BIG CHANGES FOR THE MOMMY SPOT!

The big day is finally here, and you didn't even know it was coming - The Mommy Spot has officially moved and changed her name to dkMommy Spot! All the old posts can still be found at the new site, but bigger and better things are coming down the pike. If you're a subscriber at The Mommy Spot, please subscribe at the new site so you won't miss a thing. And believe me, you won't want to!

In honor of the big move, there will be some nice Grand Opening Giveaways! This will all start tomorrow, February 15th, 2008, with a kickoff drawing. (No, I'm not telling you what it is yet.)

So please come celebrate with me! I'm thrilled to have finally made the big move to my OWN DOMAIN - www.dkmommyspot.com, and I can't wait to share it all with you!

Learning About Herbs

One of my favorite things to study is herbalism. I love the manuals, the field guides, the recipes. I have several books lined up on my bookshelf, all of which I consult regularly for personal use, as well as for information for sharing with you.

But one thing I go back to again and again is a set of podcasts on Herbal Ed's website. Herbal Ed (Ed Smith) is the guy behind the popular Herb Pharm extracts you see in many health food stores. (You know, the fascinating little brown bottles all lined up and labeled in orange.) I wanted to share the podcasts with you because if you're really looking for some great herb information from a talented teacher, this is the place to go.

To listen, go to Herbal Ed's homepage and click the Education tab on the top. Then knock yourself out! But make sure you have a notebook and a pen handy - there's a lot you'll want to remember!

(Note: This is not a paid posting. I just like the guy and his product a whole heap. Ed, if you're out there, feel free to send samples!)

Plastic Baby Bottles - To Leach or Not to Leach

Today as I was innocently traversing the web, I ran across an article telling me plastic baby bottles are good and safe and all is right in the world.

Not 15 minutes later I came across another article. It stated plastic baby bottles are still bad and leachy with Bisphenol-A and can make my child sick.

"Were you confused? Panicky?"

No.

"Why not?"

Because I don't care.

"You don't care? What do you mean you don't care? What's the whole point of The Mommy Spot if you hang up on us now? You don't care - that's rich. I'm picking up my mouse and..."

Wait. Set down your mouse, no clicky-clicky. I don't care about conflicting studies, opinions, rants and general media hoo-ha towards plastic baby bottles because I don't use them. Never have.

You see, the key to not panicking when choosing products for our babies and children is to choose the safest, most natural route. Before my son was born, I sat in front of the computer for hours trying to determine things like whether or not plastic baby bottles were safe. (Hence, The Mommy Spot was born with my son.) I can't make these decisions perfectly because I am not a scientist (although some would call my recipes experiments), and quite frankly I'd never stop obsessing if forced to choose a safe plastic. So I go with glass.

No one ever accused glass of leaching. The bottles are sturdier than you might think; yes, they're much stronger than your grandma's crystal. I've even dropped a full bottle in a parking lot without a break. (Don't try this at home - they're not indestructible, after all.)

I always harp on making more natural choices, and I'll continue to do so for as long as news stories like this and this prevail. Because you don't have to lose sleep, worry about your family's health, or care one little bit when your choices are natural.

Is Baby Shampoo Dangerous?

If you've been following the news, then you've heard about the new study that reveals baby shampoo may contain dangerous chemicals linked to reproductive problems. While this particular study may be new, the issue certainly isn't. In fact, many studies have already shown several chemicals we use every day aren't safe over the long haul. (See my review of the book Exposed if you'd like to study up on this on your own.)

So what do we do when faced with facts like this? If you've read The Mommy Spot for very long, you'll know I advocate taking the natural route first. If you do that, you don't have to pay too much attention to news articles like this. My recommendations for a safe baby shampoo alternative are castile soap or a vegetable glycerin. While these are not pretty smelling (Dr. Bronner's castile soap does come with essential oils if you wish), they are all-natural and contain none of the chemicals you're reading about in the news.

Castile and glycerin soaps are not only great for shampoo, but they make a healthy alternative to regular soap as well. Use it in the bath, the kitchen, or at the sink. If you want, you can add a couple drops of your own essential oil to customize the scent. (For babies, stick with gentle fragrances like chamomile or one or two drops of rosemary.) Since they're so gentle, you don't have to be concerned with irritating baby's skin either.

Once you know the great, old-fashioned alternatives, you don't have to wonder if your baby shampoo, or any other product around the house, is dangerous or not. You already know - it's healthy, it's safe, it's natural.