Mommy Goes Green

Glass Baby Bottles

January 20, 2010 by Tiffany Leave a Comment

file_1_15 Three plus years ago, when my daughter was born, bisphenol-A (BPA) didn’t have quite the notoriety it does now. I used plastic bottles then and you can bet they had BPA in them. Flash forward several years and BPA has been removed from most plastic bottles. In addition, many of the bottle manufacturers have come out with glass bottles.

In the last year, we switched from using plastic to using glass in as many areas as we can and bottles was one of them. I was a little wary of using glass for the baby bottles, but for the last 8 weeks, we’ve used them with great success. One of the best things about using glass is that I feel safe warming the milk or water in the bottle directly as I don’t put any plastic in the microwave.

You don’t have to worry about breakage – I dropped a bottle on my hard wood floors and it practically bounced. No breaking, no cracks. Once our son can hold the bottle himself, I will use a “bottle cozy”, a cover for the bottle that will be just one more layer of protection against breakage. I have a silicon bottle “cozy” but you can find other bottle covers like this pink damask cloth cover from CoozyCo’s etsy shop or if you’re crafty, you can crochet bottle covers.

PVC Free Placemats and Chalk Mats

December 15, 2009 by Tiffany 1 Comment

I love these placemats from Jaq Jaq Bird. What makes them special is not only are they PVC-Free, BPA-Free AND Phthalate-FREE but they are also chalk boards! Perfect for keeping kids entertained before dinner gets on the table or after they are finished (patiently) waiting for everyone else! A pocket on the mats hold your child’s chalk, crayons or pens.

Jaq Jaq Bird carries three different fun tools for writing on the chalk mats. Chalk Pens are toxic and scent free. They work like a dry-erase market, wiping up with a damp cloth. Butter Chalk is made out of clam shells so it’s completely free of dust. They are more like crayons then chalk and don’t break as easily. I love how versatile these are as they can be used on windows, white boards, plastics and in the bathtub. Comes in 5 colors. Scallop Shells Chalk is made out of scallop shells (instead of the typical calcium carbonate) and it’s also dust-free. Comes in 5 colors.

Filed Under: Baby and Kids Tagged With: Jaq Jaq Bird, pvc

Wooden Kitchen Playsets

December 14, 2009 by Tiffany Leave a Comment

If you’ve still got young kids on your Christmas shopping list, remember that every little girl (and boy) loves to cook in their own personal kitchen – check out these beautiful wooden kitchen playsets. They’ll last for years and can be passed down to future generations.

Maxim Enterprise Wooden Kitchen Center – Made of sturdy hardwood, paint is lead free and non toxic. Includes: Make-Believe oven, Microwave oven, Sink, Two burners, Storage space with curtain, Rack on side of unit to hold dish towels. Dimensions: 27 x 15 x 9 $140

Steffi Wood Heirloom Kitchen– This Steffy Wood Heirloom 2-in-1 Kitchen Center features a sink with sprayer, a scalloped back splash, and toe kick. It includes four-burner range with oven and stove door with window.

Hape Toys Gourmet Kitchen – This child-sized gourmet kitchen will help young chefs fantasize and create as they check their cake through the oven window or turn the big knobs “on” or “off”. Built of quality birch wood and water-based paint, the kitchen includes a sink, oven, hutch, towel rack and cupboard. Cookware Set contains two knives, two forks, a pot with lid, a frying pan, a large ladle, a spatula, two dishes, a salt and pepper set and one dish towel. Assembly required. $130

Educo My Creative Cookery Club– The all-in-one wood unit has an oven with a see-through door, cupboard or refrigerator, cook top, sink and utensil rack. Velcro’d veggies and bread, pots and pans, and the essential salt and pepper are all included too! Educo My Creative Cookery Club is made of natural wood and child-safe, non-toxic paints. $120

Filed Under: Baby and Kids

Vinyl Free Wallpaper

December 4, 2009 by Tiffany Leave a Comment

I’ve been toying with the idea of wallpapering the wall behind my bed and was curious about what my wallpaper options are. Frankly, I’ve never wallpapered anything but I’m always up for trying something new!

