LilSugar

Clean Up Your Home: 5 Chemicals to Avoid in Home Cleaning Products

Rebecca M Gruber — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 08:32:32 PST

Keeping a clean and healthy home is a priority for many moms - so much so that it is the number one thing moms think they are judged about - but what they clean with may be doing more harm than good. Even products labeled as "green" and "kid safe" can be causing allergic reactions or contributing to long-term health issues.

Healthy Child Healthy World has teamed up with Women's Voices For the Earth to share the results of a surprising study about hidden chemicals in household cleaners. An independent lab tested 20 of the name-brand cleaning products and found allergens and toxins in bottles, detergents, dryer sheets, and air fresheners from some of the most popular companies around. Take a look at which products landed on the list, and see what to look out for before buying your next cleaning product.

Male Infertility Explained: Test Your Knowledge of the Causes

Rebecca M Gruber — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 05:27:34 PDT

Wearing a cup while playing sports and avoiding hot baths before sex used to be the only advice men were given to prevent fertility issues. With one in six couples now having trouble conceiving after a year of trying, it's no wonder that younger men and women are seeking to prevent infertility even before they are ready to become parents. A recent article in The Wall Street Journal identified several surprising causes of male infertility. Take this quiz and see how much you know about issues affecting men's sperm.

Take the Quiz

Hidden Nursery Toxins, Test Your Knowledge!

Rebecca M Gruber — Mon, 23 May 2011 10:07:00 PDT

Your lil one's car seat may have passed a crash test, but would it pass a chemical test? A new study reported in the Environmental Science and Technology journal has found "potentially toxic" flame retardants in more than 80 of the 101 common baby products tested, including car seats, nursing pillows, and highchairs.

By now, most moms and mamas-to-be are well aware of the dangers that lurk in older baby bottles. We know to look for BPA-free labels on the products our lil ones use, but BPA is only one of the toxins that lurks in nurseries. Take this quiz to see what you know about creating a safe space for your wee one.

Take the Quiz

Household Items Can Affect Men and Women's Fertility; Test Your Knowledge!

Heather Maddan — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 14:38:00 PST

Are items in your home keeping you and your partner from filling it with children? You will be surprised to find out which standard products might affect your fertility. In a soon-to-be released book, titled The Healthy Home: Simple Truths to Protect Your Family from Hidden Household Dangers, Dr. Myron Wentz and his son Dave Wentz talk about common household items that may pose problems. Test your knowledge!

Take the Quiz

Best Tips of 2010: Parenting Advice From Dr. Oz!

LilSugar — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 06:00:00 PST

Let children live! That's what Dr. Mehmet Oz advises new parents to do. The cardiac surgeon and author, whose latest book You: Raising Your Child (The Owner's Manual From First Breath to First Grade) is a must read, speaks from experience, as he is also a father of four! I had the chance to interview him and ask his expert opinion on popular parenting issues. Check out all he had to say.

Ever wonder which foods are worth the fight? Dr. Oz tells us the five foods every child should eat!
Parents have their baby...and then what? Dr. Oz offers his guidelines for a newborn's first month of life.
There are lots of things mothers worry about, but Dr. Oz told us what he thinks are the top three concerns for new parents.
To drive-thru or keep driving: a parent's dilemma. Dr. Oz gave us his thoughts on fast food.
From whooping cough to peanut allergies to vaccines, Dr. Oz chimed in on hot topics!

Healthy Child Healthy World: How Every Mom Can Change the World

Heather Maddan — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 15:00:00 PST

The world is changing - sometimes for the better and sometimes, for the worse. In a recent interview, Dr. Oz said that toxins should be a primary concern for new parents. From baby shampoo to house paint and the foods we pack in our children's lunch boxes, parents have the power to make the best choices for their kids. Watch this Healthy Child Healthy World video and decide if you will promote change in your household and beyond.

A Wake-Up Story from Healthy Child Healthy World on Vimeo.

Dr. Oz Gives His Expert Opinion on Parenting Issues

Heather Maddan — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 06:00:38 PST

Let children live! That's what Dr. Mehmet Oz advises new parents to do. The cardiac surgeon and author, whose latest book You: Raising Your Child (The Owner's Manual From First Breath to First Grade) ($14) is a must read, speaks from experience, as he is also a father of four! I recently had the chance to interview him and ask his expert opinion on popular parenting issues. Check out all he had to say.

Dr. Oz on Whooping Cough, Peanut Allergies, and Cloth Diapers

Heather Maddan — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 06:00:00 PDT

Most kids turn out all right! That's something Dr. Mehmet Oz says nervous new parents should be reminded of. It's important to let children live! The cardiac surgeon and author, whose latest book You: Raising Your Child (The Owner's Manual From First Breath to First Grade) ($14) is a must read, speaks from experience, as he is also a father of four! But, I recently had the chance to chat with him about hot topics from vaccines to diapering.

LilSugar: Is the threat of whooping cough a huge issue or a highly publicized issue?
Dr. Mehmet Oz: Well, I'm worried about it. These are Victorian era illnesses that we hadn't seen in a long time. My father who is 85 had siblings who died of Whooping cough - these are not rare events in the 20s and 30s. In NYC, there was a huge outbreak of adults and whooping cough, so I got vaccinated because I'm around patients a lot, and I don't want to give them something that could potentially be lethal to them if they were getting heart surgery. I think it also makes sense for children.

