Down To Earth Baby - organic & eco-friendly mother & baby blog

Recipe for high BPA exposure: Canned vegetables, cigarettes and a cashier job

2010-10-19T16:46:00.000-07:00

Recipe for high BPA exposure: Canned vegetables, cigarettes and a cashier job

Women in the study who were cashiers had the highest concentrations of BPA in their urine.

Pregnant women who eat canned vegetables daily have elevated levels of bisphenol A, an estrogenic chemical found in food containers and other consumer products, according to new research published today.

More than 90 percent of pregnant women had detectable levels of bisphenol A, and a variety of sources of the chemical were identified in the study. Pregnant women who were exposed to tobacco smoke or worked as cashiers also had above-average concentrations in their bodies.
Bisphenol A, or BPA, is an estrogen-mimicking chemical used in food and beverage can linings, polycarbonate plastic and cash register receipts. Lab animals exposed in the womb to low amounts of BPA develop prostate and mammary gland cancers, obesity and reproductive problems. In humans, BPA has been linked to heart disease and diabetes.
A few years ago, many mothers reacted strongly to protect their infants from BPA by pressuring retailers and manufacturers to offer BPA-free baby bottles. But the new study shows that pregnant women are still unwittingly exposing their infants during fetal development, which is an even more vulnerable time.

Read the full article at the Environmental Health News website

Have a happy green day
best wishes
Victoria Crombie
www.downtoearthbaby.com

Foogo Stainless Steel Drinking Bottles - we put them to the test!

2010-08-24T17:52:00.000-07:00

The Foogo stainless steel range from Thermos was a very welcome solution to the problem of finding a BPA free phthalate free sippy cup. Although now there are more BPA free sippy cups on the market (thank goodness!) there wasn't much choice a couple of years ago, plus I really wanted stainless steel.

As soon as I got the sippy cup for Euan I also got in the stainless steel drinking bottle for Zoe and they were both an instant winner in our family! I've found on other drinking bottles that the lids can be a real pain and not close properly after time (leaving the mouthpiece uncovered and in most cases likely to get dirty) but not the case with Foogo. Zoe did chew her straw but replacements are expensive and they like the soft straw in their mouths.


Zoe taking a welcome drink Mac Donnell Ranges

I also love the wide neck on the bottles as I like to put a couple of ice cubes in the bottle when its hot. This was so important when were traveling round Australia - I found that about 5 ice cubes kept the water fresh and cool for a for a good couple of hours even when it was really hot.

Both the sippy cups and drinking bottles have been put to the test by my two - they been thrown around, buried in the sand, used to hit things with, kicked about and generally mistreated! And they've really stood up to the test. Euan did break his lid off but we got a replacement in no time.

I can't recommend them enough as a great BPA free, phthalate free, safe stainless steel water bottle that is also insulated to keep drinks cool for longer. Now with the Funtainer range there are some gorgeous designs too.
Oh yes and the insulated food jars are very handy too!

Have a happy 'green' day
Best Wishes
Victoria Crombie
www.downtoearthbaby.com

Our favourite Natural and Organic baby skincare products

2010-07-06T19:33:00.000-07:00

This week I want to talk about the our favorite natural and organic skincare products that we took on the trip with us. Of course sun screen was a top priority so I took lots of the Wot Not organic sun screen with us. Because we were out in the sun so much it wasn't practical for us to use this great product on all the family - so as is often the case - my husband and I went with cheaper brands and the kids got the organic products! It is a thick sun lotion so I soon learnt to apply it a good 20 minutes before going to the beach otherwise the children we're just walking sand monsters!

One of the best baby lotions we found was the Buds Cherished Organics Happy Baby Cream, as we were out in the sun lots I wanted to use a nice nourishing baby lotion, but also one that absorbs easily. I really like the texture of the Happy Baby Cream, the jojoba and sesame oils leave the skin soft and smooth. Unfortunately Euan's eczema flared up in the first month of our travels (the heat set it off) but as the Happy Baby Cream does also contain aloe vera and olive leaf extract - this baby lotion did a great job in moisturising and soothing his skin.

