Silk Mermaid Costume is Great for Halloween

With the approach of October, Halloween is on my children's minds. One costume I adore is Magic Cabin's Silk Mermaid Costume, which my daughter got for her birthday. By adding a long sleeve shirt underneath the silk top, the Silk Mermaid Costume would make a beautiful, natural Halloween costume. (Caution: this product is made in China).

With the explosion of toy recalls lately and information regarding the dangers of plastic toys, families are searching out safe, green toy alternatives. Previously, I wrote about Plan Toys rubber wood toys, which provide children with sustainably harvested toys; however, children need soft, cuddly play items, too. Silk scarves and dress-up clothes provide children with safe, natural toys that expand their imagination.

Preschool teachers and parents often complain that dress-up clothes are disorganized and difficult for children wear; however, all these dress-up clothes are not necessary. At a performing arts conference for teachers I attended, Play Silks were recommended as the only costume prop needed in the classroom or home. Children can make any costume using their imagination with Play Silks. Like blocks, they are truly open-ended, versatile, and limitless for play. In addition, silk is durable, soft, and aesthetically pleasing.

Play Silks are expensive, but you and your child get a lot for the money. At about $11 piece (you do get a discount for buying a set), their cost kept me from buying them for many years. I wanted to make my own set, but time slipped away, and I realized I never would get around to actually doing it (I still haven’t finished knitting the sweater I started for my daughter five years ago!). You can select plain silk scarves from Dharma Trading Company for anywhere between $1.00 and $4.00 and naturally dye them yourself to save money. Since purchasing a set of Play Silks, I am very pleased with how they have contributed to my daughter’s dramatic play. Our Play Silks are over a year old, and they show no signs of wear and tear.

Halloween is around the corner, and there are many great costumes made from natural silk. Magic Cabin offers many silk costumes for children, and these costumes are breathable and comfortable, unlike the vinyl costumes of my youth. Natural fabrics inspire children to explore life through their play, and a silk costume will long out live the Halloween holiday and be incorporated in your child’s ongoing dramatic play.

Toys made from natural fibers, such as silk, encourage meaningful play. Not only are these toys safe, but also they inspire children’s social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development. Silk toys may be more expensive than their plastic, vinyl, or polyester counterparts, but parents can feel good about providing their children with natural toys that leave less of an impact on our environment and are safer for our children.

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Wooden Toy Recalls: More Thomas the Tank Engine

There have been a flurry of recalls yesterday and today, and although I planned to post on a different subject, I can't ignore the wooden toys included in the recall. I have always been such an advocate for wooden toys, that it breaks my heart to see lead in their paint.

Wooden toy recalls:

• Additional Thomas and Friends (200,ooo) due to lead paint-All-Black Cargo Car, Toad vehicle with brake lever, Olive Green Sodor Cargo Box, Green Maple Tree Top and Green Signal Base Accessories
• Guidecraft Children's Puppet Theaters due to lead paint. I usually love Guidecraft toys and have similar puppet theater in my preschool room.
  

Here are the other current recalls:

• Kolcraft Play Yards : A 10 month old child died when becoming entangled in the straps of the changing table.
  
• Children's Toy Gardening Tools and Chairs due to lead paint-sold at Target.
  
• Knights of the Sword toy due to lead paint-made by RC2, just like Thomas the Tank Engine.
• Toy Rakes sold at Jo-Ann Fabrics due to lead paint.
  
• Spinning Wheel Metal Necklaces due to lead exposure-beware of crappy kids' jewelry!
• Toby and Me Jewelry Sets-more crappy jewelry.
  

All of these products were manufactured in Taiwan or China. Sometimes, it is so hard being a parent. These recalls are always called "voluntary". This term is really starting to bug me in terms of recalls. They voluntarily used lead based paints, they voluntarily harm our children, and then they voluntarily recall toys. The term "voluntary" is getting a bad rap!

I highly suggest you sign up for email recall alerts from the CPSC, if you own any toys made in China.

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How to Clean Toys Naturally

When reviewing our stats to see how people find Eco Child's Play, I've discovered that many parents are looking for ways to clean their children's toys naturally. I thought I would share a few of my tips with you for soft, wooden, or plastic (ugh) toys. My methods are gentle for the earth and your family, as I don't use harsh chemicals like bleach water, yet they may not kill viruses such as HIV and RSV.

Should plastic toys have crept into your home from well-meaning relatives, many of them can be cleaned in the top row of the dishwasher. This is the suggested method in a preschool curriculum I used to follow. This is a simple manner of cleaning them, but it may not lighten your impact on the earth. Washing them by hand in a sink full of soapy water may be a better option.

For wooden toys, I usually just wipe them with a damp rag to remove the dust. If other children have been over, and I am concerned about germs, I will wash them in a sink full of warm water and dish soap. I use Ecover Dishwashing Liquid, which I assume if it is safe enough for my children's dishes, it is safe enough for their toys. Wooden toys should never be soaked in water for long and should be dried immediately, otherwise the wood can swell and the grain may rise to the surface.

For plush toys, I use the hand washing gentle cycle on my washing maching. We have a Maytag Neptune, which is a front loading machine that uses very little energy and water. Even when our hydro is down, I am able to run the Maytag Neptune off two solar panels. Front loading machines are more gentle on items, and I have yet to have a plush toy fall apart when washed in cold water.

Just like every other aspect of cleaning your home, toys can be cleaned naturally. The best part about using natural cleaning products is you don't have to worry about your child being harmed while they help you. Have you seen those horrible images of a boy with terrible rash from a Mr. Clean Eraser Sponge?

