Seventh Generation: A Safer Way to Parent
As parents I think we are all finding new way to parent, especially when it comes to what we use on our kids. Seventh Generation has a wide variety of green products to help protect your kids from harsh chemicals. Check out this little wake up call video.
Just the Facts:
- There are more than 80,000 chemicals registered for use in the U.S. Comprehensive pre-market safety testing of these chemicals is not required under any federal law.
- The primary U.S. law that regulates chemicals in every day products hasn’t been updated in more than 35 years.
- In the European Union (EU), 1,328 chemicals have been banned for use in personal care products. In the U.S., only 11 chemicals have been banned or restricted by the FDA.
- Scientific evidence continues to point to the chemicals we are exposed to in our daily lives as causing or contributing to the rise in childhood behavioral disorders and diseases.
- Cancer is now the leading cause of child-related death in the U.S., exceeded only by injury.
All those chemicals make you think. If Europe is banning those why aren’t we?
Easy Steps to Take
Healthy Child Healthy World offers plenty of simple, affordable actions families can take daily at home to decrease chemical exposure. These small steps add up!
- Take off your shoes at the door: 85 percent of the dirt in our homes is tracked inside on the bottom of our shoes. It’s not just dirt, but toxins like lead, pesticides, gasoline residue and more. Keep your home safer by taking off your shoes. It’s the public health equivalent of washing your hands.
- Buy safer body care: Children are exposed to an average of 27 care product ingredients on a daily basis that have not been found safe for developing bodies. Protect your family’s health by avoiding products that ingredients like parabens, synthetic fragrances, triclosan and more. For a list of the most toxic offenders, download our free eBook, “Easy Steps to a Healthy & Safe Nursery” at Healthychild.org/resource-center.
- Open a window: People spend about 90 percent of their time inside, but indoor air is typically far more polluted than outside. So, open those windows! Even a few minutes a day can improve indoor air quality.
- Eat more whole foods: Processed foods may be convenient, but they’re also loaded with sweeteners, artificial flavors and colorings, and synthetic preservatives. These lack nutrients and many are also linked to health issues like ADHD and even cancer. Reduce by eating more whole foods.
- Ban the can: Bisphenol-A (BPA), a hormone disruptor that has been linked to everything from obesity to cancer, is in the plastic resin that lines most canned goods—from soups to sodas. Avoiding canned food for significantly lowers exposure. Look for foods packaged in glass or eat fresh, dried, and frozen options.
Want to get involved?
Alert them to the new NATIONAL availability of Seventh Generation diapers, wipes and cleaning products at all Target stores. Now it’s easier than ever to makeover the nursery and cleaning cabinet!
- Host a 2014 Healthy Baby Home Party of their own: http://7gen.us/14O5fbN
- Urge Senators to strengthen and pass the Chemical Safety Improvement Act (CSIA).
I was sent some Seventh Generation samples to try out and I love them. Just knowing they are good for my kiddo makes they easier to just grab and use. I have been spreading the love about them to my co-workers (one who is pregnant) so that gives me a great feeling of accomplishment. I have also used their household products in the past and love them as well. I prefer to use green chemicals in my kitchen and bathroom because I know there are little hands that will touch those surfaces. It’s a good to have a bit of piece about that in my mind. These make a great gift too!
At the briefing there was a short Q&A session with our presenters. Here are a couple questions I found very interesting.Seventh Generation, Maureen
Presenters:
- Wolpert, Cara Bondi
- Healthy Child Healthy World, Alexandra Zissu
I find it difficult to purchase green products because I’m on a budget. Do you have tips for taking small steps or areas I should prioritize?
(Alexandra) Prioritize what you are comfortable giving up and/or changing. Make sure whatever change you are making is something you can actually do. Cleaning products are great thing to switch out first because you can drastically reduce your indoor air pollution without much of a change and the price point quite similar.
You can give up fabric softener or drier sheets that you don’t really need to clean anything, and you can take that money and put it towards a more expensive product. You can also make your own cleaners with vinegar and water; then you can adjust your budget and shift that money to something else.
Do you have a suggestion about how to safely and effectively clean my children’s high chair and toys?
(Alexandra) A lot of people tend to clean high chairs and toys with really harsh chemicals that leave a residue on the toys and high chairs, which the babies eat off of. The residue has a direct root of ingestion to their mouth! I’m a fan of regular, plant-based soap and hot water. If you’re looking for something to disinfect or kill germs, hydrogen peroxide and hydrogen peroxide-based cleaners will do the job. You can also use something stronger with Thymol in it. But you don’t need bleach!
Are there areas of the house you should pay particular attention to when creating a healthy, safe environment for children?
(Cara) Floors are an important area and any other surfaces that they come in contact with—countertops, high chairs or trays. They are licking and eating everything! So whatever they are putting in their mouth you want to have an idea of what it’s been cleaned with. There are a lot of residues from conventional spray cleaners that can be injected and aren’t necessarily good. With floors, keep it clean by sweeping, mopping and using products that have low toxins and are environmentally friendly.
In accordance with the FTC guidelines, your post should include an appropriate disclosure statement, such as: “I participated in this program on behalf of Seventh Generation and The Motherhood. All opinions are my own.”
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