Got A New Years Resolution to Be Green? Here Are Five Easy Ways to Start!

From http://mightynest.com

Want to create a non-toxic home but don’t know where to start? That’s what we’re here for! MightyNest has compiled five simple things you can do right now. Remember..small changes can equal mighty impact.

1.

Buy a Stainless Steel Water Bottle

Stylish stainless steel water bottles seem to be creeping up everywhere these days! Find one you love and carry it with you for a simple way to positively impact your health…and the earth

2.

Use Greener Cleaners

You have to clean, so why not go green?! If replacing your whole cleaning supply collection makes you cringe, how about trying one at a time? When you run out, replace that product with a healthier alternative.

3.

Use Reusable Shopping Bags

At MightyNest, we’re huge fans of reusable bags! They’re convenient, responsible and well, they just have much more personality than plastic. Grab a few and keep them in your car so you’re less tempted to go for plastic the next time you’re in the checkout lane.

4.

Choose Safer Body Care Products

Diaper creams, sunscreens, moisturizers, soaps… everything we slather onto our bodies gets absorbed into our bodies and can have a big impact on our health and the health of our little ones. Do some experimenting with new products the next time you run out of your favorite lotion. There are so many products available that provide safer alternatives for skin care. You just might find something you can’t live without!

5.

Buy Non-Toxic Toys

No, we’re not saying you have to dump the whole toy box and start over. But if your little one has a birthday party coming up, challenge yourself to skip the plastic battery-operated toys and instead buy toys made with wood (free from toxic paints and adhesives) or organic cotton. And slowly sneak out any questionable items from the toy shelf. We promise he won’t know the difference – but you will.

Boosting Baby’s and Toddler’s Immune System, NATURALLY!

Taken from http://www.safbaby.com/ by Maria
Please click HERE to read the entire article, it’s full of great information!

The Immune System of a Child

During childhood, the immune system begins to develop a system to recognize its ‘self’ versus ‘other’. Our immune system learns to protect and defend the body from disease producing organisms. Young children have an average of 6-8 colds per year, and that figure goes up to as high as 12 colds per year when children start school. (Adults have 2-4 colds per year.)
The majority of these illnesses come during the fall and winter months, when children play inside most of the day. In addition, many cold viruses thrive in low humidity. Thus, the dry air during the fall and winter months makes the nasal passages drier and more vulnerable to infection.

Building a Strong, Active Immune System

So, what can we do to help our children build a strong, active immune system?

• Healthy Diets!
  This is one of the hardest things to define, as there are so many beliefs as to what constitutes a healthy diet. However, whatever your food beliefs, it has been shown that sugar can decrease the effectiveness of the immune response by up to 50%! It also increases their risks for behavioral issues, diabetes, obesity, and many more health issues. Let’s get the kids off of the sugar!! This is much easier said than done, I know. Kids can be such picky eaters. But, they will learn by experience if we set a good example for them.
  
  • Increase veggie and fruit intake as well as foods with Essential Fatty Acids (EFA’s) (nuts, seeds and fish), decrease dairy, refined and processed foods and increase local/organic foods.
  • As 70% of our immune system is in our digestive system, it’s extremely important that we keep our digestion healthy and feed ourselves good foods! Go for lots of colorful whole foods.
  • Vitamin D. In the winter, we don’t get outside as much so our bodies don’t make as much Vitamin D. Vitamin D is very important in the immune system… so get the kids out to play as much as possible.
  
  

• Exercise!
  We all know that kids spend far too much time indoors these days! Let’s get them outside, running around. Again, we need to set the example. If we are spending all our ‘down time’ in front of the TV or computer, so will our kids. Get outside, in the fresh air, and take a hike, go for a picnic, play ball…

• Have you heard of the “Hygiene Hypothesis”? The basic gist of this is that some of us are living in a world that is too clean. Children who live in a super clean house, using anti-bacterial everything, with no animals, and no dust bunnies bouncing around are more likely to develop allergies, asthma, and auto immune disorders. Kids need to have the chance to get dirty in order to build a stronger immune system.  The immune system needs to be stimulated in order to work properly. It is OK for our kids to get sick. It may be inconvenient for us, and our own schedules, but giving our children permission to be sick and allowing them the time to heal helps them build a strong/healthy/active immune system. Ditch the “antibacterial” products. All we are doing is over exposing ourselves to antibiotics and building more resistant bugs that we can’t defend ourselves against, because our immune systems aren’t up to par. Besides, most colds and flu’s are viral – not bacterial.

• Herbal support – through syrups, baths, salves, teas, steams, tinctures, glycerites, herbal popsicles, powders, etc… A general rule for dosing children’s herbal remedies: divide the child’s weight by 150 (the average adult weight) and get the fraction of the dose to be administered. Ex: for a 30 pound child 30/150 is 1/5th of the adult dose.

Stylish Clothing for Nursing Moms

If you've nursed a baby you know that during those first few months you can easily end up wearing the same baggy t-shirt every day. Here are two good options for stylish nursing gear for moms, because nursing moms deserve to look and feel cute too!

Momzelle -- These nursing tops have universal openings (which means they fit every breast size) that guarantee discretion and comfort while you breastfeed. All styles are long throughout the body and form fitting.
TiTi Collection-- A fashionable, functional line of clothing made exclusively for nursing mothers made from french silk and feature a built-in Italian lace bra.

