HAPPY JUICING!

Here are the ingredients of USA manufactured Diet Coke

• Carbonated water
• Caramel color
• Aspartame
• Phosphoric acid
• Potassium benzoate (to protect taste)
• Natural flavors
• Citric acid
• Caffeine

The biggest worries on this list are Aspartame and Potassium Benzoate.  Since its initial FDA rejection in the 1970s, and then subsequent approval in the 80s, there has been considerably scrutiny and concern regarding the safety of Aspartame.  Potassium Benzoate has received less attention, but is still a highly suspect food additive and getting more attention with recent study.  Lets look at the two in depth.

Aspartame

Aspartame (C₁₄H₁₈N₂O₅) is a compound of three things: Methanol, Aspartic Acid, and Phenylalanine.  Methanol is used to make paint strippers, formaldehyde, and gasoline additives.  Drinking just 10ml of methanol will cause blindness, 100ml causes death.  More details on Methanol’s toxicity are outlined in this NIH article.  Aspartic Acid is an excitotoxin, meaning it excites and can overstimulate the nerve cells in the body and brain.  Excitotixins are being linked to neurodegenerative disorders such as ALS and Parkinson’s, amongst other conditions such as ADHD. According to neuroscientist John Olney, aspartic acid causes holes in the brains of mice. Phenylalanine is a naturally occurring amino acid in our bodies and in the protein we digest, but only in its natural form L-Phenylalanine is it safe.  According to Wikipedia, Penylalanine uses the same active transport channel as tryptophan to cross the blood-brain barrier, and, in large quantities, interferes with the production of serotonin, meaning you can become depressed or have other neurotransmitter changes by consuming too much Phenylalanine.

How aspartame made it to market is a scary story of government corruption and corporate malfeasance, which is outlined in this history of Aspartame and in Robyn O’Brien’s book The Unhealthy Truth.  In short, GD Searle, the company that created aspartame, had applied for FDA approval in the 1970′s but was rejected due to concerns over the “research” that backed its safety.  An FDA task force had found GD Searle was removing tumors from their live test animals, to skew the sample size of affected animals, amongst other tactics such as changing study methodologies to cover up seizures had by monkeys fed aspartame .  The CEO at this time was Donald Rumsfeld (R), a former member of congress and Gerald Ford’s Chief of Staff. Yes, that Donald Rumsfeld.

It wasn’t until 1981, and literally 1 day into the new Regan (R) administration that GD Searle reapplied for approval.  Regan appointed a new FDA commissioner in April of 1981 and in July of that year, Aspartame was approved for use in dry foods, despite a law banning approval of food or drugs when scientific evidence is inconclusive, or an FDA expert panel investigation that still saw Aspartame as worrisome.  I’d encourage everyone to read the History of Aspartame link I posted above in full.  It is quite scary to think that this could happen, and if this can happen with a sugar substitute, what is else is getting approved without the necessary research?

The main concern of the FDA in the 1970s was that the test animals being fed aspartame were experiencing quite notable negative side effects.  According to FDA investigator Arthur Evangelista, 5 of the 7 monkeys tested had grand mal seizures, and 1 died, leaving only 1 unharmed by their aspartame exposure.  Hamsters and mice were growing tumors, having seizures, and dying at an unacceptably fast rate.  Renowned natural health guru Dr. Mercola details the studies and findings in this article.  A letter stating all of Arthur Evangelista’s concerns regarding Aspartame can be found here. Back 30 years ago, there was considerable evidence of issues with Aspartame, which unfortunately the FDA either dismissed or denies.

Its not as if Aspartame’s presence on the market has caused a huge spike in seizures though. We aren’t seeing the evidence in human consumption as researchers did with their test animals.    What is happening though, is a huge increase in obesity,depression and learning disorders like ADHD.  From the CDC’s own website, the graph below uses US Census data to plot obesity rates for the last 50 years.

The timing of the spike in obesity rates is undeniable, the mid 80′s saw an explosion of the obese population, just when aspartame and nutrasweet were coming to market.  I doubt this is a coincidence.  In 1988, 22% of the population was obese.  Since introducing aspartame into the food supply, that rate has jumped to 34%!  Also note, in the last decade, the population of overweight has gone down, while the population of obese has gone up.  Whether this is a function of getting even fatter as a country, or those more making healthy choices is indeterminable by this graph alone.

