Families on the move will appreciate Zoli’s new reusable place mats, which are an environmentally preferable yet travel-friendly alternative to disposable ones. Made from 100% phthalate- and VOC-free silicone, the Matties are lightweight, water- and odor-resistant, and a cinch to clean (the third puts the “bon” in “bon voyage”). They come in sets of two in either green or orange.
You may remember that we wrote about chef Daniel Angerer’s breast milk cheese last week, and for anyone who’s up in arms over this Very Special Cheese, which he made using his wife’s breast milk, you can put those pitchforks and torches away now. Speaking to 1010WINS today, Angerer affirmed that “My Spouse’s Mommy Milk Cheese” is not being sold at his restaurant, Klee Brasserie. He believes the media firestorm was sparked by a blogger who misinterpreted his blog post and declared that the cheese was for sale to the public. Even the Health Department came nosing around, and Angerer had to assure them that the thought of selling the cheese didn’t even cross his mind. He says: “Do you want to have your wife’s milk eaten by somebody else, no not really!”
Editor Jill says: I really don’t understand why so many have gotten so up-in-arms about the idea of serving or selling breast milk cheese — it is the ultimate in green, organic, local and natural food! This just shows the hypocrisy and idiocy of the food system in this country: somehow the general public thinks it gross and unsafe to eat cheese made from human breast milk (which is clean, humane, and you know the source is happy and healthy), than to suck milk from the festering udder (which has been dragged around in manure) of a factory-farmed, hormone-pumped, antibiotic-laden cow. Think about that for a few minutes. Breast milk is FOOD. It was designed over hundreds of thousands of years to be the safest, most nutritious food for human babies. Though I wouldn’t try this cheese myself (I don’t eat cheese period), I give my hats off to Daniel Angerer for having the courage to broach something which is apparently taboo (though totally normal), and, in doing so, getting people talking and thinking about the true nature of our food and where it comes from.
Most parents of toddlers don’t bring out the white table linens to serve a meal of grape juice and spaghetti — but Norwegian designer Kristine Bjaadal’s prototype Underfull Tablecloth could change a parent’s table reservations by taking the gasps out of spills and turning them into artistic moments. What appears as a simple, white tablecloth with a floral damask pattern is really a magical backdrop that kids prone to making mealtime messes will love — because on Underfull, a liquid spill causes an eruption of butterflies, which spread across the woven floral pattern and create a layered image as seen in action here.
New York City chef and new dad, Daniel Angerer has added cheese made from his wife’s breast milk to his menu. While eccentric foodies and their culinary masters sometimes travel great lengths to procure hard-to-find ingredients that satiate exotic palates and put them on the cutting edge of innovation, Angerer found his “gold” ingredient right at home… sleeping next to him. But his idea to make cheese from breast milk could possibly be one of the year’s biggest D.I. Why? moments.
Can mealtime be a quiet, Zen-like experience instead of a hair-pulling, food-lobbing, eardrum-blowing battle of wills? (Highly unlikely, but a mother can dream.) Made from maplewood, this sleek, portable cutlery set by designer Keisei Takemata offers some visual R&R amid the chaos, whether you’re dining in or out. The lid of the …
If your child is a picky eater (and seriously, whose isn’t?), why not make healthy food fun to eat? That’s the mission behind the clever cookbook Bean Appetit: Hip & Healthy Ways to Have Fun With Food. Inside its pages you’ll find oodles of creative, good-for-you recipes that are easy enough for kids to make with little or no adult assistance. We love how many of the foods are vegetarian-friendly focusing on veggies, grains, beans and fruits — though the fact that everything is a visually enticing masterpiece doesn’t hurt either!
Three things are certain: death, taxes, and baby’s mealtime messes. The third is why the good Lord created splash mats. Mimi the Sardine’s expansive 42×42″ floor- and table-savers catch every stray dollop, spill, and splat. Plus, unlike most protective mats, they’re made from organic cotton, not toxic PVC, …
Stainless steel has been proven to be one of the safest materials for containing food and drink. These non-toxic kid’s dishes with stainless steel interiors from Life Without Plastic make mealtime both fun and chemical free. Choose from 3-piece sets, colorful cereal bowls and …
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you are probably well aware that breast milk is the best nourishment for a baby. We all know the advantages of breastfeeding: healthier babies, higher IQ, DHA, immunoglobulins, better attachment, saving money, easier on the environment — but what if breastfeeding just doesn’t work out for you? Despite growing support for breastfeeding and the best efforts of La Leche League, many women experience difficulties breastfeeding for a variety of reasons and often get discouraging messages and bad advice from hospitals, doctors, family and friends which can make breastfeeding almost impossible. And sometimes the parts just don’t fit right (short frenulum) or your baby just can never get a good latch (more common than you might think). There is a growing movement of moms who have turned to exclusive pumping as an alternative to nursing to get their babies the nourishment they need. Here is one mom’s personal story — from our friend Melissa Womack, mom to 10 month old Jude…
MELISSA’S STORY
Before my son Jude was born I had bought a single sided pump, but truthfully, I never expected to use it much. I was going to be a stay at home mom, so I thought I would have the opportunity to actually nurse him through all of his feedings. I had taken a breastfeeding class before he was born and had read most of the available literature on the topic. I, myself, was a champion breastfeeder as a baby/toddler and was not weaned until age 2 1/2. It had never really occurred to me beforehand that breastfeeding might prove to be a challenge. I felt prepared. But little did I know, I was about to embark upon one of the most challenging experiences of my life: exclusively pumping to feed my baby my breast milk via bottle.
