Better than Peeps! Spring Marshmallow Birds By Have It Sweet

Honestly, I don’t get the whole Peeps deal. Fake colors, icky taste and too much packaging. So, yeah, you can probally tell that I’m not a Peeps fan. Still, even if you (or your tots) are a die-hard fan for those tiny sugary little birds, these Spring Marshmallow Birds by Have It Sweet are sure to delight you much more. Perfect for your child’s Easter basket, each of these sweet birds is made by hand in small batches to order. They are cooked, hand-poured, hand cut, and hand wrapped, made with zero corn syrup and naturally colored sugars in a licensed/commercial kitchen.

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Teach Baby Sign Language with Amazing Natural Blocks

From rattles to safe baby teethers to amazing toys that go, Little Sapling Toys continually charms us with both their imaginative designs and commitment to child safety. Now they’re offering up a new natural wooden block set that allows you to teach your baby sign language and have fun building at the same time! This natural ASL Alphabet Blocks set is perfect for parents interested in teaching signs to their babies. Each set includes 26 blocks …

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Breaking News: EPA Releases Findings on Toxicity of Dioxins

It has taken decades, but today (February 17, 2012) the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its assessment of dioxins finally defining how toxic they are. This new assessment is in two parts and today’s release includes only the non-cancer effects of dioxins. While the new assessment is just that, an assessment, and doesn’t include any enforceable dioxin standards or protection rules, it’s a major advancement and does go a long way towards protecting Americans. The new assessment will likely help form some hefty guidelines surrounding cleanup of Superfund and other hazardous waste sites, industrial emission controls, drinking water standards and dietary guidelines for fish. Lois Marie Gibbs, executive director of the Center for Health, Environment & Justice, said in a statement: ”After 27 years of delays, I quite honestly never thought this report would ever see the light of day. Today the American people won a major victory against the chemical industry, who has been working behind closed doors for decades to hide and distort the truth about the dangers of dioxin. The science is clear: dioxin is toxic to our children’s health and development.”

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ERGObaby & Petunia Pickle Bottom Team Up for New Organic Baby Carriers

 

 

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Kids Who Eat Sugary Sweets Exposed to Higher Levels of Titanium Dioxide

Titanium dioxide doesn’t sound like something you’d find in a sugary treat, yet it’s in there. Titanium dioxide is a common additive in many consumer products. Although most people know about titanium dioxide in cosmetics and sunscreen, the Canadian Center for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) points out that titanium dioxide actually accounts for about 70% of the total production volume of pigments worldwide. It’s used to brighten up and add opacity to paints, cosmetics, plastics, papers, inks, toothpastes and even food. It’s also used in almost every sunblock on the planet, even the ones on Environmental Working Groups’ safe sunscreen list. Titanium dioxide is useful in that it can help protect your skin from ultraviolet light, however in higher amounts it can be a hazard and new research shows that young children may be at the most risk for exposure.

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Arsenic Found in Cereal Bars, Energy Bars and Baby Formula

We were hoping the whole arsenic in food ordeal was over. First arsenic was found in apple juice and grape juice than it popped up in rice-based foods. Sadly, it’s not over, with new reports showing that unhealthy levels of arsenic have been found in cereal bars, energy bars and even in infant formula. In the arsenic in rice post we noted that many parents feed their children rice-based cereals and other foods containing rice, which is part of the problem here. Many baby formulas and grain-based bars contain brown rice syrup used as a sweetener. The problem? If there’s arsenic in the rice, it’s in the rice syrup and thus arsenic is passed on to the food product it’s used in. The interesting thing about this new research, published ahead of print in Environmental Health Perspectives, is that the brown rice syrup used in these foods is organic. Of the foods looked at, researchers found that infant formulas containing organic brown rice syrup as their primary ingredient had arsenic levels 20 to 30 times that of the other infant formulas. Cereal bars made with brown rice syrup contained levels of arsenic that ranged from 23 to 128 parts per billion (ppb). Cereal bars free from rice had much lower arsenic levels, ranging from 8 to 27 ppb. To compare, as we’ve pointed out before, 10 ppb total arsenic is the limit permissible in public drinking water.

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Would You Buy a VBAC Baby Doll?

We’ve seen sweet mama and baby doll sets, Waldorf inspired birthing dolls and even a breastfeeding doll that admittedly freaked some people out, but we’ve yet to see a doll like this. The VBAC Doll collection from MamAmor is a collection made to show various birth situations, from vaginal birth to c-section birth and yes, even a VBAC birth. This doll is as realistic as you can get and made with natural materials, including cotton interlock for skin and each doll’s hair has a combination of soft merino yarns. The baby doll, which is included, comes with placenta, cord, diaper and receiving blanket. Other accessories for this mama and baby doll set, such as a sling or diaper bag may be purchased separately. MamAmor makes truly beautiful dolls, although they’re a little steep in price for the average family. However, the real question is – do kids really need a VBAC education?

