Errrrrrr! Really! I was really mad. When the FDA recently declared BPA safe I was so mad and disappointed I didn’t even write about it as you probably noticed. I felt duped, or that they would say ok actually we are going to, that was a mistake. And when they released their findings that BPA was safe last month I thought it was unconscionable enough that they released info on how to avoid it. Ummm, its safe but you shouldn’t use it. As the Washington Post states “The (FDA) report stands in contrast to more than 100 studies performed by government scientists and university laboratories that have found health concerns associated with bisphenol A (BPA).”
The good news, some states are now taking action contrary to the FDA’s findings. They are going to baby product companies to ask them to avoid putting BPAs in their products. In addition, thankfully, many manufacturers have responded to the public’s desire to have BPA-free products for their babies, kids and even themselves. I find it amazing that the manufacturers and retailers like WalMart and Toys R’ Us are beating the government to the punch. (and I rarely have good things to say about big box stores, but here’s one place they are getting it right) Wasn’t it enough that it has been banned in kid’s products in Canada? When the FDA held off its ban on BPAs everyone should have said, “hmmm, what did the Canadian government get to see that these guys didn’t?” or were the lobbyist’s influence as usual too much to resist? Whatever the reason they deemed it safe, I think it better that we avoid it.
Yikes-BPA in your plastic bottles
BPA update…
BPA Primer from GreenMommy.com
After a lot of deliberation we had decided not to to send my daughter to preschool this year. Mostly based on lack openings and affordability of the 2 year old toddler programs in our area, we decided to wait another year. But one week before most schools began, I was talking to an acquaintance who told me about a very affordable school she was going to send her twin boys to. It was a little further away than any of the others we had looked into, but I decided to check it out. After the tour, and liking what I saw and heard, I decided we should enroll her and give it a shot. The director of the school alleviated any fears I might have about her not liking it by saying she could stop at anytime, and if she wanted- start back up again when she was ready.
The program is two days a week, Thursdays and Fridays for 2.5 hours each day. The first day the parents stayed, half in the class room and half at an orientation. The second day, the parents dropped their kids off at the classroom and headed off to have coffee in another room. I have to say that both days we left the house, she seemed pretty excited, but once we got there she didn’t want to get out of the car telling me it looked like they had enough kids already. After some coaxing she came out and we went inside. But after those first two days, there haven’t been any problems getting out of the car. In fact, we go in, hang up her jacket and lunch box, hit the bathroom for a last visit before they start their day and she excitedly bounces down the hall to her classroom. She says hi to her friends as they come in- sometimes even forgets to say good-bye to me.
I know, I am a stay at home mom, and I grappled with her going off so young while I had decided to stay home to be with her. But part of the reason I did, was because I saw it as a way for her to gain independence from me. We are together all the time, and she relies on me for everything, which is fine with me but I can’t do it forever and I feel like this makes the process less painless- probably for both of us. I feel so good when I pick her up and she has a big smile on her face eager to show me her newest art project. In the car ride home she tells me about her friends, and what happened at recess. I have to do a little prodding about what book they read, if she was a good listener and helper, but she seems to feel really good about each day there. For us it ended up the right decision, and I’ll keep her there as long as she enjoys it.
I just read an article about vitamin D and how the American Association of Pediatrics has doubled the recommended daily amount of it from 200iu to 400iu. It’s a good article and definitely worth checking out:
washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/13/AR2008101300995.html
Vitamin D sources include cod liver oil, milk, and can also be created by human bodies when exposed to sunlight. Exposure to sunlight has its own problems, so most people these days take supplements.
