With the sun shining again here in TO, it’s time to think about sunscreen. There are a lot of organic choices out there, but what about SPF which is better?

What we know: SPF is based on how long your skin can stay in the sun without burning compared with unprotected skin. Someone whose skin starts to redden after five minutes on the beach would get 75 minutes of skin protection from an SPF 15 sunscreen and 150 minutes of protection from an SPF 30. A sunscreen with an SPF of 30 blocks 97 percent of the sun’s burning rays, compared with 93 percent blocked by sunscreens with an SPF of 15.

Although a higher SPF sunscreen, if used properly, should allow you to stay in the sun that much longer without burning, it isn’t clear if high SPF sunscreens block any more than 97 percent of burning rays. “Block” is a misleading term because no product you can see through will block 100 percent of the sun from your skin. The American Academy of Dermatology recommends using at least a 15 SPF , reapplied every two hours, after swimming or sweating.

The Canadian Dermatology Association (CDA). Here are some recommended tips from the CDA. 

• Try to limit the amount of time you work outdoors in the sun from 11 am to 4 pm.
• Seek shade from buildings, trees, canopies, etc, as much as possible, especially during lunch and coffee breaks.
• Wear a wide-brimmed hat (more than 8 cm or 3 inches). Attach a back flap to a construction helmet to cover the back of the neck and a visor for the front of the face.
• Wear clothing that covers as much of the body as possible.  Fabrics which do not let light through work best.  Make sure clothing is loose and comfortable.
• Apply an SPF 30 or higher, broad spectrum (protects against UVA and UVB) sunscreen to all exposed areas of skin before you go outside.
• Reapply at midday or more often if you are perspiring heavily. Apply a broad spectrum, SPF 30 lip balm.

Enjoy the warm weather!

Quiet Nights Celebrates International Doula Month!

What?    Free Event for prenatal and postnatal health

Where?  Pacific Health Centre 168 Annette Street, Toronto

When?   Saturday, May 9^th 2009 from 9:30am – 3pm

 Please join us for a day of delicious healthy food, door prizes and health practitioner seminars, featuring the importance of health for you and your baby!

Guest speakers

Kelly Maslen                 Simply Healthy Family Kelly is a Doula, Holistic Nutritionist and

Personal Chef

Deborah VanderKurk Pre and postnatal Registered Message Therapist

Richard Metliss

and Rowan Allen          Osteopaths specializing in the treatment of pre and postnatal health issues

Amanda Spakowski      The Nesting Place – Doula and Toronto’s only Birthing From

Within educator

Michelle Gaudio           Quiet Nights - specializes in organic and natural baby products

for families

Working with regulations in drug industry for the past 8 years I have always been weary of the lack of required testing in cosmetics including in childrens products.  It’s the main reason that I don’t wear make-up often and choose certified organic products for my children.

Because of major loopholes in federal law, companies are allowed to use nearly any ingredient in cosmetics and personal care products – even chemicals that are known to harm human health and the environment.

Below I’ve added a small sample of products results tested for formaldehyde* and/or 1,4-dioxane**.  Some of these I have personally used in the past.

* Formaldehyde is classified as a probable human carcinogen, and listed by the US National Toxicology Program as “reasonably anticipated to cause cancer.”

**1,4-Dioxane is a petroleum-derived contaminant considered a probable human carcinogen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and a clear-cut animal carcinogen by the National Toxicology Program.

Here is a great site if you would like to find more information: http://www.safecosmetics.org/

It’s that time of year again and march break is upon us.  If you are like my family, this year there isn’t a vacation at a warm sunny beach to look forward too.  However there are many fun activities to do right in our back yard.  I’ve found quite a few good links with great ideas to fill the days.  Including pj - baking day!! Okay that one may really be for me

Have a safe and fun filled March break.

