Natural Products Review

Product Name: Aqua Doodle

2006-09-04T19:51:00.000-07:00

Submitted by: Lisa Braverman; Unionville CT
Rating: 8
Where to buy: Amazon.com, Toys R Us.com

Description: The Aqua Doodle is a thin mat on which a child can doodle with a refillable water filled pen. The child's image will slowly disappear so that the child can doodle over and over again.

Review: My son received this toy as a Christmas gift and loves it. Mommy love it too because since there is just a water filled pen there is no worries about a big mess.

Another reason why I like this product so much for my son is because it actually got him writing. His fine motor skill have been a little slow in developing and part of the reason is because he would refuse to sit down and color, write or scribble at all. I found that this toy really interests him and he will sit and "doodle" for quite some time.

Criticism & Thoughts: The only criticism I have for this toy is that it comes with only one water pen. This mat is large enough for two children to use at one time, but with only one pen that is impossible. You can buy another pen separately and if you have two children that you think might be interested in playing with this toy at the same time it would be a good idea to pick up the second pen.

Product Name: Monkey Bums Baby Sling

2006-08-28T07:37:00.000-07:00

Last name: Mahoe, Stacie
State: HI
City: Kapolei
Rating: 9
Where to buy: www.MonkeyBums.com

Description: Monkeybums offers a baby sling for carrying your infant or toddler. It's made of fabric and is very comfortable and easy to use. There are many different cool fabric designs and colors to choose from.

Review: Unlike other infant carriers that may hurt your shoulders, the Monkeybums baby sling makes it easy to carry or wear your baby. I found the sling to help ease the physical strain of carrying an infant for an extended period of time. Even as beginning baby wearer, the sling was easy for me to use. I loved the fact that you could switch baby from an upright position to a laying down position without waking baby up. It's also rather easy to get baby in and out of and is simple to adjust. The adjustment may not be quite as easy as pulling on straps, but once you get the hang of it, it's not that tough.

Best of all, my son loved to be in the sling. It always calms him down and helps him relax.

Another thing I liked was the extra fabric (tail) - it's long enough to use as a cover for nursing or to wrap baby up a bit more for cooler weather. I use it to block the sun from my son's head if it's sunny outside.

These fabric slings are also washable just in case you have a spill or other kind of accident.

Criticism: The only thing I don't like about the sling is that after a wash, I couldn't get it back to being as nicely folded as when I first got it. So what happened after the first wash was that when I put the fabric back through the rings it was a little tangled which made adjusting it after baby was in more complicated. So I just had to take the time to fold it back up like it was when it first arrived - then I had an easier time adjusting the size.

Product Name: Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day Cleaning Products Line

2006-08-21T13:17:00.000-07:00

Last name: Lauth, Carrie
State: GA
City: Dallas
Rating: 8
Where to buy: Amazon.com

Description: Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day products are a line of non-toxic, concentrated aromatherapeutic cleaners. They are available online at Amazon.com as well as at most larger health food grocers.

Review: Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day products caught my eye at the health food store. The bottles are just too cute! I bought an All Purpose Cleaner. It's a concentrated non-toxic cleaner that comes in a 32 ounce bottle. You can mix it in different strengths for various cleaning tasks.

Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day products are aromatherapeutic. Essential oils have germ killing properties, and they smell nice. I bought the Geranium scent. When I clean, my house smells like Grandma!

I use Clean Day All Purpose Cleaner for general all purpose cleaning, for instance on countertops, sinks, and for floors. It works well, and is very economical. I put about 1/4 cup into a 32 oz. spray bottle and mix with water.

Product Name: Seventh Generation Cleaning & Paper Products

2006-08-09T18:11:00.001-07:00

Last name: Lauth, Carrie
State: GA
City: Dallas
Rating: 8
Where to buy: Amazon.com

Description: Seventh Generation cleaning and paper products are among my favorite non-toxic cleaning products. Reasonably priced and effective, they're a great introduction to safer cleaning alternatives.

Seventh Generation Paper Towels, White, 2-Ply Sheets, 3-Count Packages (Pack of 10)

Review: The free and clear Glass and Surface Cleaner is one of my favorites for windows and mirrors. It cleans well and has no added fragrance. It's solvent and VOC free and doesn't burn your nose or stink up the room.

Seventh Generation Glass & Surface Cleaner, Free & Clear, 32-Ounces Bottles (Pack of 12)

I feel totally comfortable letting my children clean with Seventh Generation products. In fact my 8 year old son, who is in charge of bathroom maintenance, likes the toilet cleaner. One tiny caveat: the triggers on the spray bottles leak sometimes. I prefer to transfer them to the reusable heavy duty spray bottles I have.

Seventh Generation Toilet Cleaner

Many toilet bowl cleaners are made with harmful chemicals that can cause injury to the skin and mucus membranes. Not so with Seventh Generation's Toilet Bowl Cleaner. I keep this product in my son's bathroom. I feel totally comfortable letting him use it for bathroom cleaning duty. It's also safe for septic systems.

The bottle has a curved top which allows you to get the product right under the rim where it needs to go. It has a mint fragrance which is somewhat unusual. I usually associate mint with something to eat! But it's pleasant and not at all overwhelming.

Seventh Generation Toilet Bowl Cleaner, Natural Mint Scent, 32-Ounce Bottles (Pack of 12)

Product Name: Dr. Bronner's Soap

2006-08-04T18:37:00.000-07:00

Last name: Lauth, Carrie
State: GA
City: Dallas
Rating: 10
Where to buy: Amazon.com

Description: Concentrated pure Castile soap made with organic oils.

Review: What's not to love about Dr. Bronner's magic castile soap? It has so many uses, smells wonderful, is highly concentrated and therefore inexpensive as well as environmentally friendly, and is made with pure ingredients including organic oils.

Dr. Bronner's soaps come in liquid and bar form, and in several fragrances. My family's favorite is the classic peppermint scent. It will give you a tingle in the mornings to help wake you in the shower. Be careful when using around the, ah, sensitive areas!

A little Dr. Bronner's soap goes a loooooong way. It only takes a drop on a washcloth to clean your entire body. A bottle seems to last forever.

Here are a few of the ways I use Dr. Bronner's soap around my house:

Cleaning
Dr. Bronner's can be mixed up in a spray bottle and used for an all purpose cleaner. I love it for cleaning toilets and the bathtub. I like it as a gentle laundry soap for baby clothes (don't use it for cloth diapers, the natural soap will interfere with absorption, but it's wonderful for diaper covers!). It's wonderful for delicates too.

Personal Care
Dr. Bronner's soap is gentle enough when diluted to use as a facial cleanser. It's an obvious choice for all over bodywash, liquid hand soap (you can dilute it a lot with water and put into your soap pump), and shampoo. It's safe to use on babies even, just dilute a bit further. My husband even uses Dr. Bronner's soap for shaving. In a pinch you can brush your teeth with it (although it doesn't taste too great!).

Other Uses
Going camping? Dr. Bronner's is all you need! Pack a small bottle to use as your hand soap, body wash, shampoo, toothpaste, massage oil, even dishwashing liquid. The peppermint and tea tree scents will ward off bug bites.

You can use Dr. Bronner's to wash your pet. Oh- and if you get bored in the shower, you can always read the soap bottle for entertainment. :)

Dr. Bronner - Castile Soap Peppermint, 32 fl oz