Luna Moms Club Tip of the Week:

Fact: The chemicals in institutional cleaning products can cause a wide range of major health problems for children, including respiratory irritation and increased risk of cancer.

Action: Make sure that your children's schools and child care centers are doing everything they can to protect your children from harmful toxins, just like you do at home.

Luna Moms Club Tip of the Week:

Fact: The EPA states that toxic chemicals in household cleaners are three times more likely to cause cancer than outdoor air pollution and the Consumer Product Safety Commission has identified 150 chemicals common in homes linked to allergies, birth defects, cancer and psychological abnormalities. Some of the most common culprits include household bleach, all-purpose cleaners, laundry detergent, and dish detergent.

Action: Use non-toxic cleaners (i.e. Shaklee, Seventh Generation, Method, Ecover brands).

Luna Moms Club Tip of the Week:

Fact: An amazing variety of toxic substances find their way into carpet, including metals (such as arsenic, lead, and mercury), pesticides, pet dander, fungal spores, bacteria, dust-mite droppings also seep into carpets. New carpet can off-gas for weeks releasing such harmful substances as formaldehyde, toluene, and xylene in a mix of up to 200 different chemicals.

Action: Clear out the carpet and use washable rugs instead or install hardwood floors.

Luna Moms Club Tip of the Week:

Fact: Toys made out of PVC plastics (also called vinyl) often contain additives, such as lead, phthalates, and cadmium, which can leech out increasing your child’s risk for brain damage, cancer, and hormone disruption.

Action: Purchase toys made out of wood or cloth.

Luna Moms Club Tip of the Week:

Fact: Bottled water is less regulated than tap water and can contain chemicals leached from the plastic.

Action: Bottle your own water and use a stainless steel or aluminum reusable water bottle.

Luna Moms Club Tip of the Week:

Fact: In a recent warning about lead exposure, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) specifically recommends that shoes remain outside the house. According to a report called the Door Mat Study, lead-contaminated soil from the outside causes almost all the lead dust inside homes, and it notes that wiping shoes on a mat and removing them at the door cuts lead dust by 60 percent.

Action: Leave the dirt at the door. Wiping our shoes off and leaving them at the door reduces the amount of contaminated dirt tracked in. Think about this, your babies and kids are the ones who spend the most time on the ground in your home – crawling and playing.

Luna Moms Club Tip of the Week:

Fact: Personal care product companies are not required to test their products for safety prior to selling them and can put in virtually anything they want. Not surprisingly, there are many ingredients that have been found to be harmful.

Action: To reduce exposure to carcinogens, neurotoxicants, and reproductive toxicants, purchase products that do not contain:

* Parabens
* Formaldehyde
* Triethanolamine and cocamide DEA
* PEGs
* Isopropanol
* 2-phenoxyethanol
* Benzethonium chloride
* Talc
* Phthalates
* Fragrance

Skin Deep safety guide to cosmetics and personal care products (brought to you by researchers at the Environmental Working Group) is a great resource for what type of chemicals are in over 25,000 products – you can search by product type, by brand etc. Find out more at www.cosmeticsdatabase.com.

Luna Moms Club Tip of the Week:

Fact: According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, organophosphate pesticides (OP) are now found in the blood of 95% of Americans tested and levels are twice as high in blood samples taken from children than in adults. These pesticides are linked to hyperactivity, behavior disorders, learning disabilities, developmental delays and motor dysfunction.

Action: Use non-toxic methods to manage pests and weeds.

Luna Moms Club Tip of the Week:

Educational Tip of the Week:

Fact: Plastic baby bottles are often made with polycarbonate plastic that can leach Bisphenol-A. This chemical disrupts proper hormone functioning, alters genes and disrupts normal physical and behavioral development.

Action: Use bottles made of glass or polypropylene plastic. Two companies who make these safer baby bottles are ThinkBaby and Born Free.

Luna Moms Club Tip of the Week:

Fact: According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, indoor air quality is one of the top five environmental health concerns. Given that people spend about 90 percent of their time indoors, it's important to do what you can to reduce indoor air pollution.

Action: One of the simplest things you can do is open a window. Even if it's chilly outside (we should be so lucky!), you should open a window for just five minutes a day to significantly decrease the concentrations of indoor air pollutants in your home. Most home heating and cooling systems, including forced air heating systems, do not mechanically bring fresh air into the house. Open a window and start breathing cleaner air.

And play outside more!