Choose the Safest Personal Care Products for your Children

Image from Flickr by kali

It is such an uphill battle to keep up with the safest products to buy for your children.  I am always amazed with how deceiving some of the marketing language can be.  I love it when the packaging says “All Natural” only to find that the product contains some of the worst chemicals around.

That’s why I was thrilled to find that the Cosmetic Database had published “The Parent’s Buying Guide: Safety Guide to Children’s Personal Care Products”.

It outlines which ingredients to always avoid and which you should avoid when possible.   The guide also gives some specific product suggestions by brand.

Check it out!

My New Year’s Resolution – Best Put by Someone Else…

Image via Flickr by quinn.anya

I love Peter Shankman for a bunch of reasons, but this is the latest – his blog post on Why You NEED to Get Up Earlier (And How To Do It!).

Please read and share.  I think it is so important that we find time for ourselves in the day (especially for mothers).  Get up, actually get to drink that fresh cup of coffee and take some time for you.   Check email, read, stare out the window…you get my drift.

The Mother List is Going Gluten Free!

Image by Whatsername?

About 4 weeks ago, I started thinking more about my family’s diet.  How well are we eating?  What is my 2 year old learning about food?

One of the first steps this family has taken is going Gluten Free.  As a side note: I was and always have been a HEAVY gluten eater.  The thought of cutting out my pastas and breads made me quake in my boots.

However, after lots of research and realizing we needed some dietary changes, we dove in.  Many people have a gluten intolerance and don’t even know it.  And even more important to me: some studies link gluten to ADHD and autism – we’ll look at that more in depth later.  But seriously, can it hurt to introduce less grains and more veggies and colorful foods into your diet?

I happen to have a great friend that is a naturopathic doctor – Courtney Jackson, N.D., of Summit Natural Health in Colorado.  I went to her for the skinny on Gluten and Gluten Intolerances:

GLUTEN INTOLERANCES AND YOUR HEALTH

Gluten is a sticky protein found in wheat, rye, kamut, spelt, and barley that makes bread and baked goods springy.  A gluten intolerance is common in our country (1/133 Americans) and can be the cause of numerous health concerns.  Most people can connect digestive problems like bloating, diarrhea, and constipation to a food intolerance However, a gluten intolerance will commonly cause weight gain, headaches, moodiness, acne, difficulty conceiving, joint pain, and increased susceptibility to illness in adults.  In children, a gluten intolerance can cause increased irritability, attention deficit, and failure to thrive.

Things to know about a food intolerance:

1.  A food intolerance is the result of an abnormal reaction of the immune system and symptoms may not appear FOR HOURS TO DAYS after ingesting the food.

2.  A food intolerance differs from a food allergy, which is a specific response of the immune system that produces an IgE antibody.  Wheat happens to be one of the most common causes of food allergies.

3. In some people, gluten intolerance may be so severe as to cause an autoimmune response that destroys the small intestine called Celiac disease.  Even without true Celiac disease, people can still react negatively to gluten.

Blood tests are available to help you discover if you are intolerant to gluten.  Or, you can take all gluten out of your diet for 4 weeks and see if your symptoms resolve and your sense of well-being improves.  There are many gluten-free grains available to enjoy, including rice, corn, oatmeal, potato, quinoa, and amaranth so those who are gluten-intolerant do not have to feel deprived.

Benefits of getting off your food intolerance include increased energy, improved mood, weight loss, improved skin, and healthy bowel function.

Summit Natural Health uses naturopathic medicine to help people discover and treat food intolerances.  They provide a comprehensive evaluation to our patients that places a food intolerance in the context of their total health history.  Removing a food intolerance and supporting the body with whole foods and appropriate nutritional supplements can significantly improve well-being.

Pesticides Linked to ADHD

Image by santiago nicolau

As a mom, I have been encountering more and more parents whose children have recently been diagnosed with ADHD (Attention-Deficit/Hyperactive Disorder).   Parents are feeling pretty helpless when they receive the diagnosis and often wonder, “Why my kid?”

