Even those of us in wintery climates can’t ignore headlines about the mosquito-born Zika virus. The World Health Organization has declared a public health emergency as experts scramble to understand more about the virus. Zika’s certainly on my radar. My family and I are escaping the snow to go to the Bahamas next week, and in May, I’m traveling to Nicaragua for a wedding. I'm not planning
Outdoor Products & Tips
Five Tips to Make Parenting Easier and Minimize Screen Time
“Screen time” is something both of my children struggle to manage for their own children. As a grandmother who spends a lot of time with my grandsons, I feel their pain! It often feels like a constant battle to keep Felix, Theo, Wolfie, and Lincoln away from TVs, iPads, and phones! Years ago, I read Richard Louv’s Last Child in the Woods, which discusses his findings regarding Nature Deficit
A Cure for Fruit-Averse Kids: Picking Wild or Locally Grown Fruit
If you are looking for an activity to do with children on a summer weekend, picking fresh fruit is a wonderful choice! Even picky eaters usually eat fruit, but for those who won’t, this is a fun activity nonetheless and may encourage your picky eater to try some of the antioxidant-filled, vitamin-rich Good Stuff! The best part is that going to pick fruit connects children to where their food
SeaWorld Doesn’t Need Shamu (and I Could Cut Back on a Few Things, Too)
Here at Gimme the Good Stuff, we like to think that by helping parents fill their homes with safe, natural, nontoxic products, we are helping to preserve the planet, too. After all, what's better for your body is usually better for the planet (although there are weird exceptions to this--like recycled toilet paper, which contains BPA). Still, we always feel we should devote more blog posts to
Sneaky Stuff Alert: BabyGanics Sunscreen
We just got back from a week in the Caribbean, before which I unknowingly made the rookie parenting mistake of not packing enough sunscreen (isn't it amazing how MUCH you go through every day when at the beach?). Halfway through the trip, we were out of the Good Stuff (which for us is either Kabana Green Screen or Babo Botanicals Clear Zinc Sunscreen), so I headed to the resort's sundries shop
Two Cool Things About White Sunblocks
Whenever possible, I keep Felix in the shade. When we switched from chemical sunscreens to mineral-based sunblocks, I hated the way we all looked like geishas. (Be suspicious if your "all natural" or mineral sunscreen does NOT leave a white sheen on your skin--it probably contains nanoparticles). Now I'm a convert, and when it comes to using a non-nano, all natural sunblock on Felix, there are two
What’s Wrong With Insect Repellent?
This blog entry is part of our “What’s Wrong With” series, which profiles a eifferent product each week and gives you the bottom line on its safety. Think of these as cheat sheets for our more comprehensive Safe Product Guides. Buggin’ Out About Insect Repellent Insect bites can be a mere nuisance or a serious health hazard. Gardening during black-fly season in Vermont is a maddening,
Natural Mineral-Based Sunblocks Linked to Melanoma
Choosing a sunscreen that is truly safe has become an increasingly confusing endeavor. And now, a new study shows that the type of sunscreen often touted as the safest may raise the risk of melanoma! Zinc oxide=free radicals=DNA damage=melanoma? According to this study, zinc oxide--an ingredient commonly used in natural sunscreens--undergoes a chemical reaction when exposed to ultraviolet
Kids and Nature: Free Good Stuff!
By Suzanne ("Nana") When I spend time with my grandsons, Felix and Theo, I see the world anew through their eyes. The boys delight in watching a bunny crossing the front lawn, or a pesky squirrel scurrying up a tree. They love to stop and pick up a speckled rock or observe a tiny mushroom; they are attracted to the bright colors of flowers; tiny insects crawling across the kitchen floor