Super Mommies

Eco Friendly vs. Wallet Friendly?

Johnson & Johnson’s "no more tears" shampoo may not be giving my children teary eyes, but it could be giving them something much worse. Johnson &Johnson has been asked by 40 parent, healthcare, and environmental organizations to remove known chemicals from its products by the end of the year.

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics reported in March that it found Johnson & Johnson's Baby Shampoo and other children's products contained formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane, both of which have been found to cause cancer in animals and listed by the Environmental Protection Agency as probable human carcinogens. What’s worse, I recently learned that The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) classifies cosmetics and personal care products, but does not regulate them. In 1938, the FDA granted self-regulation to the Cosmetics, Toiletries and Fragrance Association (CTFA), the self-appointed industry organization. With The exception of color additives and a few prohibited ingredients, a cosmetic manufacturer may use almost ANY raw material as a cosmetic ingredient and market the product WITHOUT an approval from FDA” (”Prohibited Ingredients”, FDA Office of Cosmetics Fact Sheet, Dec. 19, 1994).

~What all of this mumbo jumbo means is that the industry does not have to account to anyone, not even the FDA.

While, Johnson & Johnson representatives say that the trace levels found were considered safe by some regulatory agencies, I kept asking myself, is it worth the risk? This question lead me to spend an HOUR (not an exaggeration), probing the options in my local grocery store this weekend.

The problem was, a 12 ounce bottle of organic shampoo ranged anywhere from nine to fourteen dollars. I bathe my kids every night, (okay, occasionally if they don’t leave the house we skip one) so I knew I’d be blowing through that 12 ounces in mere days! As I stood there staring at my options, with their hefty price tags glaring back at me, I tried and tried to convince myself that fourteen dollars wasn’t that much. I mean we eat organic food, and use organic cleaning supplies—what’s the big deal if I add bath soap to that list?

I must have picked up and put back those organic bottles 100 times before calling it a day.  I walked away with my 15 ounce Johnson & Johnson (#1 choice of hospitals) bottle for $4.99 (with a coupon for $2.00 off to boot).

I still feel guilty every night, hoping I'm not giving my kids cancer while they splash around in their bubble bath.

I’d love to hear your thoughts, what do YOU think? Would you use Johnson & Johnson's Baby Shampoo?

Wordless Wednesday

Baby wigs? Would you do this to your baldy?

 

Honor Military Moms with Operation Shower

I can’t imagine what it would have been like without my husband in the delivery room when my children were born, but thousands of women face this situation every day. Giving birth alone is a reality for many women who have husbands overseas serving in the United States military. Operation Shower, a nonprofit group, recognizes the enormous sacrifices these women make and honors them by producing and coordinating baby showers for pregnant and expecting military personnel and their families.

Here’s how it works and how you can help: Operation Shower assembles baby goods donated by individuals or companies around the country and throws unit wide showers where groups of moms each receive a surprise shower in a box. Each decorated box is filled with things like baby gear, skincare products, baby clothing, children's shoes and items for the nursery. Logging on to the site you can help fill a shower in a box by making a donation. There are three ways to donate:

1.     Donate a select amount towards a particular type of gift.

2.     Donate a select amount towards a specific "Preferred Vendor's"* product (For these donations, Operation Shower will use your donation to purchase the items through the designated company). 

3.     Donate a select amount to be used for whichever items Operation Shower determines are most needed to complete the boxes.

Helping to fill a shower in a box will make a real difference in the lives of these military moms.

I can’t think of a better way to honor the incredible families that are sacrificing so much to keep our country safe. This Mother’s Day I hope they know how very special they are.

It's a Meal...Baby

The days and weeks after bringing home a new baby are always a blur. Sleep deprivation, constant visitors and round the clock care make cooking meals impossible. How can new parents get some good ol’ home cooked meals in the midst of this chaos? Easy, MealBaby! MealBaby is an online meal registry where family and friends can sign up to make and deliver meals to new parents. For loved ones who live too far away to deliver a homemade meal, the site offers the opportunity to purchase gift cards to national chain restaurants as well as the opportunity to donate money to Feed The Children, a non-profit organization that provides food for hungry families around the world.

This idea got me excited, as many of my closest friends live far away. Now with MealBaby I can send gift cards for take out from their favorite restaurants and help them ease into their new life with baby! If you don’t have time to set this up yourself before your baby arrives a friend can do it for you.

Personally, I think setting up the meal registry would be a great activity for a baby shower! Try it out!