Spell it out with sandpaper-WIN A SET!

These letter and number cards use sandpaper to help kids learn their ABCs and 123s. Not only can they trace the letters and numbers with their fingers, but when they're ready, they can do crayon rubbings with them. Made from natural birch wood.
Michele, creator of Polliwog Learning Products, also added the genius touch of a small dot to indicate which way is up. Another nice learning tool is that consonants are red and and vowels blue. The numbers are a gorgeous green...the color of money.
She makes mini and full-size sets of upper and lowercase letters and numbers and also makes a combination set that includes all three.
One lucky Obsessed Moms follower will win a set of lower-case mini letters. Just leave a comment below sharing your favorite way to teach your little one their letters and numbers. I will pick a winner on January 1st to make it a happy new year. Don't forget to include your email address with your comment so that I can contact you if you're the winner. Only one comment per person please. Shipping within the U.S. only.
For more info check out Polliwog's store on Etsy.com

Sun shade on the go-go

My family and I just got back from a trip to South America, where the ozone layer is in even worse shape than it is here. Since my daughter is the fairest of them all, I decided to bring my Protect-a-Bub sunshade with me. I borrowed a stroller from a friend down in the lower hemisphere, but I guessed it wouldn't have as much sun protection as my stroller, so I folded up my shade (it's flexible and lightweight) and stuck it in the suitcase. We ended up using it every day and got of perplexed looks from passerbys who had never seen one or such an Obsessed Mom. I have the older model, which is a little cockeyed to one side when tied on, so looks slightly goofy, but doesn't stop this mom from trying to compensate for darn hole in the sky. There is now a newer model, which hopefully sits a little straighter.
I originally bought it to cover my daughter's infant car seat, but decided to try it on our lightweight stroller a few months ago and it worked great. Now, it's proven itself to also be useful in travel. Protect your bub with one through this Amazon link and Obsessed Moms makes a small profit to continue searching for the best products for our bubs.
Protect-a-Bub Single Compact Sunshade, Black

Be floored

When my daughter started to outgrow her foam play mats and baby gates, I went in search of a healthy floor covering alternative (our floors are marble, and are hence very hard and cold). I was turned onto Flor modular carpet tiles, an ingenious system of square carpet tiles that fit together to make either a large area carpet or wall-to-wall carpet. They have a variety of different types of tiles, but the natural wool option was what made me fall in love. A wool carpet was a must for us since we only wanted natural fibers near our daughter's skin. FLOR squares are also one of the lowest VOC (volatile organic compounds)-emitting home carpet products out there. This is good since we don't want most of the acronyms you hear of (BPA, PVC, VOC...) anywhere near our kids.
The tile system is great since you can replace just one if (or more like when) an accident occurs. You can mix and match colors, weaves and patterns, even as subtly as parqueting the tiles (alternating direction of the weave), which is what we did. Since we've had the carpet in our living room, we've suddenly started migrating back into our formal living room, which we haven't gone near since she was born. It makes the room feel warm and cozy, and now I don't need to hunt down a pillow to sit on every time I want to sit on the floor to play. Installation consists of laying the squares down and lining them up. Voila. They also provide corner stickers to connect the tiles, but I haven't even used those yet and the carpet seems to be sticking in place just fine.
As far as my daughter's reaction, it was like Christmas had come early. She thought it was crazy and amazing that all of this soft carpet was laid down just for her. Who knew Santa came in the form of carpet squares.
I also love that over 90% of FLOR tiles are made in the USA and that they recycle any squares that are returned to them. Check them out at www.flor.com/

Clean well

I love this product for keeping hands clean when soap and water just aren't an option. With all the news about hand sanitizers like Purell containing parabans that cause Endocrine disruption, CleanWell decided to come up with a paraban and alcohol-free alternative. It's made with Ingenium™, a patented formulation of essential plant oils proven to kill 99.99% of germs. Ingenium consists of citrus oil, citrus acid, aloe leaf, thyme oil and copper PCA (a skin conditioner and naturally occurring mineral found in human skin). The bonus is that is gets 4 times more uses per than alcohol gel and comes in biodegradable packaging.
I keep one in every stroller, every diaper bag, every purse...they also come in individual wipes when you're traveling light. Well done CleanWell.

