Mommy Goes Green

A couple weeks before I had my baby in November, I was looking at all of my options for a post pregnancy belly wrap.  At the same time, Amon Maternity asked if I was interested in testing out any of their products and I gave them a resounding YES! 

I have worn the Body Shaper almost every day since I had my son.  It’s stretchy so it has a lot of give as your belly shrinks after having the baby.  I was between sizes but found that the smaller size fit from the beginning.  The microfiber material is great because it’s thin and doesn’t show through your clothing.  It’s also lightweight so you aren’t sweating from having the extra material on your body.

Personally, I found that I could fit back into my pre-pregnancy jeans much quicker than with my first baby.  In full disclosure, I did gain less weight this time so I’m not sure if the weight and/or the Body Shaper was the bigger influence.  I do know that I feel much more comfortable (and confident!) wearing fitted clothing with the Body Shaper on.  It keeps any ‘mummy tummy’ and ‘muffin top’ in check and makes my figure smooth and shapely.  I plan on wearing it for weeks to come!  Compared to similar products, the Body Shaper is a great value at $25.

Amon Maternity has other maternity support products like maternity underwear and a belly band.  I wish I’d had the belly band while I was pregnant.  I had to wear a maternity support belt for the belly stretching pain I was having and it always bunched up under my clothing.  The Amon Maternity Belly Band is microfiber and looks smooth under clothing.

If you are pregnant, planning to become pregnant or recently had a baby, I highly recommend that you check out the Amon Maternity products.  Now is a great time to purchase because Amon Maternity is having a fantastic SALE where everything is 50% OFF THRU JAN 15!   Make sure to use code: SUPERSALE. 

 They are also generously giving away a $50 shopping spree to 1 lucky Mommy Goes Green reader.  Check out the details below!

CONTEST CLOSED

FREE STUFF: 1 lucky winner will get a $50 shopping spree at Amon Maternity!   You can enter to win in any of the following ways:

• Leave a comment telling us what your favorite part of pregnancy is!
• Follow us on twitter @mommygoesgreen.
• Retweet this contest.
• Follow Amon Maternity on twitter.
• Become a Facebook fan of Amon Maternity.

Leave your comment by Wednesday, January 20, 2010 at 11:59pm PST. Contest open to all U.S. and Canadian residents, ages 18+. We will choose 1 winner, at random, and notify them by email. Privacy Policy.

Congratulations to SARAH C for winning!

Natural and green living can be applied to all parts of your life.  Recently, Mommy Goes Green talked to natural dentist, Dr. Inna Shimanovsky, about oral care tips from a natural perspective.  She practices in Portland, Oregon and has partnered with The Natural Dentist, a line of natural oral care products.

Q:  How is a natural dentist practice differently from a conventional dentist? 

A:  Natural, whole body dentistry has developed from the understanding that the health of the human body is directly related to the health of the mouth. When patients receive conventional dental care, the dentist merely treats the infected area, whether that entails a cleaning to remove plaque or a restorative procedure to fix damaged teeth. Your body is made up of interrelated systems, and your overall health can affect your oral health and visa versa. Based on those finding, I believe in and practice natural dentistry.  

Mainstream dentists will use “mainstream” products including ones that may contain chemicals. Natural dentists consider those chemicals, even in small amounts, unhealthy and opt for products that use natural ingredients to keep teeth clean and healthy. Another difference between natural and mainstream dentists is “natural” dentists do not use mercury fillings. When I see a patient with one, it is important to me as well as my patient that the filling be replaced and removed in a safe way. Natural dentists also use biocompatible materials (such as composites, porcelain) in the restoration of patients teeth. 

Q:  What part does mercury play in oral care? 

A:   The ADA and FDA both state that the mercury in the silver amalgam fillings is stabilized and safe even with the possibility of very minor leakage. These fillings are typically easier for the dentist to put in place than composite fillings however, as I previously mentioned, most natural dentists, including myself, do not use them. Mercury is a toxin and even small amounts, I think, are too great a risk for me to use on my patients. While amalgam fillings last longer than composites, they put extreme pressure on the tooth and often cause weakening of the tooth structure – meaning that the filling may cause more damage to the tooth and lead to its eventual failure.

Q:  What common oral care problems can be treated with natural remedies? 

A: Well, for this, you need to understand the importance of oral hygiene. I recommend a three-part process to all of my patients which includes brushing, flossing and using mouth rinse, and actually one of the reasons I chose to work with The Natural Dentist is because I know that they do as well. This process is absolutely crucial for your oral health as it helps protect against both cavities and periodontal disease.  

