee it would be a dry diaper kind of day. Rather than put up a fight over the whole thing, I knew that he was able to get liquid out of a straw and I thought since he had learned, that he would be all over it. Not so much. He had forgotten how to use the straw, and promptly pushed this “thing” out of his way, and was over it within two seconds flat. That said, while he may not be ready for this yet, this is still a really great bottle for toddlers. The straw is made of silicone, which takes a better beating against chewing toddlers, and is built right into the lid, another nice feature. It’s two parts, both of which are dishwasher safe.

Now onto the age old question: Does It Leak? Well, it’s a straw bottle, not a sippy, so yes, when the lid is open, and you turn it upside down, it will leak all over. The pressure release is right on the lid, and while it says leak proof on Thermos’s site, when the lid is snapped shut, it still does leak minimally if the lid is closed and you turn it upside down or on its side. Which is why I would recommend this for older toddlers. This is a much better choice when left in the up right position.

I’m definitely saving this for when my son is older, but after that failed experiment, I finally bit the bullet and bought a Foogo sippy, which surprisingly, valve and all, my son took to like a duck to water. Maybe he was ready, maybe he’s attracted to the shiny, I don’t know, but I do know that even despite the weight of it, he’s actually picking it up himself and drinking more water. I agree with Kathy, the world should love this sippy.

Of course, all of these products are available in both pink and blue (sorry, the food container only comes in blue) at our favorite site, The Soft Landing. We’re pimps, we admit it, but we’re pimps for a good cause, keeping babies safe.

Search Results for "thinksport+review"

Apr

28

Review: Thermos Intak Bottle

Filed Under Eco-Mama, Product Reviews

thermos_intak I’ve been on the hunt for a stainless steel bottle. I do like my Sigg, which seems to be controversial among the green community. Personally, it works for me, but it was lacking a few things. One of those things was insulation. I had a few criteria for a new bottle, and this one fit most of them. One was obviously insulation. It also had to be big enough that I wasn’t refilling it every six seconds, and it had to have a spout. I thought that the Thermos Intak fit the bill.

When it arrived, I was disappointed that it didn’t have a spout, which is something I like to have, as I take it with me in the car, and unscrewing the cap can be a pain, but overall, it’s not that big of a deal, because the cap is attached to the bottle, so I can leave it unscrewed and it won’t make a giant mess.

What I do love is that it keeps water cold for a long time (up to 12 hours), and with summer coming, this will be a big plus. I leave my bottle on my night stand at night, and my water is still cold in the morning. It doesn’t sweat and it’s very sturdy. I haven’t been throwing it around the way my toddler does to his Foogo (which by the way still looks pretty good after a year and a half of being tossed around), but I will tell you, that if a band of ninjas came to attack me, I might stand a chance.

The Intak holds 26 ounces of water, which means that I’m taking more trips to the bathroom, than I am to my fridge to refill, especially these days. I bought this specifically for my upcoming hospital stay when we welcome our second child. Aside of that first shower, having constant cold water handy, is right up there on my list of musts after giving birth.

Get it: You can order the Thermos Intak from our favorite site, The Soft Landing. The Intak retails for $22, but you can save 10% by using the code “SF-10″ at checkout!

Search Results for "thinksport+review"

Jun

12

Review: Badger Anti-Bug Balm

Filed Under Product Reviews, Skin Care

badgerstick It’s my birthday. So I decided to review a product by a company that I really love and admire. Badger! I got a mysterious package from them yesterday with some awesome samples to try out – and a handful of my most favorite thing on earth, lip balms. So since they made my birthday brighter I thought I’d share with you my experience using their Badger Bug Balm product in the last few months.

I came across Badger’s Anti-Bug Balm in Publix in south Florida of all places and grabbed one to give it a shot. If I’m being honest I kept thinking “How can you make bug balm work, how could it possibly cover enough area to keep me from getting bit?” But I had such good luck with their sunscreen (a SafeMama top pick!) that I had to put my faith in it. Well I was shown the way when I gave it a go.

Most of the Balms come in tins, but this particular balm is in a fat push up stick with a screw cap which is super handy. The balm glides on smooth and a couple swipes gives you enough balm to rub in to cover larger areas like legs and arms. This is especially easier to do with little kids because they are so wiggly. The biggest problem I have with bug sprays is that my son is always moving and I’ve accidentally got him in the eyes (I know… bad mommy!) but due to the fine mists that some of them come in its hard to get them protected. With Badgers Bug Balm you can swipe it on and rub it in so you know where they’re covered. Sprays kind of go all over the place and you don’t know whats what.

Badger only uses natural ingredients and most are now USDA Certified Organic. And they are all eco-conscious, fair trade, family centered and kind people. This bug balm held up against aggressive mosquitoes in muggy Florida and Georgia so I am pretty sure its strong engouh for most buggy situations! SafeMama gives Badger the stamp of approval! Love Badger!!!

