The first step to keeping your child healthy is to ensure that their diet is full of the right kinds of food. Make sure your child eats plenty of vegetables and fruit. Even better again is to buy fruit and vegetables that are grown organically without toxic pesticides. Your child also needs enough legumes and fibre, in addition to fresh fruit and vegetables. Beware of mercury content in fish and limit their intake of predatory fish, such as tuna.
Check your home for traces of lead. Lead can be present in old paint and old pipes and plumbing joints. Test your water, as well as samples of paint. Lead paint needs to be professionally removed. Constant exposure to small amounts of lead is dangerous because it is stored in your bones.
If you smoke, you really should quit. Second-hand smoke – and even tertiary smoke – is very bad for your children, especially babies. Fall-out from cigarette smoke lightly coats furniture, carpets, curtains and your children's toys. This means your children have constant exposure to the toxic chemicals found in cigarettes.
For general household cleaning use non-toxic, unscented cleaners. Keep all poison and solvents in a safe, secure location. Lock away medication and keep shampoos and cosmetics out of reach. Avoid using pesticides in your garden, in your home and on your pets. Research “green” alternatives.
Municipal water is routinely tested for contaminants by the authorities. Even if this is deemed safe, the pipes in your house may be compromised and could be letting lead or other chemicals into your tap water. Most impurities can be caught in filtration systems.
PVC plastic contains phthalates which have the potential to cause hormone disruption and are potentially carcinogenic. PVC plastic is found in toys, cheap bottles, toys, teethers and building materials. Styrene and bisphenol-A (BPA) are also harmful and can be found in other types of plastic. Make sure that your baby's feeding bottle is BPA-free.
