You don’t have to wait to save. Put away sweet treats for Baby’s first holiday saving 30% off all Toys, Clothes & soft leather Baby Shoes now through November 30th at EuphoriaBaby.com.
Plus get Free Shipping storewide on orders of $75 or more
Discount automatically showing now on all sale items!
Sale includes quality European toys and organic layette (while they last!).
shop Euphoria now!
by Claire Moshenberg of MomsRising
Great news: Nontoxic baby care products don’t have to be expensive! Organic, nontoxic, or even fragrance free items for our little ones can veer towards the pricey side. Luckily, there are easy, affordable DIY solutions for many commonly used baby care products.
Here are our top 5 DIY nontoxic baby care products (Not up for a DIY project? We have bonus tips at the end on how to buy the best nontoxic baby care products):
Baby powder: Avoid potentially toxic talc by skipping commercial baby powders and making your own. This recipe from the Smart Mama is super easy and only uses two ingredients. If you buy baby powder, make sure it’s:
Diaper rash cream: Replace standard diaper rash cream with coconut oil. Coconut oil is a great moisturizer, it smells amazing, and it has anti-fungal and anti-microbial properties. If you don’t have coconut oil, Simple Organic recommends using a 1:1 ratio of water and apple cider vinegar, which you wipe on the affected area and allow to air dry.
Hair care: Delicate baby hair requires special care; luckily, it doesn’t require special expensive products. These recipes are affordable and use basic ingredients that you may already have in your home.
Baby oil: Most commercial baby oils contain mineral oil, which can be irritating to delicate skin. For a greener alternative, use natural one ingredient swaps to moisturize your baby’s skin. Organic coconut oil and organic cold pressed olive oil are two great baby oil alternatives. If you’re feeling crafty, you can try one of these baby oil recipes from Organic Authority.
Baby Wipes: Organic and unscented wipes can be quite pricey, especially for an item that you have to replace so frequently. Try an inexpensive DIY version instead. This recipe from Baby Center uses paper towels, castille soap, distilled water, and aloe vera juice. For a slightly simpler take on homemade baby wipes, you can try this version from Babies 411 that uses castille soap, olive oil and water. For a crafty and more sustainable version, try this tutorial on DIY cloth baby wipes from Simple Organic.
Can’t DIY? Don’t worry! Though a lot of these recipes are one or two ingredient swaps, we can all get crunched for time, or just not be in the mood to DIY, and require some help from ready made products. Here are a few tips on how to buy the safest, least toxic baby care items.
As you select baby care items, use this list from the Environmental Working Group of the top chemicals to always avoid in kids’ cosmetics:
The Environmental Working Group has a handy tip sheet that shows you which chemicals to look out for, and recommends products that are nontoxic or less toxic than their conventional counterparts. You can also look baby care items up on the Good Guide and EWG’s Skin Deep Database.
Courtesy of Healthy Child Healthy World: a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit inspiring parents to protect young children from harmful chemicals.
At book club last month I shared my experience using BumGenius’ newly released Flip Training Pants with my friends. Based on my testimony, a few moms opted to cross that line. You know the one – the one where you actually see yourself washing dirty diapers. In the washing machine and everything!
Yes, when it comes time for potty training, even parents who have always used disposables might consider cloth pull-ups over pricey disposable alternatives. There’s a lot of benefits – money saved, likelier faster training (since the child can feel any wetness), not to mention we all know it’s easier on the environment to reuse rather than throw away an everyday product. Plus there’s a HUGE eliminated drawback… the poop factor. If your child is a little ways into the potty training transition, he or she is likely no longer having messy accidents. A lot of us have nighttime wetters only. Since staying dry at night can be a multi-year battle, even using a cloth trainer at night only offers such a significant savings. Washing pee-only diapers is so much easier on the average psyche. I totally get that.
Anyways, I wanted to let you know that we’ve been using the Flip trainer since it was released in November. My 4-year-old still wakes up wet most nights, but bedding and pj’s stay dry when he wears the Flip trainer. Flip Training Pants are sold in a box with 1 waterproof outer and 5 absorbent inserts for $29.95. For a child wearing a trainer during the day, one insert provides the accident protection you need. But, for an older child sleeping overnight we double up on the absorbent inserts to provide enough oomph for a heavy wetter. You can buy extra inserts separately. I love that my child can easily pull the cloth trainers up and down for those late night trips to the bathroom and that we don’t have to keep investing in throw-away solutions.
