Sunscreen---choosing wisely

I have had great suggestions on posts. Keep them coming ladies!

Choosing a safe sunscreen for you and your family can get tricky. All claim to be safe, but which ones really are best? Can we buy without breaking our budgets?

Skin Deep, otherwise know as the Environmental Working Group, is a third party cosmetics safety database giving great information to help you make a good decision.

From the website:

"When we began our sunscreen investigation at the Environmental Working Group, our researchers thought we would ultimately recommend against micronized and nano-sized zinc oxide and titanium dioxide sunscreens. ...But many months and nearly 400 peer-reviewed studies later, we find ourselves drawing a different conclusion, and recommending some sunscreens that may contain nano-sized ingredients.

Our study shows that consumers who use sunscreens without zinc and titanium are likely exposed to more UV radiation and greater numbers of hazardous ingredients than consumers relying on zinc and titanium products for sun protection. We found that consumers using sunscreens without ZnO and TiO2 would be exposed to an average of 20% more UVA radiation — with increased risks for UVA-induced skin damage, premature aging, wrinkling, and UV-induced immune system damage — than consumers using zinc- and titanium-based products. Sunscreens without zinc or titanium contain an average of 4 times as many high hazard ingredients known or strongly suspected to cause cancer or birth defects, to disrupt human reproduction or damage the growing brain of a child. They also contain more toxins on average in every major category of health harm considered: cancer (10% more), birth defects and reproductive harm (40% more), neurotoxins (20% more), endocrine system disruptors (70% more), and chemicals that can damage the immune system (70% more) (EWG 2007)."

For more info, visit Environmental Working Groups Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database.

Here are my top three picks based on their ingredient safety as well as sun protection.

Soleo/Wyland Sunscreen Organic chemical free sunscreen, SPF 30+ *
$20.24 at Amazon

California Baby Sunblock Stick No Fragrance, SPF 30+ *

$13.99 at Target

Badger Sunscreen, SPF 30 *

$13.95 Found at Earthturns.com

Be safe in the sun this summer!

How safe is your baby's shampoo?

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics commissioned an independent laboratory to test 48 products for 1,4-dioxane; 28 of those products were also tested for formaldehyde.

The lab found that:
17 out of 28 products tested – 61% – contained both formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane.
23 out of 28 products – 82 percent – contained formaldehyde at levels ranging from 54 to 610 parts per million (ppm).
32 out of 48 products – 67 percent – contained 1,4-dioxane at levels ranging from 0.27 to 35 ppm.

Over time, these little bits here and there add up and take their toll on our children's health.

Formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane are known carcinogens; formaldehyde can also trigger skin rashes in some children. Unlike many other countries, the U.S. government does not limit formaldehyde, 1,4-dioxane, or most other hazardous substances in personal care products.

Around here, we trust Dr. Bronner Soaps. They set high standards of quality and safety for your family.

Check the safety of your cosmetics at

Skin Deep

She works hard for the money

Ok. No money involved here.
But I am busy working on the vaccine post (which will be up tomorrow).
Today, my midwife Marinah gave some very interesting info on her blog about the effects of antibiotics in the first year of life. I wanted to share it with you and know you'll find it interesting.
CLICK HERE
A teaser...

From Medscape News: March 9, 2009 —
Antibiotic use in the first year of life is associated with a small, but statistically significant, increased risk for asthma in childhood.
The risk for the development of asthma in childhood increases as the number of antibiotic courses in the first year of life increases.

BPA-Free/Giveaway (Closed)

Don't forget to read to the bottom for the fabulous product giveaway: )
We've all heard about BPA. But do we really know what it is?Bisphenol-A is a hormone disrupting chemical considered to be potentially harmful to human health and the environment. It has been known that scratched and worn polycarbonate feeding bottles will leach this chemical into liquids.

To quote one of my favorite natural blogs on the Biography of BPA:

"BPA has gotten a lot of press in the last few years when it was discovered in (and leaching out of) hard plastic baby and water bottles...

But BPA is still out there in plenty of places, and according to the latest issue of the International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health (IJOEH), it's increasing every woman's breast cancer risk.
Researchers looked at over 400 separate studies on a handful of common toxic agents, chief among them BPA and phthalates, and found that early exposures -- particularly during fetal development and childhood -- are closely linked to eventual breast cancer diagnoses. In fact, the earlier in life women are exposed to BPA, the greater the likelihood they'll develop this disease.
How did this happen? How did we come to let a chemical so clearly dangerous run so free in our lives? An important article in Fast Company magazine tells the must-read tale.
Of the more than 100 independently funded experiments on BPA, about 90% have found evidence of adverse health effects at levels similar to what humans are exposed to. On the other hand, every single industry-funded study on BPA -- 14 in all -- has found no such effects."

You really must read the article in it's entirety HERE.

2 years ago as I was researching BPA for the first time, there wasn't very much information on it. Only a few baby bottle companies even offered BPA Free products. Now there are many available options for BPA Free.

A Few of my Favorites:
http://www.nuby.com/

http://www.adiri.com/

http://www.thinkbabybottles.com/

If a product doesn't tell you it's BPA Free?

The following companies provide attractive, functional products with exceptional design with all mouth-contact products being exclusively BPA-free, and demonstrate a commitment to providing BPA-free products as a matter of course in the development of new products.
Born Free
Brita
Combi
KidCo
Klean Kanteen
Green to Grow
Medela
Nalgene
Natursutten
Not Neutral
Obentec
Prince Lionheart
PUR
Rivadossi
Sndro (Trebimbi)
SIGG
Steadyco
Thermos

Now for the Giveaway!

This is the first of many giveaways in the near future, so stay tuned...Winners are decided by Random.org, which means you could win multiple times: )

This Giveaway is a package deal.

Win and get BOTH fabulous products.

The first is one of my favorite things ever and makes eating on the go with baby a breeze.

BPA-Free Boon Squirt

You put pureed foods inside the handle, and it squirts out the spoon.

Genius!

I am also giving away a BPA FREE 10 oz. Nuby Sippy cup in green.

Just comment (from anywhere in the world!) HERE to enter to win both products!

The Winner will be chosen by Random.org and announced Tuesday, Mar.10 at 9:00 p.m. Arizona time.

Also, it would be totally cool of you to mention this giveaway on your blog. Not a requirement--just really cool; )