Dr. Hull’s website SweetPoison details the many side effects of aspartame.  Here are some of the major ones to be concerned with.

Here is a submittal by HHS to the FDA regarding all symptoms of Aspartame consumption:

Based on the above, it is pretty clear that there is more than enough reason to be concerned about Aspartame, not just in diet sodas but also in the rest of our food supply.

Potassium Benzoate

Potassium Benzoate has been studied and scrutinized much less than Aspartame, but it has come to light recently as yet another issue in our food supply.  Consumption of Potassium Benzoate along with ascorbic acid can form benzene, an industrial solvent, gasoline additive and known carcinogen.  Ascorbic acid is a form of vitamin C, found in citrus fruits and added to many soda recipes.  So that diet coke with lemon is making a cancerous concoction in your tummy without your knowledge!  Health Canada issued this warning about benzoate compounds in soda in 2006.  Sodium Benzoate, a cousin of Potassium Benzoate has been linked with hyperactivity by UK researchers.  In 2007 the Food Commission stated that all the benzoate preservatives are irritants to mucousal membranes, such as those in the stomach and intestines.  According to this article in The Independent, E211, the chemical # for potassium benzoate, has the potential to switch off vital parts of DNA coding.  In the blog followup by the author, Coca Cola Co admits to not having done any research on the safety of E211.  The MSDS for Potassium Benzoate states that “[r]epeated or prolonged exposure to the substance can produce target organs damage.”

Not a Good Diet Alternative

Beyond the two hazardous ingredients of diet soda, the touted health benefits of being a diet drink have been disproved as of late.  This Washington Times article from 2009 cites a 2005 University of Texas study that showed “[t]here was a 41 percent increase in risk of being overweight for every can or bottle of diet soft drink a person consumes each day.”  WebMD details the study in full.  From JAMA, obesity researcher Dr. Ludwig of Boston’s Children’s Hospital finds that the consumption of artifical sweeteners breaks the link between hunger and satiety. A recent study from California as reported by the Natural News touts the same: diet soda and obesity are inextricably linked. The very famous Framingham Heart Study has these statistics on soda consumption:

• 31 per cent greater risk of becoming obese
• 30 per cent increased risk of adding on belly fat.
• 25 per cent higher risk of developing high blood sugar.
• 32 per cent higher risk of having low HDL (good cholesterol) levels.

Conclusion

This is pretty simple folks….diet soda is not good for you and could potentially kill you, one way or another.  It can actually make you fatter, keep you from loosing weight, and potentially cause cancer or brain lesions.  With healthy alternatives such a juice & club soda, or even a live bubbly drink like water kefir, why would you ever consider another sip?

Here’s to heath and happiness for you and your family in the new year.  What are you giving up or adding to your health regime?

The National Vaccine Information Center has a wonderful calculator that can tell you how much mercury your child will be exposed to if you decide to get a flu shot, and like in 2009, and additional shot of H1N1. It compares that level of mercury with the level allowed for by the EPA.  I did it for the 150lb Research Mommy, with 1 seasonal flu and 1 H1N1 shot each.  Here are the results:

Yowza.  I encourage everyone to check this calculator, as it has all the manufactured US available flu vaccines in the database.  This way you can be informed before getting poked.

I don’t want to go into all the evils of mercury here, but just consider this for a moment.  The EPA’s own site contains information regarding 0.0001mg of mercury being directly correlated to “Developmental neuropsychological impairment”. That’s a nice fancy few words that could describe Autism or ADHD or Depression.  With the H1N1 shot and booster, the AAFP and AAP are asking their patients to be exposed to 3 times the amount of mercury of a regular flu season.  So explain to me again doctor, how is this safe?

Hopefully, you will learn a lot from our site.  Some things may shock you, some will open your eyes.  Be open to the process of learning and be thankful for the journey it brings you on.  You may not always agree, but at least we’re starting the conversation.

