In my post a few weeks back about phthalates, I provided a link to a site called Serendipity Soap Company and their Wildly Lucky Soaps. They are a small Colorado based company that makes high-quality handmade, phthalate-free soaps. So I placed an order a few weeks ago and my family and I have been soaping up with them and we ready to give you our review.
We bought Bergamot Lime, Lavender, and Pear for me and my husband, and for my little one we bought Night, Night Baby, Sweetheart Baby and Twinkle Baby. Because my husband oft complains that the soaps I buy smell too girly I went with a couple of their “soapdude” approved choices. The package arrived a little late - no big thing for me, I would have never noticed, but they were nice to include some free samples to make up for the delay.
My husband is pretty happy with the subtle scent of the Bergamot Lime and the Sweetheart Baby is so pretty smelling. Since I love the smell of my little girl just as she is, there is just a light sweet smell post tubby (as she says). I also need to mention that my husband and daughter have pretty dry skin and they both seem less itchy and irritated. The soaps use olive oil and shea butter which are pretty kind to skin, so we already notice the difference.
Did I mention the soaps are phthalate-free! The other things I love about this soap (you know what’s coming)- it’s a mom-owned and operated company, it’s handmade and you’ll recognize every ingredient on the wrapper. At $5.50+, the bars of soap are little expensive if you’re used to getting the major brands at your local grocer but the bars are quite solid and should last you a while (longer than the typical buck-a-bar varieties) just make sure it’s kept out of a puddle in the dish. But you’ll feel good that this is not only good for your family and the environment that you can support a small company with a very nice product.
And they have a blog loaded with great info: Serendipity Soap Dish
Some entries you might want to check out:
Johnson’s Baby Cream–not so good for baby
What’s the difference between Phthalates and Parabens?
Feeling ambitious? Make your own! Soapchix Soap Making Tutorial
(wish my best friend Holly lived closer to tackle this one)
A few days ago, my sister forwarded me article that appeared in the New York Times, about the likelihood that Canada will list bisphenol-a (BPA) as a toxic plastic ingredient. This is an amazing development that I hope (as I am sure you do too) will lead to pressure the US government to take similar measures. Instead of linking to the article, as the NY Times has you sign-in, I am including some important excerpts here.
- The Canadian government is said to be ready to declare as toxic a chemical widely used in plastics for baby bottles, beverage and food containers as well as linings in food cans.
- “If the government issues a finding of toxic, no parent in their right mind will be using products made with this chemical,” said Rick Smith, the executive director of Environmental Defense, a Canadian group that has been campaigning against B.P.A. “We will be arguing strongly for a ban on the use of this chemical in food and beverage containers.”
- “The first thing is that it’s an endocrine disrupter, there’s no question about that,” Professor Bend said, referring to the chemical’s impact on the hormonal system. “Should people that are exposed to these low levels of this chemical be outrageously concerned? I’d err on the side of not creating panic. We simply don’t know. But we should find out.”
Professor Bend added that the impact of B.P.A. on the development of human fetuses was worrisome. It may prove to cause damage in much the same way as early exposure to mercury, he said.
The article ends with a comment regarding the report from the American Chemistry Council “affirms that there are no serious or high-level concerns for adverse effects of bisphenol-a on human reproduction and development.”
Hmmm, weren’t there cover-ups regarding the dangers of tobacco and lead poisoning- which have all come to pass as harmful to humans.
In my month or more of research and attention on BPAs, I came across this book called Deceit and Denial, The Deadly Politics of Industrial Pollution
which looks at how historically corporations and at times the government attempted to cover-up, mislead or downplay the dangers of lead and various other harmful chemicals. It is fascinating and could turn out to relevant to our quest to get to the bottom of the dangers associated with BPAs.
For more info on this book and the mission visit the Deceit and Denial website
And just in the from the Boston Globe Bottle firm halts use of plastic tied to tumors
More info on this matter from SafeMama and The Soft Landing
Marcy is breastfeeding with Eloise and I just did a little research on the subject and found this page helpful:
Breastfeeding a newborn
We were mainly curious about how long the baby should feed for. We’re shooting for 20 minutes per breast but Eloise seems to get sleepy about 10 minutes into the process.
She’s been feeding on demand, and now we’re going to take an anticipatory approach to make sure we’re noticing right away when she’s hungry.
UPDATE - April 6, 2008 - We also ran into an issue where milk was coming out of Eloise’s nose, so a quick search for “breastfeeding nose” returned this helpful page:
While breastfeeding milk comes out nose
