So happy together October 31, 2008

When I was pregnant with my daughter, “baby wearing” was something I was really looking forward to. I couldn’t wait to have her close to me as I went about my day. Before she was born, I did a lot of research,  picked out a sling and hoped that it would be something we would both enjoy using.

In doing the research, I learned that there are many benefits to “baby wearing“:

• It can help a baby feel more secure which can lead to better emotional and mental development.
• It can help a baby cry less – they feel the warmth of your body and beating of your heart, reminding them of the womb.
• It allows a baby see and hear your active life, which helps them to learn more.
• It keeps your hands free to do other things.

The one thing you can’t learn about baby wearing from resources is which one will work out best for both you and your baby. I found this out quickly. First tried a wrap, but it was just too much material to deal with. Some people love them – it just didn’t work for me. Then I tried a sling but this time, it was my daughter who had the very strong opinion about it – it just wasn’t for her. Perhaps we didn’t give it a long enough try but I felt that she didn’t seem happy inside of it.

I then I gave the Bjorn a try but she didn’t like facing inward with her face in my chest, which is necessary until the child is strong enough to hold up their head. I waited until she was strong enough, allowing me to use the Bjorn with her facing forward – we found a winner! She loved it! I think she just really enjoyed the view while being close to me.

But now I have a new problem. My daughter is at a weight where it’s getting difficult to carry her for long periods of time. I’m only able to use the Bjorn with her when I’m taking short walks to the store or over to a friend’s house. A friend of mine has the Baby Ergo Carrier and says it’s really comfortable because all of the baby’s weight sits on your hips, rather than your upper back. I’d love to give it a try but I’m not sure if my daughter will be keen on facing my body, rather than out. I don’t want to buy yet another carrier unless I know she’ll like it. I think I’ll ask my friend if I can borrow her’s for a few days to give it a try.

How about all of you? What have your experiences been with “baby wearing”? Which one is your favorite? How has your child transitioned from different carriers if you’ve changed them along the way? I’d love to hear your input! Please leave a comment and participate in my first poll (if you choose “other”, please be sure to mention in your comment which one you like).

Copyright © 2008. Trying To Be Greener. All rights reserved.

The FDA’s report on BPA is said to be flawed October 30, 2008

The Washington Post reported yesterday that a scientific advisory panel has found the FDA’s recent report on BPA, which is found in canned food and some baby bottles, to be inaccurate due to the fact that scientific evidence was ignored and flawed methods were used.

According to the article in a report issued yesterday, “the panel of scientists from government and academia said the FDA did not take into consideration scores of studies that have linked bisphenol A (BPA) to prostate cancer, diabetes and other health problems in animals when it completed a draft risk assessment of the chemical last month. The panel said the FDA didn’t use enough infant formula samples and didn’t adequately account for variations among the samples.”

The article goes on to say, “FDA agrees that due to the uncertainties raised in some studies relating to the potential effects of low doses of bisphenol-A that additional research would be valuable,” said spokeswoman Judy Leon. The agency has commissioned new research on BPA.”

You can see the full report by the scientific advisory panel here and the FDA’s response to the report here.

This report shows us once again that you really need to use your own judgment when conflicting data emerges about products because unfortunately, it seems that the FDA can’t be relied on to properly inform us. It feels like we’re on our own sometimes, doesn’t it? There’s no easy answer – just be cautious and avoid even possibly harmful products, especially when it comes to your children.

You can read more on how to keep you and your baby safe from BPA here.

Copyright © 2008. Trying To Be Greener. All rights reserved.

Toxic Disney? October 29, 2008

A few days ago, I was sent an email from the Center for Health, Environment and Justice. The CHEJ is a national environmental organization that works at establishing national policies to protect community health. They’re the group that was formed by Lois Gibbs after she won the nation’s first community relocation of 900 families from Love Canal, New York due to a leaking toxic waste dump.

For the past two years, the CHEJ has been working on the “Disney Go Green Campaign”. During this time, Disney has been asked to phase in safer certified green cleaners within all of their Disney World parks, hotels and restaurants within a year. The only Disney park using non-toxic cleaning products at this time is their Animal Kingdom. It’s nice to see that they care about the health of their animals but how about the children and families who visit and employees who work for them too?