We’ve tried to consolidate the information down, and link back as best we can to some of the web’s greatest resources on the variety of issues we cover.  We had to examine so many of these topics because of who our child was, and we are better parents for it.  If you take time to read Our Story, you will understand how our child and this information saved all of our lives.

We are aiming for Early 2010 for the site to be fully functional.  Until then, keep up with the few postings we have, bookmark us, and check back often!

Traditional Foods focuses on naturally grass fed animal meats, milks and fats, healing broths, non-processed oils, the elimination of phytic acid via soaking, sprouting legumes, and lactic fermentation of vegetables.  These may seem totally foreign to someone who has been eating the Standard American Diet (SAD) their whole lives, but if you read Nourishing Traditions (NT), you will realize that this is the stuff our grandma’s all used to employ in their kitchen arsenals.  And once you get the hang of it and plan your meals out just a day or so in advance, you can easily implement many facets of TF seamlessly.

1 – Oils & Fats. We only use cold pressed virgin olive oil or grapeseed oil.  We also use bacon grease or fat drippings from other cooking, but we have eliminated canola and vegetable oils from our diets. We also aren’t afraid to eat fat anymore, so we leave the skin on the chicken, the marble and bone in the steak, and  we don’t trim the fish.  Neither of us have put on weight doing this.

2 – Broths. Pretty much every weekend you can count on me making a batch of 24 Hr Chicken Broth, and every other week I’ll do a beef bone broth, but I have yet to venture into fish broth territory for fear of my house smelling like a dock in Gloucester.  They are super calcium and glycine rich, in addition to being super yummy and healing.  I’ll use the broth to make soup, saute veggies for the little guy, or skim the fat off for frying.

3 – Fermented Veggies. We eat Bubbies Sauerkraut, a TF inspired naturally fermented sauerkraut.  I also make my own fermented ginger carrots or mango chutney, all recipes I found in NT.  These are super yummy and get good bugs into the gut.  Because we are dairy free, we do the salt method versus the whey method, but it still works just fine. Here is a great explanation of all the different types of fermentation.

4 – Soaking. I bought a case of mason jars and if I need to make a meal that contains rice, legumes or other grains such as quinoa, I will soak them overnight in a salt and RACV solution, then rinse them the following day before cooking.  This removes the anti-nutrient phytic acid, in addition to allowing for quicker cook time.   Sunday is chili day so the rice and beans are both soaked starting Saturday night, in preparation for chili made mid morning, in time to eat for kickoff.  This makes for fart-free chili

5 – Sprouting.  Like soaking, sprouting is soaking legumes or nuts, but then continually rinsing them and letting them dry for a few days until they literally start to grow and sprout.  This changes the actual nutrient makeup of the legume, turning it into a plant, making it more nutritious.  Curried sprouted lentils or bean sprout salad are easy ways to try this practice out.

6 – Organ Meats. Probably the hardest thing for people of this generation to do is easily throw together a plate of liver or heart.  But I hide liver wherever I can, in meatloaf, chili, meatballs, and even smoothies.

7 – Kefirs. Even though we are dairy free right now, we substitute with Coconut Kefir and homemade water kefirs done in a mason jar.  Both get good bugs in the gut and help repopulate the gut, rather than just keep balance as they are digested.

8 – Variety! The biggest thing that TF eating has taught us is that you can try absolutely everything in the grocery store and you can make almost all of it taste great.  We’ve added chard, turnips, beets and collard all into regular rotation.  We’re experimenting with new flavors, and getting the most from our food, not from a sauce or from white flour frying.

See, pretty easy right? Get started with just abandoning packaged food and start making fresh meals.  Then read some great sites about TF eating such as The Nourishing Gourmet and Cooking TF.  Happy Eating!

