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Pacifiers - also known as a paci, a nuk, a binky, a dummy. They are use all over the world to “pacify” babies, help them sleep, keep them relatively quiet, comfort them, and provide an outlet for the instinctive sucking that babies crave. They can be a mom’s best friend (allowing for a good night’s sleep) or her worst enemy (when her 5 year old won’t leave the house without one). Some moms think giving a baby an artificial nipple is not a good idea and some moms never give it any thought. But do either of them think about whether or not that pacifier is safe for baby’s physical health? They might be concerned about pacifiers as a potential choking hazard but until recently many moms never thought about a hidden danger lurking in a baby’s pacifier. The same is true of teethers. There are tons of them on the market to comfort and soothe babies, perhaps making teething a bit easier to handle for mom and baby. But are they safe?

Unfortunately, many conventional teethers and pacifiers contain Bishpenol A or BPA. I have addressed the problems associated with this synthetic hormone used to make plastic on several other occasions. I love to provide parents with information about alternatives that are non toxic and safe for baby. There is just no need to buy toxic baby products anymore. For reference you should check out these complimentary articles by yours truly:

BPA Free Sippy Cups Part One   |  BPA Free Sippy Cups Part Two

Glass Baby Bottles   |   BPA Free Baby Bottles

Unlike some of the articles above I really do not have much personal experience with the teethers and pacifiers mentioned below because I do not have a child that uses them. I have gotten to see and feel most of them but that is quite different from giving them a road test. BUT unlike baby bottles and sippy cups there is not much to say in way of reviews so here goes. This is a list of safe (bpa free) pacifiers and teethers. This list only represents the ones I know about…there could be others, and if you know of one make sure to leave a comment below!

Pacifiers:

Natursutten Pacifiers - The only all natural organic pacifier and my top pick! They are made from pure natural rubber from the tree Hevea brasiliensi. These pacifiers are softer than silicone and extremely hygienic, molded in one piece, and there are no joints or cracks where dirt and bacteria can accumulate. And of course they are free of all the nasty stuff you would never consciously want to put into your baby’s mouth, ie artificial colors, chemical softeners, BPA, parabens, PVC and phthalates. They are pretty cute too.

We also received a tester binky from a company called Eco Piggy. Having compared their brand paci to the Natursutten I have to decided they are one and the same.

Raz-Berry Pacifier - 100% medical grade silicone and VERY cute. They are shaped like a raspberry. The bumpy texture sooths baby’s gums.

Playtex Baby Binky Most Like Mother One-Piece Silicone Pacifier- This is a durable one-piece, medical grade silicone pacifier. It features a nipple designed to simulate the shape of mother’s breast during breastfeeding, to satisfy baby’s sucking reflex. One thing I found a bit bizarre though about these pacifiers is the fact that they are “scented”.

Gerber Silicone Nuks- All the silicone Nuks from Gerber are free of polycarbonate plastics and thus BPA.

First Years Soothie Silicone Pacifier - Sized and shaped for baby’s developing mouth, made of latex-free, hospital grade silicone, and they have a durable, one-piece construction. You can get them in pink or a pretty teal color. These are also the pacifiers you get on the adorable Wubbanubs, which are basically small stuffed animals attached to the pacifier so that the pacifier is less likely to fall out or be spit out accidentally.

Teethers:

Sophie the Giraffe Teether- This is the new rage in teethers…Sophie the Giraffe….and our top pick! It is hand made in the French Alps with natural rubber and non-toxic paint. Born in 1961, her success is legendary in France as the # 1 toy for baby. Sophie stands 7″ tall, and is sure to become your baby’s favorite toy. It is absolutely adorable and I have heard it is especially good for plane rides since there is no liquid in it.

Chan Pie Gnon  - I also really like this teether too! It is made by the same company that makes Sophie. Chan Pie Gnon comes from the French word champignon, which means mushroom. Chan (blue), Pie (pink), and Gnon (green) are adorably mushroom-shaped soft chew toys. They are proudly handmade in the French Alps with the finest rubber (phthalate-free) and food quality paints.