Common oral care problems such as canker sores and any cuts or scrapes found on the inside of the mouth can all be alleviated using natural products. Aloe, which is a natural ingredient that is known to sooth sores is a wonderful remedy as well. Just recently, The Natural Dentist added 6 times more aloe into its Healthy Gums Antigingivitis Rinse making it the active ingredient in the product.

Dry mouth is something I see a lot of as well. Interestingly enough, many mainstream mouth washes incorporate a fairly high percent of alcohol which tends to dry your mouth preventing the flow of saliva which is essential in helping to eliminate bacteria found in your mouth. To prevent dry mouth, I would recommend avoiding mouth rinses with alcohol. None of The Natural Dentist products contain alcohol.

Q:  Giving fluoride to children is a controversial topic- what are your thoughts?

A:  I am a strong believer of using topical fluoride. However I am opposed to systemic fluoridation such as giving it to children in a form of drops, vitamins or via water fluoridation. In my opinion it is easy to overdose on fluoride which could be very toxic. For many, Fluoride is a personal choice and that is why The Natural Dentist sells products with and without Fluoride (which they source naturally) to offer options for everyone.

Q:  There are so many teeth whitening options, can you recommend any that are safe? 

A: Removing surface stains from the teeth is the real key to keeping them white and healthy looking. Most teeth whitening products contain hydrogen peroxide and the concentration of this ingredient determines the efficiency as well as safety. If you are interested in something like permanently bleaching your teeth, you should have this process done in a dental office or have your dentist recommend products instead of pulling something at random from a store shelf as this will be safer for you. If you do decide to bleach your teeth without speaking with your dentist first, it is likely you could use a product improperly and wind up burning your gum tissue.  

The natural way to polish surface stains is with ingredients such as silica. Personally I would begin by using a natural whitening rinse like The Natural Dentist Pre-Brush Whitening Antigingivitis Rinse, which uses bamboo powder, which contains a natural silica, that sticks to your teeth and gently removes stains after you brush.

You can get coupons for The Natural Dentist products here and make sure to enter the contest below for a free set of mouthwash and toothpaste!

If you are interested in finding a dentist that practices natural dentistry, look at these organizations for a local practitioner:

• Mercury Free Dentists
• Holistic Dental Association
• International Academy of Oral Medicine & Toxicology

FREE STUFF: The Natural Dentist is generously giving away a set of mouthwash and toothpaste to 5 lucky readers!  You can enter to win in any of the following ways: 

• Check out The Natural Dentist and tell us what interests you about natural dentistry!
• Follow us on twitter @mommygoesgreen and retweet this contest.

Leave your comment by Sunday, December 6th, 2009 at 11:59PM PST.  Contest open to all U.S. residents, ages 18+.  We will choose 5 winners, by random, and contact them via email.  Privacy Policy.

 

 

I was recently at Babies ‘R Us looking through the bath toys for a last minute addition to a baby shower gift.  I looked through everything they had but couldn’t find even one bath toy that wasn’t plastic or at least plastic and labeled ‘PVC Free’ so I skipped on the baby toy and found something else.  Now I’m on a mission to find bath toys – that you can find locally at some of the big box stores - that are safe so you can avoid the same experience! 

Boon Odd Duck

BOON -  Finally, a PVC free rubber duckie!  You can be confident buying ANY of the BOON bath toys because they are all PVC, BPA and phthalate FREE!  In addition to their rubber duckies, they have several other bath toys for all ages.  Locally, you can find Boon products at Babies R Us, babyGap, buybuyBaby, Baby Depot and Target.

Summer Infant Digital Temperature Tester

Summer Infant- The 3 bath toys that the company confirmed were PVC, phthalate and BPA free are the digital temperature tester, tub time bubble maker, and tub time light up stacker.

Sassy Tubby Tumblers

Sassy – Although the packaging isn’t labeled, all of the bath toys currently listed on the Sassy websiteare PVC, phthalate and BPA free.  Sassy did say that 3 toys DO have BPA and may still be in stores, so stay away from these: rubber duckie with temperature gauge, Gator Boat, and Sassy Car Wash.

Infantino- I inquired and the response from Infantino was that their toys “conform with the safety regulations and have the allowable amounts of PVC and phthalates.”  So I would stay away from Infantino.

Although I’ve only included some of the major manufacturers here, you can also find many other brands of bath toys that are safe at local baby boutiques.

If there are any particular brands you are curious about, let us know!  We’ll find out how safe they are.

For months, my daughter has asked to paint her toenails because all her friends had theirs done – the peer pressure at age 3!  I’ve denied her because I didn’t want her fresh little feet getting a dose of chemically induced colors.  For her 3rd birthday, I succumbed to the pressure and we got pedicures together.  It was a really special time and one I totally look forward to again, especially now because we have PIGGY PAINT!

