Midwife Benefits for Mothers and Babies

One of the best ways to insure that you have a safe and healthy pregnancy and birth experience is to have a midwife as your prenatal care provider and birth attendant instead of a doctor. In fact, study after study points out that midwives are considered safe health care providers for almost all low-risk pregnancies. The American Pregnancy Association points out that a full 60% to 80% of all pregnancies are low risk. So, there’s a very good chance your own pregnancy is low-risk and that means your pregnancy care provider of choice may very well be a midwife. Read on to learn about some of the many benefits midwife care can offer.

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City Playgrounds Are Deemed Too Safe Thanks to Dumbed Down Designs

Playgrounds too safe? So concludes a recent article that’s been making the usual rounds on the Internet. The main contention is that the kiddie sites are becoming homogenized and dumbed down. “We’re now at a point where every playground is pretty much the same. And they’re boring. They’re not challenging,” says playground expert Alex Gilliam who longs for the 3-story forts of his youth.

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Swiss Study Finds Cell Phone Usage Not Linked to Brain Tumors in Kids

The World Health Organization’s recent study linked cell phones to cancer, but researchers in Switzerland and Scandinavia aren’t so sure. Recent studies on children who use cell phones found the opposite – determining that the relationship between cell phone usage and brain tumors is inconclusive. With more and more parents letting their children have their own cell phones should they be concerned about the radiowaves effects on kid’s brains or not?

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The U.S. and E.U. Step Up Toy Safety Standards

If you freak out a little every time your baby jams a toy in her mouth —  how do you know what it’s really made of? — you’ll be glad to hear that both the United States and the European Union are taking new steps to ensure that their toys are safe from toxic chemicals. The U.S. is targeting lead levels, while the E.U. focuses on phthalates and flame retardants. Read on to learn more about what the new rules mean for the toys you buy.

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HOW TO: Avoid Pregnancy Junk Food Cravings and Eat Healthily for Your Growing Baby

Junk food often sounds tasty during pregnancy, however, it's not healthy to give in to too many sugary, high fat and otherwise unhealthy pregnancy cravings. Junk food, such as candy, soda, fast food and so on often lacks important nutrients you need, can pack on the pounds, and it isn't healthy for you or your growing baby. On the flip side, it's not practical to avoid junk food entirely or to never give in to your pregnancy cravings. Most pregnant women get cravings, and if you happen to have a hankering for "junk food" then it's okay to give in once in a while, so long as you pay attention to portion sizes and your overall nutritional picture.

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Stuffed Furniture May Lead to High PBDE Levels in Pregnant Women

Polybrominated diphenylethers (PBDEs) are a class of long-lasting and nasty flame retardant chemicals. This month, new research emerged that suggests pregnant women who live with PBDE-containing furniture may have higher blood levels of the chemicals in their system than women living with fewer pieces of PBDE-containing furniture. According to American Chemical Society C&EN, “People in the U.S. have 20 times higher blood levels of PBDEs than people in Europe,” and a lot of research points to flame retardants on furniture as the culprit. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports that PBDEs are commonly used in furniture foam, plastics for TV cabinets, consumer electronics, wire insulation, baby car seats, back coatings for draperies and upholstery, and plastics for personal computers and small appliances. So, PBDEs are everywhere, which is bad news for pregnant women because they’re linked to multiple health issues in both adults and babies.

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Hand-crafted Pull Toys from Joan Orr Keep Childhood Sweet and Simple

Despite all the toys on the market with flashing lights and electronic noise activators, we hold a special place in our heart for the old-school pull toys – like those found on Joan Orr’s Etsy shop – that entertain little ones as they begin walking or crawling. Hand-painted with non-toxic paints (some of which are also soy-based) and non-toxic varnish, the pull toys come in elephant and whale shapes and gently encourage …

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BittyLab BARE Air-Free Baby Bottle Designed to Mimic Mom’s Breast

If you’re a breastfeeding mom, getting your baby to take a bottle when you can’t be there for a feeding can be tough since most offer experiences far different from breastfeeding. But a new bottle launching in January 2012 aims to make the transition smoother. The BittyLab BARE bottle is an air-free baby bottle designed to emulate a nursing mother’s breast. Priska Diaz came up with the design after she had to start supplementing with a bottle due to inadequate milk supply. She was frustrated by the poor performance of typical bottles that have traditional nipples and air vents. “My breasts don’t have air vents, why should bottles?” says Diaz. Read on to find out why she believes BARE is the next best thing to breastfeeding.

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6 Ways to Make Fruit Even More Fun for Kids

Your child probably enjoys some kinds of fruit - however, many kids often get stuck in a "favorite fruit only" rut requesting apples, bananas, or strawberries for example and turning their noses up at the unknown. But a walk through your local farmers market will prove that summertime offers up a wide variety of colorful, different, and even exotic kinds of fruits, making the season the perfect time to experiment and add more of them to your child's diet. A great way to introduce new fruits is by presenting them to your child in a fun and exciting way. If your child isn't a huge fan of certain types of fruits, finding ways to sneak them in is essential for assuring that your child is getting the vitamins and nutrients necessary for optimum health. Read on to learn my six favorite way to make fruit even more fun this summer.