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Homeopathic Poison Oak/Ivy Relief

One of the things I love about fall is the poison oak turns red, making it easy to identify while hiking. I am one of those lucky ones (I'm being sarcastic here) that can get a very severe allergic rash from poison oak. Luckily, I live in the poison oak capital of the world! I have tried every remedy under the sun, including taking internally rhus toxicodendron (poison oak) to build up my immunity. The only relief I have found is the homeopathic Tecnu Extreme.

Tecnu Extremeis homeopathic, with the active ingredient being Grindelia Robusta, common name wild sunflower or gum plant.

If you are not familiar with the principles of homeopathy, homeopathic treatment involves giving extremely small doses of natural substances that mimic the symptoms of the same illness in healthy people when given in larger doses. The idea is that "like cures like." I have successfully used homeopathy with all members of my family, including pets, but it is important to seek medical care when needed (not giving medical advice here!)

Tecnu Extremeworks by curing itching, removing poison oak oils, preventing the rash from forming, and speeding the healing of rashes. Since I have discovered this product, my poison oak rashes have been kept to a minimum. Tecnu Extremedoes not claim to be all natural, and it does contain alcohol. Other ingredients are not listed. I have used this product on my daughter when she has been exposed to a large amount of poison oak, and she has never gotten more than a single bump.

When I was pregnant, an old timer in our valley told me to be sure and get a good rash of poison oak during my third trimester. I didn't have to try hard to get the rash! She claimed that my daughter would have natural immunity, and so far, she has. I don't know if this is an old wives' tale or sound advice, but neither of my children have ever experienced a full blown poison oak rash like their mother. It is possible they inherited their father's natural immunity, but I like to think my suffering during pregnancy protected them.

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Mom, the World is Getting Greener

My six-year-old daughter has become quite observant to greening/green washing efforts around her. Her optimism is something to be cherished, when news of climate change, politics, etc. can be quite the opposite. She sees changes, and she tells me, "Mom, the world is getting greener."

Out of the mouths of babes astute observations occur. On a recent shopping trip where we purchased 100% organically grown bed sheets from a major retailer, my daughter said, "Target is really going green." When we noticed that they sold California Baby products, she exclaimed, "That's fabulous!" In another local store, I purchased a pair of organically grown pants that were manufactured using wind power. Once again, my daughter exclaimed, "Mom, the world is really going green." As her awareness of what it means to be green grows, she comments and asks questions to further her understanding.

The constant questioning typical of toddlers ("Why?", "Why?", "Why?") does not go away as children grow. As children reach school age, this questioning becomes more sophisticated as the child tries to understand the world around them. For my daughter, her recent questions have been targeted towards environmental issues.

The other day, my daughter asked me, "Is it eco-friendly to watch TV?", as we were watching the Sundance channel's It's Not Easy Being Green. I responded with an answer that was not clear cut but honest. The television itself is not a green product and contains many toxic materials (just try to dispose of one!); however, since we live off the grid, we are not creating additional carbon while watching it.

Another recent question had to with the air conditioning in the car. Tired of the wind blowing her hair everywhere, she asked me to roll up the windows and turn on the AC. When I refused, she asked why, and I had to explain how running the air conditioner uses more fuel, which in turn creates more carbon, which in turns causes our planet to heat up. This is a hard concept for a six-year-old to grasp. How could something that makes the air feel cooler actually make the planet warmer? The Black Balloons ad can help children understand this concept, by graphically showing children how carbon is released from our energy usage at home.

My daughter's current preoccupation with all things green comes from the modeling we provide as parents. Every purchase we make is carefully analyzed for its impact, with exceptions being made occasionally, and these decisions are discussed. Now my daughter makes the same careful green analysis when she asks for a new toy. She knows that Mom will not buy her any plastic toys that are "bad for the earth." When she wants something, she now makes the argument based upon the item's ecofriendliness. So my dear daughter, yes the world is becoming greener, and you are helping to make it that way!

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Preserve Flowers From Your Garden with the Root Children Flower Press

My daughter has her own "garden", which amounts to a flower bed in front of our house. We used to press flowers in a large art books with wax paper to protect the pages, but when I saw Root Children Flower Press, I thought she might enjoy pressing flowers without adult assistance. The Root Children Flower Press is a nice way for children to preserve a little bit of nature for their own pleasure.

The Root Children Flower Press comes with cardboard to place between flowers when pressing. The large red knobs are perfect for smaller hands and are great for fine motor practice. They also provide a hands-on method for learning which way to turn a screw to tighten or loosen it, without needing to hold onto a screwdriver. Instructions are included with the Root Children Flower Press, which give great tips for what types of flora and fauna works best for pressing. Like many young children, my daughter has to learn her lessons herself, so she has experimented with rose buds and other flowers that are not recommended.

Once your child has pressed flowers or greenery, there are many great projects for the flowers. Making greeting cards or simply slipping the dried flower into an envelope with a note makes a pleasant surprise for grandparents and distant friends. My daughter has also made a bookmark with her dried flowers. I really like the Root Children Flower Press, and it is a natural "toy" that lets your child interact with nature while playing it. The dried flowers also promote their creativity.

Practical Wisdom for Parents

Practical Wisdom for Parentsis a parenting book devoted to the preschool years and early childhood education. I have not read this book cover to cover, as it is rare to read a parenting book in this fashion, but it strikes me as the first book I have seen solely about "demystifying the preschool years". Written by two preschool directors, Practical Wisdom for Parentsis full of practical information.