We also took lots a my favorite shampoo - Aromababy Pure Hair Cleanse. I just love this product! It is just perfect for Zoe's hair - she's got fly away easily tangled hair and I find the Aromababy Pure Hair Cleanse is great for thoroughly cleaning the hair (getting out all that sand, seawater and sun screen) without stripping it of natural oils. I've been using it on Zoe's hair for over 4 years now and still love it!

You can check these and other great natural and organic baby skincare products in the 'Organic Skincare' section of the Down to Earth Baby shop.

Have a happy green day
best wishes
Victoria Crombie
www.downtoearthbaby.com

Ergo Baby Carrier – not only hands free but pain free baby carrying!

2010-06-08T21:12:00.000-07:00

One of our out and out absolute favourite products is the Ergo Baby carrier. I bought this when my first child was 4 months old – mainly so I could walk the dog on beach! But seeing as she was a total koala and insisted on being on my hip all the time the Ergo carrier really came into its own round the house. I’d use the carrier in the hip position at home – my little girl loved being on my hip while I was in the kitchen preparing meals. She mostly loved the front position while we were out and about and I really enjoyed the close contact with her.

When Euan was born I used the infant insert and loved the fact that I could be out and about and still able to discreetly breastfeed Euan when he was little. As soon as Euan could walk I didn’t carry him much as he wanted to walk everywhere but the Ergo carrier was without a doubt one of the most essential items we took on our trip round Australia. We did lots walking – around the base of Uluru, through Kings Canyon, Katherine Gorge, through gorges in the Kimberleys, along the amazing beaches of Western Australia – too many places to mention. Without it we would have missed out on so much. My husband always wore the carrier – on Euan insisting! He found it really comfortable and could walk for hours (or as long as Euan could bear to be contained). We found the Ergo carrier so much easier to use than those backpack type carriers with a frame, you can just fold up the Ergo carrier and shove it your bag or have it in the back of the car.

Throughout June (or until stocks last) we have a sale on Ergo baby carriers find out more here, we do have limited colours but just get in touch and we can sort out other colours and styles (not at sale prices).

What do I love the most about the Ergo baby carrier?

It’s totally hands free – no need to support baby like you do in many slings
It has 3 positions – the front, back and hip positions make it so versatile
Makes baby (and toddler) carrying easy – with the weight carried on your hips you don’t have to break your back!

We couldn’t have lived without Swim Nappies – love Mother-ease

2010-06-08T19:29:00.000-07:00

Euan giving his Mother-ease swim nappy at work out at the beach!

Well the title of this blog says it all! On our trip we encountered some pretty hot weather – we were only 10 days into the trip when we got 48 degrees! Fortunately that was pretty much the hottest but as the further up North we went the more humid it was.

The only way to survive the heat was to get in the pool! So we made sure that every caravan park had a pool and we were in the water (either pool or sea) at least once if not twice a day. So I totally fell in love with the Mother-ease swim nappies we took with us.

Thinking of it Euan really only dirtied his swim nappy about 5 times for the whole duration of the trip (being 18 –24months on the trip he’s less likely to dirty a nappy in the water). Could you imagine if we’d used disposable swim nappies, one a day for 6 months is about 180 nappies that would have just been thrown away with only 5 having been ‘dirty’. What a total waste of money not to mention another bag of nappies in landfill.

Considering the amount of wear they got not just in the water but in the sun and being scraped across rocks, in the sand etc the Mother-ease swim nappies have performed brilliantly. We never had any leakage, they were easy to clean (although my husband was a bit squeamish about cleaning the dirty swim nappies - what is it about men and poo?!) it’s no big deal especially if you’re used to using cloth nappies.

I can say that these swim nappies were thoroughly tested by Euan and they came out with top marks from us (we like to personally try all our products). The bonus of course being we’ve got nappies for his swimming lessons as well – so they really are value for money Actually you only need to have 2 (maybe more with a younger child as they might be more likely to dirty their nappy). So we just had one swim nappy as a spare – took a plastic bag with us to the beach to put the dirty nappy in for cleaning when we got back to the caravan park – too easy.

