Boon Feeding Products

In my opinion Boon makes THE best feeding products for babies and children.  Their line is completely eco-friendly and non-toxic (BPA, Phthalate and PVC free), and super cute too!  Besides the fun bright colors, their plates and bowls all have useful non-slip rubber around the edges to help keep them on the table (and it actually works).



The Interlocking Plate in the middle here is my favorite.  It has two detachable “dipping” saucers (because we all know little ones love to dip) and the the sections in the plate are the perfect sizes for a protein, veggie, and whole grain.  The Squirt Baby Food Dispensing Spoons on the left are also a very cool product.  You load them up with your baby food before you leave the house, and then you just squeeze the food out directly onto the spoon when it’s time to eat!  No jars or containers to carry around -- fabulous.
Boon's signature colors are the white and orange, but all these new bright colors will be coming out soon early next year.  The Snack Ball (below) is another favorite of mine, perfect for holding cereal, puffs, or other baby snacks!



Lastly, the Grass Countertop Drying Rack is truly unique!  It doesn’t take up your whole counter and dries bottles and sippy cups perfectly (without that water residue inside).




Boon also makes fabulous non toxic bath products and other cool gadgets for your home.  This AWESOME nightlight coming out spring 2011  is sure to be a hit.  This multi-colored, interactive nightlight has removable, illuminated Glo balls that turn a night time game of catch into something extraordinary. And there's nothing electronic in them, so they don't get warm and they won't break. You can even tuck them into bed with your child. The glow fades to dark after 30 minutes, helping them fall asleep. Bonus: 95% effective at keeping monsters away all night long. What a fabulous idea!!!

The Mindful Momma's Guide to Food Storage

from Mindful Momma 

Uh, oh.  I smell trouble.  The topic for the Spring Cleaning: Get the Junk Out carnival this week is about getting plastic containers out of your kitchen.  And my friend Beth @Fake Plastic Fish is hosting.  She doesn't have plastic containers in her kitchen. I do.

Not as many as I used to though.  Over time, as my plastic containers have cracked or lost their lids, I have tossed them and replaced them with more environmentally-friendly storage containers.  Here's what you'll find in my kitchen cupboard - keep in mind, there are pros and cons to each of the options:

• 
  Glass - Heavy-duty glass containers like Pyrex are both microwave and freezer-safe but not all glass is that durable.  Be sure to check the label for usage advice. Glass containers are odor-free and clean up easily but can be a bit on the heavy side to carry to and from work or school.  I'm not comfortable sending glass containers in my kids' lunchbox and I notice that my husband doesn't take them to work either.
  
• 
  Stainless Steel- Lightweight, durable and non-reactive, stainless steel is the superhero of food storage containers. The biggest drawback is that they are comparatively expensive.  My favorite stainless food container costs about $15 and you could buy a boatload of plastic containers for that.  My suggestion is to look for them on sale or put them on your holiday wish list.  My Mom gave my husband one for Christmas last year!
  
• 
  Ceramics - Make your dinnerware do double duty by acting as food storage containers too!  A salad plate makes the perfect lid on top of a cereal bowl.  I have a lot of ceramic ramekins that I use to store small amounts of food or sauces in the fridge.
  
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  Plastic- If you already have plastic containers, I say keep on using them until they are cracked or badly scratched.  Just make sure they are BPA-free.  Polycarbonate plastic (the kind that has BPA) is hard, clear plastic that may or may not have a #7 recycling code on the bottom. Plastics #2, #4 and #5 are generally considered safer for food  storage. And remember, don't use plastics in the microwave!  Even though the company may say a container is microwave safe, heat causes chemicals to leach out of plastic and that's not a good thing.
  

Although I still use some plastic containers in the kitchen, I am inspired by Beth's commitment to live as plastic-free as possible.  Please read her post (it will be up Tuesday, April 6th) and other links about the topic as part of the Spring Cleaning: Get the Plastics Out carnival this week!

Hurray, It’s a Giveaway! snackTAXI Reusable Sandwich and Snack Bags!

