Plastic is SCARY!

Please read up on the dangers of plastic, esp. for young babies and children. There are toxins in plastic that are affecting our kids' health! The top 5 manufacturers of plastic baby bottles have been found to leak the dangerous chemical Bisphenol A. These manufacturers are Avent, Dr. Brown, Evenflo, Gerber and Playtex. Bisphenol A can leach chemicals that have devastating affects on our health, including breast and prostate cancer.

I was shocked and horrified at the same time to learn this!

Here is a report on the toxic baby bottles: Baby Bottles

I was lucky enough to very seldom use a bottle with Isaiah, but was planning to pump and bottle feed more with baby #2. I am relieved to find that the Platex Disposable Drop-ins that I used occasionally for Isaiah does not contain Bisphenol A, so I am planning on using them again. They are cheap and very easy to use.

This website I found very educational: Health Observatory

Of course, unless we have deep pockets, it would be hard to avoid plastic altogether, especially having kids. I'm not serving my 2 year old on fine china. But take precautions! The best plastics with the least amount of chemicals are: #1,2,4 and 5. Avoid #3, 6 and 7 if at all possible. You can usually find these numbers surrounded by an arrowed triangle at the bottom of your plasticwear. If your plastic wear is scratched or dented, throw it away. NEVER heat plastic in the microwave and check all your teething toys. If the plastic is soft or pliable, chances are, it's not safe. You can contact the manufacturer, I have contacted 2 that I was unsure of and have yet to receive a response, so we'll have to wait and see. Some safer toy companies that have voluntarily banned dangerous chemicals in their teething toys:

ArcoToys, Chicco, Disney, Evenflo, The First Years, Gerber, Hasbro (Playskool), Little Tikes, Mattel (Fisher-Price), Safety 1st, Sassy, Shelcore Toys and Tyco Preschool.

Exorcisms of a Two year old

So, all this time, I have been wondering, what's all the fuss? Isaiah is two, he's pretty good, none of those crazy violent tantrums I've been hearing about. I felt sorry for all those other mothers with their horror stories, and thanked my lucky stars that these things were not happening to us. I thought, maybe Isaiah just won't have them. I thought I can control this, if I just pay enough attention. I thought wrong.

Is it mean that we took pictures? They can't all happy smiley memories!

Isaiah can now go from Angelic to what I call needing an Exorcism in the span of half a second. "WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM?" my husband asks me on the phone today after letting him hear Isaiah scream and kick in his car seat like he was possesed by the Devil himself. I could almost see his head turn 360 degrees. It's all about control. My son is a CONTROL FREAK. He's at this age where he wants to do everything himself. If you ask him, "Isaiah, are you a baby?" his immediate response is, "No, I'm a big boy!" But those little hands and limited motor skills just aren't ready to do certain things without help. His frustration mounts so fast before you know it he is just angry wreck. And territorial too! He says, "It's MINE!" or "No it's my turn!" like he's some kind of rabbid dog. I half expect him to pee on whatever he's claiming. And yes, this stuff came out of nowhere. It has really just been crazy the last week. Today, I was that mother (might I mention, a very pregnant mother) at the grocery store who had to leave her cart full of food in the store and carry her toddler kicking and screaming to the car. Yes, that was me. After a good talking to and a nice long timeout in his room, I went in there to find that the Exorcism was over. Isaiah was all sweaty, teary and remorseful, and had turned from green back to a normal human color. Then the fog lifts, he gives me a hug and says "I'm sorry mommy, I love you." and all is right in the world again. Manipulative little buggers aren't they?

I guess I have to just keep remembering: Our kids are not a reflection of us. They are their own little persons with their own will.

But most of the time he IS sweet and smiley.

Afterthought: Okay, so I'm at the store and Isaiah is starting to unravel at the seams... and some older lady without kids comes up to me and says, "Aww, it looks like somebody isn't very happy." Why do people say this? I mean why? Does she somehow think she can make this situation better by stating this?!? What's the reason? Isn't it blatantly obvious that my child is not very happy? Do you really have to verbalize this? Does this really need to be said out loud? Can you not just go about your business, feel sorry for us, be annoyed, or just plain ignore us like everyone else in the store? I wish I would have said, "Well, how very observant of you." Then if that wasn't already bad enough she looks at me, realizes I'm pregnant and adds, "It looks like you've got your hands full!" WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH PEOPLE!