Low Toxic Living: Toddler Edition
If you've been with me for a while, you know that I am pretty particular about my overall toxin exposures. If you thought I was crazy before- this post will probably only validate those thoughts. You see, my toddler having a low toxic living is one of my main priorities. However, I want her to be able to do this while not having her miss out on all of the fun of being a kid! How do I do it? Welcome to my Bible of stuff I am using every day with Libby to ensure that she has the least amount of exposure to toxins as possible.
You can click each image or the hyperlinked words to be taken to the actual item on Amazon throughout this post. If ya buy it, I may get some mulah in the process, but who knows? Never done affiliate marketing of any type lol
Eating & Drinking
I will open this up by saying this: I never feed Libby off of plastic unless it is desperate times. If we are at home- there's NEVER plastic touching her food as she eats. Why? Plastic leaches into our food- especially when it's heated up. If I place hot food on her plastic plate- I have just essentially fed her plastic. Are you thinking "who cares?" The answer: EVERYONE SHOULD CARE. Plastics are known endocrine disruptors- AKA they mess up our hormones. And honestly, I don't give a damn whether they're "BPA free". They're still plastic. Going into our bodies. Which is NEVER a good thing.
So, you'll notice that most of these items are either silicone (the lesser of 2 evils) or stainless steel.
Plates
I love these silicone plates because they are A) made out of silicone and B) have suction cups so Libby can't pick up her plate and throw it across the room. These suckers are sturdy- we have had the same 3 for nearly a year now and there's no indication that they've even been used despite being used multiple 
Spoons
These silicone spoons are what we started Libby out feeding herself with. I like that there's so many. Especially since she loves to throw them and run around the house with them and lose them!
Cups and Sippy Cups
This particular cup is awesome. Libby has used this since she was about 6 months old. You can remove the straw to teach how to drink out of an open cup and then eventually remove the lid entirely. It's weighted at the bottom so it sits easily and doesn't topple over easily. Despite it being knocked over a lot, it doesn't leak easily. Win, win!
I recently bought this silicone sippy cup because I found it for cheap at HomeGoods. Libby likes it fine. It works fine but it leaks if it is toppled over, which occurs quite a lot and it drives me crazy. I like that it is made completely of silicone, though. Libby doesn't love this type of spout.
Baby Bottles
When Libby was having breast milk from a bottle, I always used a glass bottle. Think about what I said earlier- if something is heated up in plastic, it is leaching into our food. That is true even for milk (or formula). I found these bottles at Target and bought a few and they've lasted a long time. We've even dropped them on our kitchen tile floor and they didn't break! Praise you, Jesus.
Water Bottle
This water bottle is the end all be all. We LOVE this water bottle! First of all, it has absolutely ZERO plastic. Most water bottles you see for kids at least have a plastic lid or straw. Not this one. I will be honest, sometimes it leaks a little, but that is just a matter of tightening the lid. Libby loves to throw this on the ground so ours is a little dented but it withstands the test of time (and daycare). This is her daycare water bottle. It keeps the liquid cold and she loves the chewy, silicone straw!
Food Storage
I like these food storage containers because they're collapsible and they fit in Libby's lunch box really well. I don't love that the lids are plastic, so I felt guilty putting heated food in there. I am not gonna lie, I have even used one of these as a dog water bowl on walks with Sarge, too!
In my opinion, glass or stainless steel is always best. So, I like this stainless steel with silicone lid option, too. While I have not purchased these yet, they're in my cart on Amazon. I'd like to have these because I know they'd keep her food hot better than the plain silicone ones above.
I also use reusable silicone bags for all of Libby's fruit and snacks we send to daycare every day. I got these off of Amazon. They're affordable in comparison to other ones that are out there. I will admit, though, that they don't seal super great now. We have had ours about 6 months.
Libby's daycare doesn't allow glass containers to be sent and they do not have a microwave to heat up her food (which, honestly, I support because microwaves are horrible for us lol). So, every morning, we heat up her food on the stove and put it in this stainless steel container. I do not like that it is plastic lidded but it is what it is and I haven't found better so far. It keeps her food warm FOREVER.
