Do you give your kids vitamins? I’ve always flip-flopped about them. My girls are both petite but not underweight for their size. They’re also very healthy (thank goodness) and eat fairly balanced (based on the day and what I’m cooking, sometimes). My kids are fascinated, however, with the multivitamin kid’s section at Whole Foods, and they always insist we try something - that and the fact that I think a little extra boost can only help them. The problem is, many of the vitamins I’ve found are still high in sugar, or are low in taste, and are the same gummy-crunchy-goopy non-goodness you’re looking for. What to do?

I was sent a sample of EveryKid by New Chapter, a whole-food based multivitamin that is gluten free, 100% vegetarian, organic, and with no refined sugar and no artificial colors or flavors. It’s actually very low in sugar, with no aluminum dyes. (There are soy and yeast ingredients, for those with allergies.) The fun part is for the kids (of course)! EveryKid is like healthy Fun-Dip - it’s a crystalline , but you don’t mix it into water (you can if you want). Kids pour it directly on their tongue. My daughter tried the “Awesome Apple” flavor and was a bit confused at first. Then she declared, “It’s sour, but sweet at the same time. Yummy! When can I have another one?” Enough said!

EveryKid is recommended for kids four and up, so my three year old can’t get in on the fun just yet. We’ll be trying the “Brilliant Berries” flavor next, and there’s a grape flavor found exclusively at Whole Foods. Would love to hear what you think about vitamins in general - I feel like it’s always a hot topic, especially for kids.

Air pollution and asthma go hand and hand, as asthma rates in children have risen alarmingly in recent years - often blamed on exposure to environmental pollutants, absence of green space in cities, and a myriad of other reasons. Studies have shown that children in inner cities have it worse than suburban kids - often at a rate three times higher - and, combined with poor health care options, asthma has become a major problem in urban environments.

That being said, shouldn’t a new inhaler that lacks cholorfluorocarbons (CFCs) be applauded? CFCs have been removed from almost 100% of products, such as aerosol cans, and as of December 2008, no new albuterol inhalers with CFCs will be available. After reading the article titled “It’s Not Easy Breathing Green,” written by Gregg Mitman at the Huffington Post, the idea of this seemingly responsible device brings with it an alarming concern. These new inhalers, called HFA (for hydrofluoroalkane) - while better for the environment - are much more expensive than their CFC-laden counterparts. According to the AAAAI (American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology), the new inhalers cost consumers $30-$60, up from $5-$25. And this is WITH a prescription!

So, here we are with a green predicament. For inner city and kids in poorer neighborhoods who lack insurance and proper medical assistance, it’s widely believed that they will be the last to receive these new inhalers. While supporting advances in medicine can, in turn, help the environment, how can we leave out a crucial group of people - kids, in this instance - who need the medicine the most? This is not the “Whole Foods is so expensive” debate - food co-ops and farmers markets allow people to buy fresh food and products without breaking their banks. Aside from bringing in a ton of $$ to pharmaceutical companies (Mitman’s article explains that asthma meds account for 20 percent of GlaxoSmithKline’s $35 BILLION in profits for 2005), what good is this really doing? Sort of the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” theory?

The Partnership for Prescription Assistance can help if you need it; search for programs by state or pharmaceutical maker. A blog called Smoke Rings, Coffee Stains, claims that the new HFA inhalers is a “forced switch,” that they simply don’t work as well as the CFC inhaler, and this passionate petition also claims that the new inhalers may do more harm than good, physically as well as financially. How about asking major pollutant creators to foot the bill, since it’s their waste that’s creating the mess in the first place? If you or your child has asthma, please talk to your doctor about HFA inhalers, and how they may affect you out of pocket. And please pass this info along - this is too serious to not tell your friends and family about, for eco reasons as well as the health of your children!

We moved (again, within the country, no worries) a couple of weeks ago, and had many boxes sitting in our living room. Some of them were not unpacked from Panama, so they went from Panama to a Boca garage to a Boca apartment. And after almost six months of these unopened boxes sitting around, what, do you think, made an appearance in my living room on a bright and sunny Sunday morning? Yes, it was a gigantic roach. GIGANTIC, or as my kids will tell you, it was THIS BIG (feel free to move hands as far apart as you might think is possible - they’re still debating the size). And not only was it big…it was ruthless! It crawled away from the line of boxes we had so neatly set up to actually be removed that day, right into my kitchen.