Many children today are simply "overscheduled". Nancy Schulman and Ellen Birnbaum write, "Many well-meaning parents have fallen into the trap of imagining that by signing their children up for multiple activities they are being better parents and therefore will "produce" better children...We cannot stress this strongly enough: It is counterproductive for your preschool-age child to be doing too much. Children who do too much too soon tend to be stressed, anxious, and susceptible to feelings of low self-esteem." I have witnessed this overscheduling phenomena with my friends. Their children are tired and stressed, and the parents feel likewise from all the running around. One fortunate consequence of living in the middle of nowhere like my family does, is it is virtually impossible for my children to be overscheduled.

Practical Wisdom for Parentshas a section on discipline, an area I have definite opinions about. For the most part, I agree with the advice in Practical Wisdom for Parents;however, there is a lot of research that no longer supports the use of time outs, thus I have to disagree wit the authors' advice. Time outs are for adults, as young children are not able to use this time to reflect and learn from their misdeeds. Simply having a child sit quietly for misbehavior does nothing to correct and teach appropriate behavior, yet it does remove a child from a situation and give parents a chance to calm down. No matter how you slice it, time outs are a form of punishment, which can be harmful to children if overused.

Other advice from Practical Wisdom for Parentsregarding behavior guidance includes:

• Establishing routines
• Anticipating and preempting problem behavior (my favorite as a teacher!)
• Breaking it down
• Working alongside child
• Giving a warning
• Giving either/or choices
• Using distraction or humor
• Getting your child on your side
• Reinforcing good behavior
• Avoiding overpraise

There is so much information in Practical Wisdom for Parents,that is impossible to list all of it here. This book gives information in a straightforward, simple manner, that is accessible for most parents. Whether you are expecting a new addition to the family or wanting to support your child's independence, you will find some useful information in Practical Wisdom for Parents. The only thing missing is how to make your life greener with children!

Five Ways to Green Your Child's Hospital Stay

My son was born with a congenital heart defect, which thrust my green living family into the not-so-green world of Western medicine. We were blessed to have a natural home birth assisted by caring midwives before entering the world of surgeons and intensive care. Throughout this process, including our most recent stay in the hospital, I have looked for ways to make the experience greener, and to minimize the toxins my son is exposed to while getting the medical care he needs. Not only will these suggestions green your hospital visit, but they will also provide your child with comfort by providing familiarity to the hospital stay. Please note that this post is not intended to give medical advice, and all changes you make to your child’s care should be discussed with the doctor first.

1. Bring Your Own Organic Food

When my son first had open-heart surgery, breastfeeding supplied his nourishment, although pumping was required. If you are concerned about Bisphenol A (BPA), be sure to remember your own BPA free bottles or sippy cups, as you may have to pump breastmilk initially for a child recovering from surgery. During our last hospital stay, we brought our own organic food to the ICU. In my experience, the first nourishment they give a child after surgery is a popsicle, soda, or juice. After being exposed to so many meds and germs, I want my child’s first drink after a fast to be organic. Organic juice boxes are convenient in such a situation, although they do use excessive packaging. When your child is ready for solid food, their favorite organic foods make a nice replacement for the hospital food, and your child will recover more quickly from eating the foods they like. It is important to check with your child’s doctor about any dietary restrictions and follow this advice.

2. Bring Your Own Beauty Products

Don’t forget your own toothpastes and soaps when planning a hospital stay. When the nurses gave my son a bath with Johnson & Johnson’s Original Baby Shampoo, which scores a 5 out of 10 on Skin Deep, my son broke out in a horrible rash all over his body. The nurses felt terrible, and we learned the hard way to bring our own green beauty products to the hospital. The last thing a child needs in this situation is to have their suffering increased by unnatural beauty products, and you can feel better that you have not abandoned your green living principles during the hospital stay.

3. What Diapers Will You Use?

After surgery, my son was put in Pampers, and an hour later, another rash erupted. We used cloth diapers at home, but I did not bring any to the hospital, as I felt we would have no way to deal with them. Seventh Generation unbleached diapers offered a good solution (this was before gDiapers), and the doctors used to comment on how they looked like the brown napkins from the cafeteria. Consider your child’s diapering needs before being admitted to the hospital, and ask if there are any accommodations for cloth. As it turns out, UCSF Children’s Hospital had a regular supply of cloth diapers that we could have used if we would have brought our own covers.

4. Provide Toys, Books, and Clothes From Home

The more like home you can make your child’s hospital stay, the better it will be for your child. Bringing their favorite organic teddy bear and pajamas will eliminate the need for hospital gowns and provide comfort. Unless these items are already green, this may not green your family’s stay, but your child will benefit. Babytoolkit offers an extensive post "What to Take When Your ER Visit May Become a Hospital Stay."

5. Pack Out the Recycling!

Some hospitals may have recycling bins near the cafeteria, but in my experience, these bins are not sufficient to accommodate all of your recycling needs. During our stay, the NICU did not wash baby bottles, but they continually used new, sterilized bottles. This is also true for pumped breastmilk and its storage. I came home from the hospital with two grocery bags full of plastic bottles, with every intent to reuse them. These bottles ended up in the recycling bin, but this is a much better option than the landfill. Who knows, your efforts to pack it out might inspire other parents and the nurses to change their disposable ways.