Your wee one’s high chair gets the flatpak treatment with the Belkiz Feedaway, a portable seating system that makes feeding time a cinch for space-starved families or babies on the move. Although it’s made from recycled cardboard, the Feedaway can bench-press more than 40 pounds of toddler. (A built-in three-point safety harness keeps your precious cargo secure.) The best part: You can …
What better way to show both your little one and the earth that you care on Valentine’s Day then to pack a healthy eco-friendly Valentine’s Day themed reusable lunch? Organic Linen Sandwich Bags with sweet little hearts from Country Life Naturals are the perfect way to send along some love in a lunch box.
Should vegetarian parents raise vegetarian children? As a longtime vegetarian—except for a brief lull during my pregnancy (blame my mother)—it’s one of the major questions I’m personally facing. (A recent story in the Los Angeles Times about food being a source of stress and strife for carrot-crunching children only increased my ambivalence.) Vegetarianism, or veganism for that matter, is a personal choice—should I be making my daughter’s choice for her before she can even speak? Will I be depriving her of vital nutrients she needs for her developing brain and body? I decided to turn to my favorite resource for assistance: my fellow moms, all of whom present a different case for the food choices they’ve made: Abigail and her twin sons are omnivores, Beth and her daughter are vegetarians, and Jill and her son are vegans.
Green Toys Inc., a favorite award-winning green toy company here at Inhabitots, recently announced a brand new eco-friendly collection of seven toys and feeding gear accouterments for tots as young as six months. Dubbed My First Green Toys, the line was designed with the smallest tree huggers in mind, and will officially debut at the Spielwarenmesse International Toy Fair in Nuremberg, Germany February 4-9, 2010 — but we are unveiling a preview of the My First Green Toys collection here and now!
The Chalkmat is an innovative product from Jaq Jaq Bird by Sam and Bellie that provides a tidy and entertaining mealtime experience for kids, both at home and on the go! Chalkmat placemats are completely free of PVC, BPA and phthalates, and they are a lifesaver when it comes to waiting for meals while dining out — your artistic tot can simply flip the mat over and use it as a chalkboard for drawing and writing. An attached pocket holds chalk, pens, and markers, making the Chalkmat the ultimate totable mealtime companion.
We have previously lauded the anthropomorphic design of Adiri baby bottles here on Inhabitots, and we were sad to learn that in October of this year, Adiri shut down its business due to financial pressures. Another ‘breast bottle’ feeding system is poised to make its debut: mimijumi’s ‘Very Hungry’ baby bottle. The company, founded by two psychiatrists and an industrial designer, declares that their bottles “are made for both baby and parent to create the most natural experience possible.” There’s no doubt that the bottle looks breast-like. My son, who graduated from breast feeding 4 years ago, took one look at the image I was uploading for this post and declared, “Wait a minute… it’s a breast!”
We’re huge fans of thinkbaby — from their BPA free baby bottles and reusable thinksport water bottles to their stainless steel feeding gear! To share our affinity of thinkbaby’s responsibly crafted, eco-friendly wares, we’re giving away a complete thinkbaby feeding set valued at $40 to one lucky reader! Thinkbaby’s safe, non-toxic feeding set features a stainless steel interior with a polypropylene exterior. It is free of BPA, phthalates, lead, melamine and PVC. The convenient set makes feeding babies and toddlers a breeze and it includes the following: bento box with airtight lid, baby bowl with lid, soup bowl with lid, mug, and an easy to grip fork and spoon set. All that’s missing is the yummy meal!
Here’s a question Sarah has for our young cooks: “Did you know that cranberries are packed with Vitamin C and antioxidants that are good for your immune system? Homemade cranberry sauce is very easy and fun to make!” Get ready to eat your vitamins in a super yummy way with Sarah Poten, as she shares a kid-friendly Greenmarket recipe for a Thanksgiving staple: Cranberry Sauce with Maple Syrup!