My girlfriends are so sweet – they know I’m getting all green and eco-friendly these days and have been blessing me (and my family) with some great green finds (more to come on that soon).  This particular girlfriend got my daughter Piggy Paint for her birthday and we are loving it!

Piggy Paint is designed especially for little girl’s toes – although it would work perfectly on any mama’s toes, too!  It’s free of all the yucky chemicals that other polishes have ( formaldehyde, tolulene, phthalates, etc.) and comes in a bunch of fun colors.  They also have a great polish remover and is acetone and solvent free.

Now you can feel good about painting your piggy’s toes – I do!  For you moms looking for better nail polish choices, check out this post about Nail Polish au Naturale.

Don’t forget to vote for Mommy Goes Green in The Bump Mommy Blog Awards – Favorite Eco-Friendly Blog!

My daughter’s preschool class recently had a lice outbreak so it’s been on the top of my mind lately.  Luckily, only one child caught it but I was prepared with all of my natural treatment options, just in case.  I recently wrote about several natural lice treatment options and have come across another from Dr. Greene, a well known pediatrician and professor at Stanford.

Apply Cetaphil to wet hair and heat with a hair dryer to create a ’shrink wrap’ film over the head.  Eight hours later, wash out the film with your regular shampoo.  This will remove the lice but not the eggs to repeat the process one time per week for 3 weeks to make sure you are able to get rid of all of them.

According to Dr. Greene, a 2004 study in the “Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics” noted that this treatment cured lice in 96% of children who used it.

I went to a local spa wellness seminar and came away with some great DIY tips for body and face.  I tried out this sugar scrub recipe, all with ingredients out of your cupboard!  

• 1/2 c – brown sugar
• 1/2 c – raw sugar
• a couple shakes of cinnamon
• a couple drops of vanilla
• pour olive oil over the ingredients and mix until everything is wet

It smells so yummy – I used it all over my body and GENTLY on my face and they were heavenly soft all day!  This amount will last for months and would be a great gift idea, just put in some cute jars and label!

Yet another reason to throw away your Johnson’s Baby Shampoo ( and a whole bunch of other conventional baby shampoo! ).  The Journal of the Dermatology Nurses’ Association has release research that a chemical preservative may cause increased rates of allergic contact dermatitis, an inflammation of the skin that varies from mild irritation to rashes and open sores.

According to the press release, the paper states that quaternium 15, a chemical preservative that kills bacteria by releasing formaldehyde, “is the most sensitizing formaldehyde-releasing preservative and has been repeatedly shown to be a strong allergen that can cause contact dermatitis.” Quaternium 15 — used in many baby products including Johnson’s Baby Shampoo, Mr. Bubble Bath and Huggies Baby Wash — is considered by the North American Contact Dermatitis Group to be among the most clinically significant contact allergens in children.

“Quaternium 15 is present in an alarmingly high number of baby products, making exposure and sensitization at an early age increasingly common,” said Sharon Jacob, M.D., co-author of the paper and physician at the Department of Medicine and Pediatrics at Rady Children’s Hospital. “This is a concern because repeated exposures to sensitizing chemicals, especially in early life, can cause a person to develop allergic reactions over time. Therefore, we advise parents to choose products without quaternium 15 and other formaldehyde-releasing preservatives whenever possible.”

If you need to find a safer shampoo for your kids, check out Aubrey Organics, California Baby, Earth Mama Angel Baby and TruKid.   We use TruKid products at home and I’m really happy with them.    SafeMama has compiled a fantastic detailed list of products that you can download for reference. You can find many of these products in the Mommy Goes Green SHOP.

Also, I noticed during my last visit to our local hospital that the newborns are washed in Johnson’s Baby Shampoo – I will definitely be welcoming our baby into the world with my own safer shampoo – so if you have a baby on the way, bring your own shampoo and body wash!

For readers from Oregon …..

Spa Willamina, a Portland, Oregon spa, is hosting a FREE five week wellness series – I missed this week’s seminar but plan to attend some of the future classes.  Spa Willamina is owned by Willow Light, she has over 20 years experience in holistic health as a certified nutritionist, trained massage therapist, herbalist and a licensed senior Esthetician. In her practice she’s treated over 10,000 clients. Sunset Magazine recently called her spa, “the best in the west” and called Light the “all natural spa queen.”   Spa Willamina has amazing reviews and I can’t wait to see what all the fuss is about!

September 22nd: “Simple Solutions to Anti-Aging”

Light will offer food ideas to fight free radicals. She’ll offer rejuvenating home made facial and mask recipes, and discuss natural alternatives to cosmetic surgery.

September 29th: “Food for Good Health”

Light will offer insight as to how basic foods can heal and protect the body. She will let participants know how to find inexpensive organic products, and will offer easy-to-make healthy recipes.

