I wish that at some point people stop asking me about the difficulty of being a single mother but talk instead about the difficulty of being a health-conscious, eco-friendly, label-reading consumer, which is of concern to all of us, not just moms! It amazes me how much time and energy I have to spare for finding products that do not contain cousins of petroleum, and I am talking about stuff that touches our skin, or go into our mouth, every day!
I used to think that I would be able to find anything and everything on amazon.com, but I was wrong. After spending precious free hours after the baby has gone to sleep on the internet, typing in keywords such as “organic” “eco-friendly” and “made in the USA (or Canada, Europe, Japan, or any country you would associate with quality products)”, I now realize that I am in deep trouble if I am looking for essential items that are not made in China.
Most of us know about avoiding BPA. We are also aware that reusable materials such as glass and stainless steel are preferable to plastics. A good start. With keyword ‘eco-friendly’, you also find products made with recycled materials. Nice. If you search “organic”, there are choices involving organic cotton or bamboo. Promising. But once you type “made in the USA”, things start disappearing. Fast.
Here is my report card:
– As far as options available in the US are concerned, there is only one brand that sells stainless steel water bottles that are not made in China…even those at Whole Foods or nature-friendly stores (e.g., Klean Kanteen) are made ‘responsibly’ in China. I looked for an alternative, long and hard, and finally found Laken bottles, made in Spain (www.lakenusa.com), for on-the-go, as I use glass tumblers at home. Laken water bottles for kids are not only super cute but super functional – thermo insulated, straw-connected, and press-button for easy opening and closing.
– There are only a few companies that make glass baby bottles in the USA/Europe: Life Factory and Green to Grow (NTB: Green to Grow’s plastic bottles are made in Taiwan). Initially I was too nervous about breaking a glass bottle around a baby so I bought a silicone bottle from Green Sprouts at a Whole Foods store, but realizing that it was also made in China, I tried a glass bottle from Lollaland (www.lollaland.com), made in Germany. I regret for not switching earlier! The bottle is very sturdy, easy to clean with minimal parts, and cannot be any cuter!
– As much as I love the Lollaland glass baby bottle, it is a bit daunting to commute (via subway) carrying a few of them along with a sippy cup and three pouches of food for daycare. So I tried to find a plastic or silicone bottle not made in China. Oh what a joy – typing “baby plastic bottle made in the USA” on Amazon gave me nothing. After various keyword searches later, I finally found plastic bottles made in Austria: http://www.mambaby.com/us/the-products/. I really like the MAM bottles as their neck is wide enough to pour in formula and they are really easy to clean.
– Toys – oh toys. Imagine you chewing on colorful plastics made in China for hours, every day, for several years. Agh. I have chosen wooden toys made in the USA or in Europe (e.g,. HABA from Germany) but what do we do with toy gifts from others….those shiny, fluffy, or singing toys that kids would love which are, almost without fail, made in China?
I would like to think that we as informed consumers have power to choose what is right for our needs. Especially in a country like the USA. It was therefore shocking to discover that options available to us are, in fact, very limited. With my confidence in Amazon and Google Shopping, or even Whole Foods, waned, I now check out specific stores, such as Little Spruce Organics in Denver (www.littlespruceorganics.com) and Sprout San Francisco (www.sproutsanfrancisco.com) if I am in need of baby goods.
My baby boy, now 10 months, licks the face of people he likes and I suspect in his mind he is ‘kissing’ not eating our cheeks. It prompted me to switch my entire skin care line to organic items; and I am happy to say that my skin is looking much better than 10 years ago!
