Eco-Friendly Family

Eco-Friendly Live Chat with Tom's of Maine & The Green Mama HERE!

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Re: Eco-Friendly Live Chat with Tom's of Maine & The Green Mama HERE!

  • My toddler is chapstick obsessed! She steals mine and has been known to take a nibble...At what age can a child use your chapstick and is it safe if they eat a tiny bit? I'm embarrassed admitting she does this :/ Hate seeing teeth marks in mine

    Tom's of Maine actually just launched a NEW USDA certified organic lip balm! You can find it on Amazon.com or Drugstore.com. Give it a try!
    Thanks! I totally will :)
    BabyFruit Ticker
  • TurtleChelleTurtleChelle member
    edited April 2015
    I'm a few days overdue and trying to avoid pitocin (any form of artificial induction, really) due to a bad reaction with my last pregnancy. Any safe, natural ways to help the process along?
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  • katelove9 said:

    How does this work? Am I supposed to hear anything or is it all text?

    Just the sounds of your own household! Otherwise it's all text.

  •  @TheGreenMama Your website looks awesome - I'm going to bookmark it because it looks like it will come in really handy when our little one arrives this summer. Thanks to you and  @TomsOfMaine for the tips today. Now I need to get back to work.. eeeek! I'll check back on this discussion when I get home:)
  • @TomsofMaine i see that you guys have a shampoo, is it safe if it gets in kids eyes or if by chance it was swallowed ? 
  • My family differs from dry, sensitive skin. Which @TomsOfMaine products are best?

  • @TheGreenMama What are some EASY DIY skincare ideas for my LO?


    I love making DIY skincare products for my kids, but I am no Martha Stewart. By that I mean, I hate following recipes, I never have exactly what is called for, and I am way too busy to really do much anyway. Thus, what I would mostly do are things like clean my baby's bum with really gentle soap and water when at home. When on the go, I had cloth wipes prewet with a little castile soap, and I would wipe her down with that.

    For bum cream, I mostly just used coconut oil. OR sesame oil. Or coco butter.

    The trick is keeping it super pure. Or, if you like the store bought better, looking for items that are so pure, you'd basically eat them (I also like zinc oxide--just not nano particle sized--and of course I wouldn't eat that).
    This is great! Totally trying coconut oil for my little one!
    BabyFruit Ticker
  • Also, my daughter just turned 2 years old...is it time for her to switch from floride free toothpaste to regular toothpaste (w/floride)?

    Well, it sort of depends on who you ask. The American Dental Association, I believe, recommends starting them on flouride toothpaste at age 3 but cautions that it should only be a pea size amount and that they need to spit it all out. I know this is hard. My four year old still can't do that. I have recently focused getting her to learn to rinse and spit really well after brushing and flossing.
  • Hi! Thanks for doing this. I have one question.

    I really don’t want to cloth diaper, but I don’t want to kill trees and fill up landfills either. Do you have other solutions?
  • I'm a few days overdue and trying to avoid pitocin (any form of artificial induction, really) due to a bad reaction with my last pregnancy. Any safe, natural ways to help the process along?

    Hi, it's Liz from Tom's! I feel your pain. My daughter came eight days late! And I had to be induced. Nothing worked for me last time but you could try the old wives tales - spicey food, long walks, bumpy car rides, etc.! Be sure to let us know if anything works for you! I'm hoping for an on time baby this time.
  • This might be a silly question...but what is SLS-free on your website? I see you have toothpastes...what does that mean?
    BabyFruit Ticker
  • My family differs from dry, sensitive skin. Which @TomsOfMaine products are best?

    We offer bar soap and body wash, along with a new hand cream and body lotions! Our soap is clinically proven to maintain skin's moisture, and our lotion moisturizes after just one use! Find more information on our website!
  • @turtlechelle: I had acupuncture for induction which helped speed things along!  My son was 6 days late but contractions started just a day after going to acupuncture.  Good luck!
  • Are your body lotions meant to be used on the face as well? 
    BabyFruit Ticker
  • What's the best tip you have when choosing a product for baby? What ingredients are not good for baby? @TheGreenMama @TomsofMaine
  • gbaby331 said:

    @TomsofMaine i see that you guys have a shampoo, is it safe if it gets in kids eyes or if by chance it was swallowed ? 

    Our shampoo is tear-free and gentle enough to use every day! It's also safe for delicate skin.
  • My almost 3 year old uses flouride free toothpaste. How long is it ok to continue without fluoride? He still likes to swallow his toothpaste. Any tips to get him to stop? @TomsOfMaine @TheGreenMama
  • Great question and answer! My toddler is obsessed with my chap stick and lip gloss as well :)
  • gbaby331 said:

    @TomsofMaine i see that you guys have a shampoo, is it safe if it gets in kids eyes or if by chance it was swallowed ? 