This past May, The Walt Disney Company received the Florida Green Lodging Program’s seal of approval for all of its hotels and resorts in Florida. The state run program was initiated as a way to help save Florida’s natural resources. The program does not require that non-toxic cleaners be used, though. The CHEJ recently found that Disney uses 12 certified green products, and over 80 very toxic cleaners.

What can you do to help change this? The CHEJ gives these suggestions:

• Send an email to Disney
• Tell you family and friends
• Write your own letter to Disney or help your child write it and send it to:

Jerry Montgomery
Senior Vice President
Conservation & Environmental Sustainability
The Walt Disney Company
PO Box 10000
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830-1000

Show Disney that you care about this issue and spread the word – blog about it yourself, talk about it on Twitter. You know what to do. Bloggers can make a difference.

If you want to hear about a ton other ways where Disney needs to “green up”, go visit Green Girl, my fellow Eco Woman. She was just there and found ALL SORTS of issues that need changing.

Copyright © 2008. Trying To Be Greener. All rights reserved.

Product Review – Yes To Carrots Lip Butter October 28, 2008

I recently heard about a line of personal care products with a very unusual name called, “Yes To Carrots“. When I saw that their Lip Butter was available at my local Walgreens, I decided to give it a try. I love lip balms and just can’t seem to live without them.

I think I’ve found my favorite, though, with this line of products. The Lip Butter really goes on smoothly and lasts, which are both very important key features. They come in five flavors – Carrot, Berry, Citrus, Mint, and Melon and are paraben, petroleum, phthalate, soy, and gluten-free. I plan on having one in my coat pocket all winter long!

Yes To Carrots also has products for your face, hands, body, and hair and they are all:

• USDA certified organic
• Not tested on animals
• Bottled in plastic that can be recycled
• Contributing a percentage of sales to Seed Fund, which helps under-served communities have a self-sustaining organic food source.

One of the other great features about this line is that they’re easily available and reasonably priced, which is often hard to come by when you’re looking for a “safer” line of personal care products. To see where you can purchase these items, click here.

Copyright © 2008. Trying To Be Greener. All rights reserved.

Scary Melemine food scares! October 27, 2008

Today I’m at Eco Women: Protectors of the Planet! Take a look to read about all the scary melamine food contamination we been hearing of, where you can find it, and what to do to avoid it.

Photo from Flickr by whorange

UPDATE: See a more recent post on melamine found in baby formula manufactured in the United States.

Copyright © 2008. Trying To Be Greener. All rights reserved.

Go electronic and save paper October 24, 2008

I’m the sort of person who always writes things down so I don’t forget anything. It makes me feel better that my ideas are organized. There’s almost nothing I hate more than searching high and low for something and not being able to find it. 

Listed below are a few web sites that can help you to stay organized while saving paper at the same time:

Google Calendar and Yahoo Calendar: Enter all your appointments, birthdays, anniversaries, and have access to it from any computer.

Famundo: Online calendar, address book and more.

Stikkit: Electronic post-its

Go Simply Mobile: Enter important information on you computer, like appointments, birthdays, etc. Then when you want, these reminders can be sent to you via text messages. You can even add information from your phone when you’re away from your computer to your own saved tasks or someone else’s by calling a telephone number. Very handy if you have a forgetful spouse!

Pingg and eVite: Online invites.

If you know of any more online resources, let us know!

 

 

Google Calendar from Flickr by laurgasms

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Copyright © 2008. Trying To Be Greener. All rights reserved.

Start “greening” your children early October 23, 2008

As adults, we all know we should be taking care of our environment more but busy schedules and lifestyles sometimes prevent us from doing what we know is right. The time has long past, though, and as a society we need to take responsibility for the environmental situation we’re in right now. We need to start teaching children what this means so it becomes a natural part of their life. When asked what the best way is to help children learn to “go green”, my simple answer is teach by example. 

