Thinking of painting the nursery for a new baby? Redoing a kid’s room and need a fresh look?

Billed as “the greenest paint there is“, The Old Fashioned Milk Paint Company offers completely safe paints that are a great alternative to traditional, chemical-laden, hazardous paints. They use an old-fashioned formula made with a milk base that actually dates back 6000 years, and are all completely biodegradable and safe for the environment and us.

One of the best qualities of their simple, unique, and effective paints is that they’re totally safe for use around all people- newborn babies, kids, pregnant women, people with chemical sensitivities, you name it. They’re No-VOC, which means there are no harmful fumes to be inhaled. In fact, the only scent you can detect while painting with these is a slight milky smell! So just don’t mistake your paint bucket for a giant milkshake and you should be fine. (You’d actually be just fine if you did ingest the paint, that’s how safe it is. However, they & we do not recommend you do this!)

They’ve recently introduced a new line of their fantastic paints specifically for interior use. Called SafePaint, it’s just as safe as the original formula but designed for better coverage on previously painted interior walls or sheet-rock. Although you can use original Milk Paints on any surfaces you’d like, they do give an “old world” look to surfaces. SafePaints are made to create an even, uniform look just like you’d expect from any other interior paint. (And yes, moms & dads, the painted surfaces are washable. Although if you’re expecting to wash the surface a lot you might want to use one of their natural sealers as a top coat.) Great for use in any room in your home, and also for many craft projects and kids furniture.

All paint comes packaged in a brown paper bag in powder form, and all you have to do is add water! Pretty cool. Plus they have a great 100% satisfaction guarantee, so if you don’t like the product for any reason they will refund every cent you spent, including tax and shipping charges.

Visit the Old Fashioned Milk Paint Company’s website for color palettes, ordering info and retail locations, coupons, and extensive information.

Do you have a budding artist in the family? Or just a crayon connoisseur? (Yum…tasty crayons are hard to come by). Either way, I’m sure you’ll appreciate these earth-friendly crayons that are made from…drumroll please….SOY. Soybean oil and natural pigments are all that go into these crayons made by the Stubby Pencil Studio, making them both earth-friendly and completely non-toxic. At only $3, you can’t pass these up.

Turns out, our water isn’t as safe as we’d like it to be. The AP just came out with results of a water study they did across the country, which found a vast amount and variety of prescription drugs in the tap water that comes into our homes. Disturbing, yes… But it’s important to note that they’re trace amounts, not enough to do any immediate damage or interfere with the meds you currently take by drinking just one glass of tap water. However, the buildup of all these drugs in our bodies over time is dangerous, but no one really knows to what extent since there haven’t been any official long term studies. (Read the full AP report here .)

To many people out there, especially moms like me, this raises a big concern about my child’s safety. I don’t care if they are trace amounts, I don’t like the idea of my son getting small doses of Viagra (among other things). Doesn’t it seem like everything these days is a potential health risk for our kids? From cancerous chemicals in their shampoo to toxins in the plastics used to make their bottles & sippy cups to dangerous chemicals that cause reproductive harm in the absorbent material of their disposable diapers, there are numerous new health scares today that previous generations didn’t have to face. All we can do is try to be well-informed parents and make the best choices we can for our kids.

One change I’m going to implement (that I’ve been meaning to do for a while) is to get a water filtration system for my sink. Besides making the water from your tap taste great, they filter out all the nasty stuff -like sediment, lead, chlorine, and unwanted pharmaceuticals, to name a few. I especially like Brita filters because unlike others, theirs don’t filter out fluoride which is essential for good dental health, especially for kids, and also very important for expectant moms and developing babies. They make a variety to choose from, including one that features a lever to control when you use the filter or not, so you can turn it off when you need to wash dishes or the dog.

Whether you want to cut down on using plastic water bottles or save a bundle on your grocery bill, I think these on tap water filtration systems are the way to go. Especially if you’re currently mixing baby formula and cooking with tap water. Kinda makes you think twice about every time you turn on the faucet for something, doesn’t it?

I’ll admit that a manicure or a pedicure is a glamorous treat when you have kidlets running around. Still, the occasional pedicure does indeed sound attractive when I think that sandal weather is just around the corner. But with all this new awareness about the nasty chemicals in makeup and skin products, it made me think twice about slathering on all that nail polish or worse yet, seeing all that polish on young girls!

