Owner: Non-Toxic Kids: Helping Your Kids Stay Safe, Healthy and Smart URL:http://www.non-toxickids.net Join Date: Sun, 17 Feb 2008 21:27:57 -0600 Rating:0 Site Description: Non-Toxic Kids shares information about what parents care most about: keeping their kids safe in a toxic world. It is filled with usable information for busy mamas: research summaries, news updates, product reviews and recommendations, tips for more nat Site statistics:Click here
Children's Books without Toxic Stereotypes for Boys and Girls-- 2008-03-08 21:35:22 In my view, there are many more "toxic" things in our world then chemicals. Sure, there are a whole host of toxic chemicals that are in our products, our air, and in our food that we need to learn more about, and protect our families from. But that is not what I am posted about today. I recently read the Packaging Girlhood: Rescuing Our Daughters from Marketers' Schemes, by Sharon Lamb and Lyn Mikel Brown. This book points out what you have to be blind to have missed-- how marketers decide what your children should be interested in, do and buy based on their gender. Just take a look at any Pottery Barn catalog or a sale flier from Toys R Us. The girls are encouraged to shop, observe, care lots about houses, food, and taking care of babies. Boys are encouraged to explore, build, cons Read more:Children
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Take Action to get rid of Phthalates in Toys-- 2008-03-06 20:00:32 The folks over at the Center for Health, Environment and Justice just sent this email to me about an important ammendment to the CPSC reform bill that would ban phthalates in toys. This is a great start to limiting our kids' exposure to these chemicals! Here is the text of the email, including directions for how to contact your senator to encourage he or she to support this important ammendment. "You have probably heard all about lead in children's toys, but did you know many children's PVC toys contain additional harmful chemicals such as phthalates? Phthalates have been linked to birth defects in baby boys, testicular cancer, liver problems and early onset of puberty in girls-a risk factor for later-life breast cancer. What's worse, when children play with and chew on their toys, th Read more:Action
Some Natural Diaper Creams have Almond Oil-- Avoid Using with Nut Allergic Kids! 2008-03-05 14:31:26 I've gotten pretty good at reading food labels at the grocery store, and thankfully have not had any major exposures to nuts with my allergic daughter. So I was shocked a few months ago when I was slathering her bum with Burt's Bees diaper cream, and causally looked at the ingredients. There it was, plain as day. Not in bold, like I have been trained to look for in food, but in the pretty cursive font they use for their ingredient list. Sweet Almond
Oil. I had been inadvertently exposing my peanut and tree nut allergic child to almond oil directly on her skin. Nice. Very smart. Thankfully she had no reactions, but I quickly tried to find something else to use. But before I buy anything I also look at its safety rating over at the Environmental Working Group's database called Skin D Read more:Natural
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The Green and Chemically Conscious Parent Market-- 2008-03-03 09:00:53 It looks like the business world is finally waking up to the opportunity that lies in green and chemical conscious parents. This article in the Washington Post describes the growing movement of parents (driven partially by blogs) that are opting to buy more expensive, safer gear for their kids, and how the market is reacting. Check it out here. This is all well and good, but what about the folks who can't shell out the extra bucks for an organic mattress without flame retardants, or the sippy cups and bottles without BPA, or the wood toys made without lead made in the USA? Why should their children be exposed to more chemicals simply because of their parents' financial situation? While I am glad that more ethical, green companies are popping up to fill this niche, I also worry we are Read more:Green
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It's about time: Toys R Us and Wal-mart step up toy safety standards-- 2008-03-01 20:56:33 I've always been quite skeptical and downright weary of big box stores, because of many, many reasons (most of which have been in the press in recent years). It's not just that I don't like being in large groups of people, under bright lights, with tacky music playing. It's all the social and environmental reasons that really stop me in my consumer tracks. You've all heard the stories, the wetlands filled in by Wal-marts (but they created one just like it down the street--honest!), the mom and pop stores shut down by the huge, price slashing competition, the water runoff polution problems because of all that blasted pavement, and the list goes on. But this post is not about that. I am sorely aware that many of us have to do some of our shopping at big box stores. For some, the big box
Paper or Plastic? Skeeda, please-- 2008-02-29 18:31:38 Ready for some statistics that will make you remember your cloth bags on your next trip to the grocery store? I know, remembering more than the kids (and the diaper bag) and a food list is a pain in the #$%*. Here's why we should remember anyway--The average family accumulates over 60 bags in only 4 trips to the grocery store. That is a lot of plastic! So paper should be better, right?It takes more than 4 times as much energy to manufacture a paper bag then it does a plastic bag. Add that to the fact that making paper bags produces tons of greenhouse gases, and forests help control climate change to begin with. Maybe not the better choice. And according to the Wall Street Journal, the U.S. consumes 100 billion plastic shopping bags annually requiring approximately 12 million barrels Read more:Plastic