If you have a choice, selecting a green hospital will make your family’s hospital stay more eco-friendly; however, the green hospital of your choice may not be an option for your child’s medical needs. What makes a hospital green? The Green Guide used 12 criteria for rating green hospitals: 1) siting, 2) water efficiency, 3) energy and air pollutions, 4) materials and resources, 5) indoor environmental quality, 6) healthy hospital food, 7) green education, 8) procurement, 9) contaminants, 10) green cleaning, 11) waste reduction, and 12) healing gardens. The greenest hospital in the country is Boulder Community Hospital Foothills Campus. "Hospitals are the heart and soul of the community and we need to be open for business no matter what," says Kai Abelkis, environmental coordinator for Boulder Community Hospital in Boulder, Colorado. "If the hospitals in New Orleans had solar panels, at least they could have kept the respirators going. If hospitals upgraded to more efficient lighting, we could save a considerable sum, enhance emergency preparedness and improve air quality."

The more you can make your child’s hospital stay like home, the better your child will adapt and recover. For green families, this means bringing green products to the hospital and carrying out any recycling. Just like when going into the wilderness, the green hospital stay follows the credo "if you pack it in, you pack it out" (with the exception of medical waste!). If you can’t bring these items or know in advance what you might need, find the closest health food store or coop to the hospital, and ask a friend or relative to run an errand for you. By greening your family’s hospital stay, you will alleviate one less stress during these difficult times.

PVC Free Shower Curtains!

I want to thank our reader Mary Anne for suggesting a review of this product. I have not tested this product myself, and I am always very hesitant to review something I have not touched, but I thought that it was important to tell our readers about PVC free options for the bathroom.

EVA Vinyl Shower Curtainsare PVC free. According to the the manufacturer, "Many shower curtains are made from PVC vinyl material, which may have negative effects on your health and the environment. Therefore, we made sure all our products are environmentally friendly with PVC free materials." PVC has been called the "Poison Plastic". According to CHEJ, "PVC (polyvinyl chloride) plastic, commonly referred to as vinyl, is one of the most hazardous consumer products ever created. PVC is dangerous to human health and the environment throughout its entire life cycle, at the factory, in our homes, and in the trash. Our bodies are contaminated with poisonous chemicals released during the PVC lifecycle, such as mercury, dioxins, and phthalates, which may pose irreversible life-long health threats."

Not only are EVA Vinyl Shower Curtainsbetter for your health and the environment, they are educational too. There is a weather, periodic table, dinosaur, metamorphosis, and solar system design available. Now both you and your child can learn while in the bathroom! Mary Anne writes about her metamorphosis EVA Vinyl Shower Curtains, "It totally brightens up my bathroom, and my nieces and nephews love coming over just to look at it and ask me even more questions, lol! The curtain itself feels considerably softer than traditional PVC curtains, and I believe the designs are silk screened. And it doesn't have that odd smell when it comes out of the packaging. It's really a great find, and fellow parents have definitely gone to check out the company and their products."

The Real Toy Soldiers

The real toy soldiers are children, and it is estimated that 250,000 children are exploited every day by paramilitary, guerrilla, and state-run military groups. Nine countries have been identified as using child soldiers, and eight of those countries receive US military assistance. How could this be?

It is obvious that being a child soldier is detrimental to children's social and emotional development. It is bad enough to live in a war zone, let alone become a fighter for whatever cause at a young age. This is no longer the age of Sparta, children have a right to be children.

“Early on when my brothers and I were captured, the LRA explained to us that all five brothers couldn’t serve in the LRA because we would not perform well. So they tied up my two younger brothers and invited us to watch. Then they beat them with sticks until two of them died. They told us it would give us strength to fight. My youngest brother was nine years old.”
- Martin, recruited by the Lord’s Resistance Army in Uganda at age twelve

Rep. Jim Marshall (D-GA) has offered a bill to demobilize and rehabilitate child soldiers. The bill would limit US military aid to countries that use child soldiers. This only makes sense.

As promised, this will be my last political rant for awhile; however, if you are wondering what the link between war and the environment is, click on PlanetThoughts.

It's Time to Make a Call for Peace

Well, I apologize for being so political this week,but I can't help it.

At a recent United Nations summit meeting there was special session focused on improving the lives of the world's children. It was agreed that no authentic progress would be made until one fundamental question had been addressed: how do we get the people of one nation to actually care about the children of another nation?

From (M)other, MAU Live: Theatre for Empowerment

Mother's Acting Up is calling on Americans to telephone every day for the next week our senators and representatives to demand we stop funding the war. A sample message suggested by Mother's Acting Up is:
"My name is ______, I am a Mother Acting Up and I passionately urge the Senator/Representative to vote NO on the Iraq War supplemental spending bill. One of many reasons to Vote NO is: _______________. This war is not making our children safer; vote NO on more war funding. Thank you." (If you want to add a Mama Grizzly Bear growl to further get your point across, go for it.)

In addition, Mother's Acting Up suggests we take action with our children.
Chalk messages for Peace in public places with your children and/or friends. Bring activism into the daily life of your family. Along with beautiful peace signs and words of peace, give a call to action: "Ask Representative X at xxx-xxxx to VOTE NO on WAR FUNDING, for children's sake!" I like this suggestion for involving children in protest, as I have been hesitant to take my children to marches. Too often, these marches turn violent, and I want my children to learn there are peaceful methods of expressing your opinion and bringing about change.

In a related study, the Institute of War and Peace Reporting suggests that Iraqi classrooms are in chaos, and the war may be creating a generation of ignorant civilians.

