Homemade Baby Food

As I was preparing lunch for my daughter today I was considering the fact that since I have gone to making baby food at home, I have saved a considerable amount of money. At first I was hesitant about making baby food at home, I figured it would take a lot of time up, create a big mess (I am a good cook, or so my husband claims, but I have a tendency to leave the kitchen in quite a state of chaos).

But since I was curious and I had a gift certificate, I purchased the So Easy Baby Food Kit from Babies 'R Us for $37.99, it comes with a cookbook, two freezer trays with lids, DVD and nutritional information card. The kit claims you can make baby food easily in 30 minutes per week. I have not sat through the whole DVD so I cannot say much for it, I am sure it is helpful but unfortunately when I do sit down and pop in a DVD I would prefer it be a movie that I can enjoy with my husband.

Pros:

• The cookbook goes over everything from picking the produce, how to store them properly or even encourage them to ripen if they are not. It also includes various ways to cook the produce that you pick including microwave, baking, steaming, etc. The cookbook nicely divides foods into the month ranges that they should be first introduced and provides advice on combining foods, possible allergies, even spices. On the page of each item it includes a line to write the date introduced to your baby and notes.
  
• The trays are handy with their lids, instead of wrapping ice cube trays in cellophane.
• The nutrition cards are great, especially helpful to leave out for babysitters because they cover everything from sources of certain nutrients, age that food should be introduced, and first aid for choking. Big bonus is they are waterproof!

Cons:

• I was not aware when I purchased the kit that the 30 minutes a day was mainly dependent on microwaving all of the produce to cook it, as opposed to baking, steaming and other options. I am not a huge fan of microwaves and much prefer the control I have when I am baking or steaming so that the produce is not overcooked and could lose its valuable nutrients. While the cookbook gives the estimated time to prep each individual produce it is based on microwave times.
  
• The cookbook does not include meat recipes in it, but does include tofu which is a great source of protein.
• The ice trays included are the same pretty much as the conventional ice trays you can buy at a grocery or drug store, it would have been nice if they were slightly larger for serving size purposes. If at least one tray had larger cubes it would be wonderful for when your baby gets older and starts eating larger portions. Right now I end up feeding my daughter about 4-5 ice cubes per meal.

Overall I think it is a bit pricey for something that can be easily researched on the internet. I would like to include in this post a website that I think has some awesome recipes especially for toddlers. The website is Wholesomebabyfood.com, and I would highly recommend it, it also has some great articles on food allergies, sweeteners, and even recipe contests sometimes.

5 Ways to Keep Bisphenol A, or BPA, Out of Your Food

This will be it for me tonight, but I thought I would post this before retiring to go spend time with my husband. This relates to my post "BPA and Human Disease" as it mentions a couple basic ways to avoid BPA in your daily dietary habits other than just disposing of the plastic water bottles with the number 7 on the bottom. I think it is important to note as a mom who bottle feeds that the list includes using powder formula instead of the ready-to-serve kind. To find out more check out the article.

read more | digg story

Medicine Cabinet Au Naturale

I receive the Babycenter Bulletin in my inbox just for random updates and helpful hints on parenting. Yesterday I received their bulletin with a link titled "10 poisons found in every home", which led to an article "Poison-proofing your home". It started making my wheels turn about what could be done about some of the more obvious compounds you can find in your home that your children could possibly get their little hands on and ingest. I already have latches on all the cabinets, but there is always room for improvement. Since I already use all biodegradable natural cleaners, most of them either from Method or Shaklee, my medicine cabinet is the next area to tackle.

I found a little article on Gaiam Life as I was using StumbleUpon, it is titled "9 Holistic Remedies You need in Your Medicine Cabinet" and it includes some nice affordable holistic remedies. It contains holistic remedies that naturopathic doctors use at home and suggest that their patients use as well for everything from insomnia to athlete's foot. Some suggested additions to your medicine cabinet include simple things like Vitamin C for cold and flu, white vinegar for athlete's foot, arnica for bruises swelling and pain relief, and honey for cuts and dry skin. It is important to remember that not all natural products are safe for children, especially out of that list Vitamin C and especially arnica can be hazardous if ingested in large quantities. But overall the list appears to have far less toxic substances than the normal medicines I have in my first aid kit. To read the article which contains all 9 remedies, their uses, directions, and why they work click on the read more below link. Note I have just started using digg, as I figured it would be easier to link to articles that I find and want to post about here.

read more | digg story

Fountain of Youth?

