The Best Green Baby Resources on the Web

Comment by Naima Freitas -- September 3, 2007 @ 8:05 pm I was just researching info for the LYFE Center (daycare center for teenage mothers) at my school and found your blog. Can you recommend any websites for up-to-date information on health and risks of formulas (some are better than others), bottles, products, etc. These girls could really use some concise information. Or would you mind if they email you? I’m going to order your book for a our library, but most of them get a little daunted by books ... sad to say.

We always welcome emails from anyone with environmental health and/or green parenting related questions, not just people who have read our book so by all means have them get in touch! We have also written on some of these topics right here at "Ask An Organic Mom" so first off I'd say The Daily Green is a great website for up-to-date information. In fact, my co-author, Deirdre, recently posted about her quest to find the Breast Is Best But What's Next?best organic formula possible. It’s both concise and comprehensive.

If you’re surfing off this site, another of my favorite up-to-date sites with important information on all of the above is HealthyChild.org. It’s run by the organization Healthy Child Healthy World and is very user-friendly. The first thing you see on the home page are clear links to areas covering Food & Nutrition, Baby Care, Prevention, Non-Toxic & Natural Products, Hazards & Threats, plus Sustainability & Lifestyle. NB: the information on the site is largely pro-breastfeeding so there isn’t much on formula (except for great information on the water used to mix powdered formulas) but there are articles on the safest bottles to use.

I personally also get a lot out of the articles written on TheGreenGuide.com. (Full disclosure: I have written for them, and they featured The Complete Organic Pregnancy in an article.) A quick search on their site reveals the sort of information you’re searching for on bottles and products. It also does seem to have a pro-breastfeeding stance. This is pretty typical for any site concerned with environmental health.

To check out safe cosmetics, including creams and the like for babies, I often turn to the database run by The Environmental Working Group or www.cosmeticsdatabase.com.

Another great site is Healthycar.org. A lot of parents know to check out the safety of bottles and toys lately, but not everyone considers the safety of their car seat. In late 2006, The Ecology Center tested over 60 seats sold at big stores like Target and Babies-R-Us for bromine, chlorine, lead, as well as other heavy metals, allergens, and carcinogens. To check out their findings, click on “Car Seat Guide.” Bear in mind, of course, that car seats are not an optional item. Just because some of them contain neurotoxins like lead and chemical flame retardant doesn’t mean anyone should ever forgo using one. If your students are in the market for new ones, this would be great pre-shopping research.

Hope this helps.