Here are two basic premises behind Traditional Foods. First is the idea that you want the most nutritional bang-for-buck out of your food – that is, a very high nutrient density. We’re not talking caloric density but rather the most vitamins, minerals, antioxidants etc. Much of the TF movement references the work of dentist Weston Price, who in the early part of the 20th century went on several epic journeys around the globe looking at various ethnic groups in order to figure out how people managed to survive before modern dentistry, since his brain kept boggling at the sheer numbers of people in his practice who had all their teeth falling out – it was the norm back then. Price figured the human race wouldn’t have survived very long with no teeth, so he went checking on the folks who were eating what they’d eaten since the dawn of time – what we now refer to as “traditional cultures”. Sure enough, they had all their teeth, and were darned healthy besides. So Price, being the little science-dude he was, took samples of their foods back to his lab and analyzed them and found waaaaaay higher levels of all vitamins and minerals than are/were found in the typical foods of his patients. He concluded that the food products of industrialized nations lacked the necessary vitamins and minerals for human health. Price also found that all the groups he studied ate as much animal protein as was available to them, and especially prized animal fats. He found that many groups utilized fermenting processes to unlock more vitamins within plant material (and some animal materials too) and to make vegetables more digestible; likewise, he found that of the few groups who ate grains, most sprouted, soaked or fermented them in some form – again, increasing the bioavailability of the nutrients.

Traditional Foods advocates stress that eating animal protein is important for human health. The rationale behind eating all the animal products, particularly fatty meat and organs, is that meat is one of the most nutrient-dense foods you can eat. (Seafood too) It’s got loads of minerals AND (this is key) they are in highly absorbable forms. Many of the key vitamins (A, E and D) are fat-soluble – and animal meat is not only a good source of these, but essential for adequate uptake. Moreover, the cardiopulmonary issues the medical community frequently associates with moderate to heavy meat intake are a relic of Ancel Key’s lipid hypothesis, which has been pretty soundly disproven by epidemiological and experimental data (see Gary Taubes). Also, for children especially, saturated fat is extremely important for brain development and maintenance of neuron health. It’s also important for the immune system and digestion. BUT it’s critical to understand that all meat is not created equal, and a lot of the health problems people have today started rising right along with factory farming. Fat can carry a lot of good stuff, but it can also carry a lot of bad stuff too – hormones, antibiotic residue, pesticides, etc. So most TF proponents stress that meat must be organic and pasture-raised, since pasture provides the optimal diet for the animals themselves, and increases the nutrient density of their meat while decreasing the amount of bad stuff. (The same goes for plant foods – organic is best because of the reduced pesticide load AND the fact that they contain more nutrients.)

The second main idea behind Traditional Foods is the logical premise that if people have been eating these foods (as prepared traditionally – a loaf of bread is not necessarily a loaf of bread) for thousands if not millions of years without any problems (and, as Price found, with better results than a modern diet), they’re probably not going to do you any harm. Meat and veg for sure are exactly what human bodies evolved to run on, so they are definitely healthy foods for everyone. Dairy and grains are newer additions, but most people do just fine with them provided that they’re prepared in the ways our ancestors figured out were the safest and most nutritious. (In the case of dairy, this means no pasteurization – it kills the beneficial enzymes that help you digest dairy and get the benefit of the calcium and other minerals.)

The other argument for Traditional Foods is ecological. Traditional Foods are, by their nature, sustainable. Have a look at Polyface Farm as a model of how food should be produced – it’s a highly productive farm, more so than most monocrop operations, yet its impact on the environment is actually beneficial. Rotational grazing, which is how meat SHOULD be produced, actually results in a net sequestration of carbon rather than an increase. True diversified organic agriculture that incorporates animals such as chickens enhances the soil and prevents toxic run-off. Moreover, a traditional diet dovetails beautifully with the notion of local eating, further reducing the ecological footprint of your diet.

Are traditional foods more expensive? Sometimes, yes. It depends on where you live, how accessible non-industrial foods are, and what your food budget looked like beforehand. However, because eating a Traditional Foods diet means preparing a lot more from scratch, careful planning, often buying in bulk, and the need to eat less (because the food is more satisfying and more nourishing), the cost difference is not as significant as you might think.