Sarah Poten, Education and Special Projects Coordinator of Greenmarket (CENYC) has shared 6 vegetarian recipes for Inhabitots readers to try this Thanksgiving. The first one is: Purple Mashed Potatoes. To begin, Sarah poses a question to our kid helpers: “Did you know that potatoes originated in Peru, and the first varieties were purple? These mashed potatoes are delicious, rich in beta-carotene, and you’ll love the amazing lavender color!”
At a time when green advocates are pointing to meat consumption as the single most environmentally devastating practice humans have adopted, certain Thanksgiving dishes such as the turducken (that’s a chicken stuffed inside a duck stuffed inside a turkey) must represent all that is wrong with humanity. But don’t strike off this holiday as an ecological no-no just yet. This week Sarah Poten, Education and Special Projects Coordinator of Greenmarket (Council on the Environment of New York City), saves Thanksgiving by serving up fresh recipes on standard fare locavore and vegetarian families can dig into. This week on Inhabitots, we’ll feature six recipes from Sarah Poten that are “simple, child-friendly, and guaranteed crowd pleasers for eaters of all ages!”
OOTS! Lunchbox Deluxe is the perfectly stacked lunchbox, designed to be fun, playful, and easy for kids to manage. These slick, contemporary lunchboxes come in eye-popping blue, green and orange color combos. The deluxe version comes with everything you need to pack a healthy lunch — four small containers and one large container fit neatly inside the colorful box — which means food stays put and stays fresh. All …
Is breastfeeding in public indecent? Hardly. After all, a baby’s gotta eat when a baby’s gotta eat, and with all the documented evidence that breast is indeed best for both mother and child, the fact that the issue remains controversial is a head-scratcher—particularly when we’re subjected to far more lurid displays of flesh in the media. New Zealand’s Ministry of Health is hoping to normalize nursing with a series of ads that show babies being breastfed in several non-home settings, including in the office, at the library, at the airport, on a bus, and in a shopping mall.
Looking for cute, safe baby bottles that are free from BPA and other toxins? Check out Dr. Weil’s new line of beautifully crafted eco-friendly baby bottles and sippy cups. For three decades Dr. Andrew Weil has been teaching people about healthy living, smart eating, and natural medicine through public speaking, university courses, and via the enlightening books he has authored. Dr. Weil’s most recent endeavor is to help ensure that our babies stay safe and healthy. His new line of Weil Baby bottles and accessories, created under his guidance, are Made in the USA and they are naturally BPA and toxin free.
It’s the most frightful night of the year. Ghouls and goblins, pirates and princesses, mischief makers galore will be haunting your doorstep in pursuit of sweet, delectable offerings. But if high-fructose corn syrup, artificial preservatives, and other spooky chemical additives make your skin crawl, here’s a grab bag of organic and all-natural treats that will appease the most ravenous fiend, no tricks necessary.
Looking for eco-friendly glass baby bottles that are cute and modern? Wee Go to the rescue! Wee Go glass baby bottles are naturally toxin-free (no bisphenol-A (BPA), phthalates, or polyvinyl chloride (PVC), as glass doesn’t leach chemicals. Glass is easy to clean, keeps milk better, and even though it is more fragile than plastic, the Wee Go bottles come with an added durability factor — they are outfitted in cheery, rainbow colored silicone sleeves (strawberry, sky, ocean, pink, orange and yellow) which act as a shock absorber for spills and allow little fingers to grasp the otherwise slippery surface.
When Nestle rounded up a bunch of mommybloggers to fly out to California this week to attend a sponsored event, a social-media firestorm was probably the last thing it expected. PhD in Parenting launched the first volley with a post decrying the company’s unethical business practices, especially when it came to promoting formula over breastmilk in the developing world.
Cocobohème Biodegradable Infant Bibs add French flair to baby’s mealtime. Printed on biodegradable potato starch material with solvent free inks, these stylish, easy to clean, waterproof bibs may be used to keep baby mess free during feedings or to protect clothing during art project time. Available in three chic animal prints: pig, chicken, and frog.
Originally featured in one of our blog roundups in March, Minui’s HandySitt portable high chair makes toddler dining on the go or in cramped quarters hassle-free. Made from Forestry Stewardship Council-certified birch, the trayless, ultracompact design—it’s only 5 pounds!—can be strapped onto any appropriate-size chair for instant table-side seating, then flattened and stowed away in the trunk of your car, suitcase, or closet. Click below the fold to watch a video of how the space-saving chair works, and learn about a new product the Danish furniture maker is unveiling to extend its functionality.
