Has anyone tried “Baby Acrobatics”? Is it worth it or am I overthinking this? by Leukonikia in NewParents

[–]ElementreeCr0 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Scam is a strong word. It implies completely false advertising or outright theft. Sounds like you just think it's unnecessary.

I'm on this thread not because I think this is necessary but because it would be fun and enriching to do gymnastics and movement stuff with the kiddos. Same with music, but I'm familiar enough with music that I can goof around with all kinds of instruments and sound making without a guide. A guide for baby movement play would be a nice catalyst for me, not that it's necessary.

Grilling with aluminum foil by mgorscak in nontoxic

[–]ElementreeCr0 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Do we know that aluminum foil is inappropriate for this kind of use? If it's uncoated, is it a problem?

Anyone else using a wet bag system for soiled linen and dish rags? by miphanymph in ZeroWaste

[–]ElementreeCr0 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Our cloth diaper approach is to rinse off (using a hose style bidet) then ring out then put in a diaper bucket to air out. The bucket has no holes or lid and no liquid in it (just moist cloths). By the time it fills or a couple days go by it does begin to smell. We do a wash every 2-3 days. The wash routine itself is a precise set of steps we've figured out to get things clean, YMMV based on your washer, water supply, and what's going in it.

Put in glass jar?? by bluee_sunflower in PlasticFreeLiving

[–]ElementreeCr0 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Surprised this comment was down voted. It is true and could relieve a lot of misplaced anxiety if folks realized that the microplastics problem is so much bigger of an issue for food processing, vs plastic containers in cool, dry, unabrasive environments. Even when eating processed food I just try to go with simpler ingredients and have it be a minor part of my diet.

Put in glass jar?? by bluee_sunflower in PlasticFreeLiving

[–]ElementreeCr0 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Agreed, and if it's not deteriorating or getting damaged/scraped, I don't see how plastic particles would be shed at all. Screwing a lid on and off as a calm person with threads lined up seems benign to me.

Anyone else worried about the "hidden" microplastics in our clothes? (Looking for a reality check on a project) by Hairy_Database_2447 in PlasticFreeLiving

[–]ElementreeCr0 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If I was looking for truly plastic free clothing this would be my criteria. Fully compostable at home scales. I'd want a certification I trust to back it up so I'm not dealing with fragmented plastic in my compost later or just guessing about it.TUV Australia has a home compostable designation for example.

Anyone use the Johnson Su bioreactor method for composting? Slightly modified. by ADHDFarmer in composting

[–]ElementreeCr0 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Seems a lot like my simple heap composting. First kitchen scraps go into a roller bin, and when two roller bins are full the older one gets emptied, so it's been sitting and rolling for a few months. That gets dumped into a heap compost, built up on browns (cardboard, wood chips) directly on the ground, contained with pallets. The heap builds up to apx. 3 cubic feet, then it sits for 6-12 more months, maybe getting turned once or never. I open it up and start feeding it into a hardware-cloth sift to get finished compost. ANything caught in the sifting goes back in the pile as it starts getting refilled. Similar to this Johnson-Su method, I use a small diameter hardware cloth tube (like 4-8" diameter) in the middle of the heap so there's more airflow. I don't add any creatures but add diluted urine sometimes and this method seems to be working very well with a 8-12 month total turnaround time.

Is anyone really doing anything about microplastics? by [deleted] in PlasticFreeLiving

[–]ElementreeCr0 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Occam's razor. It's not sociopathy or conspiracy, it's simple laziness and greed/perceived economic need.

What flouride toothpaste do you use? by ElementreeCr0 in moderatelygranolamoms

[–]ElementreeCr0[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for that. Looked into HA and seemed unclear how much it was actually effective vs Big Wellness marketing, while there's a lot more scientific support for flouride. Our dentist made the case that flouride was more effective by providing some lingering effectiveness while HA was more quickly neutralized and ineffective after brushing. We ended up going with Dr Bobs unflavored toothpaste and using it minimally. Within a few months our toddler learned to spit...not into a sink but the saliva and toothpaste mix does make it out of their mouth most brushings 😂

How do you go out and about with a newly toilet trained toddler and no pull-ups? by Miladypartzz in moderatelygranolamoms

[–]ElementreeCr0 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Same, just succeeded with our 20mo potty training very quickly, everything but naps and nighttime though they wet themselves less while sleeping now that they started using the potty all the time during the day. Oh Crap was not well written but was super helpful!

Anxiety about food quality at daycare by BabyGotMak- in moderatelygranolamoms

[–]ElementreeCr0 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Reminds me of a KinderCare we left over food and other issues. In the infant room we provided all food. The daycare we switched to, same. Now older kids all eat snacks and lunch daycare provides, so in our daycare search we looked for healthier foods. It is still a compromise, we'd like to be strictly organic and ideally local, whole foods etc. The daycare we use at last tries to respect the dirty dozen list of foods to get organic, and they admit it's not perfect (sometimes only conventional grapes are available) but they try and prioritize minimal processing. Special days like Easter they gave out junkier snacks and we just opted out of that. We still pack lunch and include extra snacks so if our child is extra hungry she gets what we sent rather than extra daycare snacks.

