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