Take a look at the Mother-ease swim nappies here, we’ve currently got Jade and Brazilian gender neutral colours in stock but we can order in other colours (red, blue or lilac) for you so just contact us ( info@downtoearthbaby.com) Once you try them you’ll be hooked!

Have a happy ‘green’ day

Victoria Crombie

www.DownToEarthBaby.com

An introduction to cloth nappies

2010-05-25T19:22:00.000-07:00

As a bit of an eco chick I was keen to find out about cloth nappies. I have to say that nobody I knew had used or was planning to use cloth nappies. My perception of cloth nappies was like many other peoples. Cloth nappies meant hard work, they meant folding, pinning, soaking, boiling and drying terry squares, using sweaty plastic covers, baby having such a big bum clothes wouldn’t fit well and probably lots of leaks. Not very appealing really!

Then came a revelation, I discovered the wonderful world of Modern Cloth Nappies and I was hooked! Warning Cloth Nappies can be addictive - With different fabrics, styles and patterns cloth nappies are not just practical they’re an accessory!

The world of cloth nappies can be daunting which is why we have lots and lots of info on this website, have a FREE nappy consultation and have set up the nappy hire service.

People have different reasons for choosing cloth and this will ultimately impact on your choice of cloth nappies, whether it's to keep nappies out of landfill, only use natural fibers or to nappy your baby for less. The reason why I am interested in cloth nappies is I wanted soft, natural, breathable nappies next to my baby’s skin and secondly it is an environmental choice.

Beautiful organic cotton and eco-friendly bamboo nappies are great breathable chemical free nappies to have next to baby’s skin. And while there has been much debate into which option is better for the environment recent research from the UK has shown that using cloth nappies can reduce your eco footprint by 40%! And more if you use the nappies on another child.

We'll be adding more pages with information on cloth nappies - such as types of cloth nappies, cloth nappy know how, cloth nappy jargon, washing and caring for cloth nappies and how to choose the best cloth nappy for you. So keep checking back.

We have lots of great information on our website (go to our Cloth Nappy Information Center) and some fabulous award winning cloth nappies for sale (view our cloth nappies here) in our online organic baby store www.downtoearthbaby.com

wishing you a happy 'green' day

Victoria Crombie
www.DownToEarthBaby.com

Victoria Crombie is a mother of 2 preschoolers and owner of the organic and eco-friendly online baby store Down To Earth Baby. Before children Victoria worked as a biologist and later as a Health Promotion Coordinator. Victoria now uses her scientific training and parental desire to help sustain a healthy planet by writing articles and blogs to help parents make informed choices and by providing quality natural products through her business.

We couldn’t have lived without Swim Nappies – love Mother-ease

2010-05-12T20:51:00.000-07:00

Take a look at the Mother-ease swim nappies here, we’ve currently got Jade and Brazilian gender neutral colours in stock but we can order in other colours (red, blue or lilac) for you so just contact us (info@downtoearthbaby.com) Once you try them you’ll be hooked!

Euan giving his Mother-ease swim nappy at work out at the beach!

Have a happy ‘green’ day

Victoria Crombie

www.DownToEarthBaby.com

Victoria Crombie is a mother of 2 preschoolers and owner of the organic and eco-friendly online baby store Down To Earth Baby. Before children Victoria worked as a biologist and later as a Health Promotion Coordinator. Victoria now uses her scientific training and parental desire to help sustain a healthy planet by researching information to help parents make informed choices and by providing quality natural products through her business.

Our first Down to Earth Baby blog

2010-05-04T17:37:00.000-07:00

Hi
Welcome to our first blog!
I was lucky to have recently traveled around Australia with my family for 6 months - what a fabulous experience - and many thanks to Suzie for keeping the business in tip top shape and getting orders out promptly while we were away.

Traveling together was just great, but being out in the Outback in a little caravan it was also interesting to discover what we did and didn't miss about home! Great way to prioritise and de-clutter your life. But I did also discover what natural and organic products I really can't live without.

So over the next few blogs I'm going to be sharing what products I just couldn't (or hated having to) live without!

Have happy 'green' day
best wishes
Victoria Crombie
www.downtoearthbaby.com

oh and here's a pic of me and Zoe and Euan at Nigaloo reef.