Chemicals in Your Body, "The Next Big Environmental Issue After Global Warming"-- 2008-02-27 20:29:36 I recently came across an article in Newsweek called "The Chemicals Within". It was filled with shocking statistics, quotes and studies about BPA, Phthalates, and PBDEs (flame retardants). The article starts by describing a biomonitoring project where people's blood and urine are tested for the presence of chemicals. And they found potentially harmful chemicals in all the people they tested, no matter where they lived (even in remote Alaska), in the categories of BPA, Phthalates and PBDEs. What really stopped me in my tracks was this quote, from a cosponsor of the study, Sharyle Patton of the group Commonweal. "Our babies are being born pre-polluted. This is going to be the next big environmental issue after climate change." Let that sink in. Another topic discussed was the ancient Read more:Global
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Betrayed by BPA (Bisphenol-A) containing Nalgene Bottles-- 2008-02-26 13:46:03 Ever since I headed off to college, and started hiking out west, I have been drinking from my Nalgene bottle. All through college, schlepping a bottle to class and on countless backpacking and camping trips, my trusted Nalgene was there. I even remember one very cold, long backpacking trip where I filled a Nalgene with hot water, and slept holding it in an attempt to stay warm. Then they came out with the lovely skinny necked bottles. I used those all through grad school and in my first years of teaching. I used them until a few years ago when I first heard about Bisphenol-A in polycarbonate (#7) plastics. When I searched for a new water bottle, I was surprised to learn that our local sports store still only carried the colorful new (although toxic) bottles. And I was seeing toddlers Read more:Betrayed
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New Report on BPA (Bisphenol-A) in baby products from Z recommends-- 2008-02-24 13:48:29 The folks over at Z recommends have done their homework. They have an updated report on which companies are completely BPA (Bisphenol-A)free and company ratings relating to BPA usage in their products, ranging from Excellent, all the way down to Poor. Each company listed as a link to more information, with contact and website links. I think the easiest thing to do it so evaluate your existing baby and kid gear using this report, and then if you buy anything new, buy from the BPA free companies if you can. Here is the link. Thanks to Z recommends for all their hard work help parents keep BPA out of our kids. If you are new to this issue, read this post to learn a little more about BPA in baby bottles and sippy cups. I would definitely use the Z recommends report as a guide for BPA in
Tell Corporations How you Feel about Recalled Toys and Product Safety (and reform the CPSC while we're at it)! 2008-02-22 21:05:19 I recently discovered a fantastic non-profit group called Parents for Ethical Marketing. According to their website, PEM is...” is a new grassroots organization of parents and others concerned about corporate marketing practices directed at young children." They have some sobering statistics about the media and raising kids on their homepage, and they have an exciting opportunity for parents to give their feedback to companies who make, sell and market products to our children. Apparently, PEM was contacted by a representative from Vision Conscious Brands, which represents corporations who are interested in having a positive social impact. They want to hear from parents about product safety, toy recalls, and other environmental, social and economic issues we are concerned about. To r Read more:Safety
Take Action to Get Harmful Chemicals Out of Toys and Everyday Products for our Kids! 2008-02-20 13:34:52 The great folks over at Healthytoys.org, that provided us with that helpful database of what toxins are in what toys (check it out here), are petitioning lawmakers to overhaul the ancient Toxic Substances Control Act. This act, when it was created 30 years, ago grandfathered the use of many dangerous chemicals into law. The European Union has already completed extensive research on many of these chemicals and is phasing out or banning usage in their products (hence the "EU compliant" label many organic and natural labeled prodcuts carry). This act desperately needs an update and the chemical industry (along with their lobbyists and cash) will fight this tooth and nail. Add your voice to the petition so lawmakers can hear from concerned parents who want companies and toy makers to stop Read more:Action
