Subscribe Via FeedBurner Here

Get Safe Mama in your inbox:
Search This Site

Search for:
Search By Category

Fellow Safe Mama's

Grab Our Badge!

Missions We Support

FTD Coupons

JCpenney Coupons

Feb

27

Friday Link Roundup

Filed Under Articles, Safe Mama Tips, cleaning products | Comments Off

linkroundup Happy Friday SafeParents! Life has been busy for us (and hormonal… thank you pregnancy) but before the weekend came I wanted to share some finds with you that I’ve bookmarked this week.

Grist.org: A Review of Six Green laundry Detergents: I found this article this week and was thrilled to see such a well put together review of detergents. I know Statia has been using Charlie’s Soap with some success lately but I’ve wondered about the performance of the other various brands out there. Grist.org’s article covers their stain removal strength, scents and value of each. Their final pick was Seventh Generation Free & Clear but see how the others measured up.

Safer States: I found this site via Twitter and I am so glad I did. This site is a great way to keep up on what’s happening across the country regarding chemical regulations and environmental health. They post a regular blog and have a list of Action Alerts to make it easy for you to get involved with the legislation and communication with the people who help make these decisions. This one is on my permanent RSS feed reading list.

LovelySafeMama.com Giveaway this week: For the moms - Don’t forget to head over to LovelyMama and enter the Alima Pure Spring Collection giveaway we’re running until march 4th. 3 lucky winners will get full collection sample sets! Woo!

Blog Spotlight!: I decided that us safety and green bloggers need to pimp each other more. There are so many GREAT blogs out there doing research and product testing to help all of us live a better life. If I could single-handedly do it all I would, but I can’t. So I am eternally grateful for all the hard work other mom bloggers do for us. Today’s spotlight goes to Cate and the bloggers from Nature’s Child Blog. Almost every day she publishes a thorough, heartfelt and poignant blog post about things that affect our kids and us. She’s very passionate about her subjects and I love her approach. I love stopping by her blog to read what she has to say and I learn something from her every time I read her.

Check her out: Nature’s Child Blog

Hope everyone has a happy and safe weekend!

Feb

13

End of the Week Link Roundup

Filed Under Articles, Dear SafeMama, Eco-Mama, Safe Mama Tips | Comments Off

Hi SafeParents! It’s been a busy week around here but we’re working on some new items that will hopefully be of some good use. In the meantime I wanted to share a few great links to fellow blogs that have done some really important and/or entertaining writing in the last week.

Z Recommends – BPA, PVC and Phthalates in Food Processors & Blenders: The gang at Zrecs did a fabulous article on this topic and I recommend giving it a once over. They found out for us that the Beaba BabyCook is BPA Free and now we have some insight on what the deal is with a bevy of other food prep items.

CNN – Court Rules Vaccines Didn’t Cause Autism: This is a really volatile subject and one we chose not to cover here on SafeMama too indepth for a variety of reasons. One being, it’s a personal decision for every parent, and two and most important: We don’t know the right answer. Parents ask us whats the right course of action and we don’t feel that we’re qualified enough to make that kind of a judgment. We have our own theories and beliefs but in this case, we can’t make the decision for anyone but our own family. But we can share findings with you such as this article that broke on CNN yesterday which outlines a recent court ruling that vaccines don’t cause autism. We think they use very careful language and are weary of anything we read on the subject but it’s what popped up in the news yesterday. Thought I’d point it out. One thing is for sure, we both agree that MUCH more research is needed into this important topic.

LovelyMama: Valentines Week! We did a week of articles on safer or sustainable V-Day gifts and sexy eco-tips. Statia wrote a really great article about greening your sex life too… check it out!

Take Action! Kid-Safe Chemical Act: More and more, our babies and ids are being polluted with chemicals and toxins from our environment. We are in desperate need of reforming the laws ans regulations around household chemicals. Please consider letting your elected officials know you support this important change. Sign the Declaration today.

Happy Valentine’s to you and yours!

Nov

17

Food Allergy Resource Round-Up

Filed Under Health & Medicine, Safe Mama Tips, allergies | Comments Off

First, let me say that I am so not a doctor and that you should always check with your child’s pediatrician or allergist for accurate information about your child’s specific allergy. Websites can be great resources, but they are no substitution for a doctor’s advice. If you think your child has a food allergy, bring your child to doctor who specializes in allergies–there are skin and blood tests that can confirm an allergy and its severity.

