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healthy baby products

7 Things to Evict from Your Baby's Diaper Bag

Healthy baby products aren't hard to find once you know what to look for!

By Leah Zerbe

Topics: baby care



I'm going to scream until you buy me a Klean Kanteen!

RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—For years, we've been seeing better baby product design in everything from baby bottles to diapers. But that doesn't mean that everyone out there is safe for your baby. In fact, although great, healthy options are becoming more readily available, dangerous chemicals can still be found in many baby products.

Here are problematic problems to keep out of your baby's healthy diaper bag:

#1: Painted toys
Pediatrician Phil Landrigan, MD, professor and chair of preventive medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, believes that avoiding toys decorated with lead-tainted paint is one of the most important ways to protect your baby.

Where is it? Potentially in any painted wooden or plastic toys; be especially wary of imports. More: Lead-Tainted Toy Recalls.

Better alternative: Look for unpainted wooden toys. (Hazelnut Kids is a good source.) Stuffed animals and toys made of organic cotton, like organic stuffed animals from Fair Indigo and baby toys from Under the Nile are great options.


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#2: Vinyl
Vinyl, also called PVC, is plastic that's particularly nasty, from its production through its disposal. For consumers, particularly babies and children, whose hormonal systems are still developing, the big health threat comes from plastic-softening chemicals called phthalates. While these have been banned in toys produced after 2009, phthalates could still be hiding out in older toys, or in diaper bags made of PVC.

Exposure to these chemicals has been linked to certain cancers and fertility problems that sometimes don't show up until decades down the line. Vinyl products are also sometimes contaminated with lead, too, a heavy metal linked to learning disabilities, among other health problems.

Where is it? Vinyl baby bags, changing table pads.

Better alternative: PVC-free diaper bags, such as those from patemm, a company that makes a versatile diaper bag that doubles as a fold-out changing pad!

#3: Artificially scented products
While harmful phthalates crop up in vinyl products, these chemicals are often used in synthetically fragranced personal-care products for babies and adults, too. Phthalates usually aren't listed on the label, but rather fall under ubiquitous ingredients like "fragrance" or "parfum," a catch-all term where thousands of potentially harmful ingredients hide.

Where is it? Scented baby shampoos, soaps, creams, lotions, laundry products.

Better alternative: Choose unscented, plant-based products for personal care and laundry. For the diaper bag, we like Badger Products, such as Badger Baby Balm—they're certified organic and free of toxic ingredients.

Read More: 5 Must-Have Laundry Gadgets That Will Save You Money



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