Category : Just for mom
A recent question from Pearl on the Mommy Footprint fan page had me interested from the moment I read it. Thank you for asking about Teflon lined diaper bags Pearl! I had no idea that some of the many popular diaper bag options sold are lined with Teflon. Since reading Pearl’s question, I’ve spent a few hours researching the article from the standpoint “if I was to purchase a bag with Teflon lining, how would I dispose of this material at the end of the bags life?”. Well, I cannot find a way for an owner of a diaper bag to dispose of the Teflon after the bag’s use is over. Not only that, most articles about Teflon lined diaper bags think it’s okay to use this material since the bag won’t be licked or eaten from. I’m not a chemist or scientist but the problem with Teflon is when the material is heated. So why would you worry about that in a diaper bag? I go back to my initial argument about how you’ll dispose of the bag once it’s cracked and smelly? You cannot recycle the materials it’s made from so it’s going into the garbage. What happens to garbage? It gets incinerated. The toxic chemicals that teflon omits are called Perfluoinated Teflon Pollutants: PFOA and PFOS. You have no doubt heard of these compounds because environmentalists have been suggesting for years to not cook with Teflon frying pans because of PFOA and PFOS. Why are these chemicals such a big deal? They are some of the worst chemicals in the environment today because once they are released they never go away. They can be found in all humans (babies still in utero), whales, and polar bears in the arctic that have never made themselves eggs using a Teflon pan. This fact shows how destructive these chemicals are to the environment and to our children! These chemicals are causing infertility, tumors, thyroid disruption and weakened immune systems. Even if your diaper bag doesn’t end up in the incinerator – PFOA is released into the environment when produced. Like PVC, it is toxic from the time it’s produced and there is no way to dispose of it without causing further harm to the environment and human health.
It’s long been documented that DuPont who creates Teflon in their Virginia plant has had to compensate their employees for their elevated levels of rare cancers and birth defects with their children. Let’s take a moment to remember that there is a rule when trying to decide as a consumer if a product should enter your home. If something is bad for the environment – it is bad for human health. I’ve said this many time on Mommy Footprint and if there is a material or chemical that meets this criteria, it’s Teflon. So in my mind, it doesn’t matter if a baby or mom is licking the diaper bag because it’s lined with one of the most environmentally damaging materials in use today. Do I want this material in my home, on my shoulder, or close to my baby?
A few other random checkpoints came up while I was looking at different models of diaper bags. Many models talk about a ‘foam’ or memory foam that is inside the change mat for added comfort. Here is a Mommy Footprint test. What question as consumers do we always have to ask when a product has foam and it’s going to be near our baby? Synthetic foam is a highly flammable material so what needs to be added so it passes North American regulation? If you answered flame retardants you have been listening! I would mark this as another question to ask when purchasing a diaper bag with a change pad. Has the foam inside the diaper bag or change pad been treated with flame retardants? If they cannot answer this question, you’ve got your answer.
Lastly, a covering of scotch guard or antibacterial coating or protection on a diaper bag might be marketed as an amazing feature. Yes, children poo, throw-up, and more around a diaper bag, but doesn’t it make more sense to create a product that is washable rather than coated with chemicals to ‘protect’ against germs? Scotchgard has the same effect on the environment as Teflon by distributing PFOA into the environment with devastating consequences. We also know that products that are marketed as containing an antimicrobial agent – you are looking at nanoparticles that are largely unknown for health effects and destroying healthy and bad germs that it comes into contact with. I would recommend always avoiding these marketing tactics because chemicals that belong in hospitals for their strong level of antibac properties can contain triclosan and the concern over the rise in bacterial resistance in our children.