What I didn’t know was that most stock wallpaper is made with or coated with vinyl (PVC) – a product I stay away from. The stinky smell from products made with PVC ( new cars, plastic shower curtains, etc. ) emits hazardous VOCs in your house contributing to indoor air pollution. Our indoor air is already 5x more polluted than the outdoor air, let’s not add to it with PVC wallpaper! As I often find, there are better alternatives – vinyl FREE wallpaper.

Mod Green Pod vinyl-free wallpapers use water-based inks on Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified paper and finish the product with a water-based glaze that can tolerate light wiping. They’ve got some fun prints, check out the photo above!

For more prints, Graham & Brown has 46 wallpaper prints that are VOC-free and printed on paper from managed resources.

I love this Juicy Jute grasscloth wallpaper – it’s got great texture and is made with jute, a natural fiber. It also comes in 29 different vegetable dyed hues. For other natural fiber wallpapers, check out raffia or hemp.

Traditional wallpaper paste has a bunch of chemicals, too, so try this great DIY recipe from Annie B. Bond.

•1 cup flour (wheat, corn, or rice)
•3 teaspoons alum
•water
•10 drops oil of cloves (natural preservative)

Combine the flour and alum in a double boiler. (If you don’t have a double boiler, set a smaller pan inside a bigger one that contains enough water that can be brought to a boil without overflowing). Add enough water to make a consistency of heavy cream; stir until blended. Heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture has thickened to a gravy texture. Let cool. Stir in the clove oil. Pour into a glass jar with a screw top. Apply with a glue brush. Makes 1 cup. Shelf life: 2 weeks refrigerated.

Filed Under: Crafting, Home Tagged With: wallpaper, wallpaper paste

Kicking the Soda Addiction

November 5, 2009 by Tiffany 3 Comments

soda

I’m *almost* sad that I stumbled upon this study about those of us with a small soda addiction. I just love Coke and have for years. I go through short periods where I won’t have any for a week or two but then I’ll have just one and boom – back to one (or two) a day. I know it’s not good for me – the high fructose corn syrup, the BPA in the can, and the list could continue but I. can. not. resist.

Maybe these two studies will help me overcome. Cross your fingers.

Loyola University Health released a study in February that found that women (only) who drink 2 or more cans a day of soda are 2x more likely to show early signs of kidney disease. It did not have the same results for those who drink diet soda. So for those diet soda addicts – you’re off the hook.

Women who reported drinking two or more sodas in the previous 24 hours were 1.86 times more likely to have albuminuria, a sensitive marker for early kidney damage. Albuminuria is an excess amount of a protein called albumin in the urine. Since healthy kidneys filter out large molecules such as albumin, an excess amount can be a sign of damage to the kidneys.

At this point, the researchers don’t know exactly WHAT in the soda contributes to this – high fructose corn syrup, the amount of sugar, or other causes that were unmeasured. They are intrigued by a study reported in the Environmental Health journal that found 9 of 20 samples of high fructose corn syrup contained detectable levels of mercury. “This adds the intriguing possibility that it is not just the sugar itself in high fructose corn syrup that is harmful, because mercury is harmful to kidneys as well,” lead researcher, David Shoham said.

Frankly, knowing that HFCS might contain mercury might seal the deal.

To follow that up, Simmons College released a study in March that showed a significant association between 2 cans of soda per day and coronary heart disease. Women who consumed two or more servings of these beverages each day had a 35% higher risk of heart disease compared to those who consumed less than two servings per month. However, this study DID include diet soda as a sugary beverage.

We know that drinking soda also contributes to obesity so why do we keep chugging it? Habit? Addiction?

Any former soda addicts out there? How did you break the habit?

Filed Under: Food and Drink

Glass Baby Bottles

PVC Free Placemats and Chalk Mats

Wooden Kitchen Playsets

Vinyl Free Wallpaper

Kicking the Soda Addiction

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