Two things I have learned within the past two months that I never knew/realized before:
1) Flame-resistant pajamas have chemicals in them so people shouldn't be wearing them. (I know. It's, like, DUH, right?) The idea behind flame-resistant pajamas is kind of silly to begin with. I mean, have they EVER, in the history of the world, actually SAVED anybody from getting burned in a fire? Like, if you're close enough to a fire where you're pajamas might catch on fire, you're probably screwed anyway, right?
2) Natural, fluoride-free toothpaste has glycerin in it, which coats your teeth and prevents your teeth from remineralizing. So, since hearing that, I've started just using baking soda to brush my teeth. Vern and the kids didn't like that, so he looked up a recipe for homemade toothpaste (baking soda, coconut oil, peppermint extract, and stevia) and he and the kids use that. I use that sometime too, but I actually kind of like the plain baking soda just as it is. It makes my teeth feel very refreshed. Another option would be Tooth Soap, but I haven't tried it yet (and I guess it really, actually tastes like soap).
So, what else is out there that I don't know about? What else am I not aware of?
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7 comments:
Totally didn't realize that about natural toothpaste. Crap.
I am all about the floride. And I wash any flame resistant clothing (which I attempt to avoid completely)in hot hot water a number of times, before any kids wear it.
My boyfriend just told me that Dr. Bronner's liquid soap(probably peppermint) can be used to brush teeth with. He did say it was pretty gross though.
Both of these things were new to me within the last year or two. Such disheartening news. Do you know that electronics (like remotes and laptops, among other things, which babies love to chew on and play with) are also covered in flame retardant chemicals that are extremely harmful? Even if they don't chew them, but just touch them, they'll put their hands in their mouths and consume the chemicals.
And that cheap wire-bail glass jars most likely have lead in them (the glass AND the wire part...so if you touch the wire to open/close them you can ingest it if you prepare food or lick your fingers)? If you want a guaranteed safe wire-bail glass jar, you have to make sure it says "Fido" on the bottom. That brand is made in Italy. I had to return several cheapos to Walmart after I found out about that one. Jerks.
Homemade kombucha is best avoided. Paper pH testing strips are worthless for testing kombucha, you'd have to get an expensive meter, but it's extremely important to keep a safe pH of 3.5. And biofilms are another issue. If you want to make something yourself, opt for kefir, sourdough, or food ferments. Good quality store-bought kombucha can be good in moderation, just remember that it's highly acidic and can upset your body chemistry.
Lots of crock pots have lead and cadmium in them, and there's no way to know for sure if yours does or not. It's best to avoid them. Better options are cast iron (for non-acidic foods like stock; Lodge is a good brand), enameled cast iron for anything (Le Creuset is safe, most others aren't), or stoneware that's guaranteed lead-free. I used to make stews, chili, and other tomato-based items in my stainless steel until I found out that even that can leach. I recently got a Le Creuset dutch oven at the outlet in Albertville and lOVE it. I threw all of my nonstick stuff away.
Just call me Debbie Downer...
We had some PJ's that were SUPER TIGHT and they had a tag on them that said something like "pajamas are meant to be tight-fitting in order to not catch fire" or some nonsense. Like my baby will be close enough to a fire that having his PJ's be skin tight versus a little loose will make any difference? Plus we cosleep, so if the fire gets within 3 feet of him, the whole family is screwed.
We use Rose of Sharon Acres Tooth Chips to brush our teeth. They are half the price of the Tooth Soap brand. They are fluoride free and the taste isn't too bad. It does take some getting used to. I've been happy with how clean my teeth feel and really like the fact that I don't have morning breath!
I have Tooth Soap. It is just like putting a bar of soap into your mouth and tastes completely awful. I have used a mixture similar to yours; it was salt mixed with baking soda, and you dipped the toothbrush in hydrogen peroxide before dipping it into the salt mixture. I liked it, but then I read that using h2o2 on your gums too often could be damaging...so I said "forget it" and went back to Sea Fresh. Your post was a reminder that I should get back on track with the toothpaste thing.
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