So thank you Pearl for asking me a question that in your heart you already knew the answer. I felt very emotional researching this topic because once again products geared to mothers, breast feeding mothers, and babies often contain chemicals that are extremely toxic to nature and health. I always like to give examples of where I would shop or point someone looking for safer alternatives in wet bags or diaper bags. Let me introduce an amazing woman that creates hand-sewn, one of a kind creations and bags…
Pip’ n’ Milly Creations is Fiona’s store and she makes diaper bags with lots of functional pockets from natural materials that are washable. I love that you can pick your own fabrics and work with an artist to create a hand-crafted work of art for a diaper bag! Working with an artist that can make you a diaper bag ensures you know the materials being used. A really easy cheat sheet when researching diaper bags to narrow down synthetic materials is to ask:
Does this bag contain:
~ flame retardants in the foam?
~ teflon in the liner?
~ PVC in the liner?
~ antibacterial or scotchgard on outer fabric?
If a company cannot answer these questions, you are not purchasing a chemical free diaper bag. Diaper bags cost a lot of money! Make it an important aspect of planning a baby shower or wish list for gifts and research the key items…not only for the effects that product will have on baby, but on the world they are inheriting!
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We are all witnessing a huge movement sweeping across North America…and it’s pretty awesome. A collective force of people wanting to improve their health, reduce chemical exposure, and protect children from a host of diseases through local, organic, and home cooked meals. I love all the articles I’m reading about canning food, growing backyard produce, raising chickens for fresh eggs and more! There is also a campaign spearheaded by Dr. Alan Greene & Cheryl Greene called The Whiteout Movement. Quite simply, they are calling out to parents in the hopes of reducing the number of babies being introduced to white rice cereal. It seems to be one of the most common beginner steps with food introduction with babies. The goal is to return to feeding babies at the dinner table, with the family, letting them taste and sample ‘real food’ rather than processed white rice cereal. Why is white rice cereal so bad? The number one ingredient is processed white rice flour. The idea that introducing and giving a baby white cereal is that the child’s long term food preferences are influenced by early food exposures. According to Dr. Greene:
At this critical window of development, ripe with opportunity, we are giving babies a concentrated, unhealthy carb. Metabolically, it’s not that different from giving babies a spoonful of sugar.
I found the information under the Whiteout FAQ very helpful. I’m past the solid food/baby stage in my family, but I would have loved options when starting my last 3 children on solid foods. All four were exclusively breast fed for 6 months but the last three suffered from such severe constipation the day I started rice cereal I actually skipped cereal altogether and went straight to regular food. One time in my parenting journey that I actually listened to myself and I’m so glad I did. Very cool that Dr. Greene is not trying to call negative attention to companies that sell white rice cereal, rather his goal is for every child’s first grain to be a whole grain and even though baby’s first food doesn’t need to be a cereal, the easiest switch is to purchase a whole grain version of baby cereal. Here are more quotes from the Whiteout FAQ that really got my attention. Parents-to-be have you heard about delayed cord clamping? It’s included in the FAQ below – a great point to talk to your Dr. about!
During that precious first year, it takes an average of 6 to 10 exposures in a positive environment for 85% of babies to imprint on a flavor and texture. If a baby gets 14 such exposures, it’s even morel likely. Since I was born, most American babies, myself included, have been given that many meals of just processed white flour before being exposed to any other food. This same flavor preference turns into unhealthy kid’s meals and junk food, including too many cupcakes, soft hamburger buns, and too much white bread.
Rice cereal is also the #1 source of food calories for typical babies (after breast milk and formula) all the way from the first breath until they take their first steps and become toddlers.
Processed white flour is the single largest food influence on taste preferences and metabolism during the entire first year. It’s no wonder we have a snowballing obesity and diabetes epidemic.
Let every child’s first food be a real food. My preference for the first bite is to give a baby a bite of something they’ve seen the parent eat, something they’ve seen come from the produce aisle, a CSA, garden, or a farmers’ market. I love avocados, sweet potatoes (cooked until soft), or bananas as a first bite — mashed with a fork with some of the breast milk or formula they’ve already been getting. ** I love this one! **
Babies need plenty of iron for their growing bodies and brains. Is breast milk inadequate? It appears that babies are designed to get iron from both breast milk and directly from their mothers at birth.