Interestingly, a new study was just published in the Pediatrics Journal that links pesticides to ADHD in children ages 8-15.  The study tested urine samples of 1139 children and found children with “higher than the median of detectable concentrations had twice the odds of ADHD.”

We are finding more reasons to avoid pesticides and we recently published a list of the foods with the most pesticides (foods to always buy organic) and the foods with the lowest level of pesticides.

Find more information on the study in the Pediatrics Journal website and seriously consider avoiding pesticides in your household!

Mommy Meditations – Meditate Postpartum

A friend of mine pointed me in the direction of Mommy Meditations: Life After Birth, a CD developed for new moms that encourages them to meditate and refocus on their own well-being.

The creator of Mommy Meditations is Dr. Kerri Parks, an ObGyn and a mother to four children.  Dr. Parks had battled postpartum after losing her husband in a car accident just days before having her 4th child.  With a combination of medical help and meditative practices, she was able to overcome her depression and is now trying to help other women with Mommy Meditations.

Personally, I think this is a fabulous idea.  It is so hard for new moms to recenter themselves after birth.  Life simply does not stop.  Setting aside the time to listen to something like this CD is probably one of the best things I could have done to help in my own recovery.  So many moms don’t allow themselves the time to relax, even when baby is finally napping.  There is just always something to do!

I plan on buying this for my next pregnancy in an effort to get myself to slow down and have some moments of clarity!  Wouldn’t that be nice?

You can check it out on the Mommy Meditations website and read more about Dr. Parks’ story.

Thanks Lindsay!

All-Natural Body Care Using Grape Seed

If you area looking for some great natural body care products, you have to check out SEED Power Body Care, a grape seed enriched body care

I love the story behind them: A husband and wife decide they want to detoxify their lives while in the process of trying to get pregnant.  After being disappointed with the natural body care products available, they decided to launch their own brand that was reasonably priced and widely available.

Why base the line on grape seed?  Each tiny little grape seed is naturally rich in Vitamin E, a potent mix of antioxidants, and beneficial essential fatty acids, all known for healthy skin benefits.

In addition to an entire unscented line (for those of you with sensitive skin or that just want to avoid fragrance), the have an ultra-cool product: their grape seed enriched conditioning hair shampoo bar.  Not only does this remove the need for a big plastic bottle, but it is easily transportable and lasts a long time.   Hello travel shampoo.  No ounce restrictions and no worrying the bottle will leak.

Good news! Get $1.00 off any SEED item purchased now until 6/15 here.  Plus if you join the SEED mailing list between now and Mother’s Day you will be automatically entered for a chance to win the entire SEED collection for you and your mom (or anyone else you choose) packaged in a limited edition wooden SEED box!

Greening the Laundry Room

I’ve tried a lot of different green detergents after waving goodbye to Tide, All, and the rest of the mainstream detergents years ago.  After some research, I realized that laundry detergents contain some seriously harsh chemicals I decided my family did not need on their skin all day long.

I’m always looking for something new and recently tried Vaska.

Here is why I like them – from their website:

“Vaska is among a select number of companies that have earned recognition by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Design for the Environment Program (DfE). As a DfE partner, we have voluntarily committed to developing products that break down quickly to non-polluting compounds and help protect aquatic life in both fresh and salt water. In 2008, Vaska was awarded “champion” status – the highest level of recognition under the EPA’s Safer Detergents Stewardship Initiative.”

This stuff is so good that South San Francisco’s Royal Laundry, which serves more than 100 Bay Area hotels, including the Ritz-Carlton, recently switched to Vaska.

And, I won’t mind my son running around in his freshly laundered clothes!  And don’t you just love the the packaging that is 50 percent post-consumer material?

You can use the Vaska store finder to find it near you, or purchase on their site and get free shipping with Alice.com.