Telomerase is an enzyme (indicated by the "-ase" ending) that adds DNA sequences to the three prime end of a DNA strand in the telomere region. Telomeres are condensed DNA material at the end of a DNA strand that provide structure to the DNA strand.

So what is the big deal about telomeres and telomerase you may ask? Why am I geeking out over scientific nonsense on an blog focusing mainly on an eco-friendly lifestyle? Well I am glad you ask (or you clicked on a link or typed in a url to lead yourself away from my blog already).

As we live our lives our cells are continuously replacing themselves and during this replication process, mitosis, DNA sequences usually within the telomere region are lost. Telomerase allows for the replacement of these regions of DNA. As we ag our level of telomerase declines as well as the length of our telomeres, which is part of what causes us to age.

In a study done by scientists and doctors at UCSF and the Preventive Medicine Research Institute in Saulsalito, 30 prostate cancer patients were instructed to follow a low-fat diet, exercise moderately, and reduce their stress. Within a mere 3 months levels of telomerase, which was being concentrated on in the prostrate tissues of these patients, rose significantly. While the researchers can only speculate that the increased levels of telomerase are due to the change in lifestyle and are calling for a larger and more strictly controlled research project on this subject, their findings are encouraging for a couple reasons. Low levels of telomerase is often indicative of disease risk and premature death rates in cancer patients, and it is related to the natural aging process.

Dr. Dean Ornish, the director of the Preventive Medicine Research Institute and one of the leading researchers, has long been a proponent of a healthier lifestyle to prevent and even reverse certain diseases including heart disease. The findings of these researchers has been published in the British Lancet Oncology, and the article that I gleamed the information on this research project is titled "Changing diet, exercise found to extend lives" in the San Francisco Chronicle.

I can only hope that these types of research trials will encourage people to adopt a healthier lifestyle, even if it is for the vain goal of preventing themselves from aging. This in turn would help the earth since people wouldn't be consuming tons of unnecessary calories and wasting food that ends up in landfills along with the packaging for all of those food products and maybe even go outside and exercise instead of sitting in front of a screen of some sort or behind a steering wheel for most of their day. I would hope that it would be common sense to people that eating a well balanced diet, exercising, and reducing stress (the one thing I often fail at) is the best way to stay healthy, then again we are in an obesity epidemic in the United States.

BPA and Human Disease

Since BPA is technically an environmental concern if you consider anything that is around you as part of your environment, I figured it fitting to write about an article I was reading this morning that I found on http://news.google.com in the Science and Health section. The FDA is currently reviewing the possible health risks of BPA, or bisphenol-A, a chemical compound used to produce polycarbonate plastic a clear shatter-resistant plastic. BPA can be found in everything from the majority of baby bottles on the market to food utensils and even dental fillings.

In the Journal of the American Medical Association, British researchers have published a finding that indicates that the highest levels of BPA in 25% of adults was associated with these individuals being twice as likely to have heart disease and/or diabetes when compared with 25% of the sampled adults with the lowest levels of BPA. BPA levels were measured in a population of 1,455 U.S. adults between the ages of 18 and 74 through blood and urine samples. The study has shown to correlate with previous studies found in animal laboratory tests, but there is still much research to be done to determine whether BPA is in fact the cause or the high levels found in urine and blood are a symptom of another problem. To read the full article click on the title, "Common Plastics Chemical Linked to Human Disease" by Michael Kahn.