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Worried about the Meat Recall in your Child's School? 2008-02-19 21:42:31 After my last post I was thinking about how I would be feeling if I had school age children who might have eaten some of the recalled meat (described first in this post, and then again in yesterday's post below). I do know from reading the articles that thankfully no one has been sickened yet (that we know of) by the possibly tainted meat. I would want to know if in the very least, the meat has been seperated and set aside, out of the risk of consumpution by children. One Vermont paper contacted a few schools to see what they are doing about the recalled meat, and it was encouraging to read that one school had set the recalled meat aside after the investigation by the USDA was launched two weeks ago. All the groups they contacted had taken the meat out of use. If you are a Vermont rea Read more:School
Meat Recall: Update to Unsafe Practices at the Westland/Hallmark Meat Packing Plant-- 2008-02-18 08:09:19 The unsafe (and cruel) practices discovered by the Humane Society and described in this post have led to the recall of 143 million pounds of beef, much of it sent to school lunch programs. See this article from the Seattle Times.Apparently, the meat was not available to consumers at grocery stores. It was sold to schools through the federal school lunch program and was purchased by some fast food stores, including Jack in the Box and In-N-Out burger. Both of these restaurants said they stopped using the meat earlier this month when they heard of the problems at the meat packing plant. Unfortunately, many news outlets are reporting that much of the meat has already been eaten by children nationwide in the school lunch program, but thankfully there have been no reported illnesses from th Read more:Update
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Sick, Twisted and Cruel, and Putting Your Kids at Risk-- 2008-02-18 07:55:50 Meghan Goss over at the Humane Society of the United States shared with me a horrifying undercover video detailing the outrageously cruel treatment of sick and weak cattle in the Hallmark Meat Packing Plant in Chino, CA. These already sick and dying cattle were forced to stand, so they could be "processed" meaning, slaughtered, by torturing them in myriad ways. According to the video (which I could not bear to watch) and Goss, this included "shocking the cows with electric prods, jabbing them in the eyes, shackling and dragging the cattle, ramming them with blades of a forklift, and spraying high pressure water into the cows' mouth and nose" to simulate drowning. Now this is shocking, unethical, appalling and must be stopped. Read the full story from the Humane Society of the United S Read more:Twisted
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Follow Up to McDonald's Advertising on Report Cards-- 2008-02-15 20:38:54 In December I wrote about advertisements for McDonald
's appearing on children's report cards in Florida. Read the original post here. I am happy to report that thanks to the Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood's parent campaign, McDonald's stopped this offensive advertising practice. It's easy to get cynical about many of the issues I write about here, that we all are facing everyday. It is inspiring to me to see real people making difference, even with a huge company. Read all about the sucess at the Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood's website, here. Read more:Advertising
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Obesity and Plastic-- 2008-02-14 19:39:04 The Boston Globe recently published an article that caught my eye. "Is plastic making us fat?" certainly grabbed my attention. What once what categorized as being a non-issue of over reactive parents seems to be making its way into many mainstream media outlets. Here is a quote from the article about some recent animal studies:"A recent US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study found that about 93 percent of the US population had bisphenol A, a chemical that can be found in canned goods and in hard, clear plastic items such as baby bottles and hiking containers, in their body. A study at the University of Missouri-Columbia showed that mice fed bisphenol A during early development - at lower amounts than what would have resulted in the levels found in most people in the CDC stu Read more:Plastic
Stay Vigilant about Lead in Toys, Jewelry, and Feeding Gear— 2008-02-14 19:36:36 I had the honor to testify last week in support of a bill that would significantly reduce the exposure of Vermont's children to lead. I expressed parents' worries about lead in products, and the fact that there is no one place that lists or even tests the billions of children's products out there. The panel seemed surprised to learn that items that have been recalled in other states are still for sale in Vermont (and many other states). In fact, I was reading in Parents magazine the other day that it is even LEGAL in other states to sell recalled items. I stopped, and read this again. How exactly do recalls help protect our kids when there is no legal "teeth" behind them? I am perplexed. At the hearing I listened to the testimony from two doctors, Dr. Best of the George Washington S Read more:Jewelry
, Feeding
Take Action to Get BPA (bisphenol-A) out of baby bottles-- 2008-02-13 13:57:03 Here is a petition from the Center for Environmental Health and Justice, an open letter to the CEOs of the leading manufacturer of baby bottle makers, asking them to eliminate BPA from their products. Sign it here, and tell manufacturers to stop using BPA and protect our kids from this chemical that has been linked in numerous studies to reproductive system and brain development problems, as well as cancer, diabetes, and early onset puberty.And-- I noticed an ad that I don't agree with on this site. I am trying to block it through Google and do not approve of the product (Grand Theft Auto). My policy is to only allow ads that I approve of and I am sorry that this ad appeared on my site, however briefly. Read more:Action