Recall – Ikea LEOPARD High Chairs

CPSC has recalled the following high chairs due to fall and choking hazards, click HERE for more info.

Organic Milk vs Hormone Free Milk

Taken from: http://amomsblog.wordpress.com/

As for as Organic milk vs hormone free, neither will have the hormone added, but the hormone “free”-only will still have pesticide residue. Organic milk comes from cows fed an organic diet – grain or grass. In most cases, organic cows are treated better (more room per cow, most organic cows graze in an open pasture), while conventional cows don’t have much room to move around. So that to me even means healthier milk since cows treated better tend to be healthier anyway, thus not needing antibiotics, etc.

As for as choosing a good organic milk, first things first – Horizon milk is not really organic, which is really sad considering it is the best selling brand of organic milk. There are several links on there, one of which is a link to thorough research of many organic brands of milk rated on how “organic” they really are. So if you choose to stay/go organic, you can choose a good brand. Also, you can usually sign up on the manufacturer’s website and get coupons — for example, Stonyfield Farm or Organic Valley may send out coupons in a newsletter.

Benefits of Organic Milk
Here is another very good article showing the benefits of organic milk vs conventional milk. Such benefits include less pesticide contamination, more vitamins and antioxidants, improves the quality of breastmilk and helps prevent asthma and eczema in children. Read the entire article for more benefits.

Recall Alert – Dorel Infant Car Seats/Carriers

Fall Hazard Prompts NHTSA, CPSC and Dorel Juvenile Group to Announce Recall of Infant Car Seat/Carriers http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml10/10084.html

Includes certain Safety 1st, Cosco, Disney, and Eddie Bauer travel systems.

Product Spotlight - Kinderville

Kinderville makes a fabulous line of dishware for babies and children that are free of toxins, BPA, Phthalates, and lead. Not only that, but they are completely microwave and dishwasher safe! And the best part is still to come – they are unbreakable. Made of silicone so they are soft and rubbery, so unlike other non-plastic alternatives, they won’t break when Junior throws them on the floor. http://www.kinder-ville.com/

10 Tips for the Natural Parent-to-Be

from www.seventhgeneration.com

1. Naturally healthy babies come from naturally healthy mamas! Take good care of yourself.

2. Newborns don't need a lot of gadgets. Get the basics and add as your baby grows.

3. Breastfeeding can be a lot harder than you'd think. Not all babies, nor all moms, are "naturals." It often takes work, and in some cases, doesn't work at all. So don't beat yourself up if it just isn't happening.

4. If you do breastfeed, don't worry about working in some feedings of bottled formula. It doesn't have to be an all or nothing proposition, especially if you'd like a little time to yourself. You can also pump and freeze breast milk.

5. Feed your baby veggies, and he or she will grow up to be a good veggie eater.

6. Trust your instincts.

7. Stick to your guns! Lots of people will tell you that natural doesn't matter.

8. Instead of off-the-shelf teething gels, find a local aromatherapy shop to create a blend of essential oils for baby's sore gums.

9. Make your own baby food and freeze it in ice cube trays.

10. You don't have to be Super Mom. Let your husband, your parents, and your friends take care of you.

Which Prepared Baby Food Containers are BPA Free?

Here is some very useful and interesting information from http://thesoftlandingbaby.com/ regarding which jarred baby food do or do not contain BPA:
February 2, 2009 by Alicia
Concern about the harmful affects of bisphenol-a (BPA) in polycarbonate plastic baby feeding gear is spreading quickly. Unfortunately, BPA is also commonly found in epoxy resins used for protective linings in canned food, ready-to-feed infant formula and metal lids of baby food jars. A recent study published in Environmental Health Perspectives found such widespread exposure to BPA may result in levels of up to 11 times higher in infants than in adults. Research has suggested that young children are more susceptible to the harmful affects of environmental toxins and scientists are calling for more sensitive testing methods to determine what a safe level would be, specifically for children. And to top it all off, a recent UK study raised the concern that BPA may remain in the body longer than previously suspected.
Lowering our children’s exposure to environmental toxins is a necessity, but avoiding BPA can be difficult because it lurks in so many unsuspecting products. We have to wonder where it will show up next when the chemical industry is pumping out more than 7 billion pounds of the stuff per year.
We’ve started the search for BPA-free baby food containers to help you out. If you need information on baby formula, please review the Environmental Working Group’s helpful list here.
Commercially Prepared Baby Food in BPA-free Containers
■Sprout Baby (brand new – just announced by Healthy Child 2/3/09)
■Yummy Spoonfuls
■Happy Baby
■Plum Organics
■Homemade Baby
■Tasty Baby
■Fifi Bear’s
■Maddy’s Organic Meals
■Parent’s Choice (they don’t make baby food in glass jars)
■Gerber (all baby food products except glass baby food jars are BPA-free)
■Beechnut (plastic containers used for juices, Stage 2 fruits, Good Morning, Good Evening and DHA plus+ juices are BPA-free; glass baby food jars do contain BPA)
Baby Food Containers using BPA
■Earth’s Best (they told us that BPA is used in minute amounts in the glass jar lids, but that independent testing showed no BPA contamination in the baby food. Use your own discretion here)
■Beechnut (they told us that their glass baby food jars contain trace amounts of BPA)
■Gerber (glass baby food jars only)
■Nature’s Goodness