Iraq's education system was once the equal of almost anything in the Middle East, a rare bright-spot in Saddam Hussein's brutal rule. But a decade of war with Iran, then the first Gulf War and a decade of sanctions left it in ruins. Only half of Iraq's children were in school by the end of the 1990s.

International donors made restoring education a priority after 2003, but in an atmosphere when college professors carry guns, it's hardly surprising that reconstruction has taken second place to just staying alive.

I promise, after Monday (when I will be discussing child soldiers) I will return to toys and green living posts. Sometimes I have a hard time keeping politics out of my mind when the world's children are affected.

Tibetan Mandala Coloring Book

I could not wait to have children so that I could buy the Tibetan Mandalascoloring book by Tatjana Blau. For some reason, I could not justify buying this book for myself, but once I became a parent, this was one of my first purchases. Now, I have a coloring book both my children and I enjoy.

The Tibetan Mandalascoloring book features some complex and some more simple designs that I find meditative when coloring. The mandala designs include simple explanations and excerpts from Buddhist texts. For example:

Pay no attention to the mistakes of others
nor to their acts and behavior!
It is your own deeds and your own negligence
you must focus on!
-Dhammapada verse 49

This verse is especially important for school age children who are distracted by other's behaviors and prone to tattle tales. It also speaks to children about how we are in control and responsible for our own behaviors. Children can also learn to forgive and have compassion for others by contemplating such verses.

SCHIP Update: Our Children's Health

Almost every day, my inbox is filled with more information our our president's failure to provide for children's health. As you can tell by the length of this post, this issue is one I feel strongly about. Here are a few links and excerpts of the recent discussion on SCHIP, which expires on September 30.

From Families USA:
The additional funding provided by the CHIP bill would lead to a substantial reduction in the number of uninsured children. As currently approved, the Senate bill would cut the nation's rolls of uninsured children—estimated at more than 9 million—by about 4 million, a 44 percent drop. The House version, with a higher proposed funding level, would reduce the number of uninsured children by about 5 million, or 55 percent.
To view a special report, click here and find out how many more children would be covered in your state. For example, in my state of California, the new House bill would reduce the number of uninsured children by 56%!

From Common Sense:
Last month, the Bush administration issued state government new restrictions on providing children's health insurance via threatening emails sent on a late Friday evening.

And this past Friday, the Bushies used those restrictions to deny New York State the ability to cover more of its uninsured kids.

Sorry kids. No doctors for you.

From Campaign for America's Future:
Bush says he is afraid that if we provide health care to more children, ". . . you're really beginning to open up an avenue for people to switch from private insurance to the government." And he worries that Americans will then demand health care for all of us! So he’s using his veto threat to try to get Congress to back down.

From the New York Times:
The Bush administration reached a deplorable, preordained verdict yesterday when it denied New York State permission to expand a valuable health insurance program to help cover middle-class children. The administration, which makes no effort to disguise its disdain for government insurance programs, imposed new, excessively stringent requirements last month that not only guaranteed New York’s denial but will make it nearly impossible for any state to expand coverage.

The administration’s first reason for denying New York’s request was that the state has failed to show that it has enrolled at least 95 percent of all the children below 200 percent of the poverty level before moving the eligibility bar to higher incomes. New York says it has one of the country’s highest participation levels — at 88 percent — which sounds plenty good enough to justify reaching higher. So far as we know, no state has met the 95 percent level and many experts think it is unattainable in a group that is difficult to reach and motivate.

Another ground for denial — that New York had failed to require that children above 250 percent of poverty be uninsured for a full year before enrollment — may be the most irrational of all. The administration claims that its goal is to make sure that families don’t drop existing group health coverage to enroll in S-chip. But one year is too long for any child to go without insurance with the likely result that medical needs will be ignored.

From Common Sense:
SCHIP expires Sept. 30, and Congress has not determined the program's fate.

SCHIP provides health coverage for 225,593 Florida youngsters from low-income households who do not qualify for Medicaid. A study has shown most of the recipients are black or Hispanic, live in poverty and went without any health insurance before signing up for the program.

Supporters fear if Congress doesn't agree to continue the funding, tens of thousands of poor children in Florida alone and millions more across the country will go without regular medical care or flood already busy emergency rooms, driving up health care costs for everyone. Critics argue the tax-funded program has stretched beyond its original aim and is vulnerable to abuse.

From Common Sense:
Remember when conservatives wanted to "devolve" power away from Washington towards the states?

When the State Children's Health Insurance Program was enacted in 1997, empowering states was part of the plan, giving states flexibility in determining eligibility for coverage.

But now that states are acting compassionately and broadening eligibility so all kids can actually be covered, conservatives no longer want to empower the states. They want to lecture and limit the states.

From Common Sense:
The latest Census report on poverty in America found the number of Americans without health insurance continues to rise.

A record 47 million uninsured in 2006, including 8.7 million kids. That's 15.8% of Americans, up from 15.3% in 2005. The increase in uninsured children is more pronounced: 11.7% of kids lack coverage, up from 10.9% the prior year.

Since the passage of the State Children's Health Insurance Program in 1997 through 2004, the program succeeded in reducing the percentage of uninsured kids, while the percentage of uninsured adults -- not served by any new public insurance plan -- has gone up.

But in the last two years, we're seeing more kids go without insurance. Why?

Fewer private-sector employers are providing sufficient coverage. Making the expansion of SCHIP even more critical if we are to keep our kids healthy.