RECALL: Hyland's homeopathic teething tablets

I don't usually list recalls on my blog, but since this is a product that I've been using on my daughter for the past year, I felt that I needed to share this recall information. The FDA is advising to stop use of the tablets immediately due to inconsistent amounts of Belladonna. Please read and make sure to share this link with any mothers who may use it.
Still, I believe in homeopathic products and believe that this link supporting Hyland's tablets is a very good one to read as well.

Lightweight lunches

My daughter received one of these neoprene insulated lunch bags by Built NY for her first birthday...it also doubled as the gift bag for a beautiful dress. It's a great size, big enough for two straw-cups, a sandwich and several 2-oz cubes of food. It's also lightweight and comes in a selection of adorable designs. Vinyl-free, PVC-free, and machine washable. More information at www.builtny.com. Also available at Amazon.com (Obsessed Moms receives a percentage if you purchase through this link). Built NY Lunch Tote

Big protection for little ears

Peltor Junior Earmuffs are made to protect little ears at concerts, sporting events, on planes, etc. I just ordered a pair for my daughter after attending an outdoor concert last week. The music was too loud for her sensitive ears and I was wishing I had a pair of these cute ear muffs. Available on Amazon.com (Obsessed Moms gets a small percentage if you buy through this link) Peltor Junior Earmuff

Fresh Aire

When we moved into our current home one year ago, I decided to paint what would be my daughter's room since the half baby-pink, half baby-blue walls with duck border just didn't cut it for me. I knew I wanted to use a zero VOC (volatile organic compounds) paint. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the air inside a home is, on average, two to five times more polluted than the air outside. One way to clean it up is to use paints that aren't full of stuff we don't want in our kids bodies.
Finding the right paint was easier than I thought, just around the corner at Home Depot. I ended up going with Freshaire Choice, a zero VOC (as opposed to "low" VOC) paint. They achieve zero VOCs by not only creating VOC-free paint, but VOC-free colorant. Speaking of colors, they have a great selection that you can check out at freshairechoice.com

Seriously lovable dolls

In looking for a doll for my daughter to play with in the bath, I ran into the usual issue of those icky ingredients that most doll manufacturers use in their plastics these days. In my search I did come across one that was truly lovable to me and to my daughter. It's made by Kathe Kruse, a German manufacturer and it's PVC, Phlatate and PVC free. They make dolls for the bath, dolls for dress-up and dolls for just dragging around.
I also love that they make boy dolls since little boys have the right to have a mini-me too.
They're a bit pricey, but worth it to avoid the ick. I ordered mine from Debra's Dolls in NJ. www.debrasdolls.com

Babies for the Planet

I recently decided to get an umbrella stroller for traveling and to have as a lightweight option in the car. I ended up with a Britax, but when it came time to find a raincover for it, I was disappointed with my choices. I found one that was PVC-free, a must for any little one, but it only had a small clear window and the rest was opaque. It made me claustrophobic just looking at it, so I continued my search until I found the BabyPlanet new single-seat rain cover. It's completely clear, PVC-Free, BPA-Free and Phthalate Free. It's lightly frosted to reduce glare. As far as fit, it is made for BabyPlanet's single seat strollers, but fits most other brands as well.
Icing on the Good & Green cake is that they have a donation and recycling program to keep their (as well as any other brands you send in) strollers out of landfills.
www.baby-planet.com

Cooking is a snap

As I finish up a night of cooking...turkey meatloaf, beets, purple kohlrabi puree (I buy from an organic food share, and have to figure out something to do with the weirder vegetables that I get), I was just thinking about how much I love the glass storage set that I bought two sets of. The lids are silicone and snap on tightly. I baked my meatloaf in one, let it cool and then just snapped the top on and put it the fridge. The beets and kohlrabi, I transfered from the hot pan right into a glass container, let it cool for 10 minutes and then let it join the meatloaf in the fridge. I'm a big cook-ahead-and-eat-as-leftovers-girl, so these things are lifesavers for me, and none of that yucky plastic leaching to worry about.
Available on Amazon (Obsessed moms gets a percentage if you buy it through this link:)Snapware 18pc Glasslock Tempered Glass Storage Containers 18piece Set with Lids

Waste not, want not

Fellow-awesome-blog (and store) The Safe Landing has started a fundraising program to help educate and provide moms and kids with waste-free lunch options. If you are affiliated with a non-profit organization who would like to have a fundraiser selling these BPA and Phltlate-free reusable lunch box options, please visit Safemunch
to sign up.

