I remember being surprised when my mother-in-law first informed me that I needed to clean my upcoming arrival's new clothes in a special detergent before he was born. As a first-time mom-to-be, I listened and did as I was instructed, enjoying the smell — but certainly not the price — of the so-called baby detergent "everyone" uses.
Celeb mom, and now child health advocate, Jessica Alba did the same. She recently recounted a similar story of her mom telling her to do the same, only when she opened the box of soap and caught a whiff of the highly perfumed powder, her eyes swelled shut. After further research, she learned that the so-called baby detergent "everyone" uses is filled with chemicals and additives that aren't just unsafe for the environment, but for babies too. Thus hatched the idea for The Honest Company.
Today there are many safe, natural, and green laundry detergents specifically designed with babies in mind — including one formulated by The Honest Company. Click through for six of our favorites that are not only safe, but also effective when it comes to removing baby's stains.
When it comes to finding care for their kids, plenty of mamas turn to the Internet to facilitate their search. Moms have various networks for finding sitters, nannies, and baby nurses, from local LISTSERVs and message boards to simple notices on their Facebook pages. But how do you know if the people you find are qualified to be caring for your precious tots? Everything from doctors to toys are rated and reviewed on sites like HealthGrades and Amazon, and now caregivers are too.