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Organic Color Grown Cotton Teething BonBons from Dress Me Up Organic

Parents of teething tots really need to sink their teeth into solutions to soothe their wee ones, in order to maintain any peace in the home! Since the popular Hyland’s homeopathic teething tablets were recalled this year, and plastics are increasingly unsafe, we were thrilled to see another great, natural product from Dress Me Up for babe’s to gnaw on for some much-needed relief. Already fans of their organic cotton teethers, their latest teething ‘bonbons’ are made with color grown organic cotton and naturally antibacterial Canadian lamb’s wool. The mother behind Dress Me Up discusses her excitement over color grown cotton, and how it adds “flair to organic cotton fabrics without the use of any dye,” and we think this innovative technique is worth reading about!

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Fisher-Price Announces Design Contest for Innovative Diaper Disposal System

If you are a parent to a baby or toddler, you probably have poop on the brain waaaaay more than you’d care to admit. Despite all the special tables and changing mats, deodorizers, wet bags and fancy trashcans that promise to make diaper changing a more pleasant part of your day, diaper time still ranks somewhere between a tedious and time-consuming necessity and an often overwhelmingly smelly surprise. Here’s your chance to put all that potty brain power into effect: Edison Nation and Fisher-Price are seeking design ideas for the latest, greatest diaper disposal system for either disposable or reusable diapers.

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Guide to Prenatal Vitamins for Vegan and Vegetarian Moms-to-Be

Prenatal vitamins are an important part of a healthy pregnancy, particularly if you are vegetarian or vegan and might be missing some nutrients in your diet. Expectant mothers need higher amounts of certain substances including iron and folic acid in addition to a wide variety of other vitamins and minerals, and a prenatal vitamin can help bridge the gap between a normal healthy diet and the requirements of a growing baby. A recent study even linked taking prenatal vitamins immediately before and during pregnancy to a lower autism risk. But what's a whole-food-loving or vegetarian mama to do? Not to worry. We have put together a list of our favorite prenatal vitamins that will work for you, whether you are looking for a whole-food-based supplement, a vegetarian or vegan option, or simply one that won't make you feel even queasier in the first trimester. Plus, we found a few additional natural supplements such as folic acid, iron, and DHA that doctors recommend for complete prenatal nutrition. Before you make start taking a prenatal vitamin, or any supplement, consult your doctor.

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Extremely High Levels of Arsenic Found in Mott’s Apple Juice

Lead found in juice, isn’t the only child beverage problem you have to worry about. Now there’s arsenic to contend with as well. On Thursday, consumer advocacy organizations Empire State Consumer Project and Food & Water Watch (F&WW) called on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to take action regarding the issue of arsenic-contaminated apple juice – in particular Mott’s apple juice. A letter sent to the FDA, from the groups, contained new and highly concerning data from testing commissioned by the Empire State Consumer Project. Various brands of apple juice and apple sauce were tested and unfortunately one sample of Mott’s Apple Juice registered 55 parts per billion of arsenic. To put this into perspective, 55 parts per billion is more than five times the level of arsenic that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) allows in drinking water.

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Decoy Lab Bamboo Animal Clocks Keep Time in Eco Style

We fell hard for the adorable rabbit and hedgehog clocks from Decoy Lab, but did you know that Decoy Lab offers many other sweet animal clocks as well? For example, the super fun and unique hippo clock shown above. There’s also a prancing fawn, wise ol’ owl, friendly lion and more. Each clock is beautiful handcrafted …

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Adorable Wool Felt Tooth Guardian Angel for Your Tot’s First Lost Tooth

Lost baby teeth is a major milestone for both child and parent. How better to celebrate than with an adorable Tooth Guardian Angel!? Each Tooth Guardian Angel is made with hand-cut Öko-Tex Standard 100% wool felt, lightly filled with hypo-allergenic polyester stuffing and entirely hand sewn with beaded details. You can choose from a little girl or little boy angel, plus pick personalized hair and outfit colors. Each Tooth Guardian Angel comes with a 4” cotton twine loop so your child can hang them anywhere and each angel is packaged and ready to give as a gift in a sweet polka dot organdy fabric bag.

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Inhabitots Link Roundup: Stay Cool Ways to Beat the Heat!

Make your own healthy popsicles with fruit, veggies and other ingredients you have in your fridge.

Babble’s Toddler Times blogger explores stay cool ways to teach your tot about water.

Ohdeedoh found a neat new way for families to travel to the pool or park with a seriously cool sidecar for your bicycle.

Get crafty at the beach with Made by Joel’s genius (as always) ideas.

Stay safe in the heat and …

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