Also, there is a difference between a food allergy and a food intolerance. People with a food intolerance (the most familiar example is a lactose intolerance) can usually have small amounts of a problem food without a problem. However, a true food allergy usually will trigger a reaction to even very small amounts of the problem food. In my son’s case, a quarter of an ounce of milk caused hives, vomiting and some respiratory distress. Fun times.

Even after I had lots of answers from our allergist, I found I needed direction about specific foods my child could eat. So I started hitting Google for recipes and products that my son could have. This list certainly isn’t exhaustive, but if you’re just getting an allergy diagnosis, you may find some of these links helpful.

General Overview of Food Allergies from the Mayo Clinic. The Mayo Clinic website also has great information on egg, milk, soy and wheat allergies if you do a search on their site.

Examples of Foods That Contain Eggs from the Cleveland Clinic. This was one of the first pages I found when researching allergies months ago and it’s still one of my “go-to” pages for quick reference. It also includes a list of egg substitutes for recipes.

Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network–this website does require a membership to see some areas, although many sections are “free”, and it seems to be “THE” website recommended by allergy doctors. It also has links for kids and teens, who may feel isolated or afraid because of their food allergies.

Food Allergy Initiative (FIA). FIA is sort of like the jackpot of allergy information. It has a clean, easy-to-navigate website which includes a “quick reference” for nine top allergens. Plus, there’s info on support groups, “helpful food companies” and allergy research grants.

Kids with Food Allergies also requires a paid membership, but does have a section of recipes.

I, personally, didn’t purchase any memberships to allergy websites, although I do peruse the free sites, or sections of sites often. For me, I began to realize that instead of looking for a resource that would give me a bible of recipes I could feed my kid, what I really needed was just healthy recipes I could adjust. I found using regular websites like Wholesome Baby Food, and the book, The Petit Appetit (which features only organic recipes and uses icons to easily show which contain allergens) worked just fine for me. There are substitutions that can be used for virtually any allergen.

Also, the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA) of 2004 did improve food product labeling, so spotting problem ingredients is a lot easier than I thought it was going to be. The good part about having a child with food allergies (why hello there, silver lining) is that it forced me to start reading labels in a way I’m not sure I would have if my son didn’t have allergies. In turn, I started paying more attention to all ingredients, not just the allergen ones, and my son has a healthier diet because of it. Do you remember that Breyers Ice Cream commercial from back in the 80s (I think) where they give a bunch of little kids containers of other brands of ice cream and the kids can’t pronounce the ingredients? Then they give the kids Breyers containers and the ingredients are cream, eggs, sugar and vanilla bean? I’ve come to use that as the standard with my son, who of course, can’t have Breyers ice cream anyway. But the point is, if I can’t pronounce it, it doesn’t need to be in his food.

Oct

21

Only Treats, Please: A Safer Halloween

Filed Under Green Mama, allergies | Comments Off

My little guy is still too young to really “get” Halloween and fortunately is also too young to be aware of candy. But next year, I probably won’t be as lucky, leaving me with the worry about how to handle Halloween with a kid who has food allergies.

I found some good advice here from the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAI). What I founds most interesting is that the AAAI’s website claims that those cute “fun-size” candies used at Halloween don’t always contain the same ingredients as their larger-sized counterparts and the “fun-size” usually aren’t individually labeled. This means that a candy that is normally “safe” may not be in the smaller size. I imagine this may be of particular concern for those children with a nut allergy.

I also came across the website for Green Halloween, a grassroots movement for healthier and more “green” holidays. With advice on how to make your own Halloween costume, there’s also tips on providing treat-or-treaters with non-candy treats on the big day. Frankly, I’d rather my kid get a bunch of stickers or juice boxes rather than candy.

No one wants to rain on Halloween’s parade, but there are ways to modify the overindulgence on candy. And whether you’re dealing with an allergy or just want to set a good example for healthy eating, looking into some alternatives to candy may not be such a bad idea. Plus, you might not have to deal with the kids bouncing off the ceiling in a perpetual sugar rush for days on end.

Oct

9

Weekly Link Roundup: New Resources and Fun Stuff

Filed Under Safe Mama Tips | Comments Off

Every now and again I like to pimp a couple of links I find in my daily digging to share with you. There are some great (and not so great) new tools out there to help parents decipher the world of consumer products and always some fun stuff I find that takes a little of the “We’re all gonna die” factor out of this site. Here’s whats new:

Good Guide: “Search over 61,041 personal care & household chemical products” to find out whats in your stuff. I have a moderate sized problem with their rating system in that they rate products laden with petrochemicals and synthetic ingredients (and sometimes “fragrance”) higher than more natural or biodegradable alternatives, but its an easy way to see whats in each product. I’d take their recommendations with a grain of salt.