Wipes that keep on giving

When my daughter was born I decided to use cloth wipes instead of disposable, and bought 2 packs of Prince Lionheart Warmies Cloth Bamboo Wipes. They come 8 to a pack and they are the softest little cloths that I found. I used them in the warmer until she was a few months old and then I started using Nature's Babycare biodegradeble wipes. Once she started eating solids (with her hands) I started using the bamboo wipes to wipe her hands and face after eating. Another great use I found for them was wetting and freezing them to use as teething relief. They're just the right size for little hands and mouths and they're made of natural bamboo fibers. Only bummer is you cannot dry them in the dryer, so I hang them to dry. They're worth it.

Safe suds

As I just flipped through a baby's first objects book with my daughter, we arrived to the tugboat, which she pointed at inquisitively wanting to hear what it was. I said "Bote" in spanish and thought to myself, we need a "bote" in her bathtub. Then I thought the dreaded thought that I always think...where am I going to find one that isn't toxic. I just went onto Uncommon Goods website to search for something unrelated and came across this little beauty. BPA, PVC and Phtalate-free and made from recycled plastic milk jugs. Toot-toot. uncommongoods.com

Add iron the old-fashioned way

I recently found out that my daughter's iron levels are leaving a little to be desired, so I've been pushing the eggs, spinach and beans, but another natural way to add iron to your little one's (as well as your) diet is to cook in cast iron cookwear. I just purchased this dutch oven with glass lid (I got the 10.25" size). Don't be tempted by pretty, colorful enamel-coated cast-iron wear, since your food will not absorb any iron through the coating. Also worth noting is that Lodge cast iron cookwear is made here in the old U.S. of A. Details at www.lodgemfg.com. Also available through Amazon (Obsessed Moms also gets a small percentage if you purchase one through this link:)Lodge Dutch Ovens with Glass Lid

Teething relief bling

Several friends have decked their little one out in one of these amber teething necklaces. I've always admired them, but it only recently occurred to me, after 4 sleepless teething nights, to get one for my daughter. I got this lemon-colored, clear necklace, but they come in colors from black to orange to yellow. Check out the selection on Etsy.

BPA-free pumping

When my daughter was born one year ago (her birthday was this past Monday), I didn't know much about breast pumps and didn't even think to research to see if there was a "Green" one. A friend had given me her old one, but after a very expensive meeting with a lactation consultant, she made it very clear that with each child you MUST get a brand new pump, not necessarily for hygienic reasons, but because the pumps are only single use and they slowly burn out, sometimes unbeknownst to the user.
So, I bought a Medela, which has worked well for me, but according to this article Medela bottles, even though marketed as BPA-free were found to have low to high levels of BPA in them. Luckily, I read this early on and always immediately transfered my milk into glass bottles, but it was very disheartening news to read. Enter the Hygeia pump. All of it's parts that come into contact with breast milk are BPA/DEHP Free and it even has an innovative feature that allows you to record you baby's cries, laughs or whatever other sounds help your milk let down. Kinda makes me want to have another...
hygeiababy.com

Green garbage

Even though they're not designed specifically as a baby product, Perf's Go Green Biodegradable bags work great in the diaper bin, as well as in the kitchen and for recycling. We've tried several brands of biodegradable bags and these take the prize. They're thick enough that they don't rip or leak and they have handles to make it easy to remove them and tie them up. They are made from recycled plastics and break down within 2 years of exposure to the elements (but just as a reminder, just because things are biodegradable, doesn't mean they go away if they're stuck in the middle of a landfill pile and not exposed to sun and rain to break them down, so if you don't need to make trash, don't:)
We use the 30 gallon Garden & Leaf bags in our Simple Human garbage can, recycling can and Diaper Bin. They also offer 13 gallon tall kitchen bags, Kitty Litter bags and Doggy Duty bags. Three giggles, meows and woofs for biodegradable...
More info at perfgogreen.com. Available at grocery stores or at Amazon.com

Bamboo is the new black

I don't write about clothes all that often since they usually don't fall into the "innovative" category, but I felt that I had to share Kicky Pants with you all. We have a few pair of pajamas and rompers for my daughter and they are just the softest and most lightweight things around. They're 95% Bamboo and 5% lycra for a little stretch. I've noticed that a lot of other manufacturers of Bamboo clothing include a small percentage of Polyester, which to me, is unacceptable. If you're interested, take a look at this article about polyester and you'll see why.
I will warn that the colors do fade a bit and that you need to lay them flat to dry instead of throwing in the dryer, but they are well worth the effort. They also have cute maternity T-shirts and regular T-shirts as well. Check them out at kickypants.com.