Being as eco-friendly as possible with bug products and living in Florida seem to be polar opposites. The ants and water bugs, plus other unnamed creatures, pop up anywhere and everywhere, especially living by the beach. We even had blue crabs travel to our door one summer (I know that’s not technically a bug, but it is creature-like, and NO, we did not kill them)! The only product I could find on this morning was my Orange Guard. Now, I admit, I had never tested this on roaches. It’s been my ant spray for a while, and it works pretty well to keep them away. Plus it’s water based, and all ingredients are listed safe by the EPA. That being said, I checked the bottle, and Orange Guard clearly states you can spray “DIRECTLY on roaches - Kills on contact”. What it didn’t tell you was that, if this was a Panamanian cucaracha like I suspected, it actually had the opposite effect. This THING had the nerve to saunter into my pantry, surprise attack my foot, then attempt to leave the house - all while it was being doused, no, SOAKED with Orange Guard. Nothing. What finally did this beast in was my husband’s shoe (and a lot of yelling choice words at it).

So, aside from spraying my baseboards with Orange Guard for ants, I’m on the lookout for a new bugspray that will actually get rid of the bugs. Any suggestions? I’ll be heading to Whole Foods soon to see what’s out there. The saga continues…

A report Friday that had green blogs buzzing revealed that almost half of 100 ‘green’ and ‘natural’ products tested by the Organic Consumers Association have come back not so people friendly. Turns out, these products contain an FDA-known carcinogen (in lab rats) named 1,4-dioxane, which is actually a byproduct (meaning, the companies did not intentionally include this) created during production to help soften foaming agents. Your favorite brand may be here - Kiss My Face, Alba, even Seventh Generation do not escape. Here’s the complete list of products that were tested, and the parts per million 1,4-dioxane levels contained. On labels, look for “polyethylene glycol” or the syllables “PEG,” short for polyethylene glycol, -eth or -oxynol-.

Now, let’s not all throw out all our products yet again. There’s still sodium laureth sulfate and parabens hiding out in my shower, make-up case, and kitchen cleaners. The point of our reactions to this is sort of the whole point of why I started teensygreen in the first place. You spot what needs changing; you do what you can to change it. To me, running the dishwasher after we’ve turned out the lights for the night, and changing lightbulbs is a more immediate change that scouring products for PEG. However, does this taint how you view green products? Do you feel deceived? Does it make a difference to your buying habits, or, maybe more important, do you still trust these companies? The cynic in me wants to say “you can’t win,” and surely we won’t be able to entirely eliminate carcinogens from our homes. There will always “be something” to deal with!

If you really want to dig deep, you can run products you have in your home through the Environmental Working Group’s “Skin Deep” Cosmetics Database. My only caveat is you may get carried away and end up wanting to trash everything in your home, makeup included!  Whatever you do, don’t empty your wallet over this.  Responsible companies will for sure be correcting this problem!

I love singing the praises about yoga - anyone can do it, and there’s never enough that can be said about the benefits to the body and mind. With information constantly being put out there about getting kids outdoors, turning TVs off, obesity, and alternative ways to get kids active, yoga may be the key to kid’s physical success. It’s an indoor or outdoor activity, that’s especially fun when it’s with a parent! It’s amazing to see my girls immediately mimic my yoga moves (that sometimes take a little more time for me to get right!).

One book that we love at our house is My Daddy is a Pretzel, written by Baron Baptiste and published by Barefoot Books. Giving simple visual aids to basic yoga poses, My Daddy is a Pretzel gives kids (and parents unfamiliar with yoga) a gentle start to yoga. It also helps kids see yoga in everyday life, as the poses reflect nature and animals around them. Paired with a PVC-free, non-toxic, and biodegradable kid’s sized yoga mat from Lotuspad, your kids will be pretzel-ing in no time! I’ve written about Lotuspad before, and can’t get enough of how durable and accessible these mats are - not only for yoga, but as a great protective activity mat.

