2015 Hottest Year On Record!

Yesterday, NOAA reported that 2015 was the hottest year on record breaking the previous record of 2014 as the hottest year on record. Global warming is becoming more and more of a threat but it saddens me that so many politicians just ignore global warming as a threat at all.

I understand that there are other pressing issues at hand but we shouldn't ignore this long-term threat and do as much as we can - each and every one of us. I'm guilty of this too - My carbon footprint is probably quite high and I don't recycle or re-use as much as I should.

But I'll make an effort to do so from now on. I'll start with 2 small ways:-

1. Reduce my use of paper towels and switch to cloth napkins and re-use the paper towels I can when they are used
2. Recycle paper and gallon milk plastics

2015 Was Hottest Year in Historical Record, Scientists Say

Press Release: Graco Commits to Banning Toxic Flame Retardants from Children’s Products | Healthy Child Healthy World

Press Release: Graco Commits to Banning Toxic Flame Retardants from Children’s Products | Healthy Child Healthy World

This is great news! Hopefully other companies will also follow Graco on this.

Latest baby shopping update

We bought the crib mattress as well to go with the crib. We bought a crib mattress on BabiesRUs which was on sale which was "organic" and "green" but it felt like green-washing to me and didn't fit well in the crib. Eventually, after some thinking, I decided to go with my original choice. It had good reviews and was universally recommended as the best organic mattress.

Naturepedic No Compromise Organic Cotton Classic Lightweight Crib Mattress

We also bought the car seat with matching stroller caddy. I decided on the Chicco Keyfit 30 infant car seat after looking at the options on the market and reviews online. I also decided to go with the stroller caddy instead of fullsize stroller since the full size stroller is so heavy and I wouldn't be able to lift it if I needed to take the baby for a walk.

Chicco Keyfit 30 - Cubes

Chicco KeyFit Caddy Stroller Frame

We also bought the Fisher Price My Little Snugabunny Cradle 'n' Swing after some research. It can swing in 2 different directions and had a lot of options. It also had a power supply instead of just batteries which will be a huge relief. :)

As we start using these, I will post more reviews on these. 

Much tougher than I thought...

Recently, I've started reading more about the environment and getting more and more concerned.

I started reading a few books about trying to be more green and reduce my impact on the environment. This is not easy and I can understand why so many people who want to do it give up and why so many people can't afford to be green. It's certainly the first impression you get.

After reading about the effects of SLS and parabens and the effect they have on us - reduced fertility, increased risk of ovarian and breast cancer and risk of birth defects in babies during pregnancy - I wanted to switch to greener products without these harmful chemicals. I started doing some research but it's so hard.

First, there's not a lot of information and it's very difficult to identify which information is correct and who to trust.

Second, what is the difference between green/organic/natural/sls-free?

Third, almost all the natural products are way more expensive than the products I use currently. Can  I afford to spend more money on this?

I was shopping the other day and bought a natural soap made of entirely natural ingredients like ground comfrey root, olive oil, etc. I started using it but after using it for a few days, I realized it leaves my skin extremely dry and I have to slather on body lotion to be moisturized and not itchy.

BPA-free plastics still harmful?

This is just scary...

THE GIST

• Just because a plastic product is labeled BPA-free doesn't mean its safe to put food or beverages in.
• It's possible to make plastics that don't contain hormone-disrupting chemicals, but it's impossible for consumers to tell which ones are which.
• People can protect themselves by not heating plastic containers that they're planning to eat or drink out of.

Go here to read more...

http://news.discovery.com/human/bpa-plastic-food-hormones-chemicals-110715.html