Shopping Cart/ High Chair Cover

My pages are still in the works but I've added a list of products on the "Products for Baby" page. If you happened to look within the last couple of days, know that I'm deleting the Leachco organic shopping cart cover from my recommended list. I ordered one online and, when I opened to package found that it smelled of chemicals and had that stiff coated feel to the fabric. I then noticed that there was a tag stating that it complied with California flammability requirements, which was a big red flag.

So, I did something that I'm finding one absolutely has to do in order to be a responsible consumer, I called the manufacturer. The customer service option led to one individual's voice mail and I left a message which was never returned. I've found in calling manufacturers that no response is not a good response. I plan to return the cover but, no worries, I found something better.

Before Sela was born I bought a bamboo cover for her car seat from Itzy Ritzy. It was pricey but I have loved it because, although her car seat was the infant car seat that tested lowest in the toxins tested by Healthy Stuff (which are not all the biggies), I still wanted something washable between her skin and the seat. I did a web search and found that they also have shopping cart covers and a quick email to them elicited a quick response stating that they use no chemicals on their products. I ordered a cart cover and a cover for her new convertible car seat. I know that not everyone could afford these particular products, indeed I wouldn't have been able to not too long ago, so if anyone knows of a healthy and more economical option (aside from making one) please post a comment.

Mercury in Fish

Last night I made Halibut for the first time. We don't eat much fish because of the mercury and PCBs and other toxins that accumulate in their flesh (yes, it is flesh). We never eat farmed salmon. I read recently that farmed salmon is so toxic that eating it more than once every five months significantly increases your risk of cancer. Lovely. I'll have to try and track down the reference for that and confirm its validity but I don't have trouble believing it based on all that I know about farmed salmon.

Incidentally, the most visual and educational material I've found was an episode that was part of a great environment series on the Sundance Channel. When I find it I'll link it here because it was fantastic. There was another episode on cotton. Does anyone know the name of this series? It's not "The Lazy Environmentalist". Anyhow, long story short, always make sure your salmon says "wild, Alaskan."

Back to the halibut which, according to the NRDC's Mercury in Fish wallet card (love it), contains moderate mercury and may be safely consumed six or fewer times per month. I'll go with a more conservative estimate and we likely won't have it again for a year or more. Nevertheless, (for once!) I used an easy recipe and it turned out great! I actually found it on the back of the frozen Orca Bay Halibut steaks that I bought out Vitamin Cottage. Here it is:

Halibut with Greek Relish

Ingredients:
1 package Orca Bay Halibut Steaks or other halibut steaks (thawed)
1/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives, chopped
1/4 cup pitted green olives, chopped
1/4 cup roasted red peppers, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons Italian parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
2 tablespoons capers, drained
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Directions:
In a bowl, combine kalamata and green olives, roasted peppers, parsley, garlic and capers. Stir in the olive oil and wine vinegar, mixing and coating the chopped ingredients. (This relish can be prepared an hour prior to serving, allowing flavors to combine.) Preheat oven to 400 degrees (Fahrenheit). Brush halibut with olive oil and season with salt and black pepper. Broil or bake for 10 minutes per inch of thickness, about 5 to 6 inches from the heat. To serve, top each halibut steak with 1/2 cup of relish.

I served it with sauteed beet greens and quinoa pilaf.


p.s. My compost stinks (even when the cultures are right I don't like the "sweet, earthy" aroma in my kitchen) and is hereby banished to the outdoors. I can't take it anymore and have decided that compost was meant to live in the outside world!

New Flooring

We finally decided to go with pre-finished, woven, solid bamboo from Eco Timber. We're planning to put this town home up for rent after our house is built and so we wanted something durable. This bamboo comes with a lifetime residential warranty and the woven bamboo is more durable than oak. It's also attractive and formaldehyde-free. Can't wait to have it installed!

Diapers and Wipes

Since I didn't know (still don't) if I'd ever be able to go diaper free, when I was pregnant, I spent hours, days, weeks even, researching diapers. I think my poor husband was so weary of hearing about them that he was ready to stick a pencil in his eye but, as Pediatrician, Dr. Alan Greene, author of "Raising Baby Green" wrote on The Daily Green, "diapers are a major ecological issue." I had to carefully consider my decision, not only for the sake of the planet but for the health of my little girl.