Attachment parenting guru, Dr. Sears has just added a new book to his informative, comprehensive pregnancy and parenting books collection. HappyBaby: The Organic Guide to Baby’s First 24 Months is a collaboration with registered dietitian Amy Marlow and nutrition adviser for HAPPYBABY premium organic baby meals, for which Dr. Robert W. Sears is a sponsor. Being touted as “the definitive guide for new and expectant parents, explaining why “going green” is universally the best way to protect baby from environmental toxins and to ensure baby’s overall health and development,” Dr. Sears’ endorsement of green parenting in this book will hopefully help put the eco movement on the mainstream map.
My son Cedar is the pickiest child alive… so when his school lunch box went by the wayside this summer, a feeling of dread grew inside of me knowing we’d have to find a new one. I picked out a bunch of eco-friendly lunch boxes, only to have Cedar snub them all. Lately, he’s been using a bamboo lunch sack for camp, and while it is eco-friendly, it’s also inappropriate for long-term use because it has no insulation. Then I heard about a new waste-free-lunch system – the Soup to Nuts Kit from Citizenpip. The Soup to Nuts kit is an all inclusive, reusable, waste-free lunch kit that puts a stylish end to disposable lunch trash woes. Read on to learn what earth-loving Cedar and I thought of Citizenpip’s reusable lunch kits.
We were just as dismayed as you were to hear the news that SIGG bottles manufactured prior to August 2008 contained BPA. If you previously owned a SIGG bottle and need a new hydration sidekick, or you’re new to this market and are shopping for a BPA free reusable bottle for yourself or your kids, we have taken away the guesswork by compiling a list of our top five picks for safe, stylish non-toxic water bottles for kids. *Most come in adult sizes too!
SIGG water bottles, which have long been perceived to be the eco-friendly alternative to plastic water bottles, has just confessed something that has sent huge ripples through the media – all of their bottles manufactured before August of last year actually DO contain BPA – according to a press statement made by Sigg CEO Steve Wasik. In case you aren’t familiar with the notorious chemical, Bisphenol A is an endocrine disruptor. Part of what made SIGG so popular in the first place was when SIGG marketing tactics involved pointing fingers at polycarbonate water bottle manufacturers – claiming that these types of bottles leached BPA. Not surprisingly, parents and eco-conscious consumers everywhere turned to SIGG bottles as a safe way to tote water on the go without being exposed to the dangerous effects of bisphenol-A, but there is a daunting sense of mistrust now that we learn we’ve been duped. Read on to see how SIGG was able to mislead us.
This week we’ve published several posts on breastfeeding — from nursing multiple babies, to five ways to get breastfeeding off to a great start, to breastfeeding while overcoming postpartum depression. Breastfeeding is green, healthy, economical and the best feeding option for babies, producing the least amount of waste with regard to the earth. We’re no strangers to writing about breastfeeding, and here’s a roundup of some of the breastfeeding stories we’ve previously published on Inhabitots.
The mysteries and joys of breastfeeding are no doubt a unique experience for many new mothers and their families. One dreams of an instant mother-infant bond, but let’s face it, there is no exact ‘formula’ for getting it right from the get go. Add to this the challenges and demands of birthing multiples, twins in my case, and there really is no guarantee that one can be fully prepared for all that unfolds. My breastfeeding experience has been a relatively positive one, but I know from talking with other mothers, that this is not the case for some. What we assume will be a blissful and natural process, is often extremely unpredictable, demanding, and heartbreaking when things do not go as planned. As a mother of multiples, I want to share a bit of what I learned in caring for my newborns – now toddlers, as well as reach out to other parents (of multiples) for their own stories and resources that they might want to share with our reader community.
We all know that nothing beats breastfeeding in terms of feeding your baby Thanks to doctors, La Leche League, and lactivists around the world, this message has been drilled into our heads and breastfeeding is now happily experiencing a resurgence. But, despite the fact that all moms know that ‘breast is best’ – many women experience great difficulties nursing their babies and many give up on breastfeeding early on. I personally think that some of this has to do with the fact that many new moms typically don’t realize how difficult breastfeeding can be, and don’t have reliable sources of support when challenges arise – a function that in generations past was served by sisters, mothers and extended family. (More to come on this in my next post….)
In a nice break from traditional plastic booster seats comes the new Safety 1st Nature Next Bamboo Booster. This seat looks and feels better than plastic, made with durable bamboo, and an easy-to-remove tray made with recycled plastic. The seat comes packaged flat to save on shipping emissions (you build it easily with a screwdriver). The booster seat also comes with three …
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