Go All-Natural With Your Toothpaste (Giveaway)

After tackling your deodorant and your nail polishes, we are moving on to your toothpaste.  That’s right, I know you love me.

We are right in the middle of the great toothpaste debate in our household.  The question?  Whether or not to use toothpaste while brushing our 2 year old’s teeth.  There is a lot of conflicting research out there on toothpaste for children.  Not only does traditional toothpaste contain a ton of chemicals I usually stay far away from, but they also have some potentially poisonous ingredients.

Enter Dr. Sharp’s fluoride free toothpaste: the only eco-friendly toothpaste developed by a dentist.  Why fluoride free you ask? Well, to put it lightly, this toothpaste does not require an FDA warning label since fluoride has some potential health risks for you and me.  And, they make a fantastic strawberry cream flavored kid’s toothpaste that my son loves!  We can now brush his teeth and not worry about the toothpaste!

Now, your and my dentist may have an issue with fluoride free, so I asked Dr. Sharp for his thoughts on the issue and he pointed out that there is already fluoride in the water and the ingestion of it from the water is already assisting in preventing the tooth decay and therefore do not need the excess in the toothpaste.  Works for me!

Not only do I totally dig the packaging, but this stuff is great.  It is naturally sweetened with stevia, vegan, has sustainable packaging that is printed with soy ink, contains certified organic botanicals, and the adult versions (green tea and fresh mint) even whiten teeth.

Now for the great news!  Dr. Sharp is giving one of you a full family set of the toothpaste (an almost $50 value)!

The set contains:

1 Fresh Mint Whitening Toothpaste

1 Green Tea Whitening Toothpaste

1 Strawberry Cream Kids Toothpaste

1 Fresh Mint Mouthwash

Just leave a comment before midnight, May 6th, to be entered!

Check out the rest of Dr. Sharp’s amazing line of green dental products here.  And, for the Month of May, to celebrate Mother’s Day, they will be running a special on one fresh mint mouthwash and one fresh mint toothpaste for $20.00!

7 Steps to Getting Green: Our Earth Day Round Up

Image by FlyingSinger

Just a quick review of what we’ve learned over the past week celebrating Earth Day.

7 (easy) Steps to Getting Green:

1. Consider Carbon Fund to offset some of that carbon footprint of yours.
2. Stay eco-conscious during your holiday celebrations.
3. Go local – buy as much food as possible locally.
4. Save money on earth-friendly products with green categories on coupon sites like Coupon Craze.
5. Educate your children about the environment and promote recycled crafts.
6. Use resources like the Green Business Bureau to find and support local green businesses.
7. Locate recycling centers near you for difficult items like paint, household chemical,  batteries and more.

Pretty easy to get a littler greener, don’t you think?

What other green resources you have discovered?  Please share in the comments!

Find Your Nearest Recycling Center for Everything

Image by chrissatchwell

I have yet another GREAT resource for you: 1-800-Recycling.com.  This extremely user-friendly website is a free service that helps you locate your nearest recycling center for all the things you wonder how to recycle.   Read about your state’s guidelines and educate yourself on what can be recycled.

About:

1-800-Recycling.com features comprehensive recycling location database that gives the user the ability to easily assemble a recycling to-do list. The database is location based, and aims to make your recycling needs as easy as possible, whether you’re clearing out the house during spring cleaning or simply looking to recycle a few shopping bags.

You can search for recycling batteries, mobile phones, unused paint, mattresses, fire extinguishers, those compact fluorescent lights, and even refilling printer cartridges!

They also have a fantastic blog that is full of “green” education.

Ooh ooh! And since I always love a freebie: they will mail you a set of free recycling stickers so you can turn anything into a recycling bin!

I could spend all day on this site!

And, I would like to announce our lucky CarbonFund.org $50 credit winners: Angela, David and Miranda!  Congrats!