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Newly Pregnant? Here's an 8-Step Crash Course in Going Green

A friend of mind just called to tell me that she happily, but unexpectedly, just found out she’s nearly three months pregnant. She wanted advice on how to get organic immediately because even if she hasn’t been all that organic up until now, she’d prefer to hedge the bets of her unborn child. In this column we talk about lots of specific organic parenting ideas, but I told her that the following eight things will cover the big picture and if she does them she’ll be able to catch up quick.

Mother with Baby

1. Food

Start eating whole foods (as close to how it came out of the earth as possible), paying attention to which items are more and less toxic. Meat is high on the food chain and therefore more toxic; vegetables are lower. For information on joining a community supported farm check out Local Harvest. Avoid packaged foods and try to eat a varied diet that includes plenty of protein, calcium, whole grains and folic acid. (Take a daily vitamin with folic acid as well to be sure you’re meeting the requirement.)


2. Water

Test the tap water at home for contaminants and deal with it – a Brita-style carbon carafe pitcher will take care of most issues. Stop drinking bottled water and carry your beverages in something safer like glass or stainless steel – there are great water bottles at SIGGand Klean Kanteen – to avoid chemical-leaching plastic, as well as help save some earth.


3. Air

You can’t always control what you’re breathing – the carpet at the bank or toxic bathroom cleaners at work – but wherever possible (in the car, at work, at home) open the windows and keep your environment as well-ventilated as possible. ...



Remodeling? Watch Out for Lead Paint

If you’re thinking about doing any kind of renovations in your house, obviously, lead exposure should be seriously considered. The possibility of releasing toxic dust into the air is higher in a home built before 1978 (when the government banned lead-based paint in housing), and the turn of the century brownstone I live in most certainly has a few coats of lead paint on it. We rent, so we couldn’t renovate even if we wanted to, but a new study from researchers at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center found that interior renovation of older housing is associated with a modest increase in children’s blood lead level (BLL) and associated long-term health risks. The study’s lead author and director is Adam Spanier, M.D., Ph.D. M.P.H., from the Pediatric Environmental Health and Lead Clinic at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. His co-author Stephen Wilson, M.D., from the Pediatric Academic Society (PAS), presented his findings in Honolulu over the weekend. ...



Finding Nontoxic Toys

Yes, I'm writing about toys again. And I'll probably do it again and again until there are better regulations or until so many items are tested by legit third party organizations that it becomes crystal clear what parents can feel comfortable buying and bringing home.

2008 Prediction: Toxic Air Fresheners Are Out

I have a zillion green resolutions of my own I could share here but far more interesting, I think, is to do a little predicting (and fantasizing) about what might come to pass during 2008 in the world of green/organic parenting. 2007, as we all know too well, was the year of the toxic toy and the chemically-tainted bottle. In other words, it was the year parents who don’t necessarily self-identify as green or organic got a serious wake up call. The way many of these parents approached their environment has forever been changed. Case in point: In the past few weeks on my local parenting message board there have been posts from totally mainstream moms and dads asking about the environmental health/safety of conventional crib mattresses, lead-tainted Christmas light wires, and how best to mask poopy diaper stench. ...

Many Toxic Toys Still for Sale This Holiday

A new report exposes deeper problems. Learn how to avoid toxic toys.

In Toxic Toy Wasteland, Some Good News

Target gets it.




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Two down-to-earth experts answer your questions about raising children toxin-free... read more.
about the authors
Alexandra Zissu

Alexandra Zissu

Alexandra Zissu is a co-author of The Complete Organic Pregnancy... read full bio.
Deirdre Dolan

Deirdre Dolan

Deirdre Dolan is a co-author of The Complete Organic Pregnancy... read full bio.
buy the book

buy the book

The Complete Organic Pregnancy
What you need to know - from the nail polish you wear to the bed you sleep in to the water you drink.
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