My wife and I were very cautious about vaccines. Lisa is very skeptical of a lot of the information that is in support of vaccines. I tend to believe it because it's my cultural background - to look at the information and tend to trust it, but there's schisms within families like mine (let alone in society). But, I do think that if you make sure your child is healthy when they get the vaccine, keep them nutritionally up-to-date, and keep them sleeping well when they get the vaccine, they will tolerate the inflammatory condition which is caused by a vaccine because there will be some inflammation around it. The majority of kids tolerate vaccines well, and for the majority of their life (if not their entire life), they are then immune from an illness that could be life-threatening. It turns out that whooping cough vaccine does not give you life-long immunity for a lot of people, which is why you have to get revaccinated. Certainly as a child, I would get vaccinated; that's not one of these new color vaccines that people moan and groan about. These are old time vaccines that have been in use before I was born (and I'm 50) with a pretty good track record.

To see Dr. Oz's comments on peanut allergies and the cloth versus disposable diaper debate,

read more. LS: Why are peanut allergies so prevalent now? Is there anything an expectant mother can do to prevent her child from getting a peanut allergy? MO: There are more peanut allergies now. We think part of it might be because peanut oil is found in so much stuff. I'd be cautious as a mom eating peanuts for concern that you might create some awkward inter-uterine response, but the bigger issue now when kids are young is to let them eat it by itself until you are sure they don't have an issue, because its cause is an immune weakness in the gut - that is really where the reaction happens. And, I'm unaware of a solution for that. I don't know why it's so common, but it has increased a lot. LS: Are cloth diapers better? MO: We had this debate in my house, and my wife said the amount of chemicals used to clean the cloth diapers was the same as the headache of having landfills filled (with the disposable diapers). I don't have an answer. I don't think one is better than the other. You could let the kid run around naked, and I guess that's the best option I gather (laughs). Check out other portions of our interview with Dr. Oz here!

Interview With Dr. Oz: Top Three Concerns For New Parents

Heather Maddan — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 04:00:14 PDT

Most kids turn out all right! That's something Dr. Mehmet Oz says that nervous new parents should be reminded. It's important to let children live! The cardiac surgeon and author, whose latest book You: Raising Your Child (The Owner's Manual From First Breath to First Grade) ($14) is a must read, speaks from experience, as he is also a father of four! But, I recently had the chance to chat with him about a few important issues that should be of concern.

LilSugar: How conscious should parents be of Bisphenol-A (BPA) and how nervous should we be because it's in so many things from shampoo containers to dishes to bath toys?
Dr. Oz: I'm concerned about it. It's an estrogen disruptor. The younger the child is, the more concerned I am about it. As you get older, I'd probably relax a bit on the stuff because as an adult, it isn't all that important we don't think, but why would you take a chance? So hard plastics, I'd stay away from. Those receipts - those carbon receipts at the store - those have lots of BPA in them. Pay attention to the stuff. The big overarching concept is that you vote with your pocketbook every time you buy these things so if you are willing to buy stuff that isn't carefully prepared for you than people will keep making it! There's usually a reason why they are making it with BPA - it's cheaper.

LilSugar: Would you say BPA is in the top three concerns for a parent of a new baby?
Dr. Oz: Oh, yeah. I'd put it in top three. BPA and phthalates (in the plastics) and probably the hormones and pesticides and chemicals we find in our water and food supply now. I'd probably put those in the top three.

LilSugar: What do you think is the cause behind early on-set puberty?
Dr. Oz: I think the issue with early puberty is two things - obesity and chemicals released into the food supply because of pesticides and because of hormones given to animals. Those are the things I worry about. We throw away our prescription drugs into the toilet usually - we flush them away - but, they don't disappear, they just get dissolved into water. If you look at the water around big cities, there's almost no male fish anymore because there's estrogen compounds in all that junk and fish do not declare their gender until they are already born and maturing so they morph to that and you're getting all these female fish.

Check out other portions of our interview with Dr. Oz here!

Skip the Spooky Makeup and Buy Nontoxic Brands

Rebecca M Gruber — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 13:00:00 PDT

Be spooked by lil ghosts and goblins on Halloween night, not the ingredients used to create their costumes. All Hallows' Eve can be scary for a mama who reads the list of substances used to make face paint, nail polish, and hair spray. Most commercially sold products have been found to contain lead, which can impair brain development, as well as nickel, cobalt, and chromium, which can cause skin rashes and sensitization - despite advertising hypoallergenic ingredients.

While avoiding makeup all together is the best bet for keeping tots safe, here are a few other actions moms can take to keep lil ones looking like their favorite characters without exposing them to added toxins:

Make your own Halloween makeup with all-natural ingredients. We've found recipes for realistic looking goop (wounds, warts, etc.), face paint, fake blood, and fairy glitter.
Create your own hair spray to achieve nontoxic spikes, Mohawks, and curls.
Polish off lil looks with nontoxic nail polishes like Hopscotch Kids, Suncoast, or Piggy Paint.
Seek out non-Halloween organic makeup, such as Luna Organics Pixi Kit to achieve kids' desired looks.
Trade in mama's red lipstick for a tinted beeswax balm that is safer to lil ones who tend to ingest it.