    Great question 
    BabyFruit Ticker
  • Dee719 said:

    @TomsofMaine, my daughter is two as well and she sucks more of the toothpaste than actually brushing. This is why I continue to use fluoride free paste. However, she likes to follow her brother and use mouthwash as well. Is it OK for her to use mouthwash at this age? She does spit it out and I usually dilute it a bit with water. 

    I know this question wasn't directed toward me... but I'd recommend checking out the product at the www.ewg.org skindeep database to see its overall health/toxin profile.
  • This might be a silly question...but what is SLS-free on your website? I see you have toothpastes...what does that mean?

    Hi there! Not silly at all. Our toothpaste uses SLS naturally sourced from coconut oil to make it foam. Some people are sensitive to this ingredient, or wish to avoid it, so we offer SLS-free products as well!
  • My almost 3 year old uses flouride free toothpaste. How long is it ok to continue without fluoride? He still likes to swallow his toothpaste. Any tips to get him to stop? @TomsOfMaine @TheGreenMama

    We definitely recommend sticking with fluoride-free until he masters spitting! You might want to check in with your pediatric dentist for tips to help avoid swallowing as fluoride is our anticavity ingredient.
  • At what age do you recommend children first visiting the dentist?

    Well, when I was young it seemed like kids didn't go until they were school age, but I started taking my youngest when she was three. INterestingly enough, she also has tons of cavities despite the fact that she eats super healthy, brushes her teeth, and otherwise has a etter life than I did when I was her age and living on Welfare.

    I believe, however, that this is because we can see many of the environmental toxins our children are exposed to represent in the health of their teeth amongst other things. Luckily, we have so many people out there these days providing better product options, research, and guidance for parents. So, in short, I'd find a dentist that you really like and trust and start taking your child while they are young--keep it fun and simple.
    Good to know...I've heard taking them when they are 1...my daughter is 2 now but I feel like she would freak out if we went and they wouldn't be able to do much to her anyway. I'd like to avoid the traumatic experience for her and me :) I plan on going when she's closer to 3
    BabyFruit Ticker
  • @TheGreenMama How can we make our kids' room eco-friendly?

    The short answer: you can look for the Greenguard logo which requires that the products carrying it (like furniture) are less polluting (from such things as VOCs—Volatile Organic Compounds.) One of the most troubling of the VOCs is formaldehyde (a Class One human carcinogen) and it is found in just about everything we put in a kids room.

            The long answer: In general, the inside of our homes are many times more polluted than the outdoor air. And in most homes, I have found, that the most polluted room is where the baby sleeps. Why? Because we shove a bunch of new things (cribs, change tables, diaper pales, wipes, toys, chairs) into a small room with fresh finishes (paints, carpet, curtains) and then we close the windows (and perhaps add an air freshener or a humidifier). All of these things mentioned (above) are known culprits polluting our air. One crib can pollute an entire home enough to notably increase a child’s chances of developing diseases such as asthma. (Toxic Baby Furniture by Environment California has a full report. It’s scary.) Imagine a room full of these pollutants.

            When money matters more: FYI, I didn’t buy a new baby’s crib that was certified Greenguard. And my mom, who raised us on Welfare, sure didn’t either. In my book, I remind us all that sometimes doing nothing or less is both healthier and greener. We chose not to paint, we put the baby in an real-wood (not pressed wood) heirloom bassinet, and we folded up cotton towels to make a cheap “eco-mattress.”  And we’d open the windows to air the room out as much as possible. If you are going to splurge on anything, I recommend a truly natural mattress.
  • Also, my daughter just turned 2 years old...is it time for her to switch from floride free toothpaste to regular toothpaste (w/floride)?

    Well, it sort of depends on who you ask. The American Dental Association, I believe, recommends starting them on flouride toothpaste at age 3 but cautions that it should only be a pea size amount and that they need to spit it all out. I know this is hard. My four year old still can't do that. I have recently focused getting her to learn to rinse and spit really well after brushing and flossing.
    Thanks for answering this!
    BabyFruit Ticker
  • Are your body lotions meant to be used on the face as well? 

    Our lotion is precisely formulated to leave your skin feeling soft, smooth and healthy without any artificial ingredients! It is dermatologist tested, although we've never tested it as a facial moisturizer. But some of our employees do use it for that! 
  • @turtlechelle: see the comment I posted on your wall.
  • PBnJ18 said:

    Hi! Thanks for doing this. I have one question.