Before I had my daughter 10 months ago, I was a Special Education, fifth grade teacher for 15 years. Teaching by example, or modeling, was my motto and I still stand by this belief. If you want your children to adopt a more environmentally friendly outlook, you need to show them that you have too. Make sure you present these practices in a way that your child will understand, depending on their age. Help them to see how saving resources impacts their lives and what they can do to make things better. Here are some examples, and please, if you know of any others, let us know:

• Recycle: Have bins for recycling outside your home and let your child sort paper, glass and plastic. Recycle toys by asking your child if they know of any younger friends who may want them instead of throwing them in the trash. Recycle clothes by asking your child if you can both pick out items that don’t fit anymore and give them to family members. Do you live near a recycling center? If so, take your child for visit so they can see where all of their hard work goes to and what happens to it.
• Reuse: Pack your child’s lunch in reusable BPA-free containers. Give them their juice, milk or water in a reusable BPA-free reusable water bottle and help them understand the amount of plastic water bottles the world uses each day that usually aren’t recycled. When products are purchased at a store, help your child generate ideas of how the packaging can be used again for arts and crafts or building, in the case of boxes. Reuse school supplies each year that are still in good shape.
• Reduce: When you’re out shopping with your child, in addition to using it as a learning experience with math, help them to choose items with less packaging and ones that are more easily recyclable.
• Use your public library or used book stores: All children should have special books of their own but they should also have a library card if you have a library in your town. Teach your child how borrowing books or buying used books saves trees and resources. Take out books on endangered species and the environment that are geared towards their age group.
• Ride your bicycle when you can or walk with your child to run errands and explain what pollution is and why the Earth has it.
  
• Line dry your washed clothes and let your child help.
• If you have a backyard, start a compost. Let your child be “in charge” of paying attention to which scraps of food you produce that can be added to it. Plant a garden in the spring with the dirt they’ve helped to make.
• Save energy: Keep your thermostat at a lower setting in the winter time and wear sweaters instead. Use blankets to snuggle in as you read together or play games.

Teaching your children to be “greener” doesn’t have to be difficult. If you’re an active participant, these principles will become a lifestyle for them, which in turn will help their own generation and generations to come.

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Copyright © 2008. Trying To Be Greener. All rights reserved.

Just too cute, eco-friendly baby shoes October 22, 2008

Not too long ago, I wrote about some really cute, Earth friendly casual shoes. Lately, I’ve been on the lookout for the same in baby shoes since my daughter is standing now and it seems like walking is right around the corner. She tends to still put a lot in her mouth and I’m always checking when I have her in the stroller that she hasn’t pulled off her socks and started munching on them. Finding shoes for her that are as non-toxic as possible is a major plus since they’re probably the next things she’ll find interesting and want to pull off to investigate. Here are some I know of listed below. If you know of any other Earth friendly shoes for babies that I haven’t mentioned, please tell us about them!

Stride Rite’s Early Walkers have a recycled rubber outer sole, water-based inks for the details and logo, and natural stitching. They’re not exactly inexpensive but Stride Rite’s shoes have excellent support which is always important, especially for little babies.

Scooterbees are made with Sensuede fabric, a breathable micro-suede engineered and patented wrinkle, fray, shrink and spill-resistant material. The fabric is made with 100% post-consumer and post-industrial polyester and is produced without the use of harmful solvents. They are lined with bamboo velour fabric that is naturally anti-bacterial and anti-fungal. The soles are made with the anti-slip and water-resistant ThermoPlastic Elastomer (TPE) material. According to Scooterbees site, TPE is a degradable material made of carbon and hydrogen, and it uses no harmful chemicals in its production such as in traditional PVC’s. It’s PVC-free, latex-free, chloride-free, dioxin-free, and phthalate-free.

Isabooties are 100% animal free, formaldehyde free, made in the United States with fair labor, use fabrics that exceed the Standard Consumer Safety Specification for Toy Safety, and come in packaging that is recycled/recyclable and printed with soy ink.

These shoes by Simple have hemp uppers with certified organic cotton knit lining, recycled PET and latex elastic, and have 100% post consumer paper pulp foot forms.

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Copyright © 2008. Trying To Be Greener. All rights reserved.

How safe is your moisturizer? October 21, 2008

For many of us, cold weather has arrived. Walking in the cold and wind really does a number on my skin. So, I felt it’s the perfect time to make sure we all have a safer moisturizer ready to go.

The Environmental Working Group has a website called Skin Deep. This site is an excellent resource for consumers in that it lists thousands of personal care products in an organized way and rates them on how safe their ingredients are.

“Skin Deep pairs ingredients in more than 25,000 products against 50 definitive toxicity and regulatory databases, making it the largest integrated data resource of its kind.Why did a small nonprofit take on such a big project? Because the FDA doesn’t require companies to test their own products for safety.”

At Skin Deep, you can find hundreds of specific items for hair, skin, eyes, nails, baby, oral care, fragrance, and makeup rated from 0-10, zero being the safest. Each item’s score is explained in detail and safer options are given.

