7th Gen Blog

A new book by Florence Williams, Breasts: A Natural and Unnatural History, explores a topic that is generally glossed over in the conversation about environmental toxins. After giving birth to her second child, Williams had her breast milk tested for various pesticides and toxins, including flame retardants. Her results came back "higher than expected, and ten to a hundred times higher than those found in European women."  Williams' exposure came from electronics, furnishings and food.

Baby laundry. It's not that hard to do.  It's just that the volume and frequency at which you do it makes it seem overwhelming. The tiny clothes are so cute, but a full load of baby wash seems to have about 1000x the number of articles as an adult load. And thanks to spit-up, baby food, and other bodily fluids, it feels like there are million times more stains.

So, to make the baby laundry easier for myself, I follow 4 steps:

Keeping baby safe is a year-round responsibility, but each September the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA) gives it extra attention by celebrating Baby Safety Month. This year, JPMA is helping educate parents and caregivers on the importance of choosing second-hand, hand-me-down, and heirloom baby gear with safety in mind.
 
Giving previously used gear a second life is a good alternative to buying new for a lot of reasons. But it's important to follow a few basic rules so you're sure not to compromise safety for price or nostalgia.

Last week, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works stood up for protecting public health and making chemicals kid-safe by passing the Safe Chemicals Act out of committee -- an important first step in fixing our nation's broken chemical policy.