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

Pacifier Use May Increase Breastfeeding Rates Contrary to Previous Beliefs

by Jennifer Chait, 05/02/12

In order to achieve “Baby-Friendly” status many hospitals are halting the use of pacifiers in newborn units. Now however, new research out of Oregon Health & Science University Doernbecher Children’s Hospital says that removing pacifiers may decrease exclusive breastfeeding and increase use of formula. Researchers on the study analyzed feeding data on 2,249 infants born between June 2010 and August 2011 and the pediatrician-scientists found that routine removal of pacifiers during the after-birth hospitalization was associated with decreased exclusive breastfeeding and increased supplemental formula feeds. The data, which is surprising to say the least, was presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies annual meeting in Boston on April 30. Laura Kair, M.D., a resident in pediatrics at OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital, notes, “There is a great deal of energy, nationally and internationally, in support of increasing the number of ‘Baby Friendly’ hospitals. Baby-Friendly hospitals and the 10 steps, when taken together, have been shown to increase exclusive breastfeeding, but the effect of pacifier use on the initiation and duration of exclusive breastfeeding has not been well-established.”

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Get Kids Outside with CLIF Kid’s 2nd Annual Backyard Game of the Year Contest

by Jennifer Chait, 05/02/12

Kids are playing outside less and less as time goes on, as a new Kelton Research survey reveals: Kids today have eight hours less per week of outdoor playtime than their parents did. Overall kids today spend 56% more time in front of screens than they do playing outside. 96% of parents report their kids have experience playing video games, while only 61%-74% of parents say that their children have visited a national or state park or gone hiking. And most parents say 13 hours is the ideal amount of outdoor play per week but parents also admitted that their kids spend about 14 hours in front of a screen, and just nine hours engaged in outdoor play each week. CLIF Kid, maker of certified organic snacks for active kids, in collaboration with Richard Louv, best selling author of Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder, aim to change some of these sobering statistics with the launch of CLIF Kid’s 2nd Annual Backyard Game of the Year Contest. Keep reading to learn more about this creative contest, including the cool prizes your child may win, plus see the game invented by last year’s winner.

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Natural Solutions to Prevent & Treat Bug Bites & Stings this Summer

by Jennifer Chait, 05/01/12

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HOW TO: Whip Up Super Fast Organic Lemon Bars for a Light Dessert

by Jennifer Chait, 04/30/12

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EWG Releases Hall of Shame Cleaning Products and a Cleaners Database is Coming Soon

Environmental Working Group (EWG) has been bringing more power to the people for years with their handy consumer guides. From safer sunscreens to produce with fewer pesticides to the safest cell phones to meat that won’t compromise your footprint and much more, EWG strives to cover the products and issues that matter to consumers. Right now, EWG is offering a sneak peek at their newest guide, due for release in fall 2012, the EWG Cleaners Database. This new guide will provide an in-depth look at common household cleaners on the market and highlight health concerns of cleaners you likely have in your home right now. EWG notes, “Already, our research has turned up products loaded with extremely toxic compounds banned in some countries. Some of their ingredients are known to cause cancer, blindness, asthma and other serious conditions. Others are greenwashed, meaning that they are not, as their ad hype claims, environmentally benign. Still more hide the facts about their formulations behind vague terms like ‘fragrance.’” Although the new guide is months away, EWG is empowering consumers now by releasing some of their new EWG Cleaners Hall of Shame. The list, published in anticipation of the full database, highlights some of the worst of the worst cleaning offenders out there. Keep reading to see which cleaners scored a place in the Hall of Shame.

Inducing Labor Not Helpful if Water Breaks Early

Growing up, I assumed all women went into labor either in a fancy restaurant or standing in line at the grocery store. I believed this because Hollywood movies, for whatever insane reason they have, ALWAYS portray the start of labor with some overly dramatic water breaking scene in a public place. It’s enough to make any woman in her 9th month stay locked in her bedroom. In reality, Hollywood is dead wrong. Research shows that just 1 in 10 woman experience a dramatic gush of amniotic fluid before labor starts. Usually your water will break with a trickle, not gushing effect, and after you’ve already been in labor for a while. That said, I was one of those rare mamas-to-be whose water did break before I went into labor. Not good news for me, because health care professionals panic if your water breaks before labor starts. My midwife and the nurses at the hospital where I gave birth told me that if labor didn’t start on its own soon, they’d induce, a common practice in America, mainly due to fear of potential complications such as infection and placental abruption. Luckily, new research shows that this older train of thought may not even be helpful, which in turn can help you avoid an overly painful labor.