We took a giveaway break last week, but this week we’ll celebrate with two winners - each will win one copy of My Daddy is a Pretzel along with a Lotuspad kid’s yoga mat to help your little yopi get a healthy start to a lifetime of healthy habits! As usual, please leave a comment here with an answer to this question - what’s your favorite Lotuspad yoga mat carry strap style? This giveaway will be open until next Thursday night at midnight PST. As an aside, please note that all comments are moderated, so there’s no need to leave comments over and over - they will be posted! Also, please limit your entry to one per household. Thanks, and good luck!

This contest is closed!  Thanks for entering, and check back for the winners! 

Since we’re on the topic of BPA and baby products, I thought I’d bring your attention to the “Breastfeeding is Green” contest from Nursing Mother Supplies. Aside from the multitude of health benefits breastfeeding supplies to babies, think about all the resources that go into making artificial milk; the waste created from the production of formula bottles and cans; not to mention the energy and gas used to drive the formula around to markets nationwide. The environmental friendly impact of breastfeeding is something that can be truly called a natural part of life!

In a nutshell - come up with the wittiest, eco-encompassing phrase about why breastfeeding is green, and you can win a $300 breastfeeding gift basket, as well as your saying printed on a t-shirt sold by Nursing Mother Supplies. All profits from the sale of the t-shirts will go to charity - fifty percent to La Leche League International, and fifty percent to the environmental organization of the winner’s choice! The contest is open until April 30, 2008. Email your entries to contest@nursingmothersupplies.com, and must include the following info: your name, address, e-mail address, phone number, and “Breastfeeding is Green” catch phrase.

Nursing Mother Supplies also happens to be a beautiful, easy-to-navigate site for mothers and mothers-to-be. For those looking out for BPA-free products, Nursing Mother Supplies carries Medela breastpumps and the Milk Mate breastmilk storage bottles, which are both BPA free.

Photo courtesy of Nursing Mother Supplies.

If you’re not yet hooked on Z Recommends, run, don’t walk, and start reading - you may never stop. A true hands-on product testing site in true family fashion, husband and wife team Jeremiah and Jennifer McNichols, along with their daughter Z, tirelessly test, review, group, recommend (and don’t recommend), and share the newest, safest, and most innovative kid-friendly products on the market.

One ongoing and rigorous testing the Z Recs family should be particularly proud of is their comprehensive BPA report on a broad range of infant and child feeding products, from 42 companies whose products are available in the US. If you have not been on the BPA radar, here’s a quick tutorial: cans and plastic bottles contain the chemical compound called bisphenol-A (BPA). Recent findings have found that BPA can leak out of these linings into food, milk, or other liquids, right into babies and children’s mouths and bodies. BPA consumption has been linked to infertility, cancer, and disorders in children such as hyperactivity. The reaction to the bottle and feeding industry is to remove BPA from baby products, ensuring safety and security.

The Z Recs report is an amazingly thorough and well organized article. Organized in a readable directory format, the listings cover all bottles, cups, breast pumps, pacifiers, utensils, and tableware for a huge variety of brands. Z Recs has gone way beyond simply reading labels - they have questioned company representatives on company practices and commitments to getting BPA out of their products (and your children’s) mouth. Companies are assessed by overall product quality and their “commitment to avoiding the use of Bisphenol-A in their products, incorporating reviews and company profiles” Personally, I wish this was available five and even three years ago when my girls were infants and there were so many fewer healthy choices for bottles, nursing, and feeding. I feel better knowing, however, that this information can be passed on to new moms and dads looking to safeguard the littlest ones in their homes.

Tell us what you think of the Z Recs report! I was particularly surprised to see a company I used with both my kids, Avent, for pacifiers, that ranks “Poor” on the list. It goes to show you that pretty packaging and a seemingly high-quality product may not be as advanced as you think. What’s your favorite baby feeding, or nursing product, and where does it rank on the list? Most important, will you make a necessary switch?

