BPA in baby bottles, phthalates in baby sunscreen, melamine in baby formula, lead in baby toys. What are parents supposed to keep their baby healthy? Move to a desert island and live like Swiss family Robinson? Buy your own organic farm? Unfortunately, these options are not feasible for most of us.

Matilda is a very lucky little girl. Instead of giving in to panic or resignation, her parents did extensive research about the products they used on her, from her cloth diapers to her eczema remedy. And what’s more they’re nice enough to share their findings with other parents in their website Squeaky Clean Tot. The site is user and family-friendly and is a great platform to get shared information about baby products, household cleaning products, home remedies, you name it. Truly a site made by parents for parents.

Here’s what you can do Squeaky Clean Tot:

Rate and Review
Who can better rate a product than the firsthand consumers themselves? Say what you think and tell what you know about products. Whether it’s a sippie cup or a silicone pacifier, a stroller or a dishwashing liquid, you can vent your frustrations or sing your praises about the products you’ve encountered as a parent. Just remember to be fair.

Get and Search for Info
Before buying or using something new, you can read about other parents’ experience and opinion of different types of products. If what you are looking for is not on the list of reviewed products, email Matilda’s parents and they will try to get the information for you.

Give Suggestions
I’ve lost count of the number of products I’ve used on my babies but they reach into the hundreds. The site also welcomes suggestions and ideas from other parents to make the list of products reviewed as complete as possible.

Other resources

• The site includes links to useful sites including Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database of the Environmental Working Group which look at body care products for babies and the whole family.
• Matilda’s mom is a firm believer of cloth diapering and in this Cloth diapering resources section, she specially reviews makers and retailers and different types of cloth diapers and wipes.
• There are also links to organic product sites and other family-friendly sites.

October 20 is the deadline for joining the website launch competition. The giveaway grand prize is a Squeaky Clean Tot gift pack (see the front page for more information).

Like many people of my generation, I didn’t grow up having sunscreen slathered on me every time I set foot outdoors. While I know the health benefits of wearing sunscreen today, that doesn’t mean I like applying it – to me or my infant daughter.

Many sunscreens feel greasy, tacky and oily after application. Put something on a squirmy infant or toddler that makes them slippery – and it’s a recipe for disaster! Other sunscreens are hard to apply evenly because the lotion isn’t smooth enough. And spray on sunscreen? They work great as long as you rub them in, but I’m always afraid of spraying it in my daughter’s eyes.

Then I discovered Earth Baby Sun n’ Fun Baby Sunscreen. Earth Baby’s sunscreen lotion goes on smooth, makes baby’s skin feel soft – not greasy – and provides SPF 30 sun protection for even the brightest days.

Earth Baby also works well as a moisturizer thanks to a special blend of:

• Cocoa butter

• Essential oils of chamomile, vanilla and honey

The Importance of Organics

When my daughter was first born, I went on an all-organic kick. But it didn’t last long and, last night, for instance, she sat munching on a French fry at Appleby’s. But I know it’s important to some moms to find all-organic products for their babies. For me, if I can find a superior product at a reasonable price and it is also organic, that’s a bonus. That is exactly the case with the Earth Baby line.

The Earth Baby line is not only certified 90% organic, it’s also phthalate- and paraben-free, pediatrician-recommended and made in the USA. Knowing the product is safe and also supports American industry means a lot to me.

Additionally, Earth Baby partnered with the Forest Stewardship Council and the Rainforest Alliance to use a certifiable 100% tree-free, recyclable FiberStone paper. The packaging contains no bleach and is produced using less energy and no water. It doesn’t get much greener than that.

Oleosome Technology

It’s easy to tell, from all the company is doing for the environment and the U.S. economy, that Earth Baby cares about its customers. The company is also on the cutting edge of technology. It uses proprietary, award-winning oleosome technology (winner of a Frost & Sulliven Technology Innovation of the Year Award) to deliver nutrients directly into the baby’s skin.

