Protecting Our Babies From Toxic Chemicals
Recent media attention concerning chemicals in baby products has caused much concern and alarm. The No More Toxic Tub report from the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, a non-profit agency whose goal is to bring attention to harmful chemicals in our skin care products, informs us that many of the baby products that we know, love, and have used for many years contain cancer-causing (carcinogenic) chemicals, specifically, 1,4-dioxane and formaldehyde. In addition to these two harmful chemicals, parents have to worry about the presence of phthalates and parabens in their personal care products as well as their baby’s. These chemicals are not federally regulated here in the United States, but have been banned in other countries. 1,4-dioxane has been banned in Europe and formaldehyde is banned in Japan and Sweden. The U.S. and Europe have banned three phthalates (DEHP, DBP, and BBP) from children’s toys.
1,4-dioxane is not a product added intentionally, but instead is considered a contaminant and therefore is not required to be listed on product labels. This chemical is used as a foaming agent and found in many of the products that we use today, such as shampoos, liquid soaps, deodorants, laundry detergents, toothpastes and much more. 1,4-dioxane is readily absorbed into the bloodstream potentially causing damage to the central nervous system, liver, kidneys and may even result in death.
Formaldehyde exposure occurs everyday in the air that we breath and from some of the foods that we eat. Formaldehyde is a gas which can cause throat, nose, skin, and eye irritation. Exposure can cause coughing, wheezing, watery eyes, itching, and skin irritations. Formaldehyde exposure has been linked to allergies and asthma in children. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency classifies formaldehyde as a carcinogen and high levels of this chemical have been linked to the development of nose, lung, and brain cancer as well as leukemia.
Phthalates are another man-made chemical found in many of our personal care products. Phthalates are used to make plastics flexible and used in many fragrance oils to help prolong the fragrance’s scent. A study conducted by the American Academy of Pediatrics concluded that many young infants are frequently exposed to phthalates in common baby lotions, powders, and shampoos thereby making them more vulnerable to the developmental and reproductive adverse effects of these chemicals. Phthalates have been linked to hormonal changes, birth defects, reproductive abnormalities in baby boys (i.e. low sperm count, testicular cancer, deformities of the penis), and damage to the liver, kidneys, and lungs.
Parabens are used as a preservative in many cosmetics, foods and pharmaceutical products. Parabens can mimic the hormone estrogen and when absorbed through the skin, parabens have been linked to breast cancer and male reproductive abnormalities.
Recently, even natural and organic products have been shown to contain these worrisome chemicals. Bottom line, read the label. Here is a list of the worrisome ingredients to watch for in you and your baby’s products:
1. Avoid products containing “Fragrance”. Oddly enough, the various chemicals present under the name “fragrance” do not have to be listed individually, thereby hiding them under the broad category “fragrance” (this is where common phthalates hide).
2. Avoid products containing the following ingredients which may contain 1,4-dioxane:
A. PEG compounds (example: PEG-80)
B. Sodium Laurel Sulfate (SLS)
C. “cetearth”
E. “xynol”
F. “oleth”
G. . polyethylene
3. Avoid products containing the term “phthalate” (example: monoethyl phthalate).
4. Avoid plastics that contain the
recycling number “3″ which is a possible source for phthalates.
5. Avoid products containing the word paraben.
6. Avoid other worrisome ingredients:
A. BHA
B. Oxybenzone
C. Triclosan
D. Boric acid
E. Sodium borate
F. Tolune
G. Triethanolamine
H. Dyes
I. Methylchloroisothiazolinone
J. Methylisothiazolinone
K. Iodopropynyl butylcarbamate
L. Benzyl alcohol
M. Isopropyl alcohol
N. Oxybenzone
7. Review product safety ratings on the
Skin Deep database.
Sure, there is only small amounts of these chemicals in our baby products which are stated to be below the acceptable levels, but isn’t it possible that repeated exposure over a life-time can increase the risk for cancer? Here are some sad cancer statistics:
A. Cancer is the leading cause of death in children between the ages of 1 and 15.
B. Cancer kills more children than any other disease.
C. The median age for a child with cancer is 6 years old.
Maybe, just maybe, we can help reduce these sad and shocking numbers by becoming more informed and making better choices in the products that we use, the food that we eat and the water that we drink.
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Diba Tillery RN, BSN,… Babies 411 is an on-line information and resource center for parents. It has been developed by Diba, a neonatal intensive care nurse, with the sole purpose of promoting the health, safety, and well-being of all babies.
I buy the powder formula which costs less then the can stuff. I find that it lasts me 1 week for a big can and that cost me 15 – 25 bucks. Look around the stores and find the cheapest price and stick with that store. I find Walmart is cheapest here in canada.
there are a few things that have changed since your husband was a baby – just make sure she knows about laying the baby on the back to sleep instead of the tummy like they used to. and also make sure she knows child cpr. I have a close friend whose 4 month old had RSV misdiagnosed as a cold and if the baby sitter did not know how to do cpr then the baby would have died.
It's hard to watch other peoples kids because other people raise there kids differently (I know this is an infant). But how well do you know the parent? What is the Parent's expectations? I worked at a day care for several years and HATED it! I worked with 2 to 3 year olds. I didn't like it because of the parents not making there children mind. I have worked and low income day care for the state HATE IT, and I have worked at Private day cares for the high class (kids were great, parents were SNOBS). I watch my nieces and nephews while school is out and on brakes, I love my sister in-law but I always have to track her down to get my money which I don’t charge her but $10.00 a day because she is family and it’s only while school is out. She doesn’t pack the kids really good lunches with all the food groups. I stopped watching a friends kid because he never would pay me on time and never brought his daughters lunch or diapers. That is some things you need to think about. Good Luck….
I've always started offering baby food at four months. Start with one food, offer it for a couple days to ensure they are no allergies. As for juice, I did 9mos but I'm not a big juice fan. It's empty calories unless your doctor asks that you put your child on juice. Good luck!
I never did. I guess I'm a bad mom, but I never saw the point. If you're eating a healthy diet, getting plenty of calories and drinking plenty of water, your baby is getting what he needs. I'm not a doctor–like me, you can decide for yourself and your baby.
Sarah is right. The other two are just trying to mess you up.
Baby = eh-gee
Your son has his nights and days confused. This is very common but very draining on the parents. All you need to do is keep him up as much as you can during the day. Both of my Children had this problem and I found if I kept them awake for as long as I could during the day they slept much better at night. SOme suggestions on keeping them awake during the day is to 1. limit how long their naps are only let them sleep for an hour AT THE Most 2. When they do wake up keep them up for hours at a time…this may seem hard to do but all you have to do is little things such as talkign to your infant changing their diaper,clothing,change their position etc
just last night we were out with our 9 month old untill 2 am. She's fine. she slept in this morning and will probably go to bed early tonight. we just don't make a habit of it.
I'd talk to her doctor. Most babies who start out having trouble with cow's milk protein out grow it by one year but some do not. It's a good idea to see if your doctor thinks you should try the whole milk or just keep up with the soy!
hope this helps!