If this strikes you as a sensible way to eat, but you’re unsure of what it looks like as far as day-to-day eating goes, here is a quick list of do’s and don’ts to get you started:

Do:
- eat grassfed beef, pastured chicken, naturally raised pork – local if you can get it
- eat organic vegetables, the fresher, the better!
- learn how to make your own lactofermented vegetables (the book “Wild Fermentation” is a fantastic resource)
- make your own sourdough bread and pancakes
- find a good source for pastured eggs
- eat seasonally
- enjoy all the fat that comes on your meat
- find a good raw milk source
- eat seafood when you can it get wild-caught and sustainably harvested

Don’t
- eat anything out of a package
- buy industrially produced meat products
- eat refined starches or sugars
- eat artificial sweeteners, flavours, colours or additives
- rely on synthetic vitamins to keep you healthy
- eat even natural sweeteners frequently

If you’re still unsure, there’s one more argument for Traditional Foods: they taste better! Once you’ve had fresh milk from a grass-fed, healthy cow, you will never want pasteurized industrial milk from a carton again. Likewise, a softboiled fresh real egg with a bright orange yolk, served with a slice of toasted whole-grain sourdough bread, is a breakfast that makes an Egg McMuffin crawl under a dumpster in shame. Moreover, reducing your sugar intake makes mildly sweet things taste sweeter, which means vegetables and fruits taste better than they did before you gave up the Jolly Ranchers.

Traditional Foods connect you to your food, the people who produce it, and the earth that provides it. They keep you healthy, happy, and satisfied. What more could you ask from your food?

How did this happen?

This is often the first question Dad’s will have, especially if their own family history does not show any tendency towards allergies.   A number of factors could have contributed to your child’s allergies, none of which are you or your partner’s fault.  Below are a few of the causes of allergies

The causes of food allergies and their rise in the last decade are not very well explained, nor researched by the medical authorities.  The most recent calculations by FAAN state that 1 in 17 children under 3 years old has at least one food allergy.  This number is likely under reported, as delayed or gastrointestinal food allergies are very hard to diagnose and are often masked by other symptoms.

What types of allergies are there? What symptoms should I be looking for?

There are two classifications of allergies and food sensitivities as most doctors see them: immediate (usually anaphylactic) and delayed (also called gastrointestinal).  Anaphylactic allergies can be life threatening, and extreme precaution must be taken to ensure your child does not have a reaction, and if they do, that you are properly equipped to handle that reaction, with an Epi Pen.  Anaphylactic reactions are caused by IgE antibodies and reactions are usually seen within an hour of exposure.  Blood tests and skin tests that your pediatrician or allergist can order can properly diagnose IgE reactions.

The more difficult to diagnose reaction is the delayed or gastrointestinal reaction.  It can take days or even weeks to show an intolerance to a food.  These GI allergies or intolerances are not detected on common blood tests that a pediatrician might order.  The most accurate way to diagnose these is through accurate food journaling, rotation diets, and ELISA or ALCAT IgG blood tests.  Many doctors do not know about these tests, as they are provided by private laboratories, and they haven’t been accepted into the mainstream because they are only 50 to 80% accurate.

One of the hardest concepts to grasp when learning about food allergies and sensitivities is that there is a range of symptoms way beyond what mainstream medicine has taught the public to recognize.  Hives and wheezing are the gravest reactions and deserve the most attention, but reactions can range from sleep disturbances to reflux, from mucous in stools to constipation.  Below are signs to look for

* Bolded items are ones we experienced with our son

Lots of the above symptoms seem innocuous on their own, or even don’t seem like they could possibly be a reaction to food, but they are.  It is imperative that you pay attention to every single change you see in a child, physical and emotional, when introducing a new food, so you can catch these reactions and connect them to the offending food.  The more you get accustomed to this, the more in tune you will become with your child and their reactions.

How can I best support my partner?

According to a recent survey on the Mothering.com Allergy Board, many women have said that their child’s food allergies negatively affected their relationship with their partner.  Having a sick child is difficult in and of itself, but food allergies are a proverbial black hole, with no clear path out.  Having few clear answers from doctors leaves a mother feeling vulnerable and helpless, with the added stress of feeling like it is her responsibility to find that path out.

This is going to be a stressful time as you get to a proper diagnosis and start making changes to better your child’s life.  It is a good idea to check in with your partner often and ask her how you can help.  You and your partner will be sleep deprived if sleep disturbance or reflux happen to be your child’s reaction to an offending food.  Let each other rest when you can (the housework can wait, we promise!)  Acknowledge to each other that this will take an emotional toll, and be a big life adjustment.  Here are some suggested books to read, and you won’t believe the bonus points you will earn if your wife catches you reading one of these without her asking you to!