"Despite SCHIP's earlier success in decreasing the number of uninsured children, their numbers have risen for the second straight year because of a decline in employer-based coverage," Stoll said in a statement. "Today census numbers only confirm what state officials and health care advocates have seen first-hand -- SCHIP resources must be increased to meet the health care needs of the increasing number of uninsured children."

From the New York Times:
The program is popular because it works. It’s cost effective and there is wide bipartisan support for its expansion. But President Bush, locked in an ideological straitjacket, is adamant in his opposition.

In addition to the new rules drastically curtailing the ability of governors to expand local coverage by obtaining waivers from the federal government, the president has threatened a veto of Congressional efforts to fund a more robust version of the overall program.

“It’s stunning,” said New York’s Gov. Eliot Spitzer. "He says he’s going to veto health care for kids because it’s too expensive at the same time that these continuing resolutions for the war, where we don’t even know what the cost is, are going through unabated. This is insanity.

From the New York Times:
But a child who doesn’t receive adequate health care, like a child who doesn’t receive an adequate education, doesn’t have the same shot — he or she doesn’t have the same chances in life as children who get both these things.

And insurance is crucial to receiving adequate health care. President Bush may think that lacking insurance is no problem — “I mean, people have access to health care in America. After all, you just go to an emergency room” — but the reality is that the nine million children in America who don’t have health insurance often have unmet medical or dental needs, don’t have a regular place for medical care, and frequently have to delay care because of cost.

We offer free education, and don’t worry about middle-class families getting benefits they don’t need, because that’s the only way to ensure that every child gets an education — and giving every child a fair chance is the American way. And we should guarantee health care to every child, for the same reason.

From US Representative Stark:
"During George Bush’s presidency, the number of people without health insurance has already increased by more than eight million,” said Stark. “The number of uninsured increased by more than two million in this year alone, including 700,000 children. Now Bush wants to deny health care to millions more children. He would like to underfund the successful Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), limit states’ ability to use program funds they do receive, and veto Congressional legislation that would extend CHIP to provide care to an additional five million uninsured children.”

From the New York Times:
The Bush administration has imposed new requirements on a valuable children’s health insurance program that look so draconian as to be unattainable. Late on a recent Friday while Congress was in recess, a time fit for hiding dark deeds, the administration sent a letter to state health officials spelling out new hurdles they would have to clear before they could insure children from middle-income families unable to find affordable health coverage. Some 19 states may be forced to pull back programs they have started or proposed.

Yet the Bush administration wants to return to a darker age. Its letter to state officials seems intent on virtually eliminating such coverage for middle-income children, or at least drastically reducing it.

Take a new requirement that states must show they have enrolled 95 percent of the children in families with incomes below 200 percent of the poverty level before they can extend the limit above 250 percent . It is surely appropriate that states do a good job of reaching the poorest children before they embark on anything beyond that. Yet the 95 percent goal seems virtually unattainable in an income group that is notoriously hard to reach, as the administration should know from its abysmal results in trying to enroll the low-income elderly in its Medicare drug benefit. No state has reached 95 percent, so all may ultimately be disqualified.

Another difficult hurdle calls for states that want to insure children from higher-income families to show that, over the past five years, there has been no more than a 2 percent decline in employer coverage of such children. The ostensible goal is to make sure that S-chip does not substitute for coverage provided by employers. But employers have been reducing health benefits for some time, mostly for reasons having little to do with S-chip. Depending on how the murky calculation is made, New York could be rejected on that ground alone.

Other requirements, though attainable, seem just plain wrong-headed. In families with incomes above 250 percent of the poverty level, children must be uninsured for a full year before they can be enrolled in S-chip. There can be no exceptions, even if a parent dies and the child loses coverage under an employer’s group policy. New York proposes a far more reasonable six-month wait, long enough to deter people from abandoning their employer’s coverage, and would waive that for people who lose their jobs or coverage involuntarily. One year is just too long to leave children uninsured.

The heated political debate over S-chip sometimes leaves the impression that it is a free handout to middle-income Americans. But it is not free: states typically charge premiums that rise as income rises, and there can be deductibles and co-payments beyond that. New York calculates that its proposed premium of $60 per month per child for the higher-income families is essentially comparable to what it costs to insure a child under employer-provided policies in the state.

From Common Sense:
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation released a new SCHIP poll today, finding that 63% of voters (including 53% of self-described "conservatives") support "expanding SCHIP to cover an additional 4 million uninsured children at an additional cost of $35 billion over five years."

Further, 64% (including 50% of conservatives) disapprove of President Bush's pledge to veto the bills pending in Congress.

From OpenKY:
The President's SCHIP scheme, and all the heated rhetoric from House and Senate Republicans, is a blindingly hypocritical exercise in political pageantry. The Republican proposals don't merely destroy the flexibility that has been essential to the program's success; they destroy the flexibility that the administration has been praising for more than six years.

From its first year, the Bush administration aggressively expanded, without reservation, the waiver system that allowed states to customize their SCHIP programs to local needs. The administration regularly touted the system's flexibility as the key to its efficiency and a model for other federal health programs. Now the Republicans are attacking SCHIP for that same flexibility.

From the New York Times:
Despite a decade of marketing efforts by governments and private foundations, nearly 30 percent of children who are eligible for the health insurance program and are not covered by private plans have yet to enroll, according to a new government study.

Late last week, the Bush administration published new standards intended to prevent states from expanding eligibility for the program to cover children from middle-class families. But a more fundamental debate over the program has been raging in Washington for months: how to find and enroll the 1.7 million low-income children who are already eligible but have not signed up.

