It's a scary, chemical polluted world out there; one that my son, Kellan, will one day have to venture out into. I intend to make his world a little greener by taking easy, little baby steps.
Now any mother knows that a teething baby is usually a cranky baby! And the usual remedy, besides Tylenol and teething gel, is a teether. But make sure to be careful what you let your baby use as a teether. The same evil plastic, PVC, can be found in many soft plastic and gel-filled teethers. Some containing BPA are still on the market. BPA stands for Bisphenol A, a compound found in some plastics that can mimic human hormones and cause negative health effects such as a higher risk for heart disease, liver problems and diabetes, as well as disrupting brain and hormone development in unborn babies, infants and young children. Gross! And certainly something I don't want my gorgeous Kellan noshing on.
Opt for BPA and PVC free teethers, moms!
I personally recommend WOODEN teethers! Splinters are not a concern as most are treated with beeswax or flax seed oil. And Kellan seems to prefer his over any plastic one he previously had!
I got mine from Seven Acre Toys. Check them out on Etsy.com!
This is one satisfied baby! :
(For some reason, the sound is off, but the ending part that gets cut off is "It's better for baby and the environment, so check it out!")
The sad thing is, if you consume corn, soybeans, or canola in the United States, there is a good chance that it is GM.
So what are GMO's, you ask? GMO stands for Genetically Modified Organisms. Basically, these are foods that scientists have genetically altered to possess traits Mother Nature never gave them by utilizing viruses to sneak genes into the nuclei of these organisms. Before this was possible, the only way (and healthier way) was for farmers to use breeding techniques to produce different strains and selected the desired traits from each generation that followed. Which would you rather eat?
I'm a firm believer that if you weren't born with it, you weren't meant to have it! But I also understand the necessity in finding ways to increase the crops we yield to feed our expanding population. The concern I, as well as many others, have about GMO's is this: If these genes can sneak their way in and change traits in foods, by consuming them, can they do the same and alter our own DNA?
Scientists DON'T KNOW. And call me crazy, but I'm not into taking chances with my DNA! If this fear is true, the results could be devastating, although not necessarily apparent right away.
A good example of this possibility was printed in an article of Vegetarian Times :
"...if plants that are genetically engineered to produce their own pesticides were to transfer this ability to your gut bacteria, the result could be unintended toxicity." ( pg 26-27, April/May 2011, Vol. 37, Issue 384, No. 4)
The good news is that you can avoid MOST of these foods with a little bit of knowledge.:)
I FREAKED when I read about this, 6 months pregnant. I vowed to do all I could to keep these franken-foods far, FAR away from my baby. And the answer is simple: Eat organic!
Organic foods are grown using wholesome, basic farming techniques. They are free of pesticides and chemical fertilizers. They are not irradiated or genetically modified. They are as nature intended them to be. But I will talk more about organic foods in a future blog entry.
If you are not ready to commit to an organic lifestyle, you can seek out brands that are labeled as "not GM". In the way of produce, most oranges, bananas, broccoli, and apples are not GM, however, to be safe, you can check the PLU numbers. A PLU code is the number that cashiers use to ring up fresh produce, usually a 4-digit number. If the code is preceded by the number 8, it is genetically modified.
Admittedly so, organic foods can cost a little more than their irradiated/modified/potentially toxic alternatives, but it is well worth it. Whenever I am close to caving on a better deal, I think of a radioactive Kellan with three heads and missing vital organs, and that is enough to sway me. This is, after all, for him.
I look at him, a giggly, healthy 5-month-old, and I know that someday he will appreciate it. I want him to stay this way, not small and innocent, but as healthy and unpolluted as possible. And not only that, I'd like to be as healthy as possible for him as well, so I can live a long life and be around for him. I shudder to think of what our generation will look like when we are older, sick and cancer-stricken by the crap we call food nowadays. But I am doing my part, with the hope that someday everyone will follow. :)
So there I was, staring in shock. Evil thing; Made of carcinogens and widely sold and available to the public.
My shower curtain.
My poisonous shower curtain made of PVC.
Now, if you don't know, all plastics are damaging to the environment and our health, but none so much as PVC, which stands for Polyvinyl Chloride. Most commonly referred to as "vinyl", the toxins in it are noted to cause cancer, damage the immune system, contribute to infertility, and mess with hormones. And with known alternatives to nearly all uses of this nasty material, it is appalling and distressing that it is still sold and used in clothing, construction, upholstery, kid's figurines, pool toys and... shower curtains.
My first reaction was to cry. I thought to all the times where my son, Kellan, 3 months old at the time, had brushed his beautiful, unpolluted skin up against this vile material. I cringed when I thought of the potential effects.
So I dove into research. I found multiple alternatives such as nylon shower liners, PEVA (a less dangerous plastic alternative) and a liner made of hemp fibers. I was especially intrigued by the hemp one, but the cost in a low income home just wasn't in the cards, being that hemp shower liners can cost upwards of 60 bucks!
I expressed my concerns with my fiance, Matt. He was supportive of my newfound green conversion obsession, however, he had just become unemployed and dishing out even $20 on a nylon curtain was out of the question. We came to a compromise and decided on the PEVA one, with an average price of 12 dollars, we purchased ours at Target for $9.99!
So if there's anything I can make you understand in my first post, it's this:
ANYONE can go green-
Whether you're well off or scraping pennies. And going green doesn't happen in one day; it's a process. It takes work. But make one small change a day and you may one day find yourself to be one healthy, eco-friendly, earth-preserving Greenie! It's what I aspire to be, what I'm working towards- for my child, for this earth.
