Pediatric Safety - Forum: No Toxins Please, Healthy Environment=Healthy Kids

thesmartmama on Children's pajamas and flame retardants

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 15:22:58 -0400

: Brothers in Pajamas

As we head into the holiday season with cold weather, you might be considering buying your children new pajamas. When buying children's pajamas, you are faced with a choice. A choice as to whether you want to buy pajamas treated with flame retardants or not. Whether that matters to you is a decision you'll have to make for yourself. But at least you should understand the options.

First, let's understand that pajamas for children need to meet certain flammability requirements to prevent the risk injury from fires. For the most part, the risk is a loose sleeve or pant cuff catching an open flame, such as a candle. So, sleepwear intended for children between the ages of 9 months and 14 years must meet specific flammability requirements. Note that sleepwear for children under the age of 9 months is not subject to the requirement. This is because babies have limited mobility, are not expected to be unsupervised for long, and are not likely to catch a sleeve or pant cuff on an open flame.

If you are buying sleepwear for children between the ages of 9 months and 14 years, whether you have chemical flame retardants depends on what you buy. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) considers flame retardant treated pajamas to be ...

thesmartmama on Bleach Baths for Eczema - Are They Right for Your Child?

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 22:55:53 -0400

Earlier this year, a study reported in Pediatrics found a relatively inexpensive but surprisingly successful solution for children suffering eczema - a dilute bleach bath. In fact, the results were so remarkable and so quick that the Northwestern University study was terminated early so that the placebo group could benefit. On the other hand, bleach can be hazardous. So if your child is suffering from eczema, should you try a bleach bath?

Well, that depends. The study involved 31 children, all of whom had moderate to severe eczema and all who were infected with staphylococcus. That is the fact about the study that was left out of much of the news media coverage. The bleach bath was successful in treating children with chronic eczema (atopic dermatitis) infected with Staphylococcus aureaus, and only those parts of the body covered by the bath water.

Staph infections frequently accompany eczema. Some research has reported that as many as 90% of people suffering from eczema have staph on their skin, as compared to 25% of the population without eczema. A staph infection can exacerbate eczema's symptoms.

So the dilute bleach bath makes sense. Bleach's antibacterial property can improve a child's skin infection from staph bacteria. Studies have found a correlation between the number of bacteria on the skin and eczema's severity. In the study, the group used 1/2 cup of chlorine bleach in a full ...

taless on What Green Products do You Use

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 06:51:11 -0400

I used to clean with 409 and Clorox. I would clean and then get everyone out of the house. My daughter would always ask to help, and I would tell her no because it wasn't safe.

I switched to green product cleaners and will never go back. There is no more cleaning and shoving everyone out the door. My daughter just loves to help me. I also find that I clean more often now that it doesn't make me sick.

I have been using Ecover and love it. What are some of everyone else's favorite clean products?