Going Off The Deep End...

Or so some people think. People, that is, who have known me in what I like to call my pre-baby life--my life of young and fun, without the responsibility of worrying about my body or anyone else's body. My life of bleach cleaners, scented soaps, and complete ignorance. A time when I thought "rarely" eating fast food meant once every few days.

But now those days are over, and as I cuddle with the little being I have been so dearly gifted with parenting I feel a new responsibility. Every inch of skin, every hair on his head, every part of his being that I have any control over at all is now under my care--and it's my duty to nourish and protect him. Watch out, I'm Mama Bear now. :)

My journey into a more non-toxic lifestyle began with Baby Bear's birth, and a sudden awareness of the things I was putting into my family's bodies as well as bringing into our home. The awareness of a potentially healthier lifestyle spiraled me into a reading frenzy. Any relevant article, book, journal, or magazine I could get my hands on I was reading. I listened to NPR, watched YouTube videos, and I joined a Moms Group geared towards parents practicing attachment parenting- many of whom were also determined to rid toxins from their homes and families as well.

The First 6 Months:

Our first move was to get rid of anything and everything that had "Johnson & Johnson" written on the label. All of the cute little baby shower baskets full of powdery scented lotions and tear-free shampoos were gone, and replaced with their less-toxic counterparts. (I began with California Baby, but after even more time & research I decided that their rating of up to 4 on ewg.org's cosmetic database was also not good enough. I have since had Baby Bear on a product we love- Sweet Baby Organics made by Paradise Island Organics: contains no SLS or Any Sulfates, Parabens, Phthalates, Petroleum, Phosphates, DEA or Dyes, no Endocrine Disruptors Like Lavender Oil or Tea Tree Oil (see study on Web MD showing these have caused breast growth in boys. See Web MD article, Lavender Oil May Spur Breasts in Boys), and is made with 100% pure plant-based ingredients; also Vegan and Hypoallergenic. It is difficult to find, I order in bulk when it becomes available off Amazon).

After realizing that the skin is our largest organ as well as one of the easiest ways for toxins to enter our body, I began looking into the chemicals in disposable diapers, which at the time we were using. I made the switch to cloth when Baby Bear was 4 months old, and definitely never regretted it. They were cute, cost-effective, environmentally friendly and easy-breezy to wash. Of course the best part--no more nasty chemicals resting against my Love's delicate little skin (in his most delicate of areas, nonetheless!). At this time my husband & I began looking at non-toxic soaps and lotions for ourselves as well, but it took us many many months to actually make the switch (and to find products we were happy with. More about that later!).

Shortly afterwards, I got rid of all of our toxic household cleaners and began cleaning with a solution of white vinegar and water. This was difficult for me, since I had a strange addiction to bleach, but again we made the switch and never regretted it. We worried at first that the house wouldn't actually be cleaned or sanitized, or that it would always smell like vinegar, and even about what visitors would think if they saw (or smelled) us cleaning with--gasp--vinegar. We worried about all of the silly things but finally were persuaded to switch when we learned and began to believe in the actual disinfecting properties (among others) of vinegar. (Might I add, 15 months later our home is looking and smelling just as good as it ever did, and we continue to clean with only the vinegar and water solution). We were already using Free & Clear detergents and non-toxic dishwasher detergent, so I didn't have to worry there.

During this entire time, I was also slowly getting rid of toxic "stuff", and trying to replace it with friendlier versions. Baby Bear had few toys, and 90% of those that he did own were wood- either unfinished or colored using plant-based dyes (some good brands include: Manhattan Toys, Wonderworld, and Haba. You can also find tons of adorable handmade wooden baby toys on etsy.com, or in small local toy stores). He enjoyed playing with books, as well as a few of the wool/silk toys we were introduced to through our Moms Group.

My kitchen was completely under renovation as well. I got rid of *almost* all of the plastic stuff (Baby Bear today has a few sippy cups that have become special to him...I literally cringe every time I use them but take deep breaths and move on for sanity's sake. We also have a few odds and ends laying around that I keep swearing I am going to donate, any day now...). We received an awesome set of cast-iron pans (if you don't already know the amazing health benefits of cast-iron, I highly recommend reading up on it!), and purchased lots of glassware to store our food & drinks in (replacing that awful chemical-leaching plastic Tupperware).

Although BB was exclusively breastfed still, through the process of education my husband and I naturally began honing in on our own diet. Of course only by virtue of how far we have come can I now look back and say, "we ate like crap." In all actuality, we had a pretty decent diet (let's say our diet was on the higher end of the Standard American Diet; meaning, our meals were the standard meat, potatoes [usually a white starchy type] and veggie). Our idea of a healthy lunch was a big salad from the grocery store salad bar, white bread with some salami, and a small bag of chips. We ate out a lot, ate a lot of burgers, and when we were traveling you bet we ate lots of junk food. During my pregnancy, I cut out the deli meats and caffeine like a good girl., but as soon as BB was born I'm pretty sure the first thing I did on the way home was stop for coffee. 

During those first 6 months after BB was born, when we first began analyzing our diet, not too much changed except for maybe our mentality (now instead of eating junky food and moving on with our lives we would eat junky food and think, "wow, I feel like crap, I am really going to try to eat better"). I suppose like anything else it is all in education. At the time we wanted better but didn't much about what we should do differently. Enter: My wonderful group of mindful mamas. These women introduced me to just the resources hubby & I needed to make the lifestyle changes that worked for us. After watching "Forks Over Knives", "Food Inc.", and reading "The China Study", we were pretty much in agreement that we wanted to cut meat and dairy from our diets. This was pretty much the extent of where we were at during these first months however. (And please keep in mind, we were introduced to MANY different diets and nutritional lifestyles, only after doing our own research did we conclude which one was best for our own family. You may have something else that works for you. Not knockin' it!).

So to wrap up what is becoming a very long blog, those first 6 months were pretty intense in regards to how far we had come in our decisions to wipe toxic crap from our lives. Every step, looking back, had seemed so big-- but looking around me I realize that they are just tiny steps in the path of where we ultimately want to be.