So I was the child toting around an inhaler on the playground, wheezing after tag and developing headaches from the shampoo my school used to clean their carpet. At an early age, my pediatrician announced, “Chemically Sensitive” and since that prognosis, my entire family has been wary of what comes into our environment and our home.
So when Seventh Generation and the Motherhood invited me to learn more about what we can do to protect our homes and our children, I jumped on board. I’ve become even more concerned about environmental toxins since getting pregnant last fall. And we’ve been very choosy when it comes to the types of products we use on Lucy.
As many of you know, Ryan and I cloth diaper Lucy 90% of the time. When we don’t cloth diaper, we use disposables made by Seventh Generation. Yes, they’re more expensive, but the cost is SO WORTH IT to me. Last week, I was able to join several other bloggers to talk about chemical exposure and ways we can keep our families healthy and safe. These are some of the startling facts I learned:
-There are over 80,000 chemicals registered for use in the United States and comprehensive pre-market safety testing is not required under any federal law.
-In the European Union, over 1300 chemicals have been banned for use in personal care products….in the United States only 11 chemicals have been restricted.
-Scientific evidence continues to point to daily chemical exposure as causing or contributing to the rise in childhood beheavioral disorders and diseases.
-Chemical exposure begins in the womb! In a recent study, more than 230 chemicals were found in the umbilical cord blood of ten newborns.
-Studies have found flame retardants, bisphenol-A and other chemicals in breasmilk.BREASTMILK!
And I could keep on going…seriously scary stuff. But the folks at Seventh Generation believe Knowledge is Power. We need to protect our kids from unnecessary chemical exposures (just like we protect them from a host of other dangers in this world).
Here are a few easy steps that I learned about:
1. Take shoes off at the door. We don’t just track dirt in on our shoes….we’re also tracking in toxins like lead, pesticides, gasoline residue and more.
2. Buy safer body care! Children are exposed to an average of 27 care products on a daily basis that haven’t been found safe for developing bodies.
3. Open a window. Even a few minutes a day can improve air quality.
4. Eat more whole foods. (You know I’m a big proponent of this one!)
5. Ban canned foods. BPA is in the plastic resin that lines most canned goods–from soups to sodas. Avoid canned food for lower exposure.
And there’s more…the folks at Seventh Generation are encouraging us to host our own Healthy Baby Home Party. You can do this in person (or you can hold a virtual party…much like what I’m doing right here!) We need to share this information with each other and empower our communities to say NO to the lax regulations on chemicals in the US. I’m urging my senators to strengthen and pass the Chemical Safety Improvement Act (CSIA) and you can too.
I’m also buying Seventh Generation wipes and cleaners. We cloth diaper, but when we do buy a bag (for travel) I always make sure to buy a brand that is free of chlorine (and many other chemicals that just aren’t good for our little ones!)
If you’re interested in hosting a Healthy Baby Home Party…please follow this link. I received a host of products and information that I’ll be sharing with friends and family in just a few weeks!
As a blogger, I receive A LOT of requests to share products or agendas with my readers. As many of you know, my site is free of advertisements and I don’t accept these outside requests often. But I TRULY BELIEVE THAT THIS IS IMPORTANT. For those of you with children and for those of you without them. We all need to join together to make our communities and our world a safer place for the generations to come.
If you’d like to learn more, please join me on November 14 at 1 p.m. ET for a Seventh Generation twitter party to talk about all-natural baby product options. And if you join the party, you’ll have the opportunity to win a MONTH’S SUPPLY OF DIAPERS AND WIPES. (Five winners will be picked! You just need to join the party and answer the fun trivia questions correctly)
Invite: http://twtvite.com/healthybabyhome
Hosts: @theMotherhood, @TheMotherhood25, @CooperMunroe, @EmilyMcKhann
Hashtag: #HealthyBabyHome
And I’ll be there too. I hope you’ll join!
This post was sponsored by Seventh Generation and the Motherhood. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
SO much important info! It’s scary how much gunk there is out there!
I don’t have any babies at home, but these tricks will definitely be helpful. Thanks for sharing, and take care of yourselves 🙂
reading this was fascinating! I’d never much thought of how many chemicals we’re exposed to on a daily basis!
Thank you, Monet for all the helpful information through your extensive research and commitment to this important
topic. Everyone can benefit by sharing these facts with their friends and family. I hope you and your family enjoyed the Impressionist paintings on Sunday. I can see Lucy having a blast in the drawing studio!
It’s funny, I’m much less concerned about the toxins/chemicals I deal with, but am all about keeping the little guy less exposed.
Monet – this is great information. When you think of all that we are exposed to on a daily basis, it’s a wonder any of us survive to adulthood!
This is wonderful, Monet. More people need to know about these issues! We’d like to trust that anything that makes it into our food and personal care products is safe, but it’s just not the case. I’d love to hear more about what you learned about chemical safety testing and why it is failing us. Trying to protect the next generation is a hugely important task!
Dear Monet, Knowledge is power.
It so important to know what you are using and where it is from.
Blessings dear. Catherine xo
This is a bit scary indeed. I didn’t think about all the toxins you can bring home on shoes, but I can totally see it. Thank you for sharing it.
Great info here that I will pass on to my DIL. Thanks, Monet! Lucy is a cutie!
Great tips! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for sharing. Even without children around… this is very helpful information. 🙂
Thanks for sharing this information. It can be so overwhelming as a parent trying to keep your kids safe.
While I don’t need any diapers, I believe you’ve made a wise choice for your little one. I switched to some of their cleaners awhile ago, because the scents in most products bother me. I especially love their citrus hand soap, because I wash my hands so often. You are right, they need to strengthen our laws here.
-Gina-
I agree with Gina and I think that you made a wise choice for your baby! Very interesting post, and full of important information. Your girl look so adorable and I know that you are enjoying each day with her. You are wonderful mommy! Have an amazing week! Smooches to little beauty!
Great tips to keep in mind:) Amazing how quickly babies grow!
Thank you for sharing this wonderful post Monet! I was so disappointed when I first learned how many products and food geared towards babies could actually be very harmful and toxic. It is definitely overwhelming as parents and makes us want to hug our kids a little tighter and keep them as safe as we can – great job and thank you for trying to spread the word:)
Thank you for sharing! This is something I have been thinking about a lot recently!
I had know clue there were chemicals in diapers! This is a great post thanks for sharing 🙂
Great summary, Monet! I’ve become more aware of the presence of BPA in foods, and of course, I agree with #4 🙂 I’m still working on #1, though – I sometimes wish it was easier to have people take off shoes at the door!
It’s seriously scary how many chemicals are out there in the environment. I’m currently freaking out about the lead paint situation at our new house- thankfully we’re pretty much tearing down every wall and will be repainting the outside…but I’m still nervous about what remnants will be lurking around when I have a baby. Seventh Generation sounds like a great brand and I will definitely be looking into it.
P.S. Lucy is looking as cute as ever in that photo, and I LOVE her pretty purple outfit 🙂
Unlike the diapers from seventh generation, (oh, the leaking!!) these wipes are great. Strong, just wet enough, and nice on my son’s skin. Will keep buying these!