Unfortunately, in the 20th century it became vogue to quickly clamp the umbilical cord within 10-15 seconds after the head is delivered. If cord clamping isn’t rushed, and takes place when the umbilical cord stops pulsing (~60 to 180 seconds), the baby gets several tablespoons more blood, which could be enough iron to tide them over for an additional 3 months later on when they are starting solids. Thankfully, what the medical community calls “delayed” cord clamping is now becoming more common.
To be sure your baby is getting enough iron you have several other options:
Choose an iron-fortified whole grain baby cereal.
Give supplemental iron drops. (It’s what’s added to the cereal anyway.)
Choose iron-rich foods for your baby.
Get plenty of iron yourself, if nursing.
Use cast iron for cooking for your baby or the rest of the family.
Long time readers of Mommy Footprint know that Fall is simply my season. I love everything about it – the colors of nature and the seasonal activities usually take place at a farm or Halloween themed soiree. It’s been a few years since my family has taken family pictures and I’ve always wanted to have a photographer come to the pumpkin patch with me and the kids because the colors of a pumpkin patch and farm would make the most beautiful back-drop. This is what we did on Saturday and I’ve had a few sneak peeks from my friend and photographer Michelle and I’m thrilled with the results. I thought I’d write about this for a few reasons. When you get started on Christmas gifts early, stress just seems to melt away in late December when we all start making last minute, impulsive purchases. If you get a series of matching pictures on a Fall day, you can create wonderful grandparent/spouse gifts using Shutterfly. If you have never been to the Shutterfly site – get ready to love the fresh & hip background designs, plus how easy it is to make a high quality photobook, calendars for 2012, etc.
I will be uploading 30 pictures from our day at the Pumpkin Patch into a photobok and I hope to have my ‘Grandparent’ Christmas gifts done early. You can personalize with little messages under each photo to talk about your kids or direct the conversation to the person receiving the gift. Shutterfly photobooks are actually on sale right now, so do yourself a favour….grab a friend or photographer and head to a park where leaves are falling, a pumpkin patch, apple barn, etc. and let the kids have fun & play while taking great candid shots! I love doing photobooks with a series of pictures from one special outing. I always go for the larger photo book available (12×12 with hard cover). Here is a peek of my family – what a great day it was to go outside & play!
Any West Coaster can tell you this summer has taken a while to get going with the weather. I think today counts as officially the 6th sunny day so my testing of sunscreens was put on hold in June. I won’t be talking about sunscreen for much longer, having happily found my favorite brands for my kids & me. But a product was presented for me to test a few months ago and I must be growing up, because I found the Marie Veronique combination of SPF30 with their moisturizing face screen intriguing. I’ve used organic moisturizers before (and loved them) but made the mistake of walking out into the sun and literally could feel my face sizzling, then burnt. The Marie Veronique Moisturizing Face Screen is all us grown up ladies need before leaving the house for daily activities during the summer months. After I wash my face, I put on the moisturizer (you can purchase tinted or plain) apply to my face and neck and I’m out the door. No need to worry about breaking out from pimples from using sunscreen on my face, or the whitening effect you get from most organic sunscreens, and you are very well protected from the sun. Rated with a safety hazard score of 1 from EWG, the Marie Veronique Moisturizing Face Screen and Kid Safe Sunscreen line can become trusted brands this summer.