The CPSC Loses More Power, and Congress takes a look at BPA (bisphenol-A)-- 2008-02-12 19:28:49 The folks over at the Enviroblog have been doing a fantastic job reporting on a variety of environmental health issues. I was pleased to read this post, that explains how the Congress
ional Energy and Commerce Committee will be looking over reports from a questionable "scientific" research firm in relation to the chemical BPA (bisphenol-A). Apparently, committee chair Representative Dingell is concerned about the mounting evidence that BPA causes endrocrine disruption in babies and children. Also requested was information from infant formula makers about the BPA usage in their packaging, as was recently reported by the Environmental Working Group. See this post for more information about the problems with BPA in infant formula. It's about time we had lawmakers start paying attention to
No BPA (bisphenol-A) in the Swellz TapSack-- 2008-02-11 21:14:18 Tired of seeing plastic water bottles littering the dugouts from their kids' teams, and reading about the environmental issues surrounding bottled water and the problem of chemicals leeching into their kids' drinks, two families got together to think of a better way for their kids to stay hydrated. And the Swellz Tapsack was born. Based on a Spanish and Greek design used for centuries, the TapSack is a leather pouch used for carrying water. It is similar in design to the old boyscout canteens, but updated and more compact. It is lined with medical grade latex, and the outside is hand crafted from leather in Spain. The very top is made from hard plastic, but it doesn't have to come into contact with the mouth as water can be squirted from the sack itself. The folks at Swellz have seen
Dangerous Magnets in Toys a Health Risk for Kids-- 2008-02-07 12:56:15 I just watched this video this morning and wanted to share it with Non-Toxic Kids' readers as soon as possible. I can easily see this happening to one of my girls, or any of our friends.Click here to view this clip from abc news.I started researching magnets in toys and found them readily available on in the toy market, despite the injuries they can cause. See this article from the Centers for Disease Control outlining several cases of injury (and one death) to children from the ingestion of magnets. This made me wonder about all the magnetic letters on my fridge and making sure my 10 month old (who eats everything) stays away from them. One of the magnets could easily be dislodged from the letters. Here is more information about magnets in toys, written in the Consumer Reports blog. Read more:Magnets
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Bisphenol-A (BPA) Free Sippy Cups, Pacifers, Teethers and other Baby Gear-- 2008-02-05 19:24:19 In case you haven't heard about the chemical bisphenol-A (BPA) in baby products, check out this video from ABC news. It's been awhile since I first wrote about my recommendations for BPA free sippy cups. Several more have come in to the market, and you might be wondering about other safe BPA products to use with your baby and kids. Lots of mamas are writing about this on the web, and I provide links to some helpful resources in this post. Thanks to all the great research and work by mamas everywhere to help get the BPA out of our kids! Here is a link roundup of the latest information about BPA free gear for your kids. I found the motherload of a site about BPA! Check out The Soft Landing, an online store featuring BPA free everything and a blog about non-toxic living. Run by a mama Read more:Sippy
New Study on Phthalates in Baby Shampoo, Lotion, and Powder-- 2008-02-04 13:32:36 Here is a link to a new study about chemicals called phthalates found in young babies' blood after they used a shampoo, lotion or powder. Read the MSN article here. What are phthalates? A chemical found in many of our everyday products, including soft plastic toys, any vinyl product (shower curtains, bags, changing pads, or bibs), vinyl flooring, body and hair care products, and cosmetics. Why are phthalates a concern? When administered at high doses to animals, phthalates caused increased cancer rates and damage to the liver, kidneys and other organs. Read more about phthalates in teethers and safer alternatives here. As for baby shampoo, lotions and powder, until more is known about phthalates, I recommend using products that are labeled phthalate free and do not contain DEP and DEHP. Read more:Study
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Kai Kids is here (eco-friendly baby and maternity products)-- 2008-02-02 21:33:01 Check out this new family owned earth friendly baby, child and mama online store. According to mama and owner Nancy, Kai Kids specializes in "eco-friendly clothing and accessories for babies, toddlers, new moms and moms-to-be. From stainless steel sippy cups to soy onesies, bamboo baby blankets to BPA-free baby bottles, we’ve got everything parents need to raise baby green, and a few treats for mamas too! We carry sexy maternity and nursingwear made from non-toxic soy fibre and lyocell. All of our lines are either Fair Trade or ethically manufactured." Where were these when I needed them? They carry reusable bamboo nursing pads that are thinner and more absorbent then their cotton counterparts. They also carry a line of baby clothes made with a looser fit for accommodating cloth diape