Ontario:

http://www.winter-vacations-ontario.com/activities.html

http://gotmykidsmississauga.blogspot…s-fun-and.html

http://www.toronto.com/guide/marchbreak/attractions

http://www.400eleven.com/getaways-march-break.html

www.canadablooms.com.

http://toronto.todaysparent.com/articles/2007/03mar07.html

Quebec:

http://www.montrealfamilies.ca/articles/09_feb/f_spring_break_activities.htm

British Columbia:

http://www.bcparent.ca/index.html

http://www.vancouverplus.ca/feature/school_break/60245/activities.jsp

Nova Scotia:

http://www.novascotiamaplesyrup.com/festival.htm

Indoor Activities:

http://holidays.kaboose.com/winter/

Recently my nephew, who at the time was just a few weeks shy of his 2nd birthday, had an allergic reaction to peanuts.  We were at a family gathering and someone had given him a homemade chocolate chip cookie. As allergies are not common in my family no one thought to ask if there was any peanut butter in the cookie, and there was.  Luckily this was his first exposure and his reaction was somewhat mild.  However the reaction from the rest of us was not. 

His mother made an appointment on his 2^nd birthday to be tested for allergies.  Turns out he has a severe allergy to peanuts and tree nuts.

Shaken from the experience I began to do a little research on symptoms of an allergic reaction.  My daughter is too young to be tested and we’ve taken extra precautions because we do not want to go through that experience again.  I’ve come across some good information.  I’ve also found some cute books to help children understand allergies.     

What are the symptoms of an allergic reaction?

A person experiencing an allergic reaction may have any of the following symptoms:

·         Flushed face, hives or a rash, red and itchy skin

·         Swelling of the eyes, face, lips, throat and tongue

·         Trouble breathing, speaking or swallowing

·         Anxiety, distress, faintness, paleness, weakness

·         Cramps, diarrhea, vomiting

·         A drop in blood pressure, rapid heart beat, loss of consciousness

Where can I get more information?

For more information on:

• food allergies;
• ordering free copies of this pamphlet and subscribing to the free “Food Recalls and Allergy Alerts” e-mail notification service, visit the CFIA Website at www.inspection.gc.ca or call 1 800 442-2342/TTY 1 800 465-7735 (8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern time, Monday to Friday).
• http://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org/faalerts.php (For US, Canada and UK)

Below are some organizations that can provide additional allergy information:

Allergy/Asthma Information Association
www.aaia.ca

Anaphylaxis Canada
www.anaphylaxis.ca

Association québécoise des allergies alimentaires
www.aqaa.qc.ca (French only)

Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology
www.csaci.ca (English only)

Books:

1.      “The diary of Cyril the squirrel”

Author: Lucy Warn
Publisher: The Anaphylaxis Campaign, UK.  
Year of publication: 1996

Cyril was a happy and healthy little squirrel but, unlike his friends and his sister, he could not munch or touch the ripe nuts which they found amongst the carpet of golden leaves and twisted roots. Find out what happened, and how they all coped.  Beautifully written and illustrated by a young student whose younger sister has nut allergy. A winner.

2.      “Allie the Allergic Elephant”

Nicole Smith’s preschool age son was due to enter school and she couldn’t find an age-appropriate book to explain his life threatening peanut allergies to his teacher and classmates. So she wrote her own. The book is geared toward ages 2-7, but has received rave reviews from older children too. “Allie” is a wonderful book written about the perils and triumphs of an elephant who tells her life story of what it is like to live with peanut allergies. The book explains allergic reactions (hives, coughing, red eyes) and how to say ‘no thank you’ to foods offered by other children and adults.  The pictures are enhanced by the fact that a 12 year old did the artwork. She is a very talented artist, and even drew the elephant with hives!

I’ve been receiving many emails about the different types of cloth diapers out there.   Choices for cloth diapers have come a long way from the leaky plastic covers and diaper pins that many parents may remember.

The type of cloth diaper that you choose is dependent on your own personal preference and understanding what’s available will help make the best choices for your baby and your family.  Here are some of the more popular types of cloth diapers.