That hard-to-reach population is the focus of a showdown over reauthorizing the 10-year-old program, the largest single extension of government-subsidized health insurance since the Great Society health initiatives of 1965.

The challenge of enrolling those already eligible demonstrates how difficult it will be for states to meet the new standards. The policy says that states can expand eligibility only if they have first enrolled 95 percent of those who now qualify. Few states have come close to doing that; the national enrollment rate in 2004-2005 was 72 percent, according to the study.

From Children's Health Campaign:
The Senate to vote and renew the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) by a veto-proof vote of 68 to 31.

Over two-thirds of the Senate shrugged off repeated Presidential threats and demonstrated that the health of America's children is not a Republican or Democratic issue, but a bipartisan issue that unites the American people.

From the New York Times:
o problem — "After all, you just go to an emergency room" — and, with the support of the Republican Congressional leadership, he's declared that he'll veto any Schip expansion on "philosophical" grounds.

So what kind of philosophy says that it's O.K. to subsidize insurance companies, but not to provide health care to children?

Well, here's what Mr. Bush said after explaining that emergency rooms provide all the health care you need: "They're going to increase the number of folks eligible through Schip; some want to lower the age for Medicare. And then all of a sudden, you begin to see a — I wouldn't call it a plot, just a strategy — to get more people to be a part of a federalization of health care."

Now, why should Mr. Bush fear that insuring uninsured children would lead to a further "federalization" of health care, even though nothing like that is actually in either the Senate plan or the House plan? It's not because he thinks the plans wouldn't work. It's because he's afraid that they would. That is, he fears that voters, having seen how the government can help children, would ask why it can't do the same for adults.

Bamboo Towelettes

Bamboo has been touted by the eco community for its sustainability, and I was excited to stumble upon Shirts of Bamboo. I contacted the company, as I have yet to venture into bamboo textiles for my family, and Shirts of Bamboo was gracious to send us two compressed bamboo towelettes. The towelettes are a very interesting, green product that may be useful for families.

Bamboo is a soft fiber, softer than cotton, which makes it perfect for young, tender skin. It is breathable, absorbent, and fast drying. The compressed bamboo towelettes are very small, about the size of a silver dollar, and they would fit nicely in a small purse or diaper bag. When placed in water, the towelettes expand to 14" x 23". It is truly amazing to watch! The compressed bamboo towelettes would be perfect for spills, babies, eyeglasses, camping, etc. and last for approximately one to three weeks before disintegrating. This may be a disposable product, but it is not a one time use disposable. The only drawback to the compressed bamboo towelettes is that they are made in China, because that is where the bamboo is grown.

Bamboo reaches maturity after only three years, and it is grown without pesticides. Cotton crops use about 25% of the pesticides applied worldwide! Bamboo also releases 35% more oxygen than an equivalent stand of of trees. Shirts of Bamboo states that all of their bamboo is grown on family-owned farms and is not harvested from tropical forest. They use Moso bamboo in the production, which is a species panda bears do not eat and covers 7.4 million acres of China. No wonder the eco community has embraced bamboo.

Food Additives Linked to Hyperactivity in Children

This is not new news, but it was reported on our local news recently that artificial food additives and coloring consumption affects children's behavior. In fact, in the 1970s, allergist Benjamin Feingold, MD, advocated a diet free of more than 300 food additives to treat hyperactivity, although his research had not been substantiated until now. Whether this information is new or not, the old adage "You are what you eat" rings true when it comes to artificial ingredients. What is new information is that this has finally been proven scientifically.

It is not only children with ADHD who are affected by additives, but all children's behavior changes as a result of these substances. According to a 2004 WebMD report,

British researchers found removing food additives from the diet of a group of 3-year-olds caused a reduction in the children's hyperactive behavior reported by their parents. And when the food colorings and preservatives were added back into the children's diets, the parents reported an increase in hyperactivity.

Based on these parental reports of behavioral changes, researchers estimate that if the current 15% of children thought to have hyperactivity-related behavior problems were to go on an additive-free diet, the prevalence could be reduced to 6%.

"All children had small shifts in their behavior in the same direction when exposed to the additives," Warner tells WebMD. "If the children are already normal, then that's not a major issue. But if they've already got rather difficult behavior, that might be the final straw that makes it totally unacceptable."

The clinical results of this study did not match parental reports, so researchers were careful about making claims regarding additives and behavior; however, as a parent, the results speak volumes to me.

Finally, the scientists have proven this link!

The research, which was financed by the British Food Safety Agency and published online by the British medical journal the Lancet, presents regulators with a number of dilemmas: Should foods containing preservatives and artificial colors carry special warning labels? Should some additives be prohibited entirely? Should schools remove foods with additives from school cafeterias?
The researchers note that overactive children have a harder time learning.
"A mix of additives commonly found in children's foods increases the mean level of hyperactivity," wrote the researchers, who were led by Jim Stevenson at the University of Southampton. "The finding lends strong support for the case that food additives exacerbate hyperactive behaviors (inattention, impulsivity, and overactivity) at least into middle childhood."
The Lancet study focuses on sodium benzoate, a common preservative, and a variety of colorings.

Children should not drink sodas, which contain sodium benzoate. Not only will children's behavior improve by avoiding this substance, but childhood obesity rates would decline by eliminating soda from their diets.

In a related story, microwave popcorn may be toxic. Workers who make the snack are developing "popcorn" lung" from the chemical diacetyl used to make the buttery flavor. When heated, this chemical produces a toxic and lethal gas. Manufacturers insist the risk is only in the factory, but once again, I am thankful my family eats only natural,organic foods.

