Baby Registry!

With our baby shower coming up on November 18, I’ve gotten some questions on where Chris and I have registered, so I thought I’d put that info right here on the blog for all our generous friends and family. The bulk of what we’ve picked out is on Amazon, but we also set up a registry at Baby Earth in Round Rock for people who prefer shopping at a physical store. I opted to go with Baby Earth instead of some more well known places because I’ve heard numerous complaints from friends who had a hard time with returns and exchanges at the big box retailers. I also tinkered with myregistry.com, but I found that it doesn’t always load linked registry items properly so the best use for that site is monetary gifts. People have also asked if we have a theme and I’d say that we’re going for an earthy and organic nursery. The clothing I registered for falls into that category too, but hand-me-downs might make more sense. Also, if you want to come to the shower (it is co-ed!) and haven’t received an Evite, please let me know so I can get you the details!

In setting up our registries, I found the whole process to be quite overwhelming. Who knew picking out baby stuff could be so difficult? In researching mattresses, bath products, and so on, I came across many troubling articles on all the hazardous chemicals that are emitted by baby-related things. Labels that say “natural” and “made with organic materials,” are strategically designed to alleviate consumer worries without necessarily ensuring a safer product – it takes deep digging to distinguish between sleazy green-washing marketers and genuinely good manufacturers. Regardless of the brand, you’d imagine that extensive testing would be done on all baby products before they were sold, but like with everything else on the consumer market, most things are generally recognized as safe until proven otherwise. And only after something is linked to causing harm do regulators start setting up somewhat arbitrary limits for what is considered “acceptable.” Also, if a certain chemical is deemed terrible enough to ban, a new potentially more dangerous one can be used to replace it so the cycle continues. Considering my college level physiology textbooks consistently discussed knowledge gaps and unknown biochemical pathways in the human body, I cannot fathom how anyone could accurately calculate the cumulative effects of all the toxins in this world and then set quantifiable safe exposure limits for each one – especially in regards to embryos and infants that might not exhibit problematic symptoms for many years to come. Replacing synthetics with tried and true natural alternatives is the simplest way to eliminate this concern.

In the example of DES, mothers thought they were doing something good when they took this approved, doctor prescribed “miscarriage-prevention” drug (a synthetic form of estrogen). Over twenty years later did they finally see its results: widespread infertility and cancer among their grown daughters. It took 30 years for the FDA to tell doctors to stop prescribing DES and studies on the grandchildren of the victims are just now starting. This sad story goes to show that we as a society put too much faith in regulators and industry. What if every single pregnant woman in the world had taken DES in that time period? What would have the implications been for us, our children, and the human race? Whether we like it or not, we endanger ourselves when we blindly trust a profit-based world to consistently look out for our well-being. With all the stuff we are exposed to these days, we are all a part of a science experiment and there’s no telling what the results will be several decades from now. Isolated short-term “testing” can’t accurately predict long-term effects, but it’s easy to fall into the trap of perceived safety. Harmful things can and do happen due to the slow nature of good science – funding and publicizing solid research is a beast of its own. With conflicting interests and variant data, it takes years for the scientific community to come to an agreement on things. Throw industry lobbyists and politics in the mix and it’s no wonder that regulations can’t keep up with modern advancements.

Ever since I became pregnant, it’s like some weird protective instinct kicked in. I find myself hyper-aware of various things in the environment that didn’t matter as much to me when I wasn’t carrying a little one. To alleviate my concerns I tend to do a lot of research, but I usually end up finding that I’m not alone in my qualms and that scientific data is sparse. One day, when future science finally discovers the root causes of many of today’s unexplained chronic illnesses, I have a feeling that several will be tied to the many conveniences of modern society. As much as I enjoy technology, there is so much that’s unknown about how everything works together: chemicals that leach out of plastics and synthetic materials (PVCs, phthalates, other endocrine disrupters), VOCs, preservatives and additives in foods, GMOs, pesticides, fluoridated tap water, carcinogens in skincare products, chemical fertilizers, mercury, microwaved food, groundwater contamination through fracking, cell phone radiation, synthetic vitamins, the list goes on and on. Many of these things are unavoidable in today’s world, but since we enjoy the immediate benefits, it’s easy to dismiss safety concerns by saying each individual thing has a trivial or unknown effect on the body. Not many people consider what the cumulative effect over a lifespan or multiple generations could be. Humankind will probably end with everyone coming down with cancer and reproductive problems.

So with all that said, I’ve also come to accept that this is the world we live in and a lot of problems are beyond my control. For things I can control, like consumer items for the baby, I plan to keep things as natural (plastic/synthetic-free), minimalist, and reusable as possible. I already have a hard time dealing with clutter and stuff in general, so this works in my favor. Also, a lot of products for toxin-conscious individuals are now on Craigslist and considering how expensive this stuff is brand new, it is really nice to have the option to buy used. Being okay with used stuff may not be customary, but Chris and I have never been very traditional people!