Car Troubles?

When we first moved down to Miami from NYC, my daughter was completely freaked out by being trapped in a car seat, instead of strapped to mama, bouncing happily along. I, of course, looked for every distraction I could find, but also read that having toys hanging from the car seat was unsafe, and I, luckily, stumbled across this gizmo in my research.
The Auto Mobile by Kicky Pants is genius, simple and safe. It velcros around your back seat handles to create a hanging (safe) place to tether a toy or two to occupy baby. Be careful, not to hang anything heavy that would injure baby in an accident, and try to keep them to the side of their face. It works with either forward or rear-facing seats too. Like I said, genius.
Available through whateverybabyneeds.com (which also has an amazing selection of organic, and affordable clothing)

Safe (Sleeping) Travels

Now that our daughter is nearing her first birthday, we're finally looking at doing some traveling. Since she sleeps on an organic mattress in her crib, we'd also like her to have one in her travel bed (pack 'n play). Her Arms Reach mini co-sleeper had an organic mattress so we plan to get one for our travels as well. This article is a great resource for where to look for one. Another interesting option is the new Go Crib, a lightweight, inflatable portable crib that is made of PVC, Phtlalate and lead-free non-toxic materials. It also has the bonus feature of packing up into a backpack and fitting in the overhead compartment of a plane. That would help any parent sleep well.

Wonderful Wool

When our daughter was born I bought several wood puddle pads for her co-sleeper and, later, Stokke crib. Luckily, we haven't needed them too many times, but there were a few nights of diaper rash, where we let her sleep without diapers that they came in very handy. We now have the oval pad under her organic mattress in her Stokke (oval) crib and we use one of the smaller ones we got for the co-sleeper in the middle of our bed, under the sheets.
Lots of manufacturers make natural pads...we got ours from Pure-Rest, but the wool mattresses and pads from Sheperds Dream are just dreamy.
http://www.purerest.com
http://www.shepherdsdream.ca

Family sleeping is on a roll

The Humanity Family Sleeper by Humanity Organics is a great tool to have in your co-sleeping arsenal. Our daughter sleeps in her crib for most of the night, but inevitably moves into our bed in the early morning. Usually she's in between my husband and myself, but if one of us gets out of the bed, we put the sleeper roll down on that side of the bed to safeguard and allow the other one to continue sleeping without worrying about her rolling off. When my husband goes out of town I sleep with the roll on his side and sometimes I put her between the myself and the roll on my side.
It has a large pad for mama and baby to sleep and breastfeed. Soft organic cotton to absorb leaks so no sleeping on wet sheets. Easy to use. No belts, straps or buckles. Pad stays in place.
Bonus is that the body pillow is detachable in case you become a mom-to-be again. The pillow now has an all natural Kapok fill.
Can also be used in a toddler's bed to prevent them from rolling out. As I said before, now we're on a roll.
humanityorganics.com/

Too hot, too cold or just right

The Gro Egg Digital Room Thermometer by Keen is a nightlight/thermometer that my household couldn't be without. Since the air conditioning is so wonky in our house (hot in one room, cool in another) I rely on my egg in a strangely co-dependent way. My husband hates the egg because when he says that our daughter's room is cool enough, I have the courtroom-evidence-rebutle of "well, the egg says it's 74 degrees". If the room is too hot, the egg is red, too warm...orange, and just right...yellow...blue means too cold. Pretty complex for an egg.
Available on Amazon.

To teeth or not to teeth

My daughter is in what I call "Stage 2" teething. She went through an early stage of mouthing everything she came in contact with, but now at almost 11 months, she's looking for a very particular kind of thing to chew or suck on, and whatever that may be, I'd prefer for it to be free of PVC and phthalates. So whenever she reaches for a questionable toy to chew on, I try to slide one of these into her hand. I have the Haba Trix by the changing table, the Haba Salto tethered (see earlier post about Baby Buddy tethers) onto the stroller, the Green Sprouts Cornring tethered to the Ergo and I alternate between the Haba Kringelring and Green Sprouts Corn Keys tethered onto the high chair. The Haba teethers are all wood with lead-free water-based lacquerers and the Green Sprouts teethers are made from corn and are PVC, phthalate, BPA and nitrosamine free. Chew on that.

