Jun
5
Dear SafeMama: Summer Series – Baby Pools
Filed Under Dear SafeMama, PVC Free | 1 Comment
Q: Do you know of any baby/wading pools that are safe from phthalates/pvc/bpa? I really want to get one for play at home with my 9 month old but am concerned they will leach chemicals. Thanks.
I get this question a lot and really wish I had a better answer. Hopefully in the next few years there will be better options available but for now we’re pretty limited when it comes to water toys and the use of vinyl or PVC. Most mainstream blow up style pools are made with vinyl because of its water resistant nature and its ability (through the use of phthalates) to be flexible. Same with beach balls, slip n slides and all those fun outdoor water toys. I’ll admit all those vinyl pools look like a LOT more fun, but if you’re worried about using PVC then unfortunately there aren’t a ton of options in this area but I have but one answer for right now:
Molded Pools. From what I’ve gathered, the majority of molded kid pools are made of HDPE (High Density Polyethylene or #4 on the recycling scale). These are available many times out front at the grocery store. You’ve seen them propped up by the door sometimes in 2 sizes with weird fish all over them. Toys R Us carries a couple molded pools made of #4 plastic as well.
Many of the molded pools I’ve found have a recycling mark on them somewhere but I have seen some that were not marked with recycling codes. However my best guess is that most molded pools are not made of PVC. (But don’t quote me on that – there is always the exception). If anyone has ideas I’m happy to add reader feedback!
May
19
Review: Bumkins Dr. Seuss SuperBibs
Filed Under PVC Free, Product Reviews | 5 Comments
I have friends and family who have been using Bumkins SuperBibs for years. Only until I won a cool giveaway from Bumkins did I get the chance to try them out. Bumkins bibs are made in the USA with a soft waterproof fabric. They are in fact soft like they claim and have a “catcher” at the bottom which I think every good bib should have. Even my 3 year old gets food in his catcher often if not every time.
I have always used Bjorn bibs but one of the problems with those is the lack of portability. With Bumbkins, since they’re just a soft piece of fabric you can roll them up and stick them in any bag when you’re on the road, out to eat, at Gramma’s.. whatever. They fit easily anywhere and that’s where my adoration for these developed. They are also wide enough to provide good coverage. I always thought traditional bibs were too small to be effective and Bumbkins seem to cover allthe right spots.
They come in lots of fun colors and I really dig the Dr. Seuss line! Bumkins bibs are free of vinyl, PVC, phthalates and BPA of course and you can throw them in the wash with the rest of your laundry. The nice part is these are readily available at most baby super stores, as well as online so finding them is pretty easy.
Get some: You can also order the Bumkins SuperBib on their website Bumkins.com! A 3 pack goes for $19.95 – $21.45 – Or you can get them at TheSoftLanding.com for $8.00 each. Use our coupon code SF-10 to get 10% off your order.
Mar
31
Review: New Boon Bath Toys
Filed Under PVC Free, Phthalates Info, Product Reviews, Toy Safety | Comments Off
I recently got my hands on all of the new Boon Bath Toys for my son. Our bath toy collection had drastically dwindled last year when I learned about PVC and Phthalates and promptly pitched everything we had. Bye bye bath squirties. Then, light shone down on me when I entered a giveaway at The Soft Landing (hey I like to win things too!) and I was totally giddy.
To start, these bath toys are totally cute, are BPA, PVC and Phthalate Free so you can be confident that your little one isn’t chewing on some off-gassing toxic piece of junk. They’re done in the bright colors we’re used to from Boon products and I have to say, I even had a great time with them.
The Boon Scrubble Squirties are adorable (and also double as a good “car wash” if you have boys) and my favorite part is they unscrew so not only can you refill them quick, you can clean them. Traditional bath squirters tend to get moldy and end up in the garbage since there is no real easy way to get them clean. These wash up easy and you can mix and match them.