Kid Powered Toys

If you have children, you know that they have boundless amounts of energy. It only makes sense to use this energy to power toys, and Zen Design Group has come up with a line of toys that does just that. These "environmentally friendly," kid-powered SEE Toys will be available online September 15.

SEE Toys has created five different kid-powered toys: Dyancar, Dynatiger, Dynafly, Dynashark, and Dynadolphin. SEE stands for safety, ecology, and economy, and all of the toys are designed for children five years and older. SEE Toys are powered by a dynamo, which is a power-generating motor; children energize by turning a crank. The dynamo charges the rechargeable batteries that make the unbreakable LED lights and sounds emit from the toy. According to Sun Yu, president of Zen Design Group, "The introduction of self-sustainable SEE Toys carries an important message of responsible living to our youth."

Our family tested the Dynafly, which my daughter affectionately called "Buggy." Buggy positively reinforces children with laughing noises when they turn the crank. My six-year-old daughter was so fascinated by this, that we have been unable to truly test the dynamo and batteries to see how long the toy will play before needing a crank. She insisted we take Buggy on a six-hour drive to San Francisco, and the toy held her fascination for the entire drive there and back; however, once we arrived home, Buggy was abandoned for more interactive, creative toys. It doesn’t take long for a six-year-old to get tired of a toy that only lights up and makes noises, even if it is kid-powered. The wings, legs, and antennae are bendable, but this was not enough to sustain my daughter’s attention beyond the car trip. In contrast, I think my three-year-old son would be fascinated by the Dynacar and play with it for many years.

SEE Toys claims to be "The First Environmentally Friendly, Kid-Powered Toy Line," but I question this claim. It is true that the toys do not require disposable (recyclable) batteries that account for 72,000 tons of landfill waste in the United States each year; however, the toys are made from plastic and are manufactured in China. The information provided by SEE Toys did not state whether this plastic comes new materials or is made with post consumer recycled plastic. I applaud Zen Design Group’s efforts; however, I think that it would be more interesting to see a dynamo-powered toy that children will play with for many years, especially when targeting children ages five and up. How about a dynamo-powered ipod or musical keyboard?

In my opinion, just putting a dynamo in a toy does not make it environmentally friendly, especially if it does not sustain the interest of children over time. Many toys end up in landfills just for this reason, and I still believe the most environmentally friendly toys are made from renewable materials, are open-ended, and grow with a child’s imagination. Now that my daughter has lost interest in Buggy, her father can’t wait to take it apart and see how it works. Wouldn’t it be grand if there were kits available for children to make their own dynamo-powered toys? The possiblities are endless, and I thank SEE Toys for moving the toy industry in the right direction. We now have a really cool, dynamo-powered bug flashlight for when our hydro goes down.

Our First Kiva Loan from Eco Child's Play

If you read our very busy sidebar, you will notice that we have pledged to donate/loan 10% of any profits through advertising, google ads, and affiliate programs to Kiva. Thus, we have invested in our first natural business. It was hard to pick a business, but we looked for the one that would help to support a family and was green minded. Thus, we chose, Dembele Mariam, whose business is natural medicines in the Cote D'Ivoirie.


Dembélé Mariam is married. She has 9 children. Her husband is a retired domestic electrician. Mariam is today the main resource contributor to her family. She is a traditional medicine products seller in Marcory, a suburb in the south of the Abidjan District. She is 51 years old, and her business has flourished since she started receiving microcredit from AE&I. That allowed her to buy a store in which she could do her business in a better and more hygienic environment. She will use the loan to diversify her products offered with cosmetics products. Mariam is honest and a good performer.

US Maternal Deaths on the Rise

Shockingly, US maternal deaths are rising. In one of the richest countries in the world, women are dying in childbirth. The blame: obesity and the rising rates of Caesarean sections. The government contends this figure is still small; however, any rise demonstrates another reason why our health care system needs fixed.

According to SF Gate,
"The U.S. maternal mortality rate rose to 13 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2004, according to statistics released this week by the National Center for Health Statistics. The rate was 12 per 100,000 live births in 2003 — the first time the maternal death rate rose above 10 since 1977. To be sure, death from childbirth remains fairly rare in the United States. The death of infants is much more common — the nation's infant mortality rate was 679 per 100,000 live births in 2004.
Maternal deaths were a much more common tragedy long ago. Nearly one in every 100 live births resulted in a mother's death as recently as 90 years ago."

Although these rates are lower than in the past, families suffer beyond imagining when they lose a mother in childbirth. I am ever so thankful for my amazing midwives, who stopped my excessive bleeding after my first child's birth with manual compressions on my uterus. Had I been in the hospital and not at home, who knows if the doctors would have wanted to do a c-section on my slow progressing labor. The c-section rate in this country is now 29 percent. The World Health Organization suggests this Caesarean rate should be 10 to 15 percent in developed countries.

And the Winner Is Jan Barker!

Congratulations Jan Barker! You won our random monthly drawing for an Eco Child's Play hemp bag! Jan left a comment in August about reusable bags, and she gave us all a good warning about the danger of balloons. Jan has a family blog at Barker-Family.info. And yes, we have another international winner, as Jan resides in Scotland!

Don't forget, to enter September's drawing for an Eco Child's Play hemp bag, all you have to do is leave us a comment. We love to learn from our readers and share in the discussion of raising children in green, sustainable ways. Thank you to all our readers and their comments!