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Spiral Bamboo Drawing Toy Brings Us Back to Our Spirograph Days

When I was a kid I had one of those awesome Spirograph sets – but mine was totally made of plastic. Still, plastic or not, it was loads of fun. Today we’re luckier because kids have a cool Bamboo Spiral Toy available, courtesy of Rocking Frog. This sweet and crafty toy is the perfect way to expand your child’s creativity. The toy is …

This March of the Penguins Bowling Set is Ready to be Knocked Flat

Eco-friendly bowling sets are one of the best ways to get even the youngest tots moving and active. There are a lot of adorable eco-minded kid bowling sets out there, from sweet kitties to plush organic friends, but this new creation from Smiling …

Sweden Becomes Latest Country to Ban BPA in Children’s Food Packaging

It’s been less than a month since the FDA rejected a ban on bisphenol A (BPA) in food and beverage packaging – a massive fail in our opinion. Other countries aren’t messing around with this potentially harmful chemical though. On April 13, the government of Sweden announced the decision to ban the use of (BPA) in packaging for food intended for children under 3 years of age. For a while, there’s been a voluntary phase-out of BPA in Sweden, but these new laws will make sure the change becomes permanent. Government officials say that this new chemical ban will mostly, at this point, affect lids of baby food bottles but the new mandate also gives the Swedish Chemicals Agency a 3-month deadline to decide if BPA should also be banned from certain types of thermal paper, including receipts and tickets, and to determine how BPA is being used in drinking-water pipes, toys and children’s goods.

HOW TO: Make & Use a Reusable Cloth Baby Wipes Kit

We recently posted tips for making your own non-toxic baby wipes with paper towels. However, if you're a paper towel-free home, these wipes obviously won't work for you. Even if you're not against wasting paper towels, consider that regular baby wipes are excessive too. Did you know that most parents use at least 25-40 conventional or paper towel made baby wipes a day - that's 18,250 wipes in the trash (and landfills) in just two years. Your best bet for totally reusable baby wipes is to go with cloth wipes. There used to be a nice reusable cloth baby wipe kit on the market, but it's no longer available, so your next best option is to make your own reusable baby wipe kit. Keep reading to learn the benefits of reusable baby wipes and how to make your own reusable baby wipe kit.

Tegu Prism Pocket Pouch Equals Endless Possibilities for Designs On the Go

Just in time for summer road trips comes the Tegu Pocket Pouch Prism. While we adore the bigger Tegu magnetic block sets, we fully appreciate that this new, smaller Tegu block set is not just cute but ready to travel in its own adorable pouch. Plus, while still packed with fun, this smaller set comes with a lower price tag, making this the perfect time to kid-test Tegu. Keep reading to learn more about this great new Tegu set.

6 Best Natural Vitamins for Kids

I think we can all agree that pill popping isn't the best way to ensure healthy kids. Real kids need real food and balanced meals that provide healthy nutrients. Still, some kids, including vegetarians, vegans and picky eaters may benefit from a daily vitamin. However, many popular vitamins for kids come in a slew of rainbow colors that are fake and icky, such as Red #40, Yellow #6 and Blue #2, plus have artificial flavors and sugar. That's not a healthy supplement. If you're looking for a smarter option, keep reading to check out our top picks for natural vitamins for kids. NOTE: Remember, the best source of advice regarding healthy natural vitamins for kids is your own pediatrician.