While I am not trying to run around adding to the hysteria over BPA, I do think it is important to be hesistant about human made compounds that we consume and assimilate into our body.
All this does is to reaffirm the need for further study of BPA when it is related to human consumption especially when those consumers are young children who are still developing. While the government can say something is safe, I do not plan on gambling with the health of my children. Since I could not breastfeed due to medical reasons I made sure I went with BPA-free baby bottles. Companies including Born Free, Green to Grow, Dr. Brown's, and Nuby have BPA-free baby bottles and sippy cups available a local retailers and many online retailers. I just recently noticed Playtex has also jumped on the bandwagon and I anticipate that many other larger companies will too as this continues to be a concern for parents. And for all of us adults instead of using tons of disposable plastic bottles, which contain BPA, think about investing in a reusable bottle. Companies such as Sigg, Camelbak, and Nalgene all make bottles that are BPA-free and there are a variety of colors and sizes to match anyone's fashion and lifestyle.

Alma Mater

So while I planned mostly to write about our eco-efforts as a family, I thought I would write about something that I am currently trying to deal with. I graduated just over a year ago with my degree from Cal Poly and was supposed to receive my diploma about 2 months after I received a letter congratulating me on finally being done with school. Mind you I almost wasn't able to graduate because of an alteration I made to my elective course list. Of course I was busy with far more important things 2 months after I received that letter in October 2007 because well I had a baby and a house and a husband to take care of! Before I end up getting distracted again from receiving this wonderful piece of paper, that I will probably just stuff in a folder, I find myself playing email tag with the Office of Academic Records at my Alma Mater.

Here is the real mind boggling part to this situation, their hours at the Office of Academic Records are 10am to 12pm and then 1pm to 3pm. Why is it that the university bureaucracy allows these people to somehow magically work only a portion of the day in comparison to most people and still have a salary to live on?

Purchased a Stroller

I finally purchased a stroller after having trolled forums, read reviews, and done much measuring and remeasuring my Prius' trunk and then comparing those measurements to the folded dimensions of many strollers. Mind you I paid a pretty penny for this stroller, which pains me to say since I was hoping to not spend a ton on a double stroller.

I purchased a pink camouflage (only because it was one of two colors on sale) Phil & Ted's Four In One Sport Buggy Stroller from pishposhbaby.com, I still can't believe I purchased from a site with that url...
But it is a 2008 model and it came with a free attachment so I paid the base price of $419.95 instead of the full $509.95 price tag.

Here is the catch though! My husband asked me why there always has to be a back-up plan when we finally have found a stroller. That's because I am such a penny pincher. As long as we don't use the stroller before Thursday, which is when my husband and I will get to do some shopping at the SCV Kid's Consignment Sale then we may still find something cheaper in the near future before the Phil & Ted's stroller even arrives (it is currently estimated to arrive this Friday). At the very least I am hoping to find maybe a crib at the consignment sale since I just blew so much money on a stroller.

I guess I will just keep telling myself that I will be using it a lot. I guess I will be walking to my parent's house more once the 100 degree heat subsides. But in the hopes of helping other parents going through the dilemma of a double stroller and a Prius, while I cannot provide a review on these strollers, they have relatively compact folded dimensions and I will provide these and price ranges for them below.

Chicco Trevi Twin Stroller
Folded Dimensions: I received an email finally frm Chicco in regards to the dimensions when folded and they are 44.6 x 10 x 16.7 inches.
Price that I have found online is $219.99

Combi Twin Sport 2 Double Stroller
Folded Dimensions: 22 x 16.5 x 40 inches
Price Ranging from $159.99 to $200+
Note: I have reservations about the Combi strollers after my experience with the Combi Helio, which I wrote a review on.

Zooper Tango Stroller
Folded Dimensions: 15.5x30.5x41 inches
Price Ranging from $299.99 (at albeebaby.com, it is currently on sale, I do not know when the sale will end) all the way up to $429.99

Maclaren's Twin Techno Stroller
Folded Dimensions: 45x18x17.5 inches
Price Ranging from $330.00 without the Comfort Pack or with Comfort Pack $361.00 to just over $400.00 online.
Note: The catch with Maclaren is they do not honor the warranty unless you buy from an authorized dealer, which you can locate using their website. They do not have Babies 'R Us listed despite the fact that it is an authorized dealer (I contacted Maclaren in regards to this). The lowest price available for this stroller from an authorized dealer is $399.99 at Babies 'R Us but the only comfort pack available is forest green.

Most of the prices that I have located are all from online retailers some of them national chains, some online boutiques, I used www.froogle.com.