Boon Splat Bath Toy works like a good old simple ring toss. The blue Splat floats on the water and my son and I take turns trying to get the rings on the peg. He thinks its hilarious. And of course the Boon Water Bugs Bath Toy is my favorite. The little bugs float on the water and you can scoop them (or other things) up with the little net. Overall good bath time fun! When they get a little grimy you can run them through the dishwasher on the top rack and they’re good as new so these will last a long time. Good job Boon!
Get Boon Bath Toys: Pick up any of the three Boon Bath Toy sets at The Soft Landing, and don’t forget to use our SafeMama coupon code “SF-10” for 10% off your order.
Mar
30
April Showers Bring PVC Free Rain Gear
Filed Under Green Mama, PVC Free, Product Safety | Comments Off
We got an email from a reader last week asking about rain gear. I thought writing something up about it now at the beginning of Spring would be an appropriate time. Traditionally, raincoats and hats are made with a PVC outer shell. We try to avoid PVC for a multitude of reasons.
Dioxins: PVC or polyvinyl chloride (also referred to as vinyl) is one of the most toxic plastics made. When created or burned, it releases dioxins which are some of the most dangerous synthetic chemicals out there. They can cause cancer and harm the immune and reproductive system. It also may never stop off-gassing… ew.
Mercury & Phthalates: We are contaminated with chemicals released during a piece of PVC’s life including mercury, dioxins, and phthalates. PVC is almost always made using phthalates to make it soft and flexible. We avoid phthalates for some of the same reasons (reproductive health risks, potentially carcinogenic & hormone mimicking).
Environmental Bummer: PVC cannot be recycled. In fact if one PVC container gets mixed into a batch of other plastics during recycling, it makes that whole recycled effort a complete waste. Producing PVC in plants has contaminated the air and ground water in surrounding areas with dioxins, which are dangerous to people and animals.
So What To Do?
I’ve looked around and found a few alternatives I think are better choices. It seems to be the normal alternative for companies to use fabric coated with Polyurethane rather than PVC. The reader who wrote in and I looked for the next step above that and came up empty handed.
In some situations, you don’t even need rain gear. I’ve never bought my son a raincoat and we’ve survived on a simple windbreaker. But if you live in really wet areas or need rain gear for a specific reason here are the ones we found that would be a safer choice.
PuddleGear: This company has been around for a long time but was more recently taken over by a husband and wife team who really believe in the product. All their rain gear is totally PVC and Phthalate Free and instead coated with ATEK – a Polyurethane-coated stretch fabric. It’s a very light, soft, tear-resistant material and is wind and watertight. I had a chance to ask them about their Polyurethane coating, they put me at ease:
“…when this particular Polyurethane is in its fully expanded state it is an “inert chemical” meaning that it has no off gassing left to do. Atek is fully expanded- and tested to be free of over 100 harmful chemicals.
Not all Polyurethane is PVC or Phthalate free- some who don’t heat seal their seams use PVC to make them waterproof…and Phthalates make the PVC soft. Polyurethane is also a controlled application when you make it so its not leached into the ground water like PVC plastics.
PuddleGear also gets certified by Öko-Tex – an organization that tests materials for over 100 harmful chemicals. PuddleGear has jackets, pants, mitts and hats in sizes ranging from 6 Months to 9 years. Order from their website PuddleGear.com. Rain Jackets range from $50-$60 but are virtually indestructible and last forever.
Alien Kids RainCoat – PVC Free raincoats, cotton lined with a polyurethane shell. You can find these at Hatley Stores on line and retail for about $40 These PVC Free raincoats come in a few different cute designs (I love the spaceships)and come in a range of kids sizes. Find them at HatleyStores.com
LandsEnd Big/Little/Toddler Kids Solid Rain Slicker – Polyester-backed polyurethane shell fabric that’s more flexible than the usual PVC kind. Of course, it’s every bit as waterproof, with sealed seams to prevent leaks., cotton lined with a polyurethane shell. It’s unclear to us as to whether this is totally PVC Free based on what we learned from the folks at PuddleGear. They retail for about $36.