The most important thing will be to keep an open mind and ask a lot of questions.  The information you and your partner will learn in the coming months will be overwhelming, so checking in with each other and bouncing ideas back and forth is the best way to stay on the same page.  Realize that dealing with this now, at an early age, can prevent you from having to deal with much bigger healthy and psychological issues down the road.  Also, acknowledge Mother Instinct, even if you cannot understand it.  Many times Mom’s can see reactions where a Dad may not, and it is just because Mom’s are so in tuned with their children.

What is the long-term prognosis?

For IgE/Anaphylactic allergies, these will usually be life long.   Avoidance of the food is usually the only safe option.  Luckily, manufactures are catering to the growing allergic population by providing alternatives, and there are many new cookbooks on how to cook allergen free.   Laws are being passed to protect consumers, ensuring their safety even while dining out.

For IgG/Gastrointestinal allergies, there are more options for treatment and kids usually outgrow a lot of these allergies.  At 1 year of age, many parents see the beginning of improvement in symptoms and tolerance of foods.   Because reactions can be caused by nutritional deficiencies or an inflamed GI tract, resolving these issues with supplements and/or nutritional healing can help the body tolerate a food.

Alternative medicine seems to be the most effective treatment course for those moms on the MDC allergy board.  DAN! doctors and integrative medicine specialists are successful at treating the underlying causes of allergies, and alleviating the symptoms.  There are diagnostic tests, diets, and supplements that they can prescribe.  Unfortunately, this course of action is often not covered by insurance, so it can become an expensive venture should you and your partner go this route.  Allocating a budget towards treatment can help keep you and your partner on the same page, and alleviate some of the stress this can bring.  Remember that food allergy spending and health spending over 7% of your adjusted income is tax deductible, so save your receipts!

Conclusion

While having a food allergic child is no walk in the park, there are some great things that can happen.  It can strengthen your parental instinct, make you and your partner a more cohesive unit, and open your eyes to your own health.  While some days you may feel like having an allergic child is taking over your life, take the time to appreciate all the little moments and small milestones.  Babies are small for such a short time, enjoy every minute you can!

A Breastfeeding Resource, an Itzbeen Timer, a Moby Wrap, a cosleeper, the BOB running stroller,the Space Saver High Chair, swaddles, a fire-retardant-free mattress, a food steamer and a hand blender! Read more to see pictures of these items and links on where to buy.

#1 – A Breastfeeding Resource. Have it set up in advance of baby’s arrival, whether that is just a breastfeeding book like The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding or having a lactation consultant on call, or looking at Kellymom or Breastfeeding.com before the arrival, make sure you have someone to lean on.

#2 – an Itzbeen timer. This thing is awesome.  You can keep track of diapers, feedings, sleep, wakes and medication all with a few clicks of a button.  Mine was clipped to my nursing bra strap the first month of our son’s life.  Now I don’t recommend at all that you use this to keep you from doing things with your baby, like not feeding them until they have waited 3 hrs, or waking them from a nap, but its good to just monitor and have an idea of what your baby is trying to settle on for a pattern.  It may even help you see the 90 minute sleep cycles emerging.  Its very helpful for clueless new dads or even clueless family that wants to oogle over baby way past nap time.

#3 – a Moby wrap. Or some sort of soft baby wrap carrier.  I loved my Moby and the little guy lived in his for the first few months of life, and it was a staple well past a year old.  I’ve moved onto an Ergo carrier now, but have very fond memories of nursing him down for the evening in his moby, keeping him close, safe and secure while shopping, giving him a place of respite when family get togethers got out of hand.  It was a complete lifesaver for keeping up with housework too, what a better way than to do laundry and vacuuming together!  Babywearing is so important to infant wellbeing, and every new mom should have some sort of carrier. If you don’t like this type, check out the babywearer for more types of carriers.