Get It: Order it online at BadgerBalm.com – Bug balms also come in their cute tins too.

Search Results for "thinksport+review"

Apr

23

Safe Mama Review: Pit Putty

Filed Under Green Mama, Product Reviews, Skin Care, paraben free

With everything going on in the news, I haven’t had much in the way of time to post a review, and generally, I’d say this is a good thing as news is what keeps us going around here, but this review is one that I’ve been been pretty excited about. I know you’re probably thinking: excited over deodorant? You need to get out more, Statia. And indeed I do, but that’s not going to stop me from being excited.

Replacing all of my beloved beauty products has been a very arduous and painful process. For one, I LOVE product. At any given time, I was once known to have at least 11 tubes and/or tins of lip gloss in my handbag. Now that I’m trying to live a less chemical life, it’s been trial and error, and also a lot of money. One of the last things I tried to replace was my antiperspirant. For one, most of the natural deodorants that are out there, are just that, deodorant, not antiperspirant. I was kind of scared of that, since I sweat like my father (and that’s just not pretty). The other thing is that most of them were like rubbing honey on my armpits, which left me feeling sticky all day, on top of sweating.

Enter Bubble and Bee Organics. I found Stephanie and Steve’s site while surfing around and I really don’t even know how I stumbled upon it, but I was really intrigued by Pit Putty. I slept on it, paced and took one long last hug of my icky chemically laden antiperspirant, before I bit the bullet and ordered it.

Oh my sweet baby Jesus. I saw angels! And rainbows! And unicorns! I LOVE this deodorant. When I first put it on, it was really flaky, and I looked in the mirror at my black t-shirt, that was now covered in white stains, and I was disheartened, but then I realized that I didn’t need an entire stick. I backed off and used a small amount, rubbed it in, like the directions said and then headed off to spend a day out in the hot sun. I did sweat a little bit, but it wasn’t much and quite frankly, we’re supposed to sweat, but I did not stink. At all. I wanted to give it a good week to give it a fair chance. I still love it. It isn’t sticky in the slightest, and when you rub it in, there’s no residue left behind. And it smells great, kind of like chai.

All of Bubble and Bee’s products are chemical free and organic. Everything smells so fresh and light. And Stephanie and Steve are so committed to making sure you’re happy, that they’ll go the extra mile to help you find a deodorant if you’re not satisfied.

Now if only I can convince them to make it in 5 gallon drums….

Update: There’s been a big response to Pit Putty both here and over at Bubble and Bee, which makes me happy. Stephanie has been generous enough to offer a coupon code. Simply enter the code “safemom” at checkout and save 15% off your order, over $35, which can also be combined with free shipping on all orders over $50. (offer expired, but check out the new offer over at LovelyMama valid until 11/1/08)They have several different deodorants to choose from. And if you’re not happy with it, they have an awesome deodorant guarantee policy.

Search Results for "thinksport+review"

Mar

27

SafeMama Review: Rice “Cheese” Slices

Filed Under allergies

rice-vegan-family I know, I know, how lame is this? I’m writing a review about cheese. That isn’t even really cheese.

Here’s the thing: if you have a child who has a dairy allergy, sometimes it’s the simple things in life that make them happy. Like a grilled cheese sandwich. I’ve made it no secret that I’m on a constant quest to find equivalent of what the other kids are eating for my toddler. On a whim one day at the grocery store I purchased Rice Vegan Cheddar Flavor Slices. The package looks exactly like your average wrapped cheese slices, but we don’t keep those in the house, so I was shocked when I presented a rice slice to my toddler and his response was “Yay! Cheese!” This coming from a child who, to my knowledge, has never really seen a slice of cheese before.

Rice Vegan Slices are produced by Galaxy Nutritional Foods, a company specializing in cheese alternatives. Their products are dairy, soy and/or gluten free. Several products are vegan, like the one I’ve been using, for those of you looking for food options based on lifestyle choices as well.

So far in my house, we’ve tried the cheddar and pepper jack flavors. Both contain jalapeno peppers, which I found to a surprising ingredient. Both flavors were pretty good–and by that, I mean they’re flavorful, but different from their original counterparts. One would not mistake the cheddar flavor for actual cheddar cheese, however. My son is only 19 months old and found the pepper jack too spicy for his liking but he GOBBLES the cheddar flavor (which still has a bit of a kick because of that jalapeno).

The packaging advertises that the Rice Vegan Slices have a “smooth melt” and I suppose this claim is relative. Yes, the slices melt. I’ve made quesadillas and pizza with them, but again, they don’t melt anything like regular cheese would. That might make for a dish that’s visually less appealing than what I’m used to, but as with most things related to allergies, I’m happy that I’ve found an acceptable “cheese” option.’

Get it: Check their website GalaxyFoods.com for retailers near you.