LL Bean Discovery Rain Jacket – For something a little less heavy duty LL Bean’s Rain Jackets might do the trick. These fleece lined jackets are covered with a waterproof nylon shell. They are wind and rain resistant, as well as have reflective safety details. LL Bean assures me that they seal the seams with nylon tape that is Polyurethane coated..jackets retail around $37. Totally PVC Free.
Rugged Bear Kids Pulyurethane Raincoats – These raincoats are polyester/cotton lined with soft polyurethane shell that is waterproof & windproof. They heat seal the seams for additional waterproofing. These are a bit more affordable than some other options retailing at around$20.
What About Boots?
Most of the rain boots I’ve looked are made of rubber, but I have seen some made of PVC so make sure to read the materials before buying. Rugged Bear carries a line of cute kids rain boots by FireChief made of natural rubber with a cotton lining, in bright fun colors for girls and boys. They retail for about $18. Check them out at Rugged Bear.
Healthy Child Healthy World has an article about this now as well, with some other alternatives to pick from. Check out their article on their blog at Healthy Child Healthy World.
Feb
3
Sam & Bellie Chalkmat
Filed Under Eco-Mama, PVC Free, Product Safety, product finds | Comments Off
Anyone who’s traveled or gone out to eat with children knows that keeping them entertained is more than a remedial challenge. You have to come armed with a bag full of items to keep them busy while you wait for food. It’s not easy! On a shopping trip I stumbled on a great idea from Sam & Bellie called the Chalkmat. It’s a BPA, PVC and Lead Free reusable (and wipeable!) placemat… but when you flip it over it becomes a chalkboard to entertain your little one while you wait. There is even a little pouch for the chalk! I found one at Target weirdly, but they sell laminated mats and cloth mats on their website Sam & Bellie. No need for those wasteful disposable placemats anymore!
Get one: SamandBellie.com – and it comes with chalk! You can find them at Target!
Update: Alicia from TheSoftLanding.com let me know that right now, only the mats sold at Target are PVC Free. Thanks Alicia!!!
Nov
19
PVC Free Stroller Rain Covers
Filed Under PVC Free, Product Safety | Comments Off
A while ago our friend Kirstin of Trying to be Greener went on a manhunt to find a PVC Free Rain Cover for baby strollers. From what she went through it seems that was no easy feat. I have never used a rain cover myself… I always thought they looked like a bad idea and if you know anything about PVC (a plastic which contains a bevy of volatile organic compounds and phthalates) it’s not something you want to encase your infant in. (Read more about the dangers of PVC.)
Anyway, Kirstin searched high and low and finally, after 4 days of digging and searching found a PVC-free, chlorine-free, and phthalate-free rain cover from Orbit Baby. Orbit Baby makes the covers for their strollers but Kirstin, the wonderful woman she is, went to Babies R Us and tested it on every stroller in the store. I love her for that!
Head over to Trying to be Greener and see what she found out about the covers fit. She’s posted a nice list of strollers the cover did and did not fit on along with some photos of the cover fit over her own stroller. Thanks Kirstin!
Oct
28
Alternative to PVC Stroller Rain Covers: Plum Tots GO Blankie
Filed Under PVC Free, product finds | Comments Off
A few of us have been looking for PVC free rain covers for baby strollers and have come up with a whole lot of “not much”. Our friend Kristen from Trying to be Greener went on a hunt and I think she’s still working on finding out more information, but she did find some good news. We’ll be sure to let you know when she posts that but in the meantime, I stumbled on a nice little alternative and thought I’d share it.
Check out the GO Blankie from Plum Tots… I thought this was a really cute idea and multipurpose, which is always a mommy must. GO Blankie was created by mom Ami Roberts of Plum Tots when she had her son and put her crafty nature to work. GO Blankie is an outdoor blanket with a softie soft inside and a water resistant nylon outer layer that can be tied on to car seats, strollers or whatever! It can be used as an outdoor play mat, stroller blanket, diaper changer, infant seat cover, baby cozy, front pack blanket, and nursing cover… whatever you can think of and is machine washable.
I just stumbled on these one night and thought they were such a great product. They come in 4 tasteful colors and she sells other cute items like bibs and hoodie towels. So in stead of covering your stroller with PVC, try a GO Blankie instead. Ahhhh.. that’s better.