October 6th: “Meditation for Relaxation and Manifestation”

Light will offer insight about what meditation can do for the mind and body to alleviate stress. She will offer a step by step guided meditation and visualization for novices.

October 13th: “Home Made Wellness Gifts; In time for the Holidays”

Using Light’s 20 year old recipes, she will show the participants how to make home made bath salts, body oils, body balms, and love potions for loved ones for the holidays.

Each class will begin promptly at 5:30pm and will run for approximately 45 minutes at Spa Willamina’s headquarters in NE Portland. The doors will be open at 5pm for wine, chocolate and conversation prior to the class. The class will be limited to 20 people. Pre-registration is required.  For more information about the speaker’s series, and to register for one or more of the classes, please call Spa Willamina at 503-287-2787.

Listen to Melissa Weiss, an ovarian cancer survivor and mama, tell her story.

September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month and the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund and Seventh Generation has started a website, Let’s Talk Period, to educate women about ovarian cancer.

Did you know that 22,000 women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer JUST THIS YEAR, it’s the 5th leading cause of cancer death in women in the U.S.  Risk factors include: peri or post-menopause, family or personal history of breast or ovarian cancer, uninterrupted ovulation ( no pregnancies, or no prior use of oral contraceptives ), and presence of BRCA 1 or BRCA 2 gene mutations.

In support of women and ovarian cancer, Seventh Generation is donating up to $22,000 to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund – $1 for every person that registers on the site.  In addition, as a thank you for participating, Seventh Generation will give each registrant a coupon for their organic cotton tampons that are not bleached with chlorine, free of rayon and don’t contain added perfumes or dyes.

Why organic cotton tampons?  Listen to what Dr. Greene has to say.

I’ve been using organic cotton, chlorine free tampons for two years and have found them to be equally effective as anything else I’ve used and while slightly more expensive, over the course of a year – it’s not much, less than $20 a year!  It’s worth your health

Register right now!

Antibiotic-free, biodegradable, grass fed, SLS free.  Claims we see all the time on products, yet we’re not exactly sure what it means or if it’s even TRUE!  Unfortunately, all of these claims are just that – claims by the manufacturer and not regulated or verified. GreenerChoiceshas a  great database of eco labels that you can use to find out what the labels on your favorite products really mean or DON’T mean!

For example, antibiotic-free is considered ‘unproveable’ by the USDA and cannot be used on meat products. However, the USDA does allow producers to label meat and poultry products with the claims “no antibiotics administered” or “raised without antibiotics.”   Although the USDA is accountable for proper use of these terms, there is no system in place to verify they are used correctly.

Biodegradable is a term loosely defined by the FTC – it should mean that a product is degradable when exposed to air, moisture, bacteria or other organisms and that the materials will break down and return to nature within a reasonably short time after customary disposal.  However, there is no timeline or location assigned with the guidelines.  If something is deposited in a landfill, it will take a longer time to biodegrade (if it ever does) then something that is compostable (and IS composted), for instance.  Also, just because it’s biodegradable, doesn’t mean it’s good for you or the environment.   According to GreenerChoices,  DDT biodegrades to the compounds DDD and DDE, both of which are more toxic and more dangerous than the original DDT.  Again, the use of the term ‘biodegradeable’ is not regularly monitored or verified by the FTC.

The claim, ‘grass fed’, should mean that the animal was was raised on a lifetime diet of 100% grass and forage (with the exception consumed prior to weaning), including legumes and cereal grain crops.  Animals must have access to pasture during most of the growing season, and cannot be fed grain or grain products, which can diminish the nutritive benefits of grass feeding. The standard does not exclude the use of antibiotics and hormones, which are covered under separate standards.  Verification of ‘grass fed’ is only voluntary so the only way to make sure you are purchasing grass fed products is to buy one that has been ‘USDA Process Verified’ and ‘US Grass-fed’ indicating the farm has been inspected and verified to meet grass-fed standards.

You’ll find ‘SLS free’ (sodium lauryl sulfate or sodium laureth sulfate) labeling on a lot of cleaning and personal care products as SLS is known for its ability to foam.  The claim is not monitored or verified by any organization so it’s up to the word of the manufacturer.  Why should you care?  A specific form of SLS – sodium laureth sulfate – can have 1,4 dioxane,  a known carcinogen and one that causes cancer.  There has been a lot of media about SLS and 1,4 dioxanein the past year so I think we’ll start seeing a lot more cleaning and personal care products without SLS – good riddens!

These 4 eco labels are just a few in a long list of labels you see when shopping – I encourage to review the ones that you look for in products to find out EXACTLY what it means, what it’s supposed to mean and how to make sure it’s actually true.  I, for one, will be paying closer attention to all the labels on the products I purchase.