Archive for the ‘Baby’ Category

Disney Admits Baby Einstein Does NOT Increase Intelligence

Baby Einstein does not make your child smarterFor parents who were suckered into Disney’s Baby Einstein concept, the company has announced they will give full refunds on up to four videos.  The basis of the refund is to compensate parents who actually believed the videos would make their children smarter.  UPI reports:

The move comes after Disney’s Baby Einstein Co. last month announced “enhanced consumer satisfaction guarantees” after lawyers had threatened a class-action suit for false advertising. “The Walt Disney Company’s entire Baby Einstein marketing regime is based on express and implied claims that their videos are educational and beneficial for early childhood development,” a letter from the lawyers reportedly said.

Read the rest of this entry »

Organic Baby Food Recall: Plum Organics Apple and Carrot

If you feed your little one Plum Organics, here’s a baby food recall you need to know about. The organic baby food company issued a voluntary recall yesterday due to a botulism danger. The only product affected is the Apple and Carrot Portable Pouch, which comes in a 4.22 ounce bag.

The pouches are being pulled from store shelves because of a potential risk of Clostridium botulinum contamination, which can cause botulism, a sometimes life-threatening condition that you clearly don’t want to mess around with.

In a letter on the Plum Organics website, founder Gigi Lee Chang explains that “after a routine test determined the formulation was incorrect. Plum Organics immediately investigated the matter and confirmed that a mixing error was to blame which resulted in an improper blend of carrots and apples.” Read the rest of this entry »

Wear Your Baby in Organic Style: Babybjörn Original Organic Baby Carrier

wear your baby in organic styleI miss my baby wearing days, especially now that an organic version of my favorite carrier is available!  Babybjörn Original Organic Baby Carrier is essential for any new green mommy or daddy, in my opinion.  A worn baby is a happy baby because:

  • Babies feel closely snuggled to the parent
  • Babies are kept within their short range of vision, unlike riding in a stroller
  • Babies can feel your heart rhythm and breath reminding them of the womb
  • Babies and parents bonding is promoted through baby wearing

A babywearing parent is a happy parent because their baby fusses less, and grown-up arms are free for doing chores, shopping, etc.. Read the rest of this entry »

Ineffective, Inappropriate, Unsafe Vaccines Make Parents Question Whether to Vaccinate at All

what it do nephew by Eric Castro on Flickr under Creative Commons license

Last week, I participated in a community-based conversation about vaccinations at our local library that included two of our medical center’s nursing staff and a bunch of smart, well-researched, concerned moms. Though I’ve written two previous posts about vaccinations, I was compelled to write yet another to share the conclusion I and others came to at the end of this community discussion.

Read the rest of this entry »

Dr. Sears’ Happy Baby: The Organic Guide to Baby’s First 24 Months

Happy Baby organic guideEvery parent wishes for a happy baby…did you know an organic baby is also a happy baby?  That’s the premise behind Dr. Sears’ new book HappyBaby: The Organic Guide to Baby’s First 24 Months. Dr. Robert W. Sears, MD is best known for the Vaccine Book and being the son of Martha and William Sears, MD. Read the rest of this entry »

Thermos Foogo Phases Offers BPA Free Cups for Kids

Ever since the confession announcement made by SIGG that their bottles made before August 2008 contained BPA every one’s been a bit leery about green products and their believability.

SIGG was one of the first companies that all the greenies were using instead of BPA filled plastic bottles-then to find out that we’d been duped…

Anyway, if you don’t want to use SIGG products for your kids (or you) anymore, no matter what they say about their new stuff, there are alternatives.

The new Thermos Foogo line for little ones is all BPA free. Read the rest of this entry »

Nestle: Chocolate Chips or Advocate of Bottle Feeding?

