KIVA - loans that change lives

I want to let you know about a cool non-profit that is doing great things: Kiva (which I stumbled upon on Oprah's website after watching the "Oprah's Big Give Show" and decided to learn more about it)

Kiva allows individuals to make $25 loans to low-income entrepreneurs in the developing world (microfinance). By doing so, individuals like you provide affordable working capital for the poor (money to buy a sewing machine, livestock, etc.), empowering them to earn their way out of poverty.

It's a new, direct and sustainable way to fight global poverty, and the way I see it, I get a higher return on $25 helping someone build a future than the interest my checking account pays.

Please check out the site: http://kiva.org/. They have received great press in publications ranging from The Wall Street Journal to NPR to BusinessWeek.

Did you know ... ?

I was watching The Big Idea on CNBC tonight and saw what I considered a must-have product for breastfeeding mommies featured on the show - My Breast Friend. Did you know that this breastfeeding pillow was actually invented by a bachelor? His name is Andrew Zenoff and the idea came to him after visiting a friend who had recently given birth. He saw the struggle the new mom had trying to nurse the newborn and got inspired. Back then in 1993, he was a waiter and unsuccessful actor in L.A. He borrowed money from his friends and family and went to work. He was determined to create a pillow to solve the problems moms were having with the existing pillows. His invention -- My Breast Friend. Today, My Breast Friend is sold in over 20 countries and is used in hundreds of NIC units and birthing hospitals. It is the #1 choice of lactation consultants.

I was amazed at how a bachelor, who never encountered the breastfeeding problem himself, could have come up with a such a perfect solution. This story is truly inspirational! We should all look around our daily lives (and our friends' lives!) to see what we can do to make them a little bit easier. I close out with one of my favourite Donny Deutche (the host of The Big Idea) catch-phrases: "There's gotta be a better way!" Simple yet inspirational!

You can order My Breast Friend by contacting info@babymellow.com (prepaid orders only)

Benefits of Baby Wearing

Baby slings and carriers are great inventions! Not only do they free up your hands so you can do chores around the house, you can also enjoy activities like taking a salsa babies class. As an added bonus, there are many benefits in babywearing:

1. Sling babies cry less. Studies have shown that babies in baby wearing cultures cry much less. In Western culture, a baby's crying is measured in hours, but in other cultures, crying is measured in minute!


2. Sling babies learn more. When the babies spend less time crying and fussing, they spend their free time learning! Researches have shown that carried babies show enhanced visual and auditory alertness.


3. Sling babies are more organized. Babywearing extends the womb experience of the baby and provides an external regulating system that balances the irregular and disorganized tendencies of the baby. Mother's heartbeat reminds baby of the womb experience and calms baby. If the baby spends most of his time in a crib without the regulating presence of the mother, the infant may develop disorganized patterns of behavior: colicky cries, jerky movements, anxious thumb sucking, and disturbed sleep.


4. Sling babies get "humanized" earlier. A sling baby is so intimately involved in the caregiver's world; the baby sees, hears, and in some ways feels what the caregiver feels. The proximity increases interaction and baby can constantly learn how to be human.


5. Sling babies are smarter. Babywearing helps the infant's developing brain make the right connections. Sling babies are more attentive and babywearing enhances speech development because baby is up at voice and eye level of the caregiver.

Source: http://www.askdrsears.com/html/5/t051100.asp#T051104

BabyMellow offers the Peanut Shell slings in a variety of colours and patterns. The Peanut Shell is a stylish pouch-style baby sling for hip parents. It is easy to use - no metal rings, buckles, or adjustments to be made. For the second time in a row, Peanut Shell is a must have in Pregnancy's 2007 Buyers Guide!

Recent sling recall - March 11, 2008: The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with Ellaroo LLC, announced a voluntary recall of the Ellaroo Ring Sling Baby Carriers. The aluminum rings on the sling carriers can bend or break. This can cause the fabric to slip through the rings and infants to fall out of the carrier. For more information, visit http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml08/08215.html

Phthalates in baby care products

A study from University of Washington suggests that personal care products for babies, including lotion, shampoo and powder, caused elevated levels of phthalates in the youngsters, which can alter reproductive development. Phthalates may be found in fragrance and plastics, such as baby bottles. Although phthalates are rarely listed as an ingredient in personal care products, they are found in fragrance ingredients of these products.

Below is an excerpt from National Post:
"The University of Washington study looked at urine samples from 163 infants born between 2000 and 2005. Phthalates were detected in 81 per cent of the samples. The levels were highest in infants under the age of eight months. The levels increased as babies were exposed to more baby care products."

For the full article, read on
See also report from CTV News

Next time you buy baby care products, read the label! Avoid chemicals such as Phthalates, synthetic Fragrances (use pure essential oils in place of 'Fragrance'), Sodium Lauryl/Laureth Sulfate (a foaming agent found in toothpaste, shampoo, bubble bath, soap) as these chemicals have been linked to eczema, allergies, and possible reproductive problems. Source: GreenBabyLove Blog by Dimpleskins Naturals

Dimpleskins Naturals is committed to using pure, organic, and cruelty-free ingredients, to create effective and wholesome skin care products for your children. The full line of Dimpleskins Naturals products will be arriving soon at www.babymellow.com

To see how your personal care products score on the hazardous scale, visit http://www.cosmeticdatabase.com/

To learn more about the toxin level in your baby's toys, visit: www.healthytoys.org

Cousins of Sophie the Giraffe - BPA and Phthalate-free teether

Another BPA free teether for relieving baby's aching gums without toxic plastic - now in Canada!

We are excited that Vulli toys has created "cousins" for the infamous Sophie the Giraffe and they are now available for sale in Canada at Baby Mellow! Named Chan, Pie, and Gnon, after the French word champignon (which means mushroom), these soft chew toys are adorable and colourful. Like Sophie, they are made in natural rubber (phthalate-free) so moms can let their babies chew these cute champignons worry free!

About us

Baby Mellow is a Canadian site offering a collection of organic clothing for newborn, BPA free bottles, baby accessories, shower gifts, toys, bathtime products, sun protection products, baby carriers/slings, nursing covers, natural skin care, feeding and nursing products.

We are constantly searching for quality, innovative, and safe baby products to be added to our product lines. Here are the ones we currently carry: Adiri, Angel Brush, Baby Banz, Baby Cubes, Beba Bean, Bee's Knees, Booboobuddy, Bugalug, Clearly Fun Soap, Cuski, Dimpleskins Naturals, Easy Covers, Green to Grow, Mocobabies, My Little Seat, Name Your Tunes, O.R.E, Parade, Peanut Shell, RaZbaby, The Snack-Trap, Thermobaby, Steadyco, Vulli Toys, Weego, Wisey, and Zooni.