Get one: You can order a GO Blankie right from Plum Tots website. Let them know we sent you!
Oct
6
SafeMama’s Safer Dishware Cheat Sheet: BPA, PVC & Phthalate Free Dishes
Filed Under ** Cheat Sheets!, Bisphenol-A, PVC Free, Product Safety | Comments Off
We’ve gotten the request for a cheat sheet for dishware so here is our list of favorites. We made sure all the items listed are free of Bisphenol-A, PVC and Phthalates and we listed as much of a diverse selection as possible for those who are looking for alternatives to plastic we made sure to include options for you too. Note: There is no melamine dishware on this list. You can read why here. (Last Updated: June 3, 2009)
Plates, Dishes, Bowls, Cups
- Skip*Hop Mate Dish Set
- Munchkin: Multi Plates & Bowls, Three Toddler Plates, Stayput Suction Bowls, Stayput Suction Toddler Bowls
- Bambu Kids Organic Bamboo Dishes, Bowls
- BabyBjorn Plate & Spoon
- TreBimbi Dinnerware Sets
- SteadyCo: SteadyCup, Booster Cup, Booster Bowl, Booster Plate, Snack Plates
- Arrow Frostware Dishes and Bowls
- Boon: Interlocking Plate and Bowl, Catch Bowl
- Camden Rose Wooden Bowl and Spoon set
- Sanctus Mundo stainless steel kids dish sets (available here)
- IKEA: Kalas Plates, Bowls & Cups, MATA 4 piece Dinnerware set (frog)
- Land of Nod: Ceramic Kids Dishware
- ThinkBaby Feeding Set with Utensils (available here)
- Preserve Tableware
- Green Sprouts Cornstarch Baby Dishes by iPlay
- Dandelion Natural Feeding Plates and Bowls
- Kidishes (love these!) (available here)
Utensils
- Bambu Kids Organic Bamboo Utensils
- TreBimbi Dinnerware Utensils
- Munchkin: Soft-Tip Infant Spoons,
- Boon: Benders Fork & Spoon, Modware Utensils, Squirt (new version)
- IKEA: Kalas 18 Piece Cutlery set
- SteadyCo: Cutlery
- Williams Sonoma: Kids Stainless Flatware
- One Step Ahead: My Very Own Flatware stainless steel (3 and up)
- Gerber: Graduates Kiddy kutlery, Graduates, Tossables, Scoopin’ Spoons, Safety Fork and Spoon
- ThinkBaby Utensils
- Preserve Tableware
- Oneida baby flatware
- Dandelion Natural Feeding Utensils
Snack Containers
- Munchkin: Snack Catcher, Snack n’ Serve Cups, Snack Dispenser
- Munchie Mug
- Boon Snack Ball
- The Snack Trap
Lunchboxes, Food Containers
- Thermos Food Jars
- Sanctus Mundo Stainless steel lunchboxes, food storage and containers (here)
- So Easy Fresh Baby Food Kit
- Baby Cubes baby food storage system
- Laptop Lunch System
- BornFree Thermal Food Jar
- Munchkin: Baby Food Grinder, Fresh Food Feeder
- LunchBots (love!)
- Kids Konserve Waste Free Lunch Kit
- Crocodile Creek Lunchboxes
- Munchlers Lunch Bags by Built NY
- Cool Totes
Wait! You can also find a more comprehensive list of our Safer Lunchbox Picks located here.
Have a product you think belongs on this list? Let us know! Please link back to SafeMama.com if you share this so we can keep this site going! Thanks!
Take the headache out of no-toxic shopping by visiting our friends at The Soft Landing. Use coupon code “SF-10″ for 10% Off!. They have a safer Dish and Cup Guide as well. Have a look.
Aug
3
SafeMama Picks Safer Lunch Box Alternatives
Filed Under PVC Free, product finds | Comments Off
It’s hard to believe that back to school shopping is in full swing. I suppose that having a toddler makes it feel as we still have a little longer until summer is officially over, and if it’s anything like last summer, we have until at least November. I’m not complaining….much.