See also Amber Teething Necklaces for a 100% natural, non-plastic option.

LeapFrog Baby Lilypad Vibrating Teether- This teether is pretty attractive I think. It is a vibrating teether with a colorful lilypad filled with water and character images inside along with colorful characters. I am 30 and I want it. :) 

Nuby Jiggle Giggle Vibrating Teether- This paci vibrates when baby chews on it, providing massage and stimulation to gums. It is filled with non-toxic Pur Ice Gel that can be placed in the freezer, but remains soft to provide a comforting teething surface. It is beyond adorable and I found it cute that the part the baby chews on is the utter. I guess it doesn’t take much to entertain me, LOL. There is a butterfly version too.

Nuby Ice Gel Teether Keys on a Ring- This colorful teether features three keys on a ring to keep your baby’s gums nice and cool. Each ice-gel teether key has a soft overlay on top and non-toxic Pur Ice Gel in the bottom.

Sassy Jelly Fish Teethers- These non-toxic brightly colored fish are completely water-filled and offer a variety of textures for the teething baby. Fish can be chilled in the refrigerator for cooling sensation. They come in a few lovely colors too.

Sassy Buzz n’ Bites teether- This little butterfly is such a fun and colorful way to soothe baby’s sore gums AND to promote the development of the senses. This teether offers a variety of textures for your baby to explore, creating an increased awareness of the lips or fingers. Plus, one of the butterfly’s wings vibrates gently as baby chews on it. Can be chilled in refrigerator for a cooling sensation.

Sassy Coolin’ Teether- Cool’in teethers inspire the sense of taste. Babies will have fun exploring the various textures, and shapes while teething. They can also be put in the refrigerator. So far I have seen a several animal shapes too…a turtle, a snail, and a bear.

Sassy Chilly Dilly Daisy-  This teether helps develop your baby’s communication skills by creating an awareness of lips and tongue. Water-filled petals can be refrigerated to help soothe aching gums while gripping and textured petals entertain fingers and hands. Performs double duty with a rattle in the center section. This is one cute teether.

Luv n’ Care Icy Bite Teether- The IcyBite teether/soother provides a cool textured surface for baby to bite and teethe on during teething periods. It soothes and stimulates sore gums safely. Colorful shapes are easy for baby to hold and sized for maximum effectiveness as a teether and soother. This teether is filled with non-toxic purICE, can be placed in the freezer and will remain soft to safely soothe baby’s sore gums.

JeJe Therapeutic Teether by Baby Vibeis the winner of The National Parenting Center’s 2005 Seal of Approval, and the iParenting Media Awards Winner. It is uniquely designed to ensure that it provides a natural way for babies to deal with their teething aches and pains.

You may notice some big brand names above…Sassy, Nuby, Gerber, etc. While they do offer some safe alternatives like the one I mention above they also have teethers and pacifiers in their lineup that are NOT safe so do your homework and make sure only buy the ones that have no BPA or other harmful chemicals and byproducts.

Technorati Tags: BPA, Bisphenol A, teethers, pacifiers, non-toxic, safe baby

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This upcoming year will mark my four year anniversary as a stay at home mom. Before I made the decision to stay home I was involved in marketing. One of my favorite projects was planning national conferences. It was soooo much fun. From picking the hotels to choosing colors for the name badges I had a blast. One year I planned a Fiesta themed conference and it was hosted at one of my favorite resorts in the world, La Posada. I remember having maracas imprinted with my company’s logo and giving them to all the attendees as a promo. It took me months to find those darn maracas.

Picking promotional products was a big part of my job so I was excited to run across a promotional products firm today that actually offers green promotional products! They have an entire large section dedicated to awareness items and I am telling you…these categories did not exist so readily 4 years ago or I would have jumped all over them. In 4 years a lot has changed in marketing…it has gone green. I know some people think this is a bad thing (aka greenwashing) but as a marketer at heart I can’t help but get excited that green is becoming mainstream now. Perhaps very soon I won’t be referred to as an environmental wacko on some community forums where I hang out (not kidding).

