The Ultimate Mosquito Protection!

No chemicals here! We're going to protect Marlee on our upcoming trip to Canada with this Mosquito Suit, custom made for us by Bugabear on Etsy.

A New Puff in Town

I've had a few moms ask me about a more natural alternative to Gerber Puffs, which are full of HFCS and ingredients I can't pronounce (not to mention expensive!). I used to recommend organic crisp rice cereal or oat o's (my fave: Joe's Os from Trader Joes). Problem with those is, the rice is tiny and not great for training little fingers, and the Os don't dissolve.

Michael and I have enjoyed snacking on Pirate Booty for years, but I just recently discovered Fruit Booty and Veggie Booty!

Compare ingredients.

PUFFS (sweet potato): Rice Flour , Whole Grain Oat Flour , Wheat Starch , Wheat Flour , Sugar , Sweet Potato Powder , Tri- and Dicalcium Phosphate , Natural Flavor , Annatto Extract Color , Mixed Tocopherols - for Freshness , Zinc Sulfate , Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate - Vitamin E , Electrolytic Iron

VEGGIE BOOTY: Corn Meal, Rice, Soy Flour, Rice Flour, Corn, Sunflower and/or Rice Oil, Salt, Spinach Powder, Evaporated Cane Juice, Broccoli Powder, Kale Powder, Carrot Powder, Cabbage Powder, Parsley Powder, Calcium Carbonate (Baking Soda), and Sea Salt.

FRUITY BOOTY: Corn Meal, Organic Soy Flour, Sunflower, Rice and/or Corn Oil, Evaporated Cane Juice, Peach Juice, Mango Powder, Maltodextrin (from Corn), Safflower Oil, Tartaric Acid, Citric Acid, Paprika Extract. Contains Soybean Ingredients.

SIMPLY BOOTY (VEGAN): Corn Meal, Rice, Contains one of the following: Corn, Rice and/or Sunflower Oil, and Sea Salt.

Simply Booty is sugar free. The Veggie variety has less sugar than puffs. The Fruity Booty has about the same amount of sugar, but it comes from evaporated cane juice rather than HFCS.

All three are bite-sized, yummy, and dissolve quickly. I wish I'd found these when we were in the Puffs stage!

**I've been informed that Gerber Puffs are now sweetened with sugar, not HFCS. This must be new, as the can I bought MJ a few months ago definitely had HFCS. Anyone have a can to check for me?**

A New Month

It's July first...what eco-friendly/healty life goals are you setting this month?

For the W Family:

One outdoor can of trash (Should be especially easy because we're traveling)
No fast food. This one is easy for me, tougher for Michael.
Michael is going to bike instead of drive to the gym.
We're eating two vegetarian dinners and two fish dinners per week.
We're making a stronger than usual effort to reduce electricity usage. Kind of a game.

Share your goals for July!

Vaccination Horror

When Marlee was born, Michael and I made the decision together to follow the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended immunization schedule. I was well aware that the topic was controversial, but (in a manner so unlike me) I just went with it...because it's the way it's done. I know, I know, SO not me. As the months have gone on, I've done a bit of reading. I decided that I will selectively vaccinate MJ going forward. She's breastfed and stays home with me, so I'm very comfortable in this decision. That's not the point of this post though. It's just background.

I went to the pediatrician to pick up her immunization schedule to compare what she's had to the schedule I've planned so that we can move forward. Here's what I discovered.

The AAP recommends HIB at 2, 4 and 6. She had it at 2 and 4. One missed vaccine. I've chosen to do HIB on schedule...when would this mistake have been found if I didn't start digging?

Then there's HepB. When MJ was just hours old, the nurse came in and said, "We're taking her to the nursery for the Hepatitis B vaccine." I said, "No, thank you. We'll do it at her first pediatrician appointment." I didn't want my baby stuck with anything her first day of life (I also declined Vitamin K injection). So when we took her to the doc at 3 days old, she had her first HepB shot.

Had I given any thought to this at the beginning, she would never have had that shot or any others of that particular vax until age 12. I'm not sure why my baby is vaccinated against a disease that is contracted through sex or shared needles. Granted, she's not in my sight 24 hours a day, but I'm thinking we're okay on this one.

Here's what is making me sick. Not only has she had this vax, which I personally see as unnecessary, she's had too many doses. Her doctors office uses both a 3 and 4 injection series. There was some confusion, and she was given the 3 series then the 4th from the other series.

I am so upset with myself, there are not words. Each appointment, I signed the form acknowledging the shots my baby was getting. I signed that form, not knowing what it meant. I assumed that the doctors and nurses were doing what was best for her.

I pride myself on the fact that I'm very well educated in many aspects of raising my child. How did I let this happen? How did I not know what she should get at each appointment? How did I not know which vaccines were absolutely necessary? What they contain? Which brands are considered safer? Which brand are they using? What are the risks? What are the benefits? AGH! How did I not educate myself about something as important as foreign substances being injected into my child?

The point of this entry is not to judge anyone for adhering to any particular schedule. It's just to urge you all to learn a bit about vaccines. Go to each appointment knowing what shots your baby should be getting, and make sure those are the ones she gets.

An interesting parting factoid: As children, we (my generation) got 18 vaccines. Children today get 50.

Win a BabyWearing Stash!

Click here for contest from Along for the Ride.

Just When You Thought Disposable Diapers Couldn't Get Nastier

Check out this new one from Pampers.

These totally gross me out.

Zucchini Bread

I was looking for a yummy snack for MJ to replace the occasional cereal bar. I've been trying to eliminate processed foods, and the bars I bought were chock full of sugar (natural organic fruit sugars, but sugar just the same). I found a few recipes for zucchini bread, combined and tweaked them, and came up with my own. It's a hit...she loves it!

1 1/2 cups each all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/3 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind (I'd leave this out for pickier eaters)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/3 cup blue agave nectar
3 cups shredded zucchini (about 3 medium)
1 cup shredded carrot (about 2 medium or 1 large)

Preheat oven to 350 and coat two 8x4 loaf pans with cooking spray. Combine dry ingredients in one bowl and wet ingredients (including veggies) in a larger bowl. Add the dry to wet and stir until just combined. Bake 45 minutes to an hour until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely before slicing.

I froze individual slices so that I can toss in the diaper bag for a quick snack when we're out an about.