    I really don’t want to cloth diaper, but I don’t want to kill trees and fill up landfills either. Do you have other solutions?
    Sure. There is tons of research on just how much “greener” cloth diapers are, but what convinced me was seeing my friends use them. They were so cute! And they saved us so much money which allowed me to splurge on “healthier” (non-bleached, recycled content) diapers for nighttime. If this doesn’t interest you, though, no worries. Here’s a few other ideas:
    1. Try a hybrid diaper. gDiapers are the ones I used, but there are others. These are diapers where the outside is reusable (and cute!) cloth and inside you put something that looks a bit like the inside of a disposable diaper. This inside part can be thrown away, flushed, or composted! This works great where I live, because the city comes and picks up the compost and takes it away. So, minimal laundry, less waste, and less exposure to the plastics and bleach of traditional diapers. The cost is about the same as disposables.
    2. Try “Baby potty training”, officially referred to as “elimination communication or EC.” I was pretty skeptical about this at first, but I was sold the first time I put my 5-week-old baby on the potty and she went pee! And then I did the research. I have a lot of it in my book. But, here’s one thing that is really interesting… when my Grandma was potty-training her kids they were all potty trained (day and night) by around 18 months. These days, a kid is potty trained closer to 3 ½. Yikes! What happened? Our kids aren’t any less smart or capable. Primarily, what happened is a combination of disposable diapers and parenting norms changed and now it is just “normal” in some communities to still have kids nearly four pooping in their diapers. Yet, in other communities (like when I am living in Guatemala or amongst my friends who have their kids in daycare or many of my immigrant friends) they still potty train their kids early. I figure it matters less what kind of diaper you use if you save on two years of diapers!

    3. What about a service? Cloth diaper services rent you diapers, take them away dirty and return them clean. Parents I know who have used them, love this service. I even helped a daycare use a service to cloth diaper all 120 of their young children and they loved it.
  • I don't know if it is a trend only in this country, but doctors seem quick to want to induce delivery. Relax and let your body do its thing. For my last pregnancy the doctor wanted to induce, but I decided to wait. My body was ready to go, so I just stayed close to home and that night the baby came on her own. I am glad I did not interfere with nature's process.
  • This is my second go around being pregnant and I feel like I've forgotten so much! Being a company all about natural products, which are most important to use during pregnancy to protect my growing baby? Can lotions and perfumes reach baby?
    BabyFruit Ticker
  • @TomsofMaine can we only purchase online or are you available in stores ? I never actually looked for "eco-friendly" or "natural" stuff before until recently!
  • What's the best tip you have when choosing a product for baby? What ingredients are not good for baby? @TheGreenMama @TomsofMaine


    We formulated our baby products without the use of any artificial ingredients, dyes, or preservatives! As a new mom, I'm really careful and read ingredients on the back of packaging. Some of the ingredients I try to avoid (and that Tom's would never use!) are phthalates, parabens, and phenoxyethanol.
  • @TomsofMaine, I see you now have baby shampoo and wash and baby lotion. Will you also come out with hair care products? I think this would be great, as I really don't like to use products in my daughter's hair. If the products are natural, then I wouldn't mind. 
  • I'm a few days overdue and trying to avoid pitocin (any form of artificial induction, really) due to a bad reaction with my last pregnancy. Any safe, natural ways to help the process along?

    Hi, it's Liz from Tom's! I feel your pain. My daughter came eight days late! And I had to be induced. Nothing worked for me last time but you could try the old wives tales - spicey food, long walks, bumpy car rides, etc.! Be sure to let us know if anything works for you! I'm hoping for an on time baby this time.

    Ha! Me too.  My first one was 12 days overdue. But she came in the end. Just fine. And the second one? Born on her due date! You will be happy to know that there is NO research to suggest that having a baby go even two full weeks past the due date leads to any problems or issues at all. So, rest assured and go for a nice long walk.

  • This is my second go around being pregnant and I feel like I've forgotten so much! Being a company all about natural products, which are most important to use during pregnancy to protect my growing baby? Can lotions and perfumes reach baby?

    We know a lot of expectant moms are conscious of the ingredients they put on their bodies. For that reason we formulate all of our products - including our adult lotions, toothpaste and deodorant! - without the use of artificial dyes, perfumes, preservatives, flavors, etc.
  • @TomsofMaine, are your baby products (mainly shampoo and wash) tear free?
  • I love Tom's products. I use their toothpaste and mouthwash exclusively. I also love their baby products. I still remember by baby sister smelling like Tom's honeysuckle shampoo when she was little.
  • gbaby331 said:

    @TomsofMaine can we only purchase online or are you available in stores ? I never actually looked for "eco-friendly" or "natural" stuff before until recently!

    Our toothpaste and deodorant can be found in most major retailers. Our NEW line of baby products are quickly hitting the market now! (We're so excited!) For the moment you can find them on Amazon and Drugstore.com as well as through our website! (If you have a Sprouts or Hannaford nearby, you can check there, too!)
  • @TheGreenMama How early do you recommend a child goes to see a dentist for her first time. Some say 1 years old and other say 3 years old and not sure what to think?

  • Where are the baby products sold? Are they in any stores in Bergen County NJ?
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