So what about you? How do you feel about this evolution?

Technorati Tags: greenwashing, green marketing, green promo products

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Yesterday I posted a video clip on saving water with a cool toilet trick. The same company also has a quick video for reducing water useage via your faucets. Take a look!

VideoJug: The Faucet Fix

Technorati Tags: saving water, faucets

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A�product that I have always loved is BabyLegs. My son and daughter have many pairs of these adorable baby legwarmers. If you recall I posted my review of them and a picture of my baby sporting BabyLegs on his legs and arms. I was very excited to hear that they were coming out with a line of organic of BabyLegs AND promoting green business practices by taking a biodiesel roadtrip to bring awareness to parents about sustainable living and organic products. The adventure was referred to as the “Get Your Green Legs On” roadtrip and I interviewed Sping Courtright, one of the participats about the unique experience. So read the interview below and don’t forget to look for a special coupon code for a FREE pair of BabyLegs at the end!

NatureMom: Tell me what the Get Your Green Legs on Roadtrip was all about…

Spring: This trip was about supporting, promoting and creating conversations about organic and sustainable business practices. We wanted to share our journey towards  being green and inspire other individuals and businesses to make big and small, daily decisions to positively impact the planet and our children’s future.

We�re working hard to be green here at BabyLegs, so this trip was a way for us to share our excitement that our entire fall line of BabyLegs designs will be organic with recycled paper packaging. This is something Nicole, the owner of BabyLegs, has been trying to do since the beginning of BabyLegs and we’re all really happy she’s found a good, high quality source for the organic line.

The story is this: We were attending the Junior Products and Apparel Manufacturer (JPMA) show in Orlando, and wanted to get ourselves and our product there in a sustainable manner. Driving across country on Biodeisel was the answer. We then decided to use this opportunity to do a few other things as well: check in with our retailers across the country to learn about their needs and allow them to share their thoughts, meet those retailers/customers that share our enthusiasm for the environment and those that are lacking (we aimed to change that), promote our organic line, and to support and promote other green businesses.

BabyLegs owner, Nicole Donnelly, recently bought a car that runs on biodiesel, and she loves it. So we asked our neighbor, Imperium Renewables/Seattle Biodiesel, if they would be interested in supporting a Get Your Green Legs on trip. They promptly donated 325 gallons of biodiesel, which took us all the way to Georgia, where Boswell Oil donated another 100 gallons.

We contacted other companies who are environmentally-minded and they were eager to support our mission. Clif Bar donated thousands of Luna and Z-Bars, (which Erinn and I ate every day!), and GreenCar Co, Woobie, Bellysock, Spacecraft, Fuelwerks, and many others were eager to work with us. We promoted them, our organic line and our mission throughout 15 states and over 8000 miles!

NatureMom: What kind of vehicle did you drive and what made it eco friendly?

Spring: We drove a Chevy Silverado that pulled a trailer with all our things. What made it eco-friendly was the100% biodiesel (B-100, soybean oil) we carried in tanks in the back of our truck. We used B-100 throughout the entire trip.

Very few people (especially women!) have driven across the United States with 100% biodiesel. We generated a lot of conversations with people along the way whenever we stopped to pump our fuel. This successful trip was a testament to the simplicity of using alternative fuels. There are certainly more fuel efficient cars out there, which I highly recommend using, but this was a test drive that showed it can be done safely with any diesel car or truck.

