Jennifer Chait

Jennifer is a full-time freelance writer and problogger in the rainy Pacific Northwest and mama of an amazing ten year old boy. Besides blogs, her writing background includes copy for non-profits, web projects, national magazine articles and business proposals and grants. Beyond writing for Inhabitots, Jennifer is currently the About.com Guide to Organic Business, and also writes for Pregnancy & Baby at SheKnows, Growing a Green Family and a handful of other green-minded websites. Activities and obsessions other than writing include books, nature, unschooling + Free Schooling, music, chill people and barrels of coffee. Follow Jennifer on Twitter @jenniferchait

P’kolino Playful Rubberwood Xylophone Makes Sustainable Melodies

by Jennifer Chait, 02/11/12

This fantastically fun xylophone is brand new from P’kolino. Made with sustainable rubberwood and metal with a bright, yet non-toxic water based finish, this playful and fun melody-maker helps your child develop an early interest in music and teaches shape & color. This unique xylophone breaks down into individual pieces that can be rearranged to create new sequences. Plus, when not playing tunes, your child can stack them high to build a tower. Clean up is easy as well, since these clever blocks nest into each other for a tidy playroom. Suitable for children ages 1 year and older.

+ Playful Rubberwood Xylophone $29.99

+ P’kolino

New Research Says Baby’s First Food Should Be Finger Food

by Jennifer Chait, 02/10/12

Back in the day, as recommended by a bazillion baby rearing books on the planet, most parents chose white rice cereal for their baby’s first solid food. Then the great white out debate began, not to mention arsenic scares in rice, and baby advocates started telling parents to start Baby off with healthier fare, like brown rice cereals, brown rice mash or vegetable purée. Now, it’s a whole new game, as brand new research says you should consider starting your baby off on solids with healthy finger foods. Researchers on the study compared a group of spoon-fed babies to a group of self-led weaning babies. What they found is that babies who are allowed to self-wean and who are then introduced to solids by feeding themselves versus having a parent spoon feed them, were able to better master skills related to self-food regulation. In turn self-food regulation is directly connected to health benefits for life such as a lower BMI and a preference for healthy foods like carbohydrates.

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Better Parent Education May Lead to Lower Childhood Obesity Rates

by Jennifer Chait, 02/10/12

In news that will surprise no one, researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center recently figured out that teaching moms and dads how to be better parents could possibly help combat the alarmingly issue of overweight and obese children in America. So, it’s not shocking to hear that better parenting skills may lead to healthier kids. What was a little more surprising in this study is that even when the parenting skills taught did not include education surrounding exercise and nutrition, kids still benefited. During the study, researchers followed a large group of 4-year-old kids from low-income, minority families in New York City over several years. Some of the kids parents were involved in intervention, or parenting classes. Kids of parents who were taught good parenting skills were more likely to be healthier, while kids of parents who did not take the parenting classes were more likely to become obese by second grade. It’s very interesting that these parenting classes didn’t focus on food, weight, or exercise, but instead the classes taught parents how to be more responsive and nurturing towards their kids.

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New FDA Report Shows Hundreds of Lipsticks Contain Lead

by Jennifer Chait, 02/09/12

Lead is a serious health concern, especially if you’re pregnant or happen to be a young child. Sadly, cosmetic companies don’t seem all that concerned about lead, as a new U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) report just revealed lead in lipstick is much more widespread than we previously thought. This new research shows that lead was found in 400 different lipsticks tested by the FDA. Levels were varied, but up to 7.19 parts per million (ppm), which is more than twice the levels reported in a previous FDA study. At the FDA website, they currently state that there is “No safety concern about the levels of lead found in lipstick” going on to say: ”We have assessed the potential for harm to consumers from use of lipstick containing lead at the levels found in both rounds of testing. Lipstick, as a product intended for topical use with limited absorption, is ingested only in very small quantities. We do not consider the lead levels we found in the lipsticks to be a safety concern.”

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Paper & Cake Offers Valentine’s Day Party Decor in a Flash

Think you're out of time when it comes to Valentine's Day decor? Think again. Paper & Cake has got you covered with luscious lovable decorations you can print out quickly right on your home printer. No last minute running to the store. No stress. Just lovely Valentine's Day decor for a home or school party. Best of all, these reusable designs will save you some big money. What's not to love about that?