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Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Book! Green Babies, Sage Moms

As I mentioned the other day, I just finished reading Green Babies, Sage Moms, by Lynda Fassa. I'm interested in the "green baby" movement, though I feel like I need to have a kid and hop on the bandwagon before it gets too cliche. The name of Lynda's book, besides being clever, piqued my interest - and it was in the clearance section at Half Price Books for $2.

This book is packed with good info, most of which I want to try out. Using baking soda for laundry detergent, a homemade foot scrub, easy recommendations for different levels of committing to cloth or not-your-average-disposable diapers. It's peppered with interviews from various "green gurus" whom the author knows, and she herself founded one of the first organic cotton baby clothes businesses.

What this book is really good for, in addition to all the tips and advice, is inducing panic. She delves very deeply into every level of your life (whether pregnant or with an infant or toddler) and talks about all the dangers. Anything on the skin can soak in and transfer to the developing baby during pregnancy; makeup, nail polish, shampoo, etc, are all filled with "probable carcinogens." And that's just the tip of the iceberg. More than once, I caught myself wondering how any baby ever survives.

For me, that was one of the biggest downfalls of the book. It had good info, but there was too much fear-mongering, though I doubt that was the author's intent. Her style wasn't overly readable, broken up as it was by different interviews and offsets, and the overall effect was a little too intense for my taste. I gleaned useful advice and recipes, but it's not a book I'd recommend, especially not to a pregnant mom - she'd go into hiding immediately!

2 comments:

  1. See and that's my problem with alot of these "go green" type people. I do try to use natural products, I mean I have my own bath stuff company just FOR that reason, BUT just because I like to wear Chanel no 5 perfume doesn't mean my kids are going to be brain damaged. (I don't, by the way, wear that it just happened to pop into my brain LOL) I think if I had another one, I would try cloth diapering just because it IS so EASY these days and everyone I know who is doing it loves it. If you want to make your own laundry soap, I have a recipe for that too. The only reason i dont use it right now is because it really doesn't get the stains out so then I use a pre treater and then what's the point? So I buy the "green" detergent from CostCo when I can and substitue with the "free and clear" stuff in between.
    I have a problem with books that tell you all the DON'Ts in pregnancy when there is enough to be afraid of as it is. I mean, as long as you follow the big rules (don't smoke, drink, drug etc) chances are your baby will be fine. The problem I have with these extremests is they act like every little thing is a toxin, but then they get in their SUVs and drive everywhere and allow their children to breathe the air. The AIR is more toxic these days than alot of things they ingest that MIGHT transfer to the kid!

    Stepping off my soapbox now LOL

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  2. What the fear-mongerers seem to forget is that the liver, kidneys and placenta are tremendous filtering mechanisms. It can even protect the fetus from many poisons (of course, the death of the mother causes significant complications, unfortunately).

    You're probably okay with makeup and nail polish and shampoo and the like. Just don't go experimenting with strychnine or anything like that.

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