I had always thought that cloth was the obvious choice for health and sustainability but was confused by the argument that some disposable diapers may rival cloth in their ultimate carbon imprint. The primary source of this argument was “Life Cycle Assessment of Disposable and Reusable Nappies in the UK," a study released in by The Environment Agency of the UK. I won't bore you with the details since I'm long winded enough already but, if you read the study, you'll see how flawed it was.

In considering the impact of cloth vs. disposable one has to account for the process from the manufacture of the diaper to it's ultimate disposal and everything (namely, washing) in between. All said, cloth wins out environmentally, especially if the diapers are laundered efficiently and without bleach. This rules out diaper services if you're concerned about avoiding chlorine (which you should be, in my opinion) because of the numerous detrimental environmental and health problems (including dioxin production) associated with its use.

SO, during my pregnancy, we decided to purchase Gro Baby shells and organic cotton and hemp soaker pads at the Giggling Green Bean. We spent a tidy sum on these one size diapers (because of the less concerning TPU coating on the covers and the organic inserts) only to find a few problems. First, they were WAY too big for a newborn, especially a smaller one like Sela. Second, there is no way they last all night without leaking and you can only use so many extra inserts before they're utterly huge and mess with baby's alignment while sleeping. Finally, even without inserts and even now that she's almost six months old, they are still so big that she has to wear one size up in clothing.

Needless to say, I would never buy one size cloth diapers again. I liked the simple prefolds and covers that we used at Boulder Community Hospital much better. Also, that option would have been much less expensive. Another (rather expensive) lesson learned. Sigh.

For a while we used the Gro Baby diapers during the day and disposables (more below) at night but now we just use the disposables. However, I hold out hope that the cloth will be useful when she's a little bigger. Incidentally, the Giggling Green Bean is a great store and has many other options. Amy, the owner, is fantastically helpful and it's always fun to stop in.

Disposables: I made the best choice I could, I think, and that turned out to be Nature Babycare diapers. I typically love Swedish products (e.g., Hanna Andersson and Svan) and these were designed by a Swedish mom. They do not contain the sodium polyacrylate polymer (the stuff that makes most diapers absorbent) and they are chlorine-free, biodegradable, and compostable. Unfortunately, I can't compost them since I don't have the room for a heap and my Nature Mill composter won't take them.

Will they degrade much in a landfill? Not likely but nevertheless I think they're a better choice than most. I considered G-Diapers with their flushable liner but my husband didn't think our plumbing would handle them and they also contain sodium polyacrylate. I have used 7th generation in a pinch but again, sodium polyacrylate (though I will say, they fit much better).

Ok, wipes: I chose Fuzzi Bunz organic double sided wipes for reusables and Elements wipes for disposables. I must be doing something right health-wise despite my minor assault on the environment by using disposables because Sela has yet to have a diaper rash. I use Trillium Organics OGbaby Barrier Balm at night and, when there has been any slight redness, Motherlove Diaper Rash and Thrush.

Oh, somewhat sadly, one more environmental concession I've made is to order my diapers and wipes on Diapers.com. They will match any price and I get Upromise savings but the reason I do it is because I can't find them locally. For a while I was able to find the diapers at Babies R Us but, since they stopped carrying them in all the stores close to us I had to face finding them online or drive to Littleton. I have never seen the wipes locally but I tried Earthwise at one point. The ingredients are OK - better than most - but they are not biodegradable or compostable and I want them to at least have a chance of breaking down within the next five centuries.

What is worse, wipes that aren't biodegradable or the fuel used to deliver my Diapers.com order? These decisions are so tough but my consumer-consciousness increases all the time and, thankfully, as we vote (well) with our dollars so will the healthy options. Better suggestions? Please share!

Isela's Nursery

Since I'm a bit behind considering that a great deal of research and thought (and trial and error) went into choosing the items that we would purchase for Isela, I've decided to create a series of posts by category starting with some details about our nursery. We made quite a few decisions for Isela's room that I'm pleased with but there were a few things I would do differently. When we designed the nursery (during my pregnancy), we wanted to make economical choices for the sake of minimalism (though we may have failed in this regard in many ways) and for the sake of what at the time was a strapped budget. We were able to include many of the following wonderful things in her room at that time because they were gifts, mainly from both of her grandmothers.