Oleosome technology, appearing more and more in high-end beauty products, uses Fresh Cells to deliver nutrients directly to the skin. Picture tiny bubbles within the products, filled with extracts of fruits and vegetables, that burst upon application, releasing healthy nutrients like beta-carotene, and E and C vitamins onto the skin. It’s never to early to start a health and beauty regime for baby, and Earth Baby makes it easy. You’ll find fresh fruit and vegetable extracts deliver through Oleospheres in all their products, including:

• Baby lotion

• Wipes

• Hair detangler

• Baby shampoo

• Bath gel

• Diaper rash cream

Disclaimer

I know this review sounds a bit like a paid ad, but let me assure you, it is not. Earth Baby, as part of a campaign to get their new products into the hands of influential mom bloggers, sent me a sample. I can see why they took that chance – the product really is that good. Now I’m wishing they had offered to send a year’s supply! I’m looking forward to checking out the other products.

Udderly Smooth Udder Cream lotion was originally developed for use on dairy cows and the product still bears the instructions for use on cattle, as a treatment for cracked or sore udders.

I first herd… sorry, bad joke… heard about Udder Cream from a friend whose six-month-old baby had eczema, and was having a difficult time finding anything that would relive it. Her son’s pediatrician recommended Udder Cream, and reassured her that he didn’t think that her baby was a calf and that the cream was perfectly safe for human babies, and that he had used it on his own children.

My son, a few months older, also had eczema and dry skin on his legs and arms. I had been using other lotions but hadn’t found one that helped. So, I tried the Udder Cream on the rash, and on his dry skin. A few days later, his dry skin was much improved, and while his eczema rash was still there, it didn’t seem to be bothering him so much. We used it twice-daily from then on.

One of the first compliments I received on a date with the man who turned out to be a serious relationship was what soft skin I had. Oops, did I mention that I’d been stealing it? Mom’s skin takes plenty of abuse, with frequent handwashing after all those diaper changes, and baths and all that extra laundry and housework babies generate. I love using it on my hands, and I keep a pot in the kitchen, and one in the bathroom.

It comes in a nice big screw-top tub that cost about $5 each and last a long time, and then are useful for storing bits of toddler toys in when empty.

The downside is that it’s hard to find in stores. I order mine online in packs of six. Ace Hardware is the only store that (sometimes) carries it in my town, but you can order a tub online and have it shipped to your local store for free.

And a little warning – the cream contains lanolin, which is a natural product from sheep, but rarely, it can cause an allergic reaction. I’d advise doing a patch test and trying a little out on your baby and watching for a reaction before using it.

I love Udder Cream. It helps dry skin better than any other lotion I’ve tried, and it made a big difference on my son’s eczema. The best part is that it’s cheap enough to try even if you’re unsure.

As an Attachment Parenting practitioner (more or less) I try to hold my daughter whenever possible. But she doesn’t care for the baby sling, so there are times during the day when she really needs to sit or lie down someplace and entertain herself. After she outgrew her bouncy seat and began devising ways to escape from her swing, I started hunting for a good, safe seating option. I didn’t want something we’d be shuttling into the attic after a few months, either.

That’s when I found the Cushi Tush. It’s a safe, green, portable sitting solution for your little one that will last until they are about 18 months or weigh 30 lbs.

Hailed as the “perfect babysitter,” the Cushi Tush rests flat on the floor with a wide base to prevent tipping. There are no straps or buckles; the baby stays in place by means of the tray that slides into position. A center bar prevents the baby from “submarining” out the bottom of the seat.

Use the Cushi Tush for:

- Play: Like an infant swing, exersaucer, or playpen the Cushi Tush provides a safe place for your child to play while you do other tasks.
- Mealtime: If you’re going to visit friends or relatives and don’t feel like lugging a high chair, the Cushi Tush serves that purpose.
- Storytime: You can turn the book’s pages and read easily, knowing your child is safe and secure.

According to the manufacturer’s Web site, the Cushi Tush is approved by pediatricians and conforms to all safety standards.