In today’s post I’m listing safer moisturizer choices from Skin Deep’s site that can easily be found at your local drugstore. I’ve also listed some common items with higher (not safe) scores as comparisons. It should be noted that although Skin Deep gives products a “low hazard” score, some of them contain the chemicals below with cautions from testing results of these chemicals:

DMDM Hydantion – Formaldehyde

Triethanolamine – Cancer

Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone - Violations, restricitons & warnings, Allergies/immunotoxicity, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)

Benzyl Alcohol – Neurotoxicity, Allergies/immunotoxicity, Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs)

Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate – Developmental/reproductive toxicity, Neurotoxicity, Organ system       toxicity (non-reproductive), contamination concerns (arsenic, lead, heavy metals)

Fragrance - Neurotoxicity, Allergies/immunotoxicity

Oxybenzone - Developmental/reproductive toxicity, biochemical or cellular level changes

Salicylic Acid - Violations, restrictons & warnings, Neurotoxicity, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)

Parabens - shown to cause an increase in prostate and breast cancer, uro-genital abnormalities in male babies, a decline in semen quality in men, early onset of puberty in girls

Moisturizer with a score of 2 having a “low hazard”:

Neutrogena Norwegian Formula 24 hour Moisturizer for Dry Sensitive Skin, Fragrance Free – Benzyl Alcohol

Jergens Ultra Healing Intense Moisture Therapy – Parabens

Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion, Fragrance Free - Benzyl Alcohol

Aveno Daily Moisturizing Lotion, with Natural Colloidal Oatmeal - Benzyl Alcohol

Curel Therapeutic Moisturizing Lotion, Fragrance Free – Parabens

Eucerin Original Moisturizing Cream – Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone

Moisturizer with a score of 8 having a “high hazard”:

Palmer’s Coco Butter Formula, Dry Skin, Ashy Skin - Fragrance, Salicylic Acid

Aveeno Positively Radiant Body Lotion and Moisturizing Lotion - DMDM Hydantion, Fragrance

Moisturizer with a score of 9 having a “high hazard”:

Rite Aid Skin Care Lotion, Dry skin Formula – DMDM Hydantion, Fragrance, Triethanolamine

Vaseline Intensive Care, Lotion, Moisturizer, Dry Skin - DMDM Hydantion, Fragrance, Triethanolamine

Moisturizer with a score of 10 having a “high hazard”:

Neutrogena Skin Smoothing Body Lotion – Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate, Fragrance, Oxybenzone, Salicylic Acid

Trust me, visit Skin Deep and check out how your own moisturizer rates if it’s not listed above. You’d be surprised how many, expensive ones included, rate so poorly. Then decide if you need to make some changes to one with a lower score. 

Take a look at earlier posts of mine on how safe is your deodorant, bar soap, baby shampoo and soap,mascara, toothpaste, and shampoo and conditioner.

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Copyright © 2008. Trying To Be Greener. All rights reserved.

Canada will ban BPA in baby bottles October 20, 2008

MSNBC reported yesterday that Canada will be the first country to ban BPA, or Bisphenol A from plastic baby bottles. This announcement comes six months after its health ministry labeled BPA as dangerous. BPA is an endocrine disruptor which mimics estrogen. SafeMama explains that in animal tests it “has shown to cause an increase in prostate and breast cancer, uro-genital abnormalities in male babies, a decline in semen quality in men, early onset of puberty in girls, metabolic disorders including insulin-resistant (Type 2) diabetes and obesity and neurobehavioral problems such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.”

Health Minister Tony Clement of Canada stated that a report shows BPA as being dangerous to people, especially infants and the environment due to the fact that the chemical can leach from polycarbonate products and epoxy linings and migrate into food and beverages. 

Polycarbonate plastics are clear, hard plastics and epoxy resins coat the inside of almost all canned beverages and foods. It can be found in type 3 and type 7 plastics. BPA leaches into food and liquid faster when the plastic is heated.

The FDA has stated that BPA is safe; however, environmental groups do not agree. Most recently, a New York Times editorial article stated that there was a conflict of interest between the FDA and a committee that was used to evaluate the safety of BPA. A scientific panel is expected to present an independent risk assessment later this month.

To see a list of BPA-free baby bottles that can be found in the United States, visit Z Recommends.
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Copyright © 2008. Trying To Be Greener. All rights reserved.