***If you're curious about what I feed Libby, you can read about that here. I include a "day in the life" example of all the things she will eat. It's protein balanced and has no artificial dyes or added sugars!
Bath Time
Towels
One of my favorite things that I registered on my baby registry for were these organic hooded towels by Burt's Bees company. I like how they're thin enough to roll up and fit in her drawers and they're absorbent enough to get her completely dry with one pass over.
Bath Sponge
For cleaning Libby, I use the Norwex kid's bath sponge. I also use their body cloth made specifically for babies. I like these because they don't require soap in order to clean- they're specially made to clean without it. I use the body cloth on myself as well instead of using face wash. You can shop Norwex here.
Body Wash
Someone gifted me Toups & Co. baby body wash and their beef tallow baby balm and we love it. It lasts forever! These products are locally made in Baldwin County and are organic! I love that it is local and it is made without artificial dyes or fragrances. Use code HWW10 to get 10% off your order!
Clothing
Overall, I am of the belief that organic cotton is the best, but I know it isn't always cost effective to purchase clothes that are organic that a kid is going to grow out of immediately. Hear me out on why I recommend organic cotton:
Most material that clothes are made out of (other than cotton and bamboo) are synthetically made and produced by petroleum- a known carcinogen. If you're going to buy clothes that aren't organic, just try to opt for ones that are not "flame resistant" (these are sprayed with a flame retardant that are NO GOOD for us) and be sure to wash all clothes before your child wears them. This will help remove the formaldehyde from the material- although, it won't remove ALL of it.
Here's some of my favorite, budget friendly clothing options:
T-Shirts
These are a multipack t-shirt pack that is made by Honest company. They're 100% organic cotton. If you opt for the more "girly" colors, it's more expensive- go figure!
Pajamas
Generally, Libby wears bamboo pajamas from Posh Peanut (which was graciously gifted to us from Nikki and Hazel). However, I have bought her some organic pajamas from Burt's Bees. Here's some that we like!
Shoes
I want you to know that I am a HUGE advocate for kids- especially toddlers- wearing "barefoot" shoes. These don't force our kid's feet into a position that is unnatural. The soles are extremely flexible- allowing for proper foot flexion when they walk. Libby doesn't wear any shoes that are stiff. I want her to be able to walk correctly and not have foot problems later (like I currently have). Here's some cheap barefoot shoes I got off of Amazon that have held up well and cheap!
Toys
We try to use the "Montessori" type of toys as much as possible. I also like toys that are just natural wood and don't have paint on them as much as possible. I don't love Libby playing with the bright, light up toys that are typically produced by like Fischer Price because I think that they are over stimulating and honestly, too noisy for my liking.
This is the toy that Libby plays with the most. Pro: it will entertain her for quite a while. Con: where did all of the carrots go? Did Libby eat one? Maybe? Unsure. Still can't be located. However, I like that it is made with wood and not plastic. I don't love that it is painted, but whatever.
We got Libby this teether toy when she was probably 10 months old. I am not going to lie- she never used any type of teether toy. Sure, we bought them, but she didn't care. We thought she'd like this one because it looks just like the Fire Stick remote she is OBSESSED with. But she quickly figured out this one doesn't have batteries, so it was a wash.
I don't know if these shaker toys have some sound frequency that we, as adults, can't hear but I SWEAR the level of obsession Libby had with these things made me think they were secretly speaking to her. She would shake these wooden little eggs forever. They're extremely durable. I don't love that they're definitely painted with paint and she would put these in her mouth, but she loved them so much, I had to let it go.
Last, but not least, we have Libby's current obsession: THE TOWER. She goes CRAZY for the tower. She will stand in this tower for HOURS. She even refuses to eat anywhere BUT her tower recently. Ours we found at a garage sale for a steal ($25) but it is very similar to this one and this is pretty cost efficient in comparison to others!
Thanks for reading my post on how I try to limit my toddler's toxic burden as much as possible! I would love to know your favorite items you're using with your own kiddo in the comments below!
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