NatureMom: Tell us about some of the stops you made…

Spring: We made many stops, mostly at retail stores who carry BabyLegs. At each retail stop we set up an information table with free BabyLegs, materials from our sponsors, goodie bags for our in-store raffle (full of free organic BabyLegs, Luna and Z-bars, sponsor materials and other fun items), and our ultimate raffle item (a Vy and Elle recycled billboard handbag full of BabyLegs). On each raffle ticket parents had to write an environmental commitment to their children. It was a great to see the commitments parents are willing to make for their child(ren)’s future. We were also able to provide parents with information on the little things they can do that make huge differences.

We were greeted with so much enthusiasm–everyone who walked out of the stores had a pair of BabyLegs in their hands, on their child or on their arms!

Our stops were:

Black Wagon in Portland; Hugs and Bugs and the Global Warming Rally in Salt Lake City; Real Baby in Denver; an Earth Day event at the University of Georgia; the Junior Products and Apparel Manufacturer trade show in Orlando; A Women’s Work in Dallas; our showroom in Houston: Southern Fried Chicks; Best Fed in Phoenix; Baby Loves Disco at Aubergine in San Diego; our shipping facility in Sacramento; and finally, Bambini in Eugene.
We had so many great stops along the way at restaurants, hotels, retailers and we had great conversations with everyone we came into contact with. They were all curious about BabyLegs and Biodiesel, and all of them walked away with a pair of BabyLegs to share or wear!

NatureMom: Did you find any green parents out there?

Spring: We found MANY green parents out there! We were pleasantly surprised by all the green parents, but also shocked by the lack of recycling programs in some cities.

We asked parents to write an Environmental Commitment to thier Child(ren)’s Future, something they weren’t doing already that they would start doing that day. Some of the hundreds of responses were:

Building a worm bin with 3.5 yr old son; More walking, biking, and less driving; Less waste- more recycle; eating all organic; use powerstrips for entertainment center and unplug during the day; Encourage sustainable Development; organic gardening; I pledge to walk to work for the rest of the month and more!; Live a life that promotes sustainable development; Use earth friendly cleaning supplies;
And my favorite: To leave it better than I found it.

NatureMom: How was the response to the new organic line of Baby Legs?

Spring: People are really excited! Even though we only had pictures, the designs and colors are so gorgeous and stylish that even those who aren’t normally organic fans fell in love with them.

NatureMom: What was the highlight of the trip for you?

Spring: That’s so hard to say! The conversations with parents about environmental issues and getting their Environmental Commitments were really big for me I have a degree in Environmental Education and have spent years working with people outdoors, sharing the natural world, so hearing people’s serious commitments to keeping those natural places clean and green was a highlight.

Also, I fell in love with our country. Traveling with Erinn Hale, who is an incredible photographer with a huge heart and an eye for the interesting, made all the unique and beautiful landscapes, people and moments, even more beautiful. I lose heart sometimes, with all the talk of environmental degradation, thoughtlessness with our money and actions and such, but we live in such a breathtakingly beautiful country, with wonderful, curious people who are eager to learn and share.

This trip gave me hope and renewed my own internal pledge to be thoughtful with every action and purchase to do my part preserve all the beauty and health of the world.

NatureMom: Why do you feel this trip was important for green living and environmental awareness?

Spring: I feel the Green Legs trip was important in many ways.

For one, it brought awareness of our organic line as a reasonable and do-able choice for BabyLegs users, which alone will make an impact on the cotton industry buying organic means people all along the chain of production are safer and healthier, and less chemicals are produced and used.
The demand for our organics will hopefully show other companies that people want to make thoughtful, sustainable purchases, which I hope inspires those companies to start sourcing from healthy, thoughtful companies, which in turn will help the people who make and wear these products have healthier, happier lives.

Secondly, it showed that alternative fuels are a viable option for anyone. Here we were, two ladies with a lot of heart and green souls, but little know-how, who were able to drive 8000 miles with a truck and trailer, pumping their own 100% biodiesel! Truckers, restaurant and hotel workers, parents, store owners and customers, BabyLegs wearers, and everyone we met along the way now have seen, in the flesh, people who were able to use, and enjoy using, an alternative fuel source. I do hope to be part of a co-op which makes our own biodiesel, and use it for my diesel car soon. To me, that is the closed-loop system that makes the most sense.