Fitted Diapers

Fitted diapers offer more convenience being in the familiar shape and style of disposables, requiring you to just fasten the top with the snaps or Velcro (a few do need a fastener). You do still need to wear covers with fitted diapers, the same types as described above work well for these.

Pocket Diapers

Pocket diapers are great for older or squirmy babies. Pocket diapers have a waterproof shell on the outside and an absorbent fleece liner on the inside. There is a pocket between the two that can be stuffed with anything absorbent – inserts made for pocket diapers, doublers (inserts with multiple layers). You can make these diapers as absorbent as needed by stuffing the pocket with more or less.

All-In-Ones

These diapers are the closest to the familiar disposable diapers. They operate alone, not needing covers, fasteners, or liners. AIO’s are similar in style to the pocket diaper except the middle is already stuffed for you with absorbent materials. These are easy to use.

Hope this helps,

Michelle

To all my family, friends and visitors I would like to wish everyone a happy, healthy and prosperous 2009.  We are looking to make 2009 an even better GREEN year!  Our goals at www.quietnights.ca are to increase awareness of organic and natural products for both children and adults; as well as promote “green” living through our website and locally.  We are planning to offer new and even better products as we continue to grow.  If there is a product you would like to see offered on our site just let us know.

Happy New Year from all of us at www.quietnights.ca !

Michelle

Since the news about BPA in our children’s plastic, I’ve pretty much questioned everything and anything.  It takes me a little longer to make decisions on what to buy because I try to ensure I am informed about my purchases; the extra time and effort for my girls is worth it to me.

The introduction to the sippy cup for my daughter was no exception.  The stainless steel and aluminum products have become quite popular. I was a bit concerned about the aluminum - I’m pretty sure there were some effects that contributed to Alzheimer’s weren’t there?  Then after some research I find out many of the popular brands of children’s cups have an epoxy lining. Well epoxy is just another word for plastic lining, now why would I use that?    I then did my research for Stainless Steel products, knowing that stainless steel releases elements in certain liquids, I wasn’t sure if there was a benefit.  Well, it turns out two products that I have found use high quality stainless steel and most importantly, are electropolished - Kleen Kanteen and Thermos Foogo products.

So what is electropoloishing?    

Electropolishing is an electrochemical process that removes material from a metallic work piece. It is used to polish, passivate and smooth metal parts. Electropolishing provides the smooth, easy cleaning and cosmetically pleasing surfaces, demanded by this industry, coupled with unmatched non-contamination and sanitary qualities. The process reduces oxidation and contamination of stainless steel components used in kitchen, dairy and automatic food processing equipment, and descales food and beverage containers. Overall, one can expect a significantly cleaner surface that resists the contamination of bacteria and product particles.

Another advantage and the reason for my choice to use the Foogo, is that it is a line of products with many options; including a sippy with handles, a sippy without handles, a sippy-straw with flip top lid and a thermos for kids. The larger straw-flip sippy is as tall, but – and this is key – thin enough for little hands to grasp comfortably.

Although the spout and straw are made out of food grade plastic, I am comfortable with the fact that the liquid is sitting in the stainless steel cup.  I continue to use the glass bottles with sippy cup spout and as alternative options. I use the Foogo sippy cups for my younger daughter and the large straw flip sippy is great for my older daughter.  I love the fact that it helps us reduce waste and use less of disposable drink boxes.  Every little bit counts!     

There is an overwhelming amount of information and statistics on the benefits of switching to cloth diapers. In fact if you Google ‘benefits of cloth diapers’ there isn’t enough time to review the number of hits that come up. What they don’t tell you is how to make the switch. It’s not as simple as people may think; well it wasn’t for me.