Isela's crib, changing table, and side table are from Pottery Barn Kids (PBK) but we bought the first two used. We found them on craigslist and, since we're all about reusing where we can, we jumped on them. They are solid wood with no veneers or particle board, but even if they had these things I would have been less concerned than if we had bought them new, since they were old enough to have out-gassed most of the harmful chemical fumes. Had I known them to have contained these things I might have coated them with Safecoat.

One issue I've been concerned about since our purchase is that the crib is a drop-side model. It was not one of the models that was recalled but it still worries me and Isela has yet to sleep in it. It converts to a toddler bed and then the drop side won't be an issue. For now, she sleeps in her Arm's Reach co-sleeper (with hemp liner and organic mattress and sheets) or with us (natural latex mattress with barrier - not chemical - fire retardant and organic sheets). We purchased the matching side table new at PBK.

Her crib mattress (and mattress cover) and changing table pad (and cover) are organic and made by Naturepedic, a responsible company I love. We were fortunate because both of these items were gifts from our registry but if you can invest in one more expensive item that's organic and chemical-free, make it the mattress your little one will sleep on. Due to fire regulations (especially for anything manufactured in California), mattresses (also most furniture, some clothing, and many other items including computers) are unfortunately coated in brominated flame retardants (BFRs). These toxic chemicals have been found in the breast milk of American women at very disturbing levels. They bio-accumulate in children very quickly and most of the next generation will have much higher levels than we do.

BFRs cause immune, thyroid, and brain-development issues, and are potentially carcinogenic. I will post some links to journal articles about this and write more in a future post. In any case, your mattress can't be washed and I wonder how much junk in mattresses contributes to SIDS and if the push to sleep infants on their backs reduced the rate of death partially because babies aren't face down in chemicals and breathing them in such potent concentrations. Has anyone read anything about this perchance? There are other chemicals that necessitate concern as well, including formaldehyde (used for stain resistance and in clothing, wrinkle resistance) and phthalates out-gassing from any vinyl. Phthalates are endocrine disruptors and have been linked to scary hormonal and related developmental issues in children. More in a future post.

Isela's adorable bedding is also organic (chosen by me and purchased by my mother-in-law) but I learned later that even organic items can be coated in chemicals, which I find to be a travesty. I am not sure if her bedding has chemicals on it but I've washed it numerous times and, since she doesn't sleep on it, I haven't investigated further. The washing probably hasn't made much of a difference if it is coated in chemicals because fire retardants, for example, are designed to weather 50 washes. In the future I will buy from a company I trust or contact manufacturers to find out what they use.

One of the best things we bought as far as entertainment value was Sela's Tiny Love Tiny Princess developmental mobile (put up after the photos were taken). According to The Soft Landing, all Tiny Love products are BPA, phthalate, PVC, lead, and flame retardant-free. We've also succumb to the purchase of two of their developmental play mats (one for our house and one for my mom's) and a car seat toy. I love developmental toys and they have all been hits. Incidentally, I know that Fisher Price products are chemical-laden so watch out.

Another item I would change: her curtains. I bought them from PBK and found out later that they're likely coated in flame retardants. Since they are dry clean only, I can't wash them to reduce the chemicals (wouldn't help much anyway) and since flame retardants circulate and end up in the air and in household dust, this has caused me great consternation. I use a small air purifier where she sleeps (in our room where there are also curtains), try not to disturb the curtains vigorously, and try to keep dust to a minimum, cleaning with a damp cloth. It's complicated, I realize, but you have to be your child's advocate!

The cute touch lamp is also from PBK and I imagine the shade is also coated in flame retardants. I hate that I have to worry about this! Her baskets and basket liners are from PBK as well. I washed the liners numerous times and haven't thought too much about it.. There are some very useful items for which it is impossible to find a healthy (organic, non-toxic) option for purchase. I wish I had a sewing machine and the time to sew the curtains and liners myself.

The paint we used for her walls (and all the walls in our town home) is by Mythic. It is no-VOC and is marketed as totally non-toxic. This paint works great but I would also like to try Safecoat in the future. My friend Pandi hand painted the first tree (I'm painting another above the crib now), the flowers, and the butterflies to match the bedding and did gorgeous work.

I was thrilled when I found Ditto recycled and recyclable paper hangers, which I purchased on Amazon. I despise wire hangers for the way they look and tangle and bend (I always return them to the environmental dry cleaners) and plastic hangers are another gross travesty. Bamboo hangers are a good choice but very expensive. Wood would be an OK choice if they were made from Forest Stewardship Council certified wood or reclaimed wood which they're not as far as I've found (but there are better choices) and again, they're very expensive. I love Ditto!