But for those of you that have school aged kiddos, you’re probably counting down the days until school starts. And let me say, I’m with you in spirit.
We’ve gotten quite a few requests from SafeMama™ readers out there regarding lunch boxes. Conventional lunch boxes from your local discount chain are most likely constructed of PVC and riddled with lead paint. You’d think after a year of listening to nothing but lead paint recalls and phthalates in PVC, these chains would get with the program. But unfortunately, I think we’re far from seeing any sort of resolution on their part. So we set out to find a few alternatives for you that don’t suck entirely. All options are free of lead, phthalates, PVC and BPA.
For a good soft lunch box, I discovered Crocodile Creek. (shown above) These might be a good alternative for kids who are geared towards licensed characters. They have a large selection of cute designs for both boys and girls. You might be able to find these in your local Whole Foods, which is where I discovered them, or you can order them directly from their website. Added 6/10/09 This is a SafeMama Top Pick… I’ve been using one for my sons preschool all year. Its durable and cute and still going strong. Love our lunchbox!
Next up we have Laptop lunches. These are a bento box type of lunch box and one of the more expensive options that we’ve come across, but they’re really appealing to kids that like things organized and presented in an appealing way. Bento is the Japanese tradition of a boxed lunch. Which is where the food is divided into its own little compartment. All of laptop lunches options are made of polyethylene and polypropylene. You can order Laptop Lunches directly from their website. (Note: The small emblem on the bag and the name tag do contain PVC but the company is looking into silicone alternatives.)
One of my favorite options are Munchlers lunch bags by Built NY. Munchlers are adorable totes that are shaped like animals and open up fully to create a place mat. These run a little on the small side, so for those who might need a little more space, there’s also a wearable lunch bag available. All bags are made of polyethylene and can be ordered directly from their website.
Finally, we came across the Cool Tote, a soft lunch box with a fabric outer cover. These totes are shaped more like your brown bag, except it has an adjustable shoulder strap. With three different sizes and 50 different fabrics to choose from, you should be able to find something for just about every kid. All lunch totes also come with an 8oz freezer pack. You can order Cool Totes directly from their website.
We haven’t come across a safe alternative yet that has any sort of licensed characters, which might pose a problem for the kid who HAS to have Lightning McQueen or Dora The Explorer, so if you do happen to find anything that satisfies those who are going through an obsession with their favorite character, drop us a note and we’ll be happy to add it to the list if it meets the criteria.
Update 8/6/08: A couple of SafeMama™ have tipped us off with a few other suggestions. Licensed character lunch boxes to the rescue! ZAK! Designs has quite a few licensed characters, all of their lunch boxes are lead and PVC free. There’s no store locator, but I would check your local discount chains and grocery stores. My local grocery store has tons of ZAK! products.
L.L. Beans critter lunch box series is also free of lead and PVC. And they’re also way cute!
Apr
6
Review: Hold Me Closer Tiny Diner
Filed Under PVC Free, Product Reviews | 3 Comments
First off, let me just say, that I’m not a germaphobe. I firmly believe that antibacterial products do more harm than good, and should my son pick something up off the floor and get a few dog hairs in his mouth in the process, I don’t freak out and sanitize him. That said, before my son was born, I did get the requisite seat cover for the grocery cart, and before he was even conceived, I put the Tiny Diner on my list of products that I had to have. Who knows what kind of chemicals are being used on restaurant tables? Kids are messy, and they don’t care where their food is resting, but I do. And quite frankly, I don’t know why everyone doesn’t have one of these. It’s inexpensive, easily washable, and folds up easily and fits pretty compact in a diaper bag. We bought two and keep one in our diaper bag at all times, and use the other one at home at our kitchen table, so that we can all eat together. It’s got suction cups and a reservoir to catch food. Everywhere we go, we get compliments on it and they always ask us where we got it. It’s made with FDA compliant materials, PVC, latex, BPA and phthalate free.
The Tiny Diner retails for about $10-$11 and can be purchased here or your local Babies R Us.
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