Recently Nestle invited several high profile bloggers to their headquarters in Glendale, California. From their site:

Nestlé understands the importance of listening directly to parents. That’s why on September 30 and October 1, we’ve invited 20 Mom and Dad bloggers to our U.S. headquarters to learn firsthand the things that are important to them and their families, and to share a little about us and our brands. Check out what they are saying by following the conversation below from Twitter. Visit this page daily from September 23 through October 7, to learn more about them, their families, their busy lives, and to hear about their experiences at Nestlé. Check out their blogs, too

What’s interesting is that they picked a group of bloggers who would clearly support their mission, and they forgot about the others.

The others include women who believe that Nestle has a history of undermining breastfeeding in many countries. I’m not familiar with the controversy because breastfeeding was never a discussion in my home. For one child it worked for a good long time, and for another child medical reasons kept us from breastfeeding. Read the rest of this entry »

International Babywearing Week

DSC_1585_editedIt’s not too late to get your baby on!  This week celebrate the love and closeness with your baby and wear him or her often. Studies have shown that babies who are worn tend to cry less, sleep longer, and eat better. It has also been found that parents who wear their babies are more likely to be content which in turn equals a relaxed baby.One huge benefit of babywearing is being hands-free. Babywearing allows for tasks to get done around the house while keeping the baby comfy and secure.

There are many different types of babywearing options. From slings, carriers, wraps, a piece of cloth or handmade they all have the same outcome. A happy baby and happy parents! Babywearing can br so much fun. Having your baby close to kiss as often as possible and being able to snuggle so closely all while- hiking, bowling, mini golfing, exercising, bike riding, grocery shopping, some house chores or just a simple walk is what makes babywearing enjoyable. It’s worth the investment. The fact that I’m able to move around and be hands-free with a toddler makes the day so much less intense. Both of my sons from birth loved to be worn.

Read the rest of this entry »

Trillium Organics New OGmama and OGbaby Products

It has been proven that at least 60% of what we put on our skin is absorbed directly into the bloodstream. That’s scary, really scary when we learn what can be lurking in beauty products-even in baby products. Nasty things like phthalates, parabens and 1,4-Dioxane which has been banned in personal care products in Canada and the European Union but is still allowed in the US in small amounts even though it has been proven that it can cause allergy, immune and neurological toxicity even carcinogenic activity.

Trillium Organics has created a couple new lines of products that come with full disclosure of all ingredients-right on the product labels. The new products are made especially for pregnant women and new babies-two times when natural is more important than ever. OGmama and OGbaby are truly 100% organic and as natural as can be. Read the rest of this entry »

No PhytoEstrogen: Organic, Worry-Free Beauty Products for Babies & Up

Original Sprout organic beauty productsOne of the perks of being a mommy blogger is getting great new organic beauty products to try on my family. We recently tested Original Sprout “Worry-Free Luxury” Natural & Organic Family Collection.  These products smell wonderful and are free of “added hormone disruptors, parabens, petroleum oils, phthalates, dioxanes from sulfates, formaldehyde, & propylene glycol.”

Do you know about PhytoEstrogens?  PhytoEstrogens are called “dietary estrogens“, because they come from food sources, such as soybeans. They are often promoted for consumption in menopausal women for bone density, but there is concern that over exposure to PhytoEstrogens increases the risk of breast cancer and causes fertility issues.  Original Sprout explains:

Working as estrogen mimics, phytoestrogens may either have the same effects as estrogen or block estrogen’s effects. Which effect the phytoestrogen produces can depend on the dose of the phytoestrogen. The phytoestrogen can act like estrogen at low doses but block estrogen at high doses. Estrogen activates a family of proteins called estrogen receptors. Recent studies have shown that phytoestrogens interact more with some members of the estrogen receptor family, but more information is needed about how these receptors work, especially in breast cancer. Finally, phytoestrogens acting as estrogen mimics may affect the production and/or the breakdown of estrogen by the body, as well as the levels of estrogen carried in the bloodstream.

Phytoestrogens - acting differently from estrogen - may affect communication pathways between cells, prevent the formation of blood vessels to tumors or alter processes involved in the processing of DNA for cell multiplication. Which of these effects occur is unknown. It is very possible that more than one of them may be working. Also, the effects in various parts of the body may be different. from Phytoestrogens and Breast Cancer.

Read the rest of this entry »