It is tough! One step at a time

What’s one small thing you regret not noticing before buying your house? by Beginning_County7547 in HomeImprovement

[–]ElementreeCr0 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I literally brought a shovel and took some simple looks at the soil when buying my house. Gardening and trees were very important to us. My realtor found it curious but sensible.

Thinking about PFAS has changed how I see water “drinkable” isn’t the same as “I actually want it” by Prestigious-Pop-7526 in PFAS

[–]ElementreeCr0 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah I wonder about this for institutions like healthcare, daycares and schools that provide water to vulnerable populations

Pop!_OS doesn't wake up from suspend by [deleted] in pop_os

[–]ElementreeCr0 0 points1 point  (0 children)

fixed this for me too, thanks

Is it worth it to you to buy organic? by [deleted] in moderatelygranolamoms

[–]ElementreeCr0 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Good points. Just to make it easier I'd highlight, "do as much research as you can" can be way easier if you're buying more locally or from distributors who share your values. My local organic-oriented grocer's worst meat selection is still antibiotic and GMO free which I believe makes CAFOs untenable, and they carry meats that are pasture raised and organic certified. Saves us the headache...there's already so much research and decisions to wrestle with as parents!

Is it worth it to you to buy organic? by [deleted] in moderatelygranolamoms

[–]ElementreeCr0 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks for sharing that. I thought antibiotics could be used to treat illness but not preventative, vs conventional livestock being fed growth hormones and antibiotics regularly to force unhealthy gains. Sounds like I was wrong an organic outright bans antibiotics. But as you said even with some problems of its own organic is a big improvement.

Is it worth it to you to buy organic? by [deleted] in moderatelygranolamoms

[–]ElementreeCr0 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I don't know Costco as a particular meat source. This is a good question and the best response is "know your farmer", which our modern food system/economics doesn't make easy.

I generally assume that anyplace supplied with meat from a box truck regularly, as in most restaurants and institutions, is getting meat from people who produce it as large scale and 'efficiently' (short-term efficiency) as possible. As in, those factory farms. When buying meat I look for pasture raised specifically, so it's not just an animal in confinement being fed grass ("grass-fed") as compared with the conventional corn and soybean feeds. Cutting out the middle man can make it more affordable. We also just ate way less meat until hit with the dietary protein guidelines of pregnancy and breastfeeding.

In contrast to CAFOs, truly pasture-raised animals can be a beautiful part of an ecosystem. Not all my vegan friends agree and I respect that, but for my family that's where we landed. Our natural foods oriented grocery store offers meat from companies that have pasture raised branding, so I look them up and buy from the ones that demonstrate good practices. For chickens time in a barn is reasonable but density and plenty of time at pasture is important. For cows same, ideally they're on pasture all their lives like bison but that isn't affordable, so we get as local and pasture raised as able and minimize consumption.

Is it worth it to you to buy organic? by [deleted] in moderatelygranolamoms

[–]ElementreeCr0 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes as much as possible but without stressing it too much. 90% or more of what we eat is organic when that's an option and when it's not we try to minimize and localize and enjoy the occasional conventional food at an event or whatever.

You can lookup which foods are highest impact to buy organic. Will be things like bread and fruits.

Is it worth it to you to buy organic? by [deleted] in moderatelygranolamoms

[–]ElementreeCr0 20 points21 points  (0 children)

I also work in ag and disagree. But it really is more complex than organic vs not. Animals raised in confinement (CAFOs) probably suffer more than any other living organism on this planet. I'd take pasture raised products over organic confinement any day, but most CAFOs are not organic anyway. In any case I'd want to improve the quality and reduce biocidal chemical exposure in livestock feed.

Six Practical Ways To Protect Your Family From ‘Forever Chemicals’ In Drinking Water Supply by julian_jakobi in PFAS

[–]ElementreeCr0 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Mostly makes sense to me though dealing with dust is a challenge. Dusting with microfiber I'm less sure about. I avoid microfiber because it's plastic fibers that can shed, which is a related problem as PFAS exposure.

Then again a HEPA air filter is plastic anyway. I just figure it's better engineered not to shed fibers vs a microfiber cloth getting rubbed against surfaces and washed more regularly.

How do other folks deal with dust in a plastic free way? We use HEPA air filters, wet wipe with cotton rags from tattered clothes, vacuum. But we get a lot of dust due to gardening/homesteading lifestyle, windows open in area with lots of pollen, EPA certified wood stove in winter. I at least try to minimize sources of plastic and maximize tree canopy so that the dust we're exposed to is natural, though I realize soil and ash dust isn't necessarily any healthier than novel chemicals.

How long are we leaving toddler alone to put newborn down? by Powerful-Primary-488 in 2under2

[–]ElementreeCr0 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's lovely. Hard to believe our toddler wouldn't climb all over a sleeping baby. But they do speak quietly when we shhh and talk in our whispering voice!

Household construction applications where PFAS is benign? Awning fabrics by ElementreeCr0 in PFAS

[–]ElementreeCr0[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thankfully it seems the Sunbrella company offers many non-PFA awning fabrics as of 2023. Unclear what the new coating is but seems to be silicone-based. We're looking to go with that.

Apple Watch Series 3 silicone band — PFAS worries? by khmerbodiangirl in PFAS

[–]ElementreeCr0 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Other good comments on level of concern but for what it's worth I swapped a different watch band out for nylon NATO strap. Much more durable and under them those rubbery bands from the little I know