It was Saturday, that was the day I decided to switch to cloth diapers. I felt good when I bathed my daughter and put on her adorable organic cloth diaper, after all it was better for her and the environment right? We had planned a family day at the water park. I packed the diaper bag, snacks and drinks for my older daughter and off we went to enjoy a beautiful hot and humid summer day (hot and humid, see where I’m going with this?). A short time later Liya needed a diaper change. No big deal (I thought). I had my cloth diapers and chlorine free biodegradable wipes. I will just do a quick diaper change. Oh my! Diarrhea – a side effect of the antibiotic she was taking for her ear infection. Well that’s not pretty! In fact, it was pretty disgusting! Wait a minute (the wheels are moving now) how do I wash this diaper out? Where do I put this diaper to soak – we won’t be home for another few hours? What should I put it in? At the time I found an a few old plastic bags in the car, did my best to clean the diaper using most of the chlorine free biodegradable wipes. The wipes ended up in a plastic bag and in the garbage. Well that wasn’t very green now was it? I put the dirty diaper in the other plastic bag tied it and put it in the trunk of the car. BTW, not the nicest smelling when I got home later that day to wash it out. Well that was fun, must try that again sometime.

Please don’t misunderstand, I’m not trying to discourage people from becoming more eco-friendly. In fact despite my disastrous attempt at switching to cloth diapers we still use them. I was merely trying to explain that due to the convenience of disposable products I had become accustomed to, I lacked the foresight to properly prepare for cloth diapers. I’m much better now; I have a reusable canvas bag that I use for dirty diapers while I’m out and about. I throw the bag in the laundry with the diapers. My family and I still have a long way to go before I can say we have met my initial ‘green ideal’. We’ve taken some small steps and it’s all taken some time. I’ve made a decision to buy organic whenever possible, or I make the effort to buy at our local farms or farmers market. I’ve made a conscious effort to use all-natural products. I feel better knowing that I am not exposing myself and my children to unnecessary chemicals. My message is really about making a difference as a whole. If we each make a few organic, eco-friendly choices I truly believe we can make a positive impact on our health and our environment.

A thought… the average child uses over 5,000 diapers during the 30 month period before toilet training, contributing to a total of over 16 billion diapers or 2.7 million tons of single use diapers requiring disposal each year. If we as parents used cloth diapers 1% of the time we would reduce the amount by 160 million diapers each year. If you are considering switching to cloth diapers but are hesitant, use them only at home. Every little bit helps.

When I hear myself or anyone say, “I’m trying to be more green” I often think of Kermit the frog and his famous line “It’s not easy being green”. As a mother of two young children, I have become significantly more motivated to “be green”. I decided it is as much my responsibility as anyone else to be aware of what products are available for our children and the impact on the environment. With my oldest daughter Abby; like most new moms I based my choices on the product’s popularity. Following the old adage that millions of people can’t be wrong. I used plastic baby bottles that had BPA and now I cringe every time I think about how often I warmed those bottles. Having a clinical research background I began to research literature published by independent companies as well as regulatory bodies such as Health Canada and FDA. Needless to say, I was very upset with my discoveries. Pregnant again with my second child I had decided that if I had to bottle feed I would only use glass baby bottles. At the time glass baby bottles were not as easily available as they are today. It was then, inspired by my two girls, with the love and support of my family, Quiet Nights was born. (No pun intended) The news of BPA and DEHP didn’t come about until well after my second daughter Liya was born.

From glass baby bottles my need to be ‘greener’ started to grow –much to my husband’s chagrin-. Initially I was determined on complete change and attempted to move my family toward nothing less than a healthy, organic, natural Reduce, Reuse, Recycle lifestyle. After all, my intentions are sincere and doing good things shouldn’t be all that difficult right? I was not prepared for the results of my efforts. Change that may appear to be straight forward is not simple when it involves the habits of an entire family. I had little appreciation for the time involved in my ‘brilliant’ idea; in short I took on too much too soon. Let’s face it, to date we are still set up to consume and dispose everything we use in the most convenient way possible, without any regard for its impact once it leaves our possession. The one thing I would recommend to anyone who has made the decision to be green. Take it one step at a time - start small.

Wishing you Health and Happiness

Michelle