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Recycled Royal Bird Wooden Rocking Chair by Jocelyn Costis is Uniquely Green

This is one of those times when you wonder if life across the pond might be a little more magical. Seriously, have you ever seen such an amazing rocking chair?! The Royal Bird Rocking Chair is a whimsical part of the Crème anglaise collection by talented French furniture maker Jocelyn Costis. This chair is handmade to order with recycled …

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Weighing Baby Vaccine Risks: Potential Dangers of Vaccines

Vaccines aren’t for everyone. In recent years, many parents have decided to create their own vaccine schedule for their children and some don’t vaccinate at all. Vaccine cons aren’t entirely made up. There’s no such thing as a vaccine that is 100% effective or safe and all vaccines pose a side effect risk of some sort. In fact, since the first Vaccine Injury Compensation claims were made in 1989, the U.S. Court system has compensated 2,921 vaccine injury or death claims. Before you make a decision either way – to vaccinate or not vaccinate your child, you do need to research the facts about vaccine safety and risks. You should also research the diseases vaccines prevent, and decide for yourself if the diseases are less scary or more scary than vaccines. To get started read: Weighing the Safety of Baby Vaccines. Then keep reading this post to see some plausible reasons as to why you might want to avoid vaccines.

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Relaxation Techniques for Stressed Moms in 15 Minutes or Less

 

 

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High Levels Of Cadmium and Lead May Lead to Delayed Conception

If you’re planning on becoming pregnant in the near future, you may want to avoid cadmium and lead notes a new report by researchers at the National Institutes of Health. According to the report, higher blood levels of cadmium in females, and higher blood levels of lead in males resulted in conception delays. Both males and females exposed to …

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P’kolino Traveling Art Sets Make Drawing on the Go Easy

 

 

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Weighing Baby Vaccine Risks: Benefits of Vaccines

While folks were busy rooting for their favorite team at the Super Bowl, others were busy keeping a small outbreak of measles in check. In case you missed it, the Indiana State Department of Health has identified four cases of measles that may be related to the Super Bowl. The CDC was contacted and health officials are urging individuals to be aware of measles symptoms and to make sure they’re up-to-date on their vaccinations. Measles, also called rubeola, is highly contagious, causing fever, runny nose, cough and a rash all over the body. One out of ten children who contract measles also contract an ear infection, and up to one out of 20 gets pneumonia. Out of every 1,000 children who gets measles, one or two will die. Those figures may seem slight and not really very risky, but note that measles is on the rise. In 2000, the CDC noted that measles were pretty much eliminated in the U.S. and during 2001 to 2008 just 58 cases of measles, on average, were reported in the U.S. annually. Fast forward a few years though, and now the CDC reported 118 cases of measles during the first 19 weeks of 2011. Of those infected, 89% were also not vaccinated. This shows that while we can eradicate diseases to a point with vaccines, they can come back. It’s not just measles either. Many blame lower childhood vaccine rates for the increase of some other common diseases such as whooping cough. In any case, this entire situation brings up some good questions about vaccines and vaccine safety. It’s important that you weigh the risks of vaccines versus the risk of disease.

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Judge Rules Breastfeeding Not Covered by Discrimination Laws

Judge Lynn Hughes in Houston recently decided that a mother can be fired for wanting to pump breast milk at work, claiming that lactation is in no way related to “Pregnancy, childbirth, or a related medical condition.” This case came about after Donnicia Venters gave birth and was ultimately fired from her job at Houston Funding after asking to use the bathroom to pump milk, although the company claims they fired Venters for abandonment. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a complaint on behalf of Venters against Houston Funding, noting that the company violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which makes it illegal to discriminate against a woman “Because of pregnancy, childbirth, or a medical condition related to pregnancy or childbirth.” Not that the suit helped. In fact, the case didn’t even make it to court. Judge Hughes dismissed the lawsuit and wrote in the opinion, “Firing someone because of lactation or breast-pumping is not sex discrimination.” Judge Hughes goes on to say that Venters, “Gave birth on December 11, 2008. After that day, she was no longer pregnant and her pregnancy-related conditions ended.” Thus, the Judge wrote, “Even if Venters’s claims are true, the law does not punish lactation discrimination.” Well… score one for shady companies. Score zero for babies and mamas.

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P’kolino Playful Rubberwood Xylophone Makes Sustainable Melodies

This fantastically fun xylophone is brand new from P’kolino. Made with sustainable rubberwood and metal with a bright, yet non-toxic water based finish, this playful and fun melody-maker helps your child develop an early interest in music and teaches shape & color. This unique xylophone breaks down into individual pieces that can be rearranged to create new sequences. Plus, when …

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New Research Says Baby’s First Food Should Be Finger Food

Back in the day, as recommended by a bazillion baby rearing books on the planet, most parents chose white rice cereal for their baby’s first solid food. Then the great white out debate began, not to mention arsenic scares in rice, and baby advocates started telling parents to start Baby off with healthier fare, like brown rice cereals, brown rice mash or vegetable purée. Now, it’s a whole new game, as brand new research says you should consider starting your baby off on solids with healthy finger foods. Researchers on the study compared a group of spoon-fed babies to a group of self-led weaning babies. What they found is that babies who are allowed to self-wean and who are then introduced to solids by feeding themselves versus having a parent spoon feed them, were able to better master skills related to self-food regulation. In turn self-food regulation is directly connected to health benefits for life such as a lower BMI and a preference for healthy foods like carbohydrates.

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