Hush, little baby.As a relatively recent father (my daughter just reached seven months yesterday), I don't read baby books. I don't put all the burden on my wife either; she reads no baby books. We do what we think is best and what seems best for our daughter (cover story, "Natural Baby, Toxic World," May/June 2007). It's really not all that hard to determine. We use cloth diapers; we have baby food now to try out what she likes, but are getting a little portable hand-grinder for when we go out. She'll just eat what we eat. Like the author, we sort-of practice "attachment parenting Attachment parenting, a phrase coined by pediatrician William Sears,[1] is a parenting philosophy based on the principles of the attachment theory in developmental psychology. ," but more by making her a part of our lives. We go out almost as much as we ever did, we just bring the baby with us when we do. She's a big hit at the parties we go to. It takes more work, but when we share that extra work, it's really not so terrible. Just pay attention to the child, it'll almost always be obvious what they want and need. There is no need to compare to other children and parents, as they're all different. People need to just relax and let it happen. Matthew Savage Posted on Alternet.org I agree that consumption is consumption even if we're talking about "natural" products. We use baking soda baking soda: see sodium bicarbonate. and vinegar in bulk to clean, and buy other detergents as concentrated as possible so we reduce our plastic waste. We have our son in reusable cloth diapers, many of them bought used, and they will be resold when we are done. And instead of denying him and ourselves the peace and enjoyment of a baby swing and bouncy seat, we bought used items and we'll see that they are used again and not sent off to the landfill when we are done with them. "Reginleif" Posted on Alternet.org From a coldly factual standpoint, the decision to have a baby is probably the single most environmentally detrimental decision any individual can make, regardless of any postpartum postpartum /post·par·tum/ (post-pahr´tum) occurring after childbirth, with reference to the mother. post·par·tum adj. Of or occurring in the period shortly after childbirth. efforts to reduce its impact. Unless, of course, your baby turns out to be some sort of prophet or person of consequence who catalyzes political sentiment leading to a global reduction in greenhouse gases greenhouse gas n. Any of the atmospheric gases that contribute to the greenhouse effect. greenhouse gas (as I'm sure my seven-week-old will become). "esunz" Posted on Alternet.org Industrialization industrialization Process of converting to a socioeconomic order in which industry is dominant. The changes that took place in Britain during the Industrial Revolution of the late 18th and 19th century led the way for the early industrializing nations of western Europe and started a "screw the consumer, get the profits" attitude almost 100 years ago. The toxicity of products is a direct result of that attitude. Many companies search for ways of making their products cheaper, either through materials or labor. The consumer loses, and, with baby products, sometimes that consumer is a child, Toxicity goes up, quality goes down. But all is not lost. Sometimes, the people who care are also a part of the baby products industry. This is a win-win scenario. Hugh Fennell www.humanityinfantandherbal.com (Makers of the Humanity Family Sleeper Sleeper Stock in which there is little investor interest but that has significant potential to gain in price once its attractions are recognized. Antithesis of high flyer. ) In your article, "The Battle to Ban Toxic Toys," (sidebar, May/June 2007) you incorrectly state that all plastics marked #7 are polycarbonate A category of plastic materials used to make a myriad of products, including CDs and CD-ROMs. plastic and contain bisphenol A Bisphenol A is a chemical compound containing two phenol functional groups. It belongs to the phenol class of aromatic organic compounds. It is widely prepared and sold and various important polymers/plastics are made from it. . The #7 ("other") designation is used for plastics that do not fit into the #1-6 classifications, and may also designate more environmentally friendly Environmentally friendly, also referred to as nature friendly, is a term used to refer to goods and services considered to inflict minimal harm on the environment.[1] plastics such as those made from wood. By advising consumers to avoid all #7 plastics, you do a disservice dis·ser·vice n. A harmful action; an injury. disservice Noun a harmful action Noun 1. to those who are developing safer alternatives. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Katherine Camp Recycline Waltham, MA |
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