Surf's up, in a bowl

This is the Cali kids bowl by Simple Wave. It was inspired by the rolling waves of California, and allows your kids' food to stay inside the wave of their patent-pending bowl lip. It's perfect for new eaters and toddlers alike and has a suction cup that keeps it on the tray. They also make adult cali bowls for stubborn bowl-escapers like salsa and guacamole. They are made from BPA-free, medical-grade polypropylene, and they'll even give you a 20% discount on a new product if you send your old ones in for them to recycle. Kids' bowls available at Calibowl.com and Buy Buy Baby.

Sunscreens exposed

I felt that I had to share this Hall of Shame list of sunblocks from the Environmental Working Group, since so many of them are specifically marketed as baby and children sunblocks.
Please check out their listing of Top Sunblocks which I've blogged about in the past. Stay in the shade...

Get a crib-lift

I attend a weekly moms group for crawlers taught by an extremely seasoned lactation nurse, who has been telling all of us since the beginning to raise the heads of our babies' cribs with phonebooks. Apparently this can help with reflux when they're infants and teething when they're crawlers and who-knows-what down the road. Anyhow, I finally listened to her advice since our daughter was waking up several times in the night because of some nasty lateral incisors breaking through. I used some board books instead of phone books, which i end up stubbing my toe on pretty much every night. I'm considering buying some of these Baby Bed Blocks by Space Babies, but seeing that the shipping from Canada (carried by www.babyguru.ca) is more than the cost of the blocks, I may just accept the toe-stubbing as part of my nightly ritual and add it to the list of mommy-injuries I have suffered on account of my little teether.

Wave bye-bye to the waves

My husband and I both use these Pong radiation-reducing covers on our iPhones. Since as you can see in this Environmental Working Group review, the iphone 3G does not fare very well in the radiation department. The Pong cover draws the waves up and away from your head (where your brain lives). We both turn our phones on airport-mode when we're with our daughter, but if and when we do have to use it near her, it's nice to know that this deflects 60% of radiation away from you.

pongresearch.com

Buzz off, bugs

I've had several friends ask for advice on bug spray lately, and my answer is Buzz Away, which is sold on Amazon.com and at Whole Foods. It's an all natural product using only essential oils (no DEET...ick) but it works for up to 8 hours against mosquitos in a USDA test. Also protects against ticks for 2 hours. My husband, who's a mosquito magnet, doesn't get bitten in our jungly Coconut Grove backyard, so it really does work. It's also sold in towelettes and squeeze bottle.
More info at quantumhealth.com

Give me shelter

A few weeks ago, we tested out this 50 UPF Sun Smarties pop-up tent from One Step Ahead and it was great. There was plenty of room for my daughter and her mama and papa under there and it was fairly easy to get into the sand (4 small stakes that have their own little pocket on the tent). The zippers allow it to be more open-air or it can be closed up if it gets windy or cool (not likely in Miami). Enjoy the summer and the shade.

PVC and Phtalate-free pools

Instead of re-writing what's already been very well researched, I'm directing my readers to another great blog for great info on safe pools for the babes this summer. safemama.com

I just received my Sun Smarties pop-up pool by One Step Ahead. My daughter has big plans to test it out tomorrow.

Safe sunblock

Being a melanoma survivor myself, I'm rightfully obsessed in choosing the right sunscreen for myself and for my daughter (especially since she got her mama's light skin).

The best resource for picking the safest sunblock for your little one is the Environmental Working Group's Cosmetic Safety Database http://www.ewg.org/whichsunscreensarebest/2009report

Topping their list for kids' sunblocks are Heiko's natural Zinc Oxide 40 SPF sunblock. It's pricey at almost $40 a tube, but when you consider that most sunblocks you find in drugstores contain Oxybenzone, a hormone-disruptor, it seems like $40 well-spent. It does contain lavender so you may want to consider Loving Natural's (below)or another at the top of the EWG's list if you have a boy since lavender and tea tree oils may boost estrogen and hamper androgens (male hormones).
Also at the top is Loving Natural's 30 SPF, which is a more-affordable $23 a tube.

When you buy either through the above links to Amazon.com, you'll be supporting the Environmental Working Group.

Also worth mentioning, since most sunscreens don't put it on their packaging, is that you need to apply sunscreen 15-30 minutes before sun exposure, and re-apply every 1-2 hours or after swimming.