Review: Combi Helio 2008 Stoller

Previously we had been using a Graco Spree Stroller that had come in the travel system we bought with a Graco Snugride Infant Car Seat. But honestly while durable (it has survived our dog chewing on the wheels) the stroller is pretty cumbersome and takes up almost all of the bottom of the trunk in our Prius. So before our last road trip we decided to downsize and get something that would take up less trunk space and mean we could still find our daughter among all of the stuff that we previously were packing in the backseat with her. We went to a store that specifically specializes in baby and children supplies and found our new Combi Helio 2008 Stroller in Ember and Wasabi. I have held off writing a review because I honestly figured I wanted to give the stroller some time to break in and really see what problems could possibly arise. We have now had the stroller for a month and have taken it everywhere we can with us from walking around our neighbor, which was a challenge before even with the Graco because not all the roads around our house are paved, to going shopping at the mall, supermarket, walking all over town. The list of features advertised on this stroller include the following:

• Taller Handles
• Wider seating area
• Compatible with Shuttle Infant Seat
• Quick and simple tri-fold
• Lightweight and portable lifestyle stroller
• Opens easily with one hand
• Deep recline will accommodate an infant
• Adjustable European Style Canopy with Viewing Window
• Basket with easy access
• Convenient carrying strap for traveling
• Removable Guardrail with Washable Fabric Cover
• Front swivel wheels for easy maneuvering
• Convenient footrest for toddler comfort
• Removable, Washable Padded Seat Cushion
• Seat cushion has air mesh ventilation that allows baby to stay cool
• Independent wheel suspension system for a smooth and restful ride
• Includes Safety Boot
• 5-Point Harness w/ Logo
• Removable kids tray with a cup holder and snack tray
• Includes removable diaper bag

The stroller weighs 13.4lbs can accomodate up to a 55lb child, has open dimensions of 32.5X15.25X40.

The biggest pro for us was that it was lightweight and folded up compactly. Otherwise the other pros that have come in handy are as follows:

• Removable diaper bag, which fits a quite a few diapers, a small case of wipes, and some extra binkies or a toy quite easily.
• The recline is very simple to operate and it goes back to a nice recline for our daughter to sleep in.
• I like the hinges on the side of the canopy to open it and collapse it down, they are easily operated and do not get stuck like on our Graco stroller.
• The carrying strap has come in handy when we have had to just carry our daughter due to certain terrain.

Unfortunately the list ends there, as we have had some rather frustrating happenings with this stroller (note I plan on contacting the company about these and will be writing another review after I do that to comment on the company's response to my complaints).

Cons:

• When folded the lock, which consists of a latch type mechanism, has a tendency to pop open causing the stroller to unfold from the tri-fold.
  
• The basket has a bar blocking access from directly behind the seat and there is not much space to access it from the sides either. I expected the basket to be small but it is almost unsuable except for very small items.
• The front swivel wheels have a tendency to get stuck so after making a turn sometimes they will not return to a straight position resulting in sudden stops.
  
• The locks on the front stroller wheels are very stiff, I have to operate them with my hands, and according to the instructions must be on when you are folding up the stroller to prevent damage to the wheels, which means I have to repeatedly bend over when folding and opening this stroller to work the locks.
• The brakes on the rear wheels are very stiff as well, requiring that you wear shoes unless you possibly like scrapping your toes on the plastic to flip them up into the unlock position.
• The handles do not seem to be that tall, but that seems to be a continuing problem with most of the strollers that my husband and I have tried, I am 5'9" and he is 6'0" and we are constantly kicking the wheels when using this and our Graco stroller.
• It says that it opens easily with one hand, and while yes I can unlatch the lock with one hand to open it takes me personally two hands to make sure that it locks when unfolded.

While I really wanted to love this stroller as it does have a child cup holder and some nice features the problem with the front wheels in particular has become near unbearable, I can barely manuever through the bookshelves at Barnes & Noble without getting stuck every two minutes.

Triclosan - An Unnecessary Antibacterial Now Shown to be Toxic | Blog | Healthy Child Healthy World

Triclosan - An Unnecessary Antibacterial Now Shown to be Toxic | Blog | Healthy Child Healthy World

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