Seventh Generation Label Reading Guide: They have a great tool you can even download to your web-enabled mobile so while you’re shopping you can look up the ingredients on all those cleaning products you’re wondering about. Way cool.

The Zrecs Guide: They’ve done it again. The folks at Zrecommends have created a searchable database for childrens products . Sort by brand or product type and see what has ingredients or chemicals of concern, and where to get them. Neato.

Awesome Seventh Generation Giveaway: Green Mom Finds is hosting a $140 Seventh Generation gift pack which includes including a package of diapers and wipes; phosphate and chlorine free automatic dishwasher detergent; natural kitchen cleaner; natural all-purpose cleaner; natural glass and surface cleaner; natural shower cleaner; natural toilet bowl cleaner’ natural tub and tile cleaner; and natural laundry detergent. RAD! I want it! You have until October 17th 2008 to get a chance to win so go on over and enter.

Happy Thursday everyone!

Sep

12

Friday Link Roundup!

Filed Under Phthalates Info, Product Safety, Safe Mama Tips | Comments Off

I know we skipped Dear SafeMama this week but in the world of motherhood, it was a hellish week for all of us so we took a week off. We’ll be back with another edition next week as long as my potty training efforts don’t put me in the hospital twitching. Anyway, I thought today I’d share a few newsworthy items from some of the really great blogs I frequent.

The Cleaner Plate Club: What’s Wrong With High Fructose Corn Syrup? I strive to avoid High Fructose Corn Syrup for a lot of different reasons but the author of The Cleaner Plate Club has an amusing take on her HFCS Peeve and reiterates why HFCS is something worthy of avoiding. Check out her blog for other funny and informational articles at cleanerplateclub.wordpress.com

Z Recommends: Carter’s Tagless Clothing Causing Skin Irritations Turns out some people have reported skin irritations from Carter’s Tagless baby clothes and our good friends at Z Recs have taken it on and have spoken with Carter’s. Find out more information about the situation and share your experience with them if this has happened to you over at their website ZRecommends.com.

FDA Issues Health Advisory on Infant Formula I know this isnt a blog but I do peruse the feeds on the sidebar as much as I can and when I spotted that announcement I had to point it out. The advisory is for any formula manufactured in China that is possibly contaminated with melamine. Read all about it here.

$10 Off Seventh Generation Diapers on Drustore.com. I love this site Ecobunga.com. They have tons of great green deals and discount announcements. Anyone trying to adopt a greener lifestyle will tell you it isn’t the cheapest at times so this site is a great find for anyone looking to save a few bucks or score a freebie.

I also wanted to quickly welcome SafeMama Dierdre to our team! Dierdre is our newest addition and she has already jumped in with both feet so you’ll see some articles (and you probably already have!) from her as her time allows. She has experience with food allergies in kids so I know she’ll be a valuable asset to our site. Welcome Dierdre and thank you for contributing!

If you would like to join us and help keep kids safe, drop us a note through the contact page and let us know. We’d love to have you!

Jun

24

SafeMama Link Round Up

Filed Under Bisphenol-A, Eco-Mama | Comments Off

Just a few articles and links I found worth mentioning today…

Environmental Working Group Action Fund and ask the CA Health Committee to vote Yes on SB 1713, a bill aiming to ban BPA from children’s products in California. They vote today so head on over and send in your voice.

Z Recommends Car Seat Review: The have an excellent review of the new Britax New Frontier carseat and booster. It is very thorough and they have a nifty video demonstration.

CPSC Crib Recall: Jardine has recalled a number of cribs for a strangulation hazard. I don’t normally point out recalls since they’re right over there on the sidebar but this is a big one that I thought warranted a mention.

Moms Speak Up about Plastic Scrubbies: I read a post by one of the lovely ladies at Moms Speak Up that the exfoliating beads in Oil of Olays Olay Body Wash Plus Spa Exfoliating Ribbons is actually made of polyethylene beads. I’m so glad that Oil of Olay is okay with washing plastic beads into our water systems and into the digestive systems of fish and marine life. Excellent. That sounds fabulous along with the parabens and phthalates… what a treat!