I hope this trip was an inspiration for everyone we met and that it continues to inspire people to think seriously about their actions and everyday decisions. I hope they then turn these thoughts into reality and share, through example, their green experience with the people around them. This is how change happens and why this trip was important, both personally, professionally and environmentally.

Thanks Spring for a great interview!! AND for a free pair of BabyLegs when you purchase another use the secret code Celeb (with a capitol C). This was the code given to Golden Globe gifting suites and now you can use it too!

Technorati Tags: Babylegs, baby legs, environment, biodiesel, green living, travel, organic

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Great product alert!! I am behind the times on this one I think but now it is my turn to sing the praises of the Chico Bag.

I do use reusable bags when I go shopping. Heck, I don’t want to be one of those average Americans that uses 700 plastic bags a year. In fact I am something of a freakish curiosity here in my small town thanks to that green living habit but I have always used canvas totes bags. Some I ordered wholesale but mostly I used various bags I have collected over the years. This week I got a shipment of Chico Bags, the reusable bag that fits in a pocket or purse. They come in a variety of cool colors. I prefer the lime myself. They are pretty stylish.

They are made of strong and durable woven nylon and they hold up to 20 pounds each. The absolute best thing about these bags is that they compact into a small little pouch (attached) making them easy to put in your purse, pocket, belt loop, glove compartment, or keychain. I love this feature because I have been caught more than few times without my bags when I had to make an unexpected trip to the store or I was traveling or carpooling. With these Chico bags I can minimally have at least one bag with me at all times. I have put one in my purse and one on my keychain using the attached carabineer.

When they get dirty you just machine wash and hang to dry and the drying time is lightning fast.

The only thing more stylish than the sleek and colorful bag design is the price. I ordered about 20 of them in various colors so I think I am set. Happy Shopping!

 Where to Buy: ReusableBags

Technorati Tags: Chico, shopping, bags, reusable, totes

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I have been tagged by my friend and fellow natural mama, Carrie Lauth. She wants to know why I blog. Here are a couple of my reasons:

I love to write. I have been writing since I was in gradeschool. Back then I would most commonly write fiction novels, some even reaching several hundred pages in length. It was very enjoyable. I wanted to be the next Nancy Drew or perhaps the next Carolyn Keene…I wasn’t really sure. Well, as I grew older I stopped reading and writing fiction and in its place I put work (marketing and advertising). But when I quit working to be a full time mommy, I started reading non-fiction books that interested me and subsequently I started writing again. I guess my real hobby is learning so as I learn new things I love to write about them. My writing is expressed through blogs, articles, essays, and the content on my various web sites.

Political topics are important to me. When I began my path towards natural family living I found a great many causes that were important to me and it is only logical that I write about and try to bring awareness to these issues. Some of the issues that are important to me are real foods (no bio-engineering), fair trade, the organic movement, supporting local economies, and the environment. If something is important then you stand up and fight for it right? I use my blogs to further the causes that are important to me.

I like to educate others. I do alot of research to be able to write about many of the topics that do. I also like to be kept abreast of all news activity related to these issues. It seems logical to me that others are interested in these topics too. So I leave breadcrumbs for other natural moms and dads. It is rewarding to know that I am helping others.

So what about you? Why do you blog?

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Yesterday I gave my review of An Inconvneient Truth, an excellent movie that outlines our current environmental crisis….global warming.

I hope that it made you think a little bit about what you can do to be a part of the solution. I know it made think about this deeply. There are many ways we can decrease our carbon dioxide emissions and here are just a few of them:

1. Drive a fuel efficient, hybrid, or electric car. Or reduce the number of miles you drive by walking, biking, carpooling or taking mass transit wherever possible.
2. Consume less - Stop junk mail, buy recycled products, use reusable products.
3. Use compact fluorescent lightbulbs, unpug appliances when not in use.
4. Move your thermostat down 2° in winter and up 2° in summer
5. Clean or replace filters on your furnace and air conditioner
6. Use energy efficient appliances.
7. Plant a tree to help absorb carbon dioxide.
8. Switch to green power.

