Recent Updates, Shower Curtains and School Supplies

I've fallen a bit behind in my postings lately but thought I'd take a moment to update you on my stroller mission, recent questions I've received and other info that has recently been brought to public attention.

Okay so first off, the infamous stroller switch.  This didn't quite work out as I had hoped. It seems that my 17 month old has opinions of his own.  I can't explain to him the dangers of brominated fire retardants.  He wants what he wants.  After a 20 minute trek complete with screaming in his new wheels, we had to return it and go back to his old stroller.  He went from screams to smiles in a matter of minutes.  If you've been reading then you know the subject of fire retardants comes up quite frequently.  There are federal laws regarding home furnishings and baby products.  Maclaren states that they do not use any.  And some other stroller companies who are complying with CA TB 116 and 117 are now using retardants that are non-brominated.  In the end, it is best to contact the company and find out what exactly they are using and what exactly you may or may not be exposing your child to.  To get involved in Safer Chemicals, Healthy families, click here.

The Bumbleride Flite PVC-free rain cover fits pretty well on our old stroller, it covers the canopy, which is a bonus and best of all, there is NO smell!

Recently a friend of mine asked me about shower curtain liners and here was my response.  For a shower curtain liner, you want to look for something made of PEVA or EVA.  According to their websites, Crate and Barrel, CB2 and Target all carry them.  The dangers of PVC are finally being recognized.  Which brings me to my next topic.

I believe you all heard about Johnson & Johnson announcing the removal of harmful chemicals from their products.  And in the same vein, it was recently brought to the public's attention that tested school supplies ranked high in toxic chemicals.  I've been fielding a lot of questions from friends lately and though I don't consider myself a true expert, I am extremely happy to help where I can and guide people to helping create a non-toxic world for their little ones.  Check out the Center for Health, Environment and Justice's guide (follow above link) on purchasing safe school supplies (and more). This guide is really extensive and it is exciting to see that H&M does not use PVC at all (who knew?) and also that there are footwear companies with equally strict guidelines.  I'm also happy to know that both my iphone and kindle are PVC-free and I can equally recommend many items on this list, such as the Crocodile Creek playground balls, which are safe and adorable! 

Nail Polish: The Toxic Trio

Here I am raining on your parade again.  Really?  I hope not.  I have to say that I never loved getting my nails done until I discovered pedicures and then I was hooked.  And now, I need to say goodbye to them.  It's not just the smell of the salon that gets to me, it's the fear of carcinogens both breathed in and slathered on my skin (even if it is on nails) - yikes!   It's called "The Toxic Trio" and most major brands of nail polish contain them - toluene, formaldehyde and dbp (dibutyl phthalate).  Really - formaldehyde.  Some even use aluminum powder!

Today I had a baby shower to go to so last night I washed away the last of my chipped toxic polish and tried my first ever water based polish by Honeybee Gardens in "Vintage Merlot."  Now I'm not great at painting nails and I forgot to go ahead and purchase a base coat, so about 17 tries later, I found an acceptable DIY pedicure.  The best part about this stuff is that you can remove it with rubbing alcohol or even strong Vodka!  Though I'm not sure I'd be wasting vodka on my feet! So I did a little more research and thanks to info I found on The Daily Green, I have some samples of Zoya T3 free nail colors, along with a base and top coat soon coming to my door.  I even found an neat little spa that uses Zoya called Sweet Lily and immediately sent the link to my hubby for a future gift to me. I chose Zoya because of the price point - we are trying to be on a budget here.

The Daily Green lists several other brands and gives you the info on getting those nails polished when you are preggo or nursing.  Please see my link to Zoya's Share The Love (under sites and stores to your right) if you are interested in making the change with me and getting some free shipping to boot).