The rocking chair and ottoman are Dutalier (chosen by me and gifted by my mom) and I'm sure they're coated in chemicals too. I've kept covered with thick, frequently laundered blankets and know that helps. I would make different choices here too. Dutalier does make a rocker and ottoman upholstered in organic fabric (I saw it on Diapers.com) but one would have to check to see if flame retardants or stain resistant chemicals are applied. I believe that the finish on their furniture is marketed as non-toxic. Who knows how non-toxic it is since this label is about as useful as "natural" is. We bought it early so it could off-gas before she arrived. Do the smell test: if anything you buy, especially a child's item, smells of chemicals wash and dry it repeatedly (the drying part is critical) and/or air it out until it doesn't. Sit it outside for a few days or more if necessary.

The carpeting in our entire place is about five years old so thankfully it has off-gassed. We don't wear shoes in our house but we do have two small dogs. Nevertheless, I think carpet is just about the worst idea ever and we've just ordered hard wood to redo the lower level (again, I've made a less-than-sustainable choice but will do better when we build our home). I can't stand the thought of Isela crawling on carpet. Think about it: everything that you could possible get on your feet, drop on the floor, everything that has ever been airborn in your home has settled into your carpet and a good deal of it stays there. Not to mention the toxic materials most carpet (sans pure wool and jute) is made from to begin with. That new-carpet smell (along with the new car smell) is ultra-toxic. More on this in a future post.

All of Sela's stuffed animals (or friends, as we call them) and such are organic (except the sock monkey that my sister made her which has been laundered). All of her other things are sustainable, organic wood, or plastic that is BPA, PVC, and phthalate-free. I don't like plastic in general but we have managed to acquire these things here and there. I plan to buy less and less plastic in the future because of its environmental impact and many chemicals. I'll post more about toys down the road.

...and that's Sela's nursery in a nutshell. I would love to hear your comments and suggestions on how you think I could have done better. I am always trying to learn more so that I can find better ways to protect my family. The government isn't doing it, the companies certainly won't do it, and most people don't know enough to tell us to do it. It's up to you and me!

A Wake-Up Story

I'm working on compiling pages of the most valuable information I've come across to date: books, documentaries, scholarly articles, websites... but, in the meantime, if you haven't watched Healthy Child Healthy World's great video, A Wake-Up Story, I think you should. It makes me teary every time.

Away We Go!

I've been engaged in the process of becoming a better steward of my health and the health of the planet for as long as I can remember. Because of the way I believed (and believe) things are going, I had decided not to have children, but when our beautiful Isela came as a surprise, my focus sharpened to say the least. Not only do I want her to be healthy, I want her to inherit a habitable and beautiful planet and, as any mother knows, the passion of "Mama Bear," namely protecting her little one, doth light a fire!

I had quite a bit of information at the time I found out I was pregnant, enough to know that I needed to use no-VOC paint and eat organic use non-toxic beauty products and natural laundry detergent but I didn't know much about things like the prevalence of flame retardants and formaldehyde and lead, eating seasonally and locally, and the importance of buying organic beauty products.

The years to come will hold some exciting chances for my family to apply what we already know and to learn more. I am determined to keep my daughter as healthy as possible in this (unfortunately) toxic world but we're going far beyond that. We are planning to purchase an acre or more on which to build a totally green, non-toxic home and I have plans for a biodynamic and organic garden.

Along the path I know we'll learn more and, as I've done so many times in the past, will say to myself again, "How could I have made that mistake?!" or "How did I miss that?!" ...but it's a process, this learning to live more consciously than the masses. I believe that most people can do much more than they think they can but, with that in mind, I will concur we all change our behaviors incrementally and the increments vary in scope and in size.

Since my husband won't consent to move to a country in Europe where the environmental and health regulations somewhat protect the populace (at least not yet) - heck, any country in Europe would be better than the U.S. in that regard - I've decided to do what I can to make a difference here. "Grow where you're planted," is what they say. I also love how Michael Moore put it in Capitalism: A Love Story (paraphrase): "I refuse to live in a country that operates like this... and I'm not leaving!"

My hope for this blog is that it will serve as a medium by which I can organize what's in my head, that will allow me to do a modicum of good, and that will facilitate the development a community of kindred spirits. I am lonely for like minds so comment away. I look forward to learning from your experiences.