And, by the way, if you do have a really messy accident, BumGenius has you covered with snap-open access for a normal diaper change. Just dump any solids in the toilet and wash that pull up on HOT. You’ll be just fine. But, all the same, let’s hope that never happens to you (wink)!
Now through January 15th we’re authorized to pass on a $50 savings on your purchase of the much-loved Beco Butterfly II baby carrier! These gorgeous Echino prints are made of a sturdy cotton/linen blend and printed with unique, eye-catching designs that certainly don’t scream “baby”. Use coupon code “BECO50” to save on these limited editions:
When I was pregnant for the first time, I thought a moses basket was a definite luxury. They’re so pretty, so sweet… aren’t they more for looks than anything else? After baby was born I could see soon enough the benefits of a movable bed. Not just in the house or in the garden, but able to come to grandmother’s house as well. A familiar bed just makes everything easier.
That said, I never had a moses basket. We couldn’t buy “everything”, so we only had a bassinet. When I wanted to calm a fussy, but fed baby in the middle of the night, I would reach out and gently jiggle the bassinet beside my bed to approximate a rocking motion. Not the easiest thing to do, but a tired mother will go to great lengths to remain in bed.
A cradle rocks. A bassinet is just the right height by the bed. A moses basket can be carried from room to room. All helpful features and all to be found in our organic moses basket and rocker set made in the USA by Little Merry Fellows. When we came across this lovely, natural design years ago, I knew it was just what I had wanted as a new mom. And since baby’s bed is where she spends most of her time, it’s a great place to start with choosing organic, non-toxic materials.
Because sometimes the beautiful choice is the wisest choice too!
The best toys for baby are classics, tried and true and handed down from generation to generation. No fancy bells or flashing lights, just quality construction and open-ended play value that sparks gentle, age-appropriate curiosity and wonder.
Our baby and toddler toy boutique is one of my favorite parts of being in business! The beautiful woodwork, soft cloth and quality construction – these are toys I love to have in my home and am proud to give as gifts. When you find yourself seeking new playthings, I hope you’ll support companies like Plan Toys, Under the Nile and Haba of Germany who make your child’s safety the #1 concern. We’re proud to stock them and more natural toys for baby in our PLAY assortment!
Natural Baby Toys
Free Baby Toy with $75 purchase through 12/16 for our blog readers and Facebook followers only.
Claim yours during checkout in comments!
Choose from natural Soy Crayons, a Plan Toys Wood Teether or an organic Squeak Duck from Dandelion Organic Toys.
Your order of $75 or more with EuphoriaMaternity.com or EuphoriaBaby.com (excluding baby bedding) qualifies for a free gift!
When Liam was a baby, I think I tried infant massage like once? And he probably cried. It definitely didn’t become a habit! I’ve heard so much lately about how infant massage benefits babies by both stimulating their bodies physically to function and develop optimally, and by relaxing them to promote sleep. That’s not hard to believe, as anyone who’s had a massage knows!
I guess the trick would be to find a time in your routine with baby where infant massage really fits – a moment when you are not stressed for time and a moment when baby is likely to accept being undressed. After bath time and before bed is one idea. Or, maybe after that last feeding before putting baby down for the night. As it turns out there are all sorts of classes now that teach infant massage strokes and approaches. But I can’t believe that we need to make it quite that complicated. Today I found a few videos on YouTube that make it look easy enough.
Now, if only I had a chubby little baby to experiment on tonight! Any volunteers?
*footynote: be sure to choose a non-toxic baby oil or lotion, like Weleda or Earth Mama Angel Baby so that you’re not lovingly massaging carcinogens into baby’s beautiful skin.
Aria & I have been declaring “It’s Fall” since the beginning of September. While the weather hasn’t always agreed, the apples are ripe and the first leaves are turning. We’ve sent out invitations for our Harvest Halloween Party (in the style of Remaking Halloween)… and I’ve started brainstorming homemade Christmas gifts. It must be fall.
Here are some books to enjoy with your children this fall. Click through on any of the images to read a description of the book!
Woody, Hazle and Little Pip by Elsa Beskow (my favorite)
Pumpkin, Pumpkin by Jeanne Titherington
Harvest by Kris Waldherr
Frederick by Leo Lionni
Possum’s Harvest Moon by Anne Hunter
Too Many Pumpkins by Linda White (a funny tale)
The Story of the Wind Children by Sibylle Von Olfers
 |
Thank-you for Shopping with our Family Business!
Go to Euphoria Baby or Euphoria Maternity
