Eco Child’s Play

Like this post? Subscribe to our RSS feed and stay up to date.

More than four million acres of American farmland have already been dedicated to organic farming, helping our health and our future. That’s four million acres farmed without the use of toxic pesticides or other toxic chemicals; four million acres nurtured with both ancient and modern techniques that are in balance with nature, helping to reduce the production of greenhouse gasses and reduce the threat of global warming.

Growing our foods organically has proven to be one of the hottest, fastest-growing movements of the twenty-first century. When Congress passed the Organic Foods Production Act in 1990, there were fewer than one million acres of organic farmland. In just twelve years, by 2002, that figure had doubled. Then the pace of progress picked up. Within just three more years, the amount of organic farmland doubled again. In 2005, we saw, for the first time, certified organic farmland in all fifty states. There has been exceptional progress, but we need to do more.

If organic cropland continues to double—and it can!—we can expect to see a revitalization and renewal of our streams and our soil as we build a smart, sustainable future. I can remember drinking stream water in our national parks when I was a child. I can remember catching and eating fish from our local streams. Today, all of the streams surveyed by the U.S. Geological Survey and more than 90 percent of fish tested in farming regions are polluted with pesticides.

Read the rest of this entry »

A few weeks ago I posted over at Non-Toxic Kids about the new Kid-Safe Chemical Act. This promising legislation would update a 30 year old law that has allowed thousands of chemicals to be used in countless everyday products from baby lotions, shampoos, cosmetics and toothpastes with no research or testing of their safety.

The Environmental Working Group listed these important provisions for the bill, all aimed at making products safer for our kids.

The Kid-Safe Chemicals Act:
Read the rest of this entry »

The birth of our second daughter was a lesson in patience, teaching me the lesson that all things in life happen in their in their own good time. And that we, for the most part, have little control over many facets in our lives. Waiting, relaxing, and letting things happen naturally are not things I am generally very good at.

You see, Elly was late. True to form of what would be her later personality, Elly just wasn’t ready to come into the world yet. And when I explain that she was one week late, people react that it was only one week. Even my midwife told me to relax and enjoy the last of my pregnancy.

But that was impossible. I was in labor for a week solid. Now don’t go calling it false labor, because if you would have said that during this time your life would have been in severe danger. There was nothing false about this labor.
Read the rest of this entry »

I decided early on in my pregnancy that I would have an epidural if need be. I fully support anyone who has a natural birth, but for me that was a level of pain that I did not wish to experience.

Funny how best laid plans always go awry isn’t it?

So we were two weeks from our due date and family had just arrived “just in case” I delivered early. My husband went with me for the weekly check-in with the doctor. After listening for the baby’s heartbeat she pulled me up from the exam table, told me to throw my clothes on and get to the hospital right away - she’d have a team ready to meet me (the hospital was next door to her office). Words blurred, but I managed to remain calm and understood only that the heart rate was not what it should be. Read the rest of this entry »

Until my first daughter Carly was born by an ER-style emergency c-section, I had never been to the hospital except for the couple of times with minor injuries as a small child. The experience was so extraordinarily shocking to my system that it catapulted me into a determination that my next delivery would be VERY different. The birth of Carly, was traumatizing on so many levels. That I was only 21 and relatively immature and inexperienced probably didn’t help. I had wanted her very much and did everything to prepare, but like most of the cliches you hear about becoming a mother for the first time - nothing could have prepared me, especially for the frightening, dangerous, surgical birth.

After going through a rough post-partum depression, my reaction was to get pregnant again pretty quickly and immerse myself in research so that I could be more empowered the next time. I had been shocked into a state of alertness about my body and had a strong intuitive knowledge my next baby and I didn’t need to go through this same situation again.

I had done my homework and knew that what happened with Carly and I was unusual and not likely to repeat itself. I also learned everything I could about VBACs (Vaginal Birth After Cesereans). If my doctor had done a good job of patching me back together, and I believe that she had, my uterus and I stood a good chance of having the strength to give birth naturally.

Read the rest of this entry »

Almost seven years ago, I gave birth to my daughter.  My pregnancy began with really bad “all day” sickness in the first trimester, where I would watch Dr. Zhivago between trips to the bathroom to puke. My second trimester was grand, as I was big enough to look pregnant and not just fat, and I felt really good. I had the glow. The third trimester was a challenge, as I gained 55 pounds overall and cried when I couldn’t squat long enough to plant my onions. Then, exactly on her due date, my daughter entered the world.

We live in a very remote region of Northern California.  Our closest hospital (that won’t do births) is an hour and half away.  Our midwives would not take the risk of a home birth at our off-the-grid homestead, nor did we feel entirely comfortable with the idea, so we decided rent a house in town for our birth.  A couple was going to Senegal for the summer, so it worked out perfectly that we could use their home for a month. It was about 15 minutes from the closest hospital, although no hospitals on the coast have an neo-natal intensive care unit.  I wanted a home birth, and this was the closest I could get to one.

