Parenting Guide: Reduce Toxin Exposure
One of the biggest challenges that parents face is figuring out how to protect their children and reduce toxin exposure. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that a child’s body absorbs more than 60 pounds of chemicals and pesticides. This happens through the consumption of food, water, air, and household products.
While it can be challenging to know what is safe for your child to use or eat, there are some simple steps you can take to reduce toxin exposure and avoid harmful substances. Continue reading to find out ways in which you can reduce your child’s exposure to toxins to make them healthier!
Avoid Plastics
Plastics are everywhere and almost impossible to avoid. They’re in your clothes, furniture, food containers – you name it! Besides, if you are a worker who manufactures plastic molding, studies have shown that such workers are prone to developing mesothelioma. This is a form of cancer resulting from breathing in toxic asbestos. If you did not know about this form of cancer, you can click here to find out more information about it.
If you have a baby in the house, some things can help reduce their exposure to plastic. For instance, you can use glass food containers instead of plastic ones. You may also skip antibacterial wipes and use soap and water or an alcohol hand sanitizer instead.
Use Essential Oils
The best essential oils for reducing your child’s toxicity exposure are those that have a high concentration of linalool. Linalool is both an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, which helps reduce the severity of symptoms from exposure in general and protecting neurological health.
Sandalwood is an excellent choice for this as it contains over 90% of linalool. Lavender is also an option, but you should not apply without diluting the oil to reduce its skin sensitizing potency (it will still work, though). A few drops are all you need for a child from the age of two and up. You can apply it to the temples, neck, or chest for a relaxing sensation.
Filter Your Water
Another good step to reduce your child’s exposure to toxins is filtering the water you use in the house. Tap water can contain lead, copper, and arsenic substances that are unhealthy for your kids. These metals impact cognitive ability and intelligence, so it’s best not to take any chances with this particular toxin.
Filter the water with a reverse osmosis system, which removes up to 99% of these metals. This type of filter is typically installed under your kitchen sink and is in most hardware stores or online retailers. If you don’t want to install one yourself, talk about it with plumbers familiar with how they work.
Toxins impact nearly every aspect of your kids’ lives. They are inescapable, from their diet and the products they use, to where they live and play. The good news is that you can do things to reduce the impact of toxins in your kids’ lives. It’s just about recognizing where toxins come from and what they do. The more informed you are, the easier it will be for you and your kids to live a healthier life.
For more on keeping your children healthy:
38 thoughts on “Parenting Guide: Reduce Toxin Exposure”
This a really helpful post for parents and intending parents. There is a need for children to be protected from all these harmful chemicals.
Protecting the children of this world is something our world needs more of.
We try to avoid plastic as much as possible, but it is definitely tough. Thanks for sharing this list. We like to avoid toxins especially when it comes to our children.
It is very challenging to avoid plastic but our world appreciates it.
We cannot avoid plastics, so toxins are everywhere. Essentials oils and cleansing products are the best ways to get rid of toxins in our body.
We can make efforts to avoid toxins and then work on clearing our bodies of any residual toxins.
My son and his family won’t drink any water that isn’t filtered. They urge me to do the same. I haven’t made the switch yet, but it’s highly likely that I will.
When you give the filtered water a try you are likely to notice a big difference.
without a doubt, i am all in for filtered water! kids OR adults. Access to clean, fresh water is fundamental to our health and wellbeing, and filtering our water ensures that this is achieved. Most water filters remove harmful chemicals and bacteria, which if consumed can cause diseases and general ill-health.
When you get enough water during the day, it can help with:
Improving your skin, hair, and nails
Relieving headaches
Reducing muscle cramps
Helping to flush out your body
Improving weight loss efforts
Giving you more energy
All great and do-able advice listed here. We’ve got an 18 year old here so thankfully a hair past the crisis phase of babies.. thanks..
A hair past the baby crisis stage but still useful info.
Great tips! Reducing plastic is so important and one that many don’t consider.
Thinking about the effects of something we are so used to using takes a bit of a shift.
I love using lavender for essential oils. I apply it to the neck, back, or chest for a relaxing sensation.
Lavender is great for promoting health and well-being.
These are really helpful tips. Filtering water in the house is something I give importance to
Get a water filter for your house (simple carbon filter or reverse osmosis) and a stainless steel water bottle and you can even bring your water with you.
I am no parent yet but I think avoiding plastics can be difficult for me. They’re almost everywhere
Avoiding plastics can definitely be a challenge.
These are some very helpful tips. I just started using essential oils around our home and we love them.
Essential oils are so fun to use.
I agree with all points above. I agree with plastics. I let my nephews and nieces drink and eat on ceramics or stoneware instead.
Ceramic and stoneware is fun to use and does not have the same issues as plastics.
I have no child yet but this is a great post that I can share with my family and friends. Definitely good information especially when raising kids.
I always appreciate shares. Thank you.
I totally agree in reducing plastic use around us. I have replaced all plastic utensils and containers with either steel, clay or glass.
You are doing a great service to you, your loved ones and the environment.
I do have to reduce plastic use at home. It’s just so hard because plastic is present everywhere but I know it can be done.
It is difficult. We got overloaded with plastic in the beginning of the pandemic as we had not yet started asking the restaurants to not include flatware with our order.
Yes, all those food deliveries have increased plastic use, too. We do ask the restaurants not to include plastic utensils anymore.
Plastic bags, containers, utensils… it is a lot of waste w that we are creating.
Very helpful tips, I definitely agree! Also, no shoes indoors and houseplants are some other simple ways to reduce toxins.
Shoes are so dirty. Taking them off before entering the home is a great call out. Houseplants are also brilliant.
These are some great practices. One and all should do follow these to save the environment.
Saving the environment and taking care of our health, and the health of our loved ones, are practices that can be of great help.
Thanks for sharing this it’s very useful! I don’t let my kids play with plastic toys as much as possible so I highly agree with this.
What are your kids favorite non-plastic toys?