Green Options

Open any pregnancy or baby book, and you’ll find that list: the baby essentials, the things you absolutely cannot live without.  While many accessories are easily recognized as frivolous, certain items are truly indispensable: the basic necessities for life with a baby.

Or are they?

In this weekly series, we’ll be looking at several baby essentials that really aren’t.  They may be useful in certain situations, but if money or space is tight, or if you’re just looking to simplify and reduce consumerism and waste, here’s how to get along just fine without these so-called “essentials.“

In Part 1, we questioned the crib.   Part 2 bemoaned the bucket.  Part 3 scrutinized the stroller.  Part 4 ditched the diapers.  This week, let’s scrub the tub!

This week there’s been more news about various chemicals in products we all use everyday with our families. Of course, a thrust of this blog is how to limit this exposure as much as possible. But it is moving target, one with daily discoveries and an ever changing landscape of news and new research.

Over at Non-Toxic Kids I posted about Triclosan, a chemical in all those antibacterial products you see everywhere, ranging from toothpaste, to soap, keyboards, cosmetics, bedding, you name it. The Environmental Working Group just released an extensive report about Triclosan, and it the many health and environmental problems associated with it.