Accidentally Green

Making Healthy Decisions That Honor God and Happen to Help the Environment

How to Choose Safe Toys

Black Friday’s just four days away … that means it’s almost time for the official start of the Christmas shopping season! Before you buy any toys for the children on your shopping list, review these tips to make safe selections: It’s very important to follow the age limits on toys – the limit does not depend on developmental appropriateness, but safety. When buying secondhand toys, beware of anything that’s very old – try to prevent your children’s exposure to lead-based paint. Choose ... Read more

Phthalates, Yet Again

What would Accidentally Green be like without warnings about phthalates? Yet again, these nasty chemicals that damage a child’s reproductive system are present. Phthalates soften plastic, so watch out for soft plastic toys – phthalates are commonly found in bath toys. Also be on the lookout for toys made with polyvinyl chloride (PVC). The PVC is filled with phthalates and also releases toxins into the air. 1 Three phthalates (BBP, DBP, and DEHP) were banned from toys in 2008 with the ... Read more

Choke On This: Certain Toys Can Be Dangerous for Children

For children younger than three years old, a leading cause of death is choking. Choking is such a huge danger for infants and toddlers because they put everything in their mouths. Because of this tendency, the major choking causes for these young children are toys, balloons, food, and coins. 1Since choking is such a danger, it’s very important for parents to monitor what their children are putting in their mouths. Dispose of toys that have cylindrical pieces – like toy nails or screws. And as ... Read more

Governing Toy Safety

Unfortunately, just like so many other things mentioned in this blog, you have to be a vigilant parent to know what’s harmful. And with toys, there’s a huge responsibility because there is no comprehensive list of dangerous toys. Who tests toys? While the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), an independent federal agency, sets safety standards for toys made after 1995, the CPSC does not test all toys. And not all toys meet the CPSC standards. They’re still sold, though, much to the ... Read more

How to Choose Safe Toys this Holiday Season

 As a parent, it’s such a thrill to observe your child blossom from a newborn to an infant. Suddenly, you catch glimpses of your baby’s personality. And finally, your child reacts when you initiate play. It’s a joy to watch your baby respond to a musical mobile with kicks and wriggles, or to see his or her face light up when discovering a new toy.   So often, parents take for granted that the toys their tots are playing with are safe. For the most part, toys are safe. But every now ... Read more

In the News: BPA Exposure in Pregnancy

Bisphenol A (BPA) is making headlines again – this time in the November 2011 issue of “Pediatrics,” the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Searching for the impact of gestational and early childhood exposure to BPA, seven doctors performed a study on two-hundred forty-four mothers and their children in the Cincinnati area.The study found that BPA exposure in children is related to anxiety, behavioral inhibition, emotional control and hyperactivity – which supports many ... Read more

Readers Share Their Birth Stories

We’ve reached the end of a two-week birth series, and several readers have graciously shared their own unique birth stories. First, Bethany summarizes her three birth experiences: Unfortunately, epidurals are necessary in some situations. Example: my son (my second) was coming out the wrong way (facing up) and also presenting face first (instead of top of head first, so his neck was bent backwards and his head was digging into my spine - talk about painful!). My cervix wouldn't relax ... Read more

My Second Birth Experience

Every birth is such a unique experience – sometimes it’s helpful to expectant mothers to hear about what other mothers have faced. I shared my first birth story yesterday. (Read other moms' birth stories tomorrow.) Here’s my story of Little Sister’s birth that happened 23 months ago today: With our second child, I had quite a long labor. In fact, it lasted a month. While I had an uneventful pregnancy, I started having regular contractions in my thirty-eighth week. Because I didn’t want to go ... Read more

My First Birth Experience

As much as any mother can prepare for childbirth, one thing that’s certain is that birth is so uncertain. Every birth story is different, and it’s often encouraging to hear how other parents managed their unique circumstances. My own two experiences were very different, yet both were filled with surprises and compromises – I’ll share both of them today and tomorrow. With our first child, my due date came and went. Two days after – while sleeping – I opened my eyes at 2:42 a.m., looked at the ... Read more

How I Prepared For Childbirth

For me, the childbirth decision was a no-brainer. God designed women to conceive, carry, and give birth to babies. If my body was created to give birth in the first place, I certainly was not going to use any kind of man-made intervention, if at all possible. The entire epidural philosophy seemed so much like what’s popular in our current culture: if I can have less pain, then I want the option, regardless of the consequences. (In their defense, epidurals help mothers who need pain relief or ... Read more

How Expectant Parents Can Prepare For Childbirth

No matter if a medicated or unmedicated birth is chosen – or a last-minute Cesarean is necessary – it’s important for parents to prepare for a natural birth. Even if a mother hopes to use every available drug, births don’t always go according to plan.There is no guarantee an epidural will be effective. Pregnant women who count on epidurals may get to the hospital in the middle of labor and have no choice but to have unmedicated births. A little preparation would save a lot of panic, uncertainty, ... Read more

Turning to God During Childbirth

For most of my life, I thought drugs were a necessity in childbirth. I hadn’t heard of anyone giving birth naturally by choice, until I got to know my friend Jennifer. We were in a Bible study together while she was pregnant, and one day her prayer request shocked me: she asked for prayer for the ability to give birth without any pain medication.When I asked why it was so important to her, she explained that labor pains are described throughout scripture and it was a natural part of a mother’s ... Read more

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