SnackTAXI has been around since 2003 making reusable snack and sandwich bags, or as they call them “food movers for a happy planet!”  Erin Kelly-Dill is the mom, owner, and creator, who designed snackTAXI “to stem the tide of plastic ziplock bags that flowed from our house to the landfill when our 3 kids started school! We pack over 500 lunches every year, and had definitely fallen prey to the easy appeal of the ziplock bag.”

SnackTAXIs are absolutely adorable and functional, and they are actually handmade in their home-based workshop by local sewers!  Why use reusable?  One reusable bag has the potential to eliminate an average of 1000 plastic bags over its lifetime!snackTAXIs are lined with coated nylon, and can be machine washed and dried, or simply wiped clean with a damp sponge.

I received a set of snackTAXIs in the mail to try and boy, was it love at first sight!  They come in different sizes and are made with adorable fabrics, and the velcro closure is not only super fast (a lot easier than those green and blue Ziplock lines!), but it allows you to size the bags even smaller if needed (such as after the food is gone).  They are SUPER easy to wash too – I just hand washed mine and then turned them inside out to dry.

From snackTAXI:
The exterior of a snackTAXI is comprised of 100% cotton.  The manufacturer from which we order most of our cotton has had their material tested and found that it is free of lead and phthalates.  We are considering ordering all of our cotton from this manufacturer in the future.

SnackTAXIs are lined with a waterproof material that consists of nylon with a polyurethane coating.  After talking to many manufacturers of this product, we understand that this type of coated nylon is free of heavy metals and phthalates.  We have found a supplier of this coated nylon who has had their product extensively tested.  The tests revealed that the nylon is free of heavy metals (including lead), phthalates, PBBs, and PBDEs.

Enter to Win!

To win a set of two snackTAXIS just send an email to abby@littlemiraclesbabyplanning.com with the subject “snacktaxi” and be entered to win!  Contest ends Thursday April 1st at 12 noon est.

LunchBots - Product Review and Giveaway!

LunchBots makes 100% stainless steel lunch containers that provide a safe alternative to the traditional plastic containers.  These containers do not leach chemicals and they are reusable, which is better for the environment and your wallet!

LunchBots come in four different sizes.  Two of the sizes have a split compartment and two of the sizes are not split so you can store items like sandwiches and burritos without a problem.

I tried out the LunchBots Pico (shown above), which was made specifically for toddler size portions of food and to fit in your diaper bag.  I used it to carry everything from cheese and crackers to fruit and sandwich bites.  It was just the perfect size for my toddler’s appetite!  I also loved how the lid stayed on securely in my bag and the container is flat enough that it slips into my diaper bag nicely, without being bulky.

Why avoid plastics? (from http://www.lunchbots.com/whyavoidplastic.html):
From our dishes and toys to our food packaging, there's a reason to think twice about plastic. Plastics come in numerous varieties, but many of them often contain toxic additives that can influence a plastic’s properties. Color, texture, hardness, these can all be changed to improve performance or reduce cost – even though the additives used might be potentially dangerous.
A commonly used additive is a plasticizer. Plasticizers, such as adipates and phthalates, soften plastics to be used in food packaging, teethers, toys, and many other household products. This becomes an issue when a plastic comes into contact with food. Traces of these chemicals can leach out of the plastic, exposing your family to their harmful effects

You Can Make A Difference!
At LunchBots, we've dedicated ourselves to creating safe alternatives to plastic products. BPA-free and biodegradable plastics can only address some of the concern -- and it's far from a big-picture solution. Glass, stainless steel, bamboo, and other materials are just as effective and don't have any of plastics’ inherent dangers. By selecting these alternatives, you're making healthier choices for your family and our planet.
We believe that every little change makes a difference. While it may be challenging to live a completely plastic-free lifestyle, we can all make small adjustments that accumulate into a big impact.
Conclusion:
I really love this container!  Easy to clean, cute, easy to pack and carry, and most importantly – safe for my child.  Thanks LunchBots for a great product.

TO WIN A FREE LUNCHBOTS PICO CONTAINER:
Send an email to abby@littlemiraclesbabyplanning.com with the subject “LunchBots” to be entered to win.  Even if you’ve entered other contests with us you can still enter to win (but only one entry per person).  Winner will be chosen at random and notified via email.  Contest ends Friday February 19th at 9pm est.

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.