In my quest for a baby seat, I was concerned about BPA in many baby products; I wanted something that was safe for my baby and the environment. The chair is not made from polystyrene, but from an ecologically-safe, strong but lightweight and recyclable expanded polypropylene material called ARPRO. Manufacturers use ARPRO to make car seats, bicycle helmets and more.

The Cushi Tush wipes off easily with a damp sponge and does not house bacteria, so it’s sanitary and safe. It’s also dishwasher-safe.

But let’s get down to the really important point: How does the baby like it?

She sits in it for about 20 minutes at a time. Although I’m in the same room, I don’t have to pay constant attention to make sure she’s not rolling or scooting off someplace now that’s she’s mobile. She plays with her toys in it or watches a Baby Einstein DVD and I’m free to fold laundry, wash dishes or even take a shower. She loves to sit in her Cushi Tush and bang on her toy keyboard while I work on my laptop, too!

Because it’s so lightweight, it travels easily from room to room. I also use the Cushi Tush during interactive time; it gives the baby a place to sit for stories and flash card games so my hands are free to turn pages.

We travel a lot, and the Cushi Tush works well in a hotel room as a high chair or, again, a place for the baby to sit while you do other things. It’s a lot easier to carry around for short—or long—trips than an exersaucer or swing.

There are certain things you can’t do with the Cushi Tush. The manufacturers do not recommend using it in the bathtub or on elevated surfaces (it’s not a booster seat). I would love if it had straps so you could use it as a booster seat or if it had a base that made it safe to prop up on the couch.

With no buckles or clips, the tray simply slides off the base and then slides back into place firmly. It’s easy to use, but I doubt even the most resourceful child could remove the tray by herself. I found it tricky to open the seat one-handed while holding the baby the first few times. I eventually discovered the trick of placing my toes on the base for leverage while I wiggled the tray out one-handed. It’s much easier to put the baby down and use both hands to open the chair.

The Cushi Tush comes in blue, pink, green, orange or mottled patterns of blue/green, green/pink or all four colors. For the price (under $40) it’s a good, durable baby product that lasts longer than many other options on the market.

A ‘Lil Cushi Tush, sold separately, lets your child place their favorite doll or stuffed animal in a seat just like theirs! Find out more about the Cushi Tush and other baby products at www.cushitush.co.uk.

Like every mom, I worry about my baby when he’s sleeping. Is he too cold? too hot? is he comfortable? And nagging at the back of every mom’s mind is the worry of SIDS, or crib death.

The latest AAP recommendations of how to keep your baby safe while sleeping have dramatically reduced the number of deaths from SIDS, and following them will make it extremely unlikely your baby will be one of them.

The Angelcare BebeSounds nursery monitor is a movement-sensing pad that goes underneath a crib or bassinet mattress. The pad detects baby’s movements, and every breath they take, and if no movement (i.e. breaths) are detected for 20 seconds, a warning chirp beeps, then an alarm sounds.

It’s also a regular baby monitor, and available with one parent receiver, or two.

I bought one of these monitors to use with my newborn son. We had the occasional false alarm, when he rolled right to the edge of the crib, and when he woke up in the middle of the night and I forgot to turn it off after picking him up out of his crib.

Then one night, when he was about 4 months old, I woke up to the warning chirp. Half asleep, I was wondering what it was. Then the alarm went off. I ran to my son’s crib, and put my hand on his back. He wasn’t breathing. I rubbed his back. Nothing. I shook his arms. No response. I shook him and shouted his name. He took the most enormous inhale. I spent the rest of the night sitting up with him asleep in my arms. I’ve never been so terrified, and so relieved.

This device is not marketed as an anti-SIDS product, or a safety device, and they make no claims that it will prevent SIDS. Always follow all the recommendations from the AAP and use the monitor as a little extra peace-of-mind.

It retails for $80 for the dual monitor set and $66 for the single monitor receiver. Expensive for a baby monitor, but I truly believe this monitor it saved my son’s life, and I don’t believe I’ve ever spent a better $80.