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My babies have always had a somewhat magnetic attraction to any jewelry I wear.  If I wear dangly earrings, I spend the day ducking and swerving from grabby hands.  If I wear a necklace, my baby will greedily shove it in his mouth just as soon as I pick him up like it’s some sort of candy.  It’s as if babies are born with a love for shiny things (wait a minute, are they?). 

Well, anyways, with all the lead toy recalls lately, a parenting magazine pointed out that jewelry often contains lead.  Yikes!  What’s more, lead actually does have a sweet taste to it!  Oh dear…  Since reading that article, I’ve made a concerted effort to keep those necklaces OUT of his mouth.  And I plan on ordering a lead test at our next well check-up, just to see.  Hopefully he’ll pass with flying colors, but if not, I’ll know to start searching for and eliminating possible exposures. 

Poor baby, he loves playing with my necklaces!  I recently came across an alternative option - mama jewelry designed for baby to mouth.  Smart Mom makes a collection of necklaces and bangles called Teething Bling that are lead-free.  They’re made out of soft silicone plastic that’s non-toxic, phthalate free and all pendants come with a breakaway clasp.  As an extra measure of safety, Smart Mom just had their jewelry tested lead-free by an independent lab.  A copy of the report is available.  Through November they’re offering a free bangle with any purchase of a pendent.  Euphoria Blog readers can also get free priority mail shipping, just use coupon code “6N19L20FPKL40K8G7″.  
  

By now most of us have heard about the dangers of BPA emitting plastics used to make baby bottles.  And judging from the massive popularity of BPA-free bottles from Born-free, Adiri, and more, this is a topic that we’re all taking seriously.  BUT, have you started to wonder about other plastic products your child uses frequently?

The other day a customer who purchased the Adiri Natural Nurser bottle from Euphoria asked me if we have a BPA-free sippy cup.  Ohhh…. what about sippy cups!?!  It’s a logical progression.  If you don’t want BPA emitting polycarbonate plastics in baby bottles, why tolerate them in sippy cups?  The latest research shows that BPA’s are released during normal use, NOT just when the plastic is heated, making sippy cups a legitimate concern.

Since we LOVE the Adiri bottles, I asked Adiri first.  Unfortunately, they have no plans to launch a sippy cup.  A little research led me to discover this cool, modern option: the Safe Sippy Cup.  It’s BPA-free, well thought out, and it looks cool (which is very important to a two-year-old, right?).  You can browse their site at http://www.thesafesippy.com/.  We’ll be getting our first shipment in at Euphoria in a few weeks.  We’re accepting preorders now at http://store.euphoriamaternity.com/coac.html .  Other BPA-free sippy cups include:  Avent Magic cup (which I can’t recommend – it always leaks on us), Muchkin Cupsicle, Born Free Toddler Cup, and First Years Take n Toss products.

But, wait a minute, what about pacifiers!  I mean they suck on the darn things for heaven’s sake!  Turns out that all pacifiers that have a hard plastic backing are made of BPA emitting plastics.  There goes my Avents and Mams!  Pacifier manufactures point out that baby doesn’t suck on the plastic backing, but my baby certainly handles it a lot and for many babies, their pacifier is their favorite teething toy.  Why take a chance when there are other safe, afordable options available at your local grocery store or Babies R Us?  BPA-free pacis include: Soothies, Gerber Nuks, and Playtex Binky. 

Some women make breastfeeding look so easy!  Truth is, sometimes it’s easy, sometimes it’s hard.  Here are some quick tips:

• Do ask for help!  If it’s your first time, expect to need another mom or a lactation consultant to give you some in person help those first few days.  Pictures in a book probably won’t cut it.
• Do expect some initial pain.  If you don’t have it, you’ll be relieved.  If you do have it, you’ll be prepared.
• Don’t give in to pressure to supplement with formula, unless it’s by your pediatrician’s request.  The more you nurse, the more milk you’ll make.  Have confidence that your body can do this!
• Do set limits.  Breastfeeding on demand is a great idea, unless your baby would like to nurse for 1 1/2 hours straight! If you don’t want to be a human pacifier, it’s ok to take your baby off the breast.  A half hour should be sufficient, even for a newborn. 
• Don’t get stuck nursing in the back room!  Experiment with nursing clothes and cover-ups.  You’ll be nursing for many months, and you don’t want to have to seclude yourself every time – trust me!
• Do make breastfeeding a break, not an interruption.  If your list of to-do’s is a mile high, frequent breaks to breastfeed can be frustrating.  Train yourself to stop, rest, and enjoy that precious baby.

I’m sure we could add a lot more tips to this list.  First-time moms would love your advice.  Please add your comments!

This Halloween my husband and I had another “If ONLY” moment!  We were out with our 3-year-old enjoying a Fall Festival.  The crowds, small spaces, and need for speed (just try to hold back a 3-year-old on Halloween!) negated the idea of using a stroller, so we were forced to carry around our heavy baby boy – again!  ”If ONLY we had bought a Beco Baby Carrier!”, I found myself lamenting again.  A Beco Baby Carrier (http://store.euphoriamaternity.com/carriers.html) is the ultimate baby carrier.  It’s so comfortable, it feels like you’re not carrying a thing.  I had to “model” one for our website and I was completely shocked by how comfortable it was to carry my older child on my back.  Plus, they come in so many different prints – it’s hard to choose a favorite!    

Our son is 9 months old, and I can’t count the number of times we’ve wished we splurged on that carrier!  We had a Bjorn left over from our first baby.  We didn’t use it much with her, so I didn’t anticipate using it much for my son.  Well, as I found out, you can’t stay at home as much when you have a toddler in addition to baby and many places we go aren’t stroller friendly.  You just don’t anticipate them as much: the fair, the park, special events, toddler birthday parties, etc.  Plus, how many times have I tried to juggle pushing a stroller, holding my little girl’s hand, and carrying bulky shopping bags?  A back-pack carrier would have been just the thing!  I always tell myself, ”But he’s already x months old.  I won’t have many more opportunites to use it…”  What a crock!  I need to just give in and get one! 

Oh, as I was saying, we do have a Bjorn.  I used that front carrier the first few months.  Before long it was hurting my back and he didn’t seem very comfortable either.  A back carry is the most ergonomic option.  It enables you to carry a child much longer, while maintaining proper posture.  The Beco Baby Carrier is also designed to be used as a sling, front carrier, and hip carrier, so it really works for everything.  Plus, in the Beco, baby is sitting in the carrier, rather than hanging from the carrier.  This is much more comfortable for baby and encourages proper spinal development.  

Well, we don’t have one yet.  Our little boy is our last baby, so it’s hard to swallow the expense.  Maybe for Christmas?  All you mamas with new babies or who plan to have more babies, get yours now.  You’ll be loving it!