Photo courtesy of Z Recs

Ah, the holidays…time for families, decadent food, gift giving and getting, and, of course, colds and flu and anything else the kiddies (or you) may bring home to share. Of course, I give my kids medicine for their big, bad ailments, but like many moms and dads, I don’t like flooding their systems with cold medicines that were recently deemed unhealthy for little ones, and try my best to keep them as drug-free as possible. We like our Hello Kitty humidifier, steam baths, lots and lots of water, and favorite blankets to cuddle into. With kids, however, even the smallest sniffles can bring about great stress for them - raw noses! Itchy tissues! Hello Kitty’s smiling face can’t solve that problem…

There are alternatives to Dimetapp fixes, all of which will work for kids of any age (as well as you). Lo and behold, DailyCandy Kids Chicago sent out this great homemade chest cold rub recipe this morning that’s simple to make and a lot easier to apply (and smell!) You can easily find all the ingredients at your local Whole Foods or natural foods store, or this amazing on-line shop, Smallflower. Dubbed “The Original International Apothecary,” Smallflower is truly a one-stop shop for all things natural from head to toe for you and your family. From Hyland’s homeopathic cold remedy for kids, to every essential oil and Bach Flower essence under the sun to mix your own remedies, as well as teething and colic help, be forewarned - you’ll be ready to stock up for the season, hoping it will last well into the new year…

Drug resistant staph infections are as nasty and scary as they sound, and they’ve unfortunately popped up in schools dotting the US. And remember those scary articles over the summer about kids passing out due to alcohol intake from antibacterial hand gel? Studies have shown that using antibacterial products are no more effective at killing germs than regular soap and water. In fact, the ingredient that makes products antibacterial - called ‘triclosan’ - can also prove toxic to humans in certain forms. Greaaaaat. Read about it in this informative article from The Green Guide; and, here are some suggestions for natural products your hands, home, and health will thank you for…

Did I have a “whew” moment when I found these CleanWell Sanitizing Wipes and Sprays. The “Ingenium” formula kills almost 100% of germs naturally, using the antiseptic herb thyme and other pesticide-free essential plant oils. They’re also alcohol free, and come in a great variety of sizes - even a travel pack that’s airplane ready. EPA and FDA approved for natural bacteria-busting power!

Mindful Momma (a new favorite blog of mine) has taken the leap towards homemade cleaning products. Check out her super simple and wonderful smelling sink scrub recipe, with antibacterial power and peace of mind that your home is cleaned by - you!

I stocked up on Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps (in liquid form) at Whole Foods before I came home, and they’ve been put to great use. Organic, fair trade, and made with coconut and olive oils blended with essential oils, these are the most versatile soaps I’ve seen on the market. The Lavender scent is a fav as bath soap for everyone in my home, and I use the Almond Oil soap for homemade hand soap. You can wash clothes with it, make home cleaners, and I’ve read you can brush your teeth with them too. There are a ton of varieties, including a mild “Baby” soap which contains no essential oils.

I know antibacterial soaps can smell great and look fun to use - in this case, I think “less is more” applies more than ever, especially when it comes to keeping ourselves and our kids germ-free!

I sense a theme this week…Seattle/Bellevue, Washington-area mom Corey Colwell-Lipson started a movement this year that many parents are applauding. While out trick-or-treating with her daughters last year, she found herself cheering the people giving out stickers and bubbles instead of candy. It sparked something, and Green Halloween was born. Green Halloween’s message is simple - while we know that we can’t keep all candy away from our kids, we can replace some of it with healthier or alternative treats. There’s also enhancing the fun of dressing up, decorating your home, and having a fun afternoon with friends walking around the neighborhood (or apartment building - I was a city kid myself). And if you remember carrying around the little orange UNICEF boxes, Green Halloween is also raising money for Treeswing, a nonprofit organization dedicated to spreading the message of fitness and nutrition to all kids.

Green Halloween is putting the most focus on kids ages 1-5 years old, little ones who aren’t ready for the tricking, but can learn that treating can be a lot more worthwhile with a little effort and some great advice. The most valuable section for everyone is the “Treats, Treasures, and Tips” page, filled with treat-giving alternatives, including small arts and crafts items, money for charity, and organic sweets alternatives. You can email Green Halloween at corey@greenhalloween.com for a “Green Halloween” kit to jumpstart the Hallo-greening of your home and ‘hood. And, if you’re lucky enough to live in the Seattle area, check out these upcoming events! However you stand on Halloween, we think greening any holiday is worthwhile and a breath of fresh air.

And, don’t forget to see below and sign up for our Divvies Halloween cupcake giveaway! Happy Boo-ing!