Solution? Nubar, the carcinogenic-free nail polish! That’s right…no formaldehyde, no toluene, and no phthalates. My personal favorite is the Support the Cure 4-Pack of gorgeous pinks (10% of this one goes to St. Jude Children’s Hospital!!), but you can also find a variety of individual colors to suit your mood.

They also have plenty of other nail products in addition to polish - like the Cucumber Cuticle Oil. I, for one, plan on toting these little beauties with me on my next visit to the nail salon. Ahhh, a professional pedicure using my own safe nail products…..my toes are going to love summer this year!

Having a baby changes everything, including our awareness of our makeup choices, skin and hair care products, and even everyday products we use for hygiene. Women today are much more aware of the benefits that come with organic products as well as the dangers - and lack of government regulation - of many beauty and skin care products we used to take for granted.

Skin care is especially important because it is usually the first and last thing we do each day (until the baby comes, that is, and then you’ll be lucky to indulge in skin care at all). If we’re not careful about the products we chose, we’re allowing chemicals such as parabens, phthalates, and even mercury or lead to absorb through the skin, into our blood stream and therefore, right to our unborn child. Despite the increasing number of studies that demonstrate the adverse effects of these chemicals, the cosmetic industry (and U.S. government) is slow to respond, although progress is being made. In the meantime, it’s up to us mommies to educate ourselves and learn to read labels.

Here are some of our favorite (mommy and baby safe!) skin care products to get you started:

Cleansers: One of the most reputable safe cleansers on the market today is Aubrey Organics’ Vegetol Facial Cleansing Lotion. Made for sensitive mommy skin, it consistently gets rave reviews and is reasonably priced too. Another highly regarded company that creates a chemical-free cleanser is Jasco Organics. In addition to several facial cleansers, Jasco also makes a completely natural Makeup Remover. All of their products are made to EU standards…the highest in the world.

If you travel or like the convenience of cleansing pads, you’ll fall in love with Arcona’s Triad Pads . They serve as a makeup remover, cleanser and toner. One whiff of these and you’ll be smitten…the smell is just heavenly. Beware of sticker shock with Arcona’s products though…they don’t come cheap.

Exfoliators: If you love exfoliators and don’t care to go 100% natural by just using granulated sugar, Jasco Organics makes Renew Exfoliating Cleanser. Be cautious with exfoliators, though. As Jasco responsibly warns, they are not to be used on broken skin nor everyday on sensitive skin.

Toners: My personal favorite is Jasco Organics’ Refresh Green Tea & Citrus Toner. I noticed a huge difference in my skin after just two days of use. There is no residue left behind…just clean skin. Jasco also makes an anti-acne line that is completely safe for pregnant women. Skin changes a lot during pregnancy and you can easily find yourself battling acne breakouts in addition to all of the other “pregnancy plagues.” This would also be a good, safe choice for acne-prone teenagers. If it’s an astringent you are looking for, may we suggest Aubrey Organics’ Natural Herbal Facial Astringent. As with Jasco products, all ingredients are clearly listed on their website.

Moisturizers: One of the most luxurious moisturizers you’ll find is Jasco’s Silk Honey Rose Moisturizer. With honey and rose oil they’ve created a heavenly product with this moisturizer, which I’d recommend more for nighttime use. They’re not kidding when they say silky! If you’re looking for a good day moisturizer, I lean towards Aubrey Organics’ Blue Green Algae with Grapeseed Extract Moisturizer. This contains Aubrey’s famous chemical-free sun protection (SPF 15), eliminating the need for an additional sunscreen.

Sunscreens: This is a tough one because sunscreens, by their very nature, are chock-full of chemicals to block those UVA and UVB rays. And often it becomes a choice between the lesser of two evils because we are all well aware of how important it is to protect our skin from the sun. Currently there are two products on the market that come close to eliminating almost every harmful chemical from their sunscreens: Aubrey Organics and Mexitan.

Lip balms: Without a doubt you can’t go wrong with EcoLips. We’ve written about them before, extolling their virtues, but it bears repeating since their lip balms cured dry and cracked lips when mass-commercial products like Carmex, Blistex and Chapstick only made the problem worse. They come in a myriad of flavors and they offer free samples (all you pay is shipping), too. Jasco Organics also makes a good lip balm in peppermint and vanilla….yummy!

In the next week or so, we’ll take a closer look at some of the safe basic hygiene products on the market, including hair care, soaps, and dental care.

Further reading for you: Dangers of Parabens, Suncreens