Tell me Your Stories about Lead in Children's Products (and I'll share it with people who can do something about it!)-- 2008-01-30 20:37:25 I just got an email this morning from Elliot Burg, Vermont's assistant Attorney General, about testifying in support of a bill that would prevent lead poisoning of children by exposure to lead in consumer products. It would be the toughest anti-lead bill in the nation, and in the absence of federal legislation limiting lead exposure, the states are left to go it alone to protect their kids. It's a great bill that would significantly reduce the exposure of kids to lead from consumer products we all know are still out there, on store shelves. I'm thrilled to support it and hope I can help. His email motivated me to do some more research about lead in children's products to prepare for my testimony. I found some fantastic resources, I wanted to share with you. If you know of any others, pl Read more:Children
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The Skinny on Flame Retardants (or PCBEs) -- 2008-03-12 20:06:00 The chemicals in flame retardants have been a nagging voice in the back of my head for quite some time. I know they are bad. I know they are in my kids' sleepers. In my sofa, and in our mattresses. This is one area where I saw no immediate helpful solutions. It was high time to learn more. Issue Summary: The deal is that our government requires that children's sleepwear and mattresses meet certain standards for flame resistance. Most are treated with a flame retardant that contains polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or PCBEs. These chemicals have been causing increased concern because of their many associated health risks. Apparently, PCBEs have increasingly been linked to numerous health problems, such as thyroid hormone imbalance, and lower IQ and developmental delays. They also ha
Update: The Senate Passes the CPSC Reform Bill (S. 2663)-- 2008-03-10 21:36:00 Some good news, but don't hold your breath yet--The CPSC reform bill (S. 2663) has passed the Senate
, and now heads to conference committee where the differences between the house and senate versions will be worked out.Let's hope the differences being "worked out" will not involve the watering down of the important provisions of this bill. Essentially, this bill in its current state would markedly strengthen the CPSC, increase penalties for violating companies, ban lead in all children's products (like bibs!) and not just toys , and would require that toys be tested by independent labs before they are sold. It is about time! There were some excellent amendments added to the senate version, one that I think Non-Toxic readers will be excited about is from Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) th Read more:Update
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Win a BPA Free Baby Bottle Sampler Kit- 2008-03-14 14:00:52 I like free stuff as much as the next person, and this one is too good to be true. The good folks at The Soft Landing (who sell BPA free baby gear and share lots of great information on their site) are giving away this kit through the website Momsational. All you have to do is follow this link and leave a comment by March 24th. That's it! If you want to learn more about BPA in baby gear, please look at the labels section of this blog under BPA to learn about this chemical that is many baby products and has been linked to several health problems, especially for growing babies. Good luck! Read more:Sampler
The Best Cream for Eczema--Finally! 2008-03-13 20:21:37 So, okay, sometimes the doctors are right. Really. My almost one year old has had bright red half dollar sized patches on her torso, the backs of her legs, and shoulders for months. When I took her to the pediatrician, they said to use hydrocortisone cream on her (which is a skin thinning steroid cream-- sounds great and harmless!) and Eucerin. I thought, ha! I'll find some natural, botanical, no chemical brand that will work even better. Not so much. First I tried California Baby's Calendula cream. This was a nice, think cream that looked like it would really work. I used it up in about a week, and it didn't clear up the rash. I think this cream would work well for kids with extreme dry skin, but not for full eczema. Next I tried Jason Natural Cosmetics- Earth's Best Baby Therap Read more:Cream
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Some Jason, Citrus Magic and Alba Products Contain a Toxic Ingredient-- 2008-03-16 20:50:24 Just when you thought that you were buying nice, happy, not chemically laden, better for the earth products, here comes this news. Turns out that a study released by the Organic Consumers Association revealed a toxic carcinogenic contaminant called 1,4 Dioxane (no, I don't know why there is a comma between the numbers) is in many popular brands of body washes, dish soap, and lotions that are labeled "natural" and "organic". And up until now, the presence of this toxin in these products has been undisclosed. So no matter how good you were about checking labels for ingredients, you would never have known this was in anything. Great.Interestingly, products that were certified USDA organic did not contain this toxin, whereas many products that are not certified organic did contained it. Read more:Jason
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