Most Mommy Footprint reviews come with a story and Marie Veronique is no exception. Marie Veronique is a former chemistry teacher, along with her daughter (a Professor of Physics) and a partner in Marketing & melanoma survivor – the goal is creating products that are safe. The combination of biodegradable contents in these bottles, packaged in recyclable materials, and made in the US, this company knows that creating cosmetics without toxins, nano-particles, petroleum and instead using intelligent ingredients is the key to quality skin care. As I sit here reading the ingredient lists for both the moisturizer and kid’s sunscreen, I realize that not only can I easily pronounce each of the ingredients, but I can easily identify most of them to be natural. Without needing a degree in environmental engineering or chemistry..very refreshing. Marie Veronique also simplifies their packaging to include some big clues that their products are safe – here is the important branding to watch for when shopping for sunscreens: item contents are biodegradable, packaging is fully recyclable, paraben free, no nanoparticles, broad spectrum UVA/UVB protection, and the active ingredient is zinc oxide.
With a few ladies in my life announcing pregnancies – I’ve started thinking of products I can recommend for them to be using. Marie Veronique is definitely a brand that an expecting mama can use without worrying about chemicals. Research shows that nanoparticles can cross a mom’s body and enter a baby’s developing system. With little to no accurate research out there on nanoparticles – it’s just best to stay away when possible. Cosmetics, sunscreens, lotions are absorbed into our bodies through very porous skin – we need to be vigilant in reducing and eliminating toxins and chemicals with these products.
I’m a busy mom with lots of sweet children to protect once we hit the hot sunny days. I’m enjoying the moisturizing face screen and appreciate the fact it adds very little time to my already rushed routine of getting ready in the morning. After I wash my face, I apply the face screen then I’m out the door and don’t worry about the sun’s rays while I’m out running errands. With so many more organic sunscreen options this summer to protect my children, it’s wonderful that a company is worried about protecting and nourishing my face and skin.
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One of my biggest pet peeves is when a company starts manufacturing their products locally, then without telling their customers, moves their manufacturing overseas. We know why they do it…money. It costs way less to have stuff produced overseas and this is normally the case in the clothing industry. But it’s still something that bugs me and I’ve been keeping a secret for months about a West Coast yoga apparel company that is the same prices as traditional yoga apparel companies (we know who they are) BUT is designing and manufacturing their clothing on Canada’s West Coast. For the same price or maybe even less! Oh – and also using organic cotton, hemp, soy, and bamboo fabrics too. Sorry to keep this company under wraps, but until only last week I haven’t been able to actually try out their clothing, but I found a lovely little boutique called Mint Your Health close to my home and purchased the yoga shorts I’ve been coveting from the Salts Clothing site. And they are awesome! The materials that Salts uses are super high end, the clothes is well made, and designed to hold everything in place. Am I a yoga gal and just never mentioned it? No, but I’m a super busy mom that loves getting some help with keeping things tucked into the right places with clothing. And isn’t that why we all love yoga gear? The comfort and style combined for a laid back and relaxed life style…while helping our ‘problem areas’ look a whole lot better than they actually are.
Salts Clothing is made on Vancouver Island. How has Salts managed to keep this formula for success since 2005? Only they can tell you, but for now, check out this eye candy of locally made goodness. My favs are the tank, screen printed hoodie and my awesome grey shorts are included in this photo round-up. All photos belong to Salts Clothing:
I’m slowly learning to always ask questions with my precious consumer dollars. It’s why I truly prefer to shop online rather than the Mall because I just can’t get my questions answered. When I ask my normal round-up of questions in this scenario with Salts Clothing, I’m a truly satisfied consumer “Where are your clothes made?” “What are they made from” “What is your company purpose” And this last question I haven’t yet answered, but I’m going to quote this answer directly from the Salts site: “The name Salts comes from a love of the ocean. Salts has long been used as preservatives, I hope our clothing will help preserve our Earth home as well. I am inspired to make clothing that is eco friendly in honor of my children and their future children.“ An awesome quote by Salts owner Jennifer – totally inspiring and clothing that makes you feel good to support.
Follow Salts Clothing’s latest designs via their Fanpage on Facebook – they are always turning out awesome new clothing designs: Salts Organic Clothing and Studio Boutique.
