Foods highest and lowest in Pestisides

You might keep the Environmental Working Group's "Dirty Dozen" in mind when purchasing and preparing produce. After 43,000 tests run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the FDA, these are the 12 fruits and vegetables that tested highest in levels of pesticides: peaches, strawberries, apples, spinach, nectarines, celery, pears, cherries, potatoes, sweet bell peppers, lettuce, and imported grapes. The foods that tested lowest in pesticide residues: onions, avocados, frozen corn, pineapples, mangoes, asparagus, frozen peas, kiwi, bananas, cabbage, broccoli, and papayas.

Chemicals in every day life

I don't know how far to be concerned about this. At some point you just have to live your life. However, when I see studies that show fabric softener causing asthma and skin problems, or chemicals in crib mattresses possibly causing SIDS, I think there is room for caution. Here is a site that offers some alternatives.
http://www.nontoxic.com/index.html

Plastics/Baby Bottle

Here's an interesting video about plastics. Which one's are safe? Is it safe to microwave or dishwash plastics? What effect does plastic have on our health? Some of your answers are here:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24054672/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastic#Negative_health_effects
I found a site that sells safe sippy cups. It looks like a good alternative to dangerous plastics:
http://www.thesafesippy.com/onlineus.html

Safe Toys

In the recent months, there has been a lot of concern about lead in toys. There is now also added concern about the plastics we use every day. Many baby products are made out of the very products that are now blamed for hormonal issues, leading to infertility, breast and prostate cancer. I found this site for baby toys. They have all been independently safety tested. There is no plastic, and all the paint is lead free. Some of their toys are affordable, while others are more expensive. Happy shopping.
http://www.oompa.com/baby-toys/category/0

Vitamin Safety

Many people do not know that vitamins and other supplements are not regulated in any way by the government. That means that if they want to, from what I understand, they could give you a sugar pill and say that it's calcium. There is no oversight or supervision in this area. That's a little scary to me. However, I heard this site recommended on the radio. You can go to it and type in a supplement you want to take. The site will tell you exactly what's in the supplement. The site doesn't sell anything, so there is a fee. However, if you routinely take vitamins, it is nice to know what you are taking. The fees are as follows:

One-year (12 months) subscription is $29.95
Two-year (24 months) subscription is $49.50 (SAVE OVER $10!).
30 day access to individual Reviews is $12 per Review.

The site address is: http://www.consumerlab.com/

Concern for Nitrates in Homemade Baby Food

Here is a link that answered many of my questions about this confusing topic. There are many different perspectives, and everyone should make their own decisions. This has to do with homemade baby foods.
http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/nitratearticle.htm