1. Elements Naturals 100% Natural and Compostable Baby Wipes

Even though I don’t have babies in cloth diapers anymore, I still use baby wipes for the car. They are great for cleaning up sticky hands and outdoor bathroom necessities on the road.

At one time, I toyed with the idea of making my own baby wipes, but as a new mom, I honestly didn’t have the time.  I didn’t find baby wipes a baby essential, as I used just a wet wash cloth to wipe those little buns at home; however, when out and about, I did use wipes.

Elements Naturals baby wipes are 100% natural and compostable.  They are made in the USA, and use Ingeo, “the World’s first man-made fiber from 100% natural renewable resources”.   I don’t know that much about Ingeo, and I suppose using wipes that are made from simple cotton would be better.  It must take more energy to make Ingeo than process cotton, but I don’t know.  They do use a lot of pesticides growing cotton.

Developed out of mother’s guilt and the reddest butt you’ve ever seen, our wipes have been helping parents transform the world since 2009. Proudly Made in the USA, they are the first to be made from bio-based materials and ingredients listed on the approved personal care ingredients lists of EcoCert and the Natural Products Association.

Watch them disappear and become part of the earth (i.e. compost**; “wet” ones only please) or dispose of them in your neighborhood waste receptacle and feel good about the small change you’re making to decrease your baby’s toxic load and the environments’!

I don’t think I would actually put these in the compost I use for the garden, but I do have a separate compost I use for flower beds I compost egg cartons in after they are no longer reusable.

Would I buy this product?  Yes.  I think $5 is affordable.

2. Bean-B-Clean™ Cradle Cap Brush

Both of my children suffered from cradle cap, and as an adult, I actually have the same condition called seborrhea dermatitis.  I read in the baby books to use olive oil and a soft hairbrush to gently scrub away the scales.  I did this at first, but then felt it only made the cradle cap come back worse. Instead, I would simply apply olive oil and leave it alone.

My children’s cradle cap only seemed to bother other people, and I was constantly given advice on how to treat it.  It eventually goes away as your child ages, or it may come back in their thirties like it did me :(.

Bean-B-Clean is a brush designed specifically for removing cradle cap. It is very soft. I tried it on my own scalp.

Smaldore Associates, LLC, was formed as a wholesale company in early 2009, as the result of the birth of our first grandchild who developed cradle cap. After extensive and unsuccessful searches in stores and on the internet, we researched, repurposed, tweaked and tested an existing product as our first mission and brought the now named Bean-B-Clean™ to the thousands of infants facing the same crisis.

We are a “mom and pop” company, rather, a “grandmom and grandpop” company whose goals are to provide needed, functional products at affordable prices. We are also committed to and passionate about our product(s) being made in the USA – we want to do our part in keeping the jobs here, in order to bolster our economy.

I don’t think cradle cap or crap as I sometimes call it is a “crisis”.

Would I buy this product?  No.  It is made of synthetic bristles and plastic.  A natural soft bristle hairbrush does the same thing and is more earth-friendly.

3. Tanner’s Tasty Paste

Have you ever read the ingredients on your child’s toothpaste? Many “natural” brands contain sodium lauryl sulfates, and many commercial brands contain saccharin, as well as artificial colors and flavors. No matter where you stand on the fluoride issue, these other ingredients are a cause for concern.

Tanner’s Tasty Paste is a gluten-free natural toothpaste developed by a dentist.  It also contains xylitol, which has been shown to prevent tooth decay.

By working with children everyday, Dr. Holden has learned which flavors children respond to best when using toothpastes and prophy pastes. This understanding of children’s favorite flavors has lead to the development of the Tanner’s Tasty Paste line of toothpastes for children. If children enjoy the flavors of their toothpastes, it is likely they’ll brush better and more often. And, if they brush better and more often, they’ll have fewer cavities!

The flavors are not what you would traditionally think of for toothpaste, and it is true that minty adult toothpaste is too strong for children’s sensitive taste buds.  Tasty Paste comes in the following flavors:

• Banana Bling
• Cha Cha Chocolate
• Baby Bling

Would I buy these products?  No.  Sucralose is listed as an ingredient.  I don’t understand how this product is advertised as “naturally delicious” when it uses an artificial sweetener.

4. Captain Planet and Planeteers [dvd]
In the style of the Super Friends, Captain Planet and his Planeteers features the voices of famous actors and actresses like Whoopi Goldberg, Sting, and Meg Ryan.  Rereleased after twenty years, Gaia guides the Planeteers from around the world on missions to protect the planet.  

We are building a global movement to create a sustainable world.  20 years ago “Captain Planet and the Planeteers” inspired a generation of people around the world to respect our planet.  Today, that generation has grown up, and Planeteers are in every region, every country, and every industry in the world…

Captain Planet is a metaphor for the incredible power we have when we work together.  Tens of millions of us remember the show and share the values it teaches.  Join us in personally taking responsibility for creating a sustainable world that works for all people.

I am a too old to have seen Captain Planet as a child, and honestly, I had never heard of it before receiving the DVDs.

Would I buy these DVDs? I might rent it for my children, but I am not one to purchase DVDs. They are a storage issue, especially when they are only viewed a couple of times. We just don’t watch that many movies, and you never know when purchasing if your children will like it.  My son was glued to Captain Planet, my daughter called it “stupid”, and it made me feel nostalgic for the Super Friends.

5. SecureLine Retractable Clothesline

If you are like me, you are constantly doing laundry!  Hanging laundry to dry is the most eco-friendly option, but I shamefully admit I often put the clothes in the dryer for ease.  I do use my laundry line for drying garlic and onions from the garden more than for its intended purpose.  It’s definitely something I am working on.

A retractable clothesline is a nice option if you have a small yard.  Having to pull out or retract a line would just be one more thing for me to do, but I do see that for indoor winter time drying, a retractable line is the way to go.  Drying racks annoy me and are often slow to dry clothes compared to a line.

Would I buy this product?  Maybe.  Will it hold the weight of 100 onions?

Disclosure:  The products described above were sent to us as free samples.  Prior assurances as to the nature of the reviews, whether positive or negative, were not given.  No financial payments were accepted in exchange for the reviews.  The reviews reflect our honest, authentic opinions.