This last item “switch to green power” may seem a bit daunting. Not many average folk have the resources to install a 20,000-40,000 solar energy system on their home. But what if you could afford it…wouldn’t you jump at the opportunity? Well, I have recently discovered something amazing. You can now afford solar energy in your home.

Yes, you can have an engineer come to your home and design a solar system for you that will provide enough energy to run your entire home in most circumstances. It will be installed for you and you do not need to worry about maintenance or upkeep. All of this can be had in exchange for a $500.00 secuirty deposit.

Okay I may have lost you there. I am sure you are thinking that this is not possible but I am happy to say that it is. I discovered this program to get solar energy for your home and it is really amazing.

This program packages solar power for you in a simple and smart way. Plainly put, the program pays for, installs, owns and operates the solar installation. You don’t have to worry about maintaining the equipment or any of the other concerns that come with making an investment into solar power. All you are required to do is pay for the electricity generated from these panels, at a fixed rate that is at or below your current electricity price, for as little as one year or as many as twenty-five years. Just take a look at some of the benefits that you would receive:

1. No upfront investment, no need to become a financial expert to justify your investment.
2. No waiting for rebates.
3. No headaches with the city and the utility; let them handle the engineering, procurement, and construction.
4. Performance-based contract means you only pay for what is delivered. And since the solar power you generate will reduce the need for electricity from your power company, your net payment should always be equal to, or less than, what you’re paying now.
5. Hassle-free operating and maintenance; it’s handled by the experts.
6. Actual hedge against future utility price increases: you can “lock in” your rates for the electricity generated from the solar system at your home for a period of up to twenty-five years, far longer than the guaranteed rates offered by other electricity providers.

But there is plenty more. Take the time to visit the site and learn more about clean solar power, how this program will benefit you, and how you can get started. Go ahead and take that step towards helping us provide a safer, cleaner more reliable electricity service for our world. I know I will be taking that step along with you. If you have ANY questions just drop me an email at admin@naturemoms.com.

AND if you want to do even more and perhaps help spread the word about this awesome opportunity you can find out more here. Be a part of the solution!

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I have an exciting opportunity to share with you. The Naturemoms sister site, The Diaper Jungle, has just opened up a new cloth diapers and natural products review forum. This new forum will enable you to browse different natural products for mom and baby, read the opinions and reviews of others, and compare prices. AND you can add products and reviews yourself. If you are a WHAM that sells natural products this is a great opportunity to get exposure for your business or products. If you do not see a category that is appropriate for your products just email us and ask us to add a new category.

Also, The Diaper Jungle will be holding a drawing at the end of the month for those who have added products, reviews, or both and the winner (selected randomly) will receive a $50.00 cash prize via PayPal! We hope you will stop by and help us create the best and most comprehensive natural products review forum around.

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You may recall my post about Whole Foods deciding to purchase renewable energy credits — which subsidize the production of energy from renewable sources such as wind — to offset 100% of its electricity use. As of December 9, 2005, Whole Foods Market is purchasing more than 458,000 megawatt-hours (MWh) of renewable energy credits from wind farms. This purchase will avoid more than 700 million pounds of carbon dioxide pollution this year. To have the same environmental impact, more than 60,000 cars would have to be taken off the road or more than 90,000 acres of trees would have to be planted.

I thought this was a wonderful move on their part and I have often thought about how I can do something similar. Of course my power needs are much smaller but I too decided to purchase renewable energy credits from Renewable Choice Energy to offset my personal and business power usage.

If anyone else is ready to make that leap, Renewable Choice Energy has teamed up with Whole Foods to reward that decision by offering gift certificates to use in Whole Foods stores.

Here’s to the future!

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