#4 – a SAFE way to cosleep. Contrary to what you hear in the media, cosleeping can be safer for infants than crib sleeping and is more in line with the biological needs of the baby.  Cosleeping should be an educated  choice, not done purely out of exhaustion, as this can be dangerous.  If you are going to cosleep, learn to do it safely.  For us, this started with a small cosleeper on the mattress like this one, but you could use a moses basket just the same. Then we moved to using the Pack N Play right next to our bed for a while.  When he was big and sturdy enough, we went to cosleeping all three of us in bed with just a bed rail on my side for “just in case”, even though we’ve never needed it.

#5 – a running stroller. Even if you aren’t a runner, these turn-on-a-dime beauties are worth the few extra $$ for smooth riding no matter where you go.  We chose to go with the BOB 12in AWD model.  .  Its lightweight, very easy to fold, and folds pretty flat for storage.  The back can be adjusted to lie almost flat, in case your toddler falls asleep while out and you want a good, no neck bending nap.  We added the optional carseat bar that works with Chicco, Graco and Peg Perego carseats.  My only complaint is that there is never a straight up seating position, there is always the slightest recline.

#6 – The Fisher Price Space Saver Highchair. This may be one of my favorite items and many of my girlfriends have caught onto it too.  Its a highchair that you strap to a seat, and can be easily moved around your house or thrown in the car for a trip.  We started off with ours on our coffee table when starting solids, then to the lower counter in the kitchen, then to the dining room chair.  It has never been an eyesore or too bulky to be in the way.  It reclines, the padding can be removed to be washed, and the removable back turns it into an older toddler booster seat.  What I love most is that it puts the baby at your level, no reaching up to feed them.

#7 – SWADDLES! You need to have some swaddles to survive the first few months of new baby dom.  To soothe your baby and make them feel like they are still in the womb, using the 5 S’s from Happiest Baby on the Block, the #1 S is SWADDLE. I loved the Kiddopotamus Swaddles, especially the organic ones.  I suggest having 1-3 premie sized ones for the first few weeks home when the small size is still too big, then 4 smalls and 4 larges to get you through the first 6-9 months.

#8 – a safe mattress. There is a lot of research out there regarding SIDS rates increasing when fire retardants were added to baby mattresses.  Chemicals and metals like boron, arsenic and antimony can actually inhibit proper nutrient absorption of essential vitamins and minerals, like magnesium, in addition to putting strain on the developing respiratory system.  To be safe, I didn’t want fire retardants in my child’s mattress or their PJs.  We bought the Naturpedic Organic Crib Mattress and I have slept soundly knowing our little guy didn’t have that added danger in his room.

#9 – a food steamer. If you do a little poking around, you will find that jarred baby food is very high in sugar, can contain preservatives, and is cooked at such high a temperature that most of the nutrients are killed.  Feeding your child real food is the best start you can give them.  Most moms, especially working ones, find the thought of making baby food very daunting.  If you do baby led weaning, it is very easy.  If you want to steam and puree the food, it is easier than you think.  With a programmable steamer like this Oster one I bought, you can put the food in and let it cook, without standing over a pot.

#10 – a hand blender. If you are going to make your own baby food, make it easy on yourself and get a hand blender rather than a food mill.  Its quicker and much easier to clean.  I loved this Cuisinart Stick Blender, it can chop in seconds and puree in a minute.  I like the attachments that come with it as well, so steam your food with the Oster, then throw the steamed, say spinach and broccoli in the chopper attachment and voila, pureed greens for baby!

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has an ongoing list of toy recalls, as well as an email service to keep you up to date.  And the CPSC is even getting with the times, by having a Twitter page you can follow @OnSafety.

Much tougher and more in line with child interests versus corporate ones is USPRIG, US Public Interest Research Group, monitors toy safety with seemingly more stringent thresholds than other groups.  At the USPRIG site, you can sign up for email alerts, search using their interactive tool, or read their 2009 Toy Safety Report.  Their mobile site is accessible from mobile or smartphones at the following link www.ToySafety.mobi, and research the purchase before you even buy it!

HealthyStuff.org is a great site that looks out for toxic chemicals in everything, not just toys, but they have a pretty awesome section on toys.

W.A.T.C.H. is a Massachusetts based non-profit that monitors toy safety.  Here is their Top 10 Worst Toys of 2009

As much as I dislike most advice on Babycenter, they are really good about product recalls, safety and the like. You can search all the product recalls, by brand name or serial #.