Top 10 Chemicals Most Likely to Cause Autism and Other Learning Disorders

Last month, the CDC reported that autism now affects 1 of every 88 American children, which is an unusually high increase from previous years. Now, we may have some more clues as to what is causing the dramatic increases. The Mount Sinai Children’s Environmental Health Center (CEHC) has just released an informative list of the top ten toxic chemicals suspected to cause autism and learning disabilities. The toxic list, recently published in Environmental Health Perspectives was compiled by Dr. Philip J. Landrigan, director of the CEHC, Dr. Linda Birnbaum, director of the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), and Dr. Luca Lambertini, also of the CEHC. Discover the top ten chemicals thought to be associated with both autism and learning disorders in children after the jump.

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Green Glowing Fish Illuminate Health Impacts of BPA and Other Hormone Disrupting Chemicals

A new breed of green-glowing zebrafish makes it easy to see how everyday environmental chemicals act and how they affect the body and health. Researchers from the University of Exeter and University College London (UCL) creating a new type of transgenic zebrafish, which when exposed to environmental oestrogens, or hormone disrupting chemicals, is able to show where these chemicals invade the body through the production of green fluorescent signals. The fascinating results were published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives. The team of scientists placed a genetic system into their zebrafish that’s able to amplify the response to oestrogens, which in turn produces a visible fluorescent green signal. Researchers exposed the fish to various chemicals known to affect oestrogen hormone signaling including Bisphenol A (BPA), ethinyloestradiol, used in the contraceptive pill and hormone replacement therapy treatments, and nonylphenol, used in paints and industrial detergents. Once exposed, the glowing fluorescent green signals can show us which parts of a fish body are responding to the hormone disrupting chemicals.

At the Farmers’ Market with Kids: Recipes and Projects for Little Hands

At the Farmers' Market with Kids by Leslie Jonath & Ethel Brennan allows parents and kids to discover the diversity and deliciousness of farmers’ markets. Filled to the brim with beautiful photographs by Sheri Giblin, this book celebrates the best that farmers' markets have to offer, in a kid-friendly manner. Read on to learn more about this wonderful new book.

Alligator and Little Bird Peg Rack from Maple Shade Kids is a Cute Way to Organize

We’re already a huge fan of Maple Shade Kids’ wonderfully useful (and adorable) handcrafted peg racks, and to be honest, we were perfectly content with these peg racks in darling owl form. Still, all owls, all the time, while cute as cute can be, isn’t for every kid. If your child is a little more …

School Lunches Go Local and Fresh with Improved Farm to School Program

In the past year alone we’ve seen some terrible news about school lunches. From insane pink slime, to bizarre food regulations to lackluster food changes way too long in the making, it sometimes seems like there’s no good school lunch news to be had. Until now that is. The USDA will be improving their farm to school lunch programs nationwide, which means it’s much more likely that your kids will be getting tastier and more nutritious school lunches. Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan announced this week that USDA will be investing more funds in farm to school programs across the country in order to help improve the health and wellbeing of their students, as well as support connections with local agricultural producers. The Farm to School Grant Program is one of the USDA’s most innovative food programs and part of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act. Through grants and technical assistance, this program helps to implement farm to school food programs that improve access to local foods in eligible schools. The brand new investments will help schools find and purchase food from local producers, and some farm to school initiatives will also include agriculture and nutrition education efforts such as school gardens, field trips to local farms and cooking classes.

Cases of Measles Hit All-time High in 2011 – Are Unvaccinated Kids to Blame?

In 2000 measles was considered eradicated from the U.S. In fact, from 2001 to 2010 there were just 60 U.S. measles cases a year on average. However, last year, cases of measles reached an all-time high in the United States with a total of 222 reported cases. This is the most measles cases ever since 1996, according to the CDC. Among the 222 cases, reported across 31 states, there were 17 official measles outbreaks. An outbreak is when there are at least three cases linked by time and place. The average outbreak size last year included six cases per outbreak, but in one instance, a single person with measles infected 21 other people. This week, Anne Schuchat, director of CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, reported that most of these cases (90%) came into the country via citizens who had traveled outside the U.S., with many of the 2011 cases originating in Europe. That said, the CDC is placing new emphasis on the importance of the MMR vaccination, especially if you plan on traveling abroad. Schuchat says, “Unvaccinated people put themselves and others at risk for measles. There is a relationship between the decisions families make and disease rates.”