Everyone feared I would go into labor in the mountains, so several days before my due date, we went to town to wait it out. I was restless and knew I would never go into labor in town, so we returned home.  I went for a long hike, and that night the real contractions began.  I was walking down our driveway as my husband pulled up, and I said, I think it is time to go.  My mother was here, but I feared her driving on the mountain roads, and we needed to take two cars for our dog to accompany us to town and fit everyone. So, I drove myself in labor two hours to the house we rented. My mother and I timed my contractions, but even though they were five minutes apart, I kept on driving (that’s how much I fear my mother’s driving!). Read the rest of this entry »

Here are some great recipes that offer a new twist to your child’s vegetarian diet!

White Bean Burritos

White beans have a great mild flavor that most children find appealing.

Ingredients for each burrito:

4 Tablespoons canned, white beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

2 Tablespoons cheddar or jack cheese

1/2 teaspoon chopped cilantro

1 Tablespoon mashed avocado

1 small flour tortilla

Directions:

Place beans and lemon juice in a bowl and mash with a fork. Mix in cheese and cilantro. Heat the mixture in microwave for 30 seconds, until cheese is melted. Spoon the bean mixture and mashed avocado on the flour tortilla crosswise, fold the tortilla in on 2 opposite sides, and roll it up lengthwise. Let it cool before serving.

Tip: If the flour tortilla seems a bit stiff, you can soften the tortilla by placing it between 2 damp paper towels and microwave 20 seconds.

Read the rest of this entry »

I am not entirely sold on the idea that people need to take multivitamins if they eat right, but I give them to my children frequently despite my reservations. I feel that multivitamins can accommodate for days when my children don’t eat well (or I don’t cook well). Now, there is an organic multivitamin powder for kids made by New Chapter Organics.

EveryKid comes in three flavors: awesome apple, brilliant berries, and grape (sold exclusively at Whole Foods). The powder can be taken directly or mixed with water, and it is recommended for children over the age of four. At first, my daughter thought EveryKid was strange, as she is used to a chewable multivitamin; however, in subsequent days she requested EveryKid over her regular Rainbow Light’s chewable NutriStars. EveryKid is organic. Since I only feed my children organic food, it makes sense to give them organic vitamins. Dr. Charles Benbrook, Chief Scientist of The Organic Center explains:

All kids need wholesome, safe foods that protect their growing bodies from pesticides, chemicals, and unknown risks from genetically-modified crops. Nourishing young bodies with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants each day is equally important, because growing up is serious business.EveryKid whole-food complexed multivitamins are a great way to fill any nutrient gaps in kids’ diets, so that they build a lifelong foundation for good health.

Read the rest of this entry »

I’m lucky in many ways. I have a child who is a good eater. So good, she’ll eat many things that are not even food — and a few that actually are. While this sure makes a plate of broccoli less challenging for both of us, these early years are aging me fast. To make it worse, I encouraged her to try the herbs and vegetables in our garden. Now, she thinks all plants are food. I’ve called the non-emergency poison control line three times so far. I hope they never get to know me by name. All three times were over gardening. And I am not alone.

Each year 100,000 calls are made to Poison Control (1-800-222-1222) over exposure to toxic plants and mushrooms. Some of the most common plants used in gardens and landscaping are extremely poisonous.

Here is a list of a few that may be in your yard now. Read the rest of this entry »

Any mother can tell you the benefits of breastfeeding, but scientists recently discovered stem cells in human breast milk. Stem cell research and treatments using embryonic stem cells, which are more versatile than adult stem cells, is controversial. An embryonic stem cell can produce cells for almost any tissue in the body, whereas adult stem cells are more specific to blood and skin types. The discovery of stem cells in breast milk may alleviate the controversy of using embryonic stem cells, if breast milk stem cells behave in the same versatile manner. Stem cell research shows they are promising at treating spinal injuries, diabetes and Parkinson’s disease.

Perth scientist Dr Mark Cregan made the world’s first discovery of breast milk stem cells. He believes this is just the tip of the iceberg in discovering the benefits and potency of baby’s first food.

It is setting the baby up for the perfect development. We already know that babies who are breast fed have an IQ advantage and that there’s a raft of other health benefits. Researchers also believe that the protective effects of being breast fed continue well into adult life. The point is that many mothers see milks as identical – formula milk and breast milk look the same so they must be the same. But we know now that they are quite different and a lot of the effects of breast milk versus formula don’t become apparent for decades. Formula companies have focussed on matching breast milk’s nutritional qualities but formula can never provide the developmental guidance.

Read the rest of this entry »