Since the US Department of Health and Human Services has declared October 1 to be “National Child Health Day”, I thought I’d take the day to mention one of my favorite websites – Healthy Child Healthy World.

Let’s face it – we’re not living in the same world we grew up in. I’m not one of those people that long for the good ole days when we didn’t have to use seatbelts, much less car seats. Kids today stand a better chance of surviving a car crash, avoiding SIDS, and skipping the lead paint snacks. At the same time, our environment is more crowded with pollutants and toxins than ever before; new plastics and chemicals not tested on kids are making their way into our mainstream life in the shape of toys, cleaners, and even furniture; and even as we come up with anti-bacterial soap, bacteria come up with a way to be resistant to it.

So we as parents need to be educated and informed like never before. Healthy Child Healthy World is a website dedicated to protecting kids from harmful environmental exposures, educating parents and challenging communities to make responsible choices. HCHW is a nonprofit that’s been around for more than fifteen years, founded by a parent whose child died of a rare non-hereditary cancer.

You don’t have to be a hemp-wearing, granola-eating, lefty environmentalist to use this website (not that there's anything wrong with it). HCHW wants you to be engaged in shaping a healthy environment for your child – and don’t we all? This isn’t about saving the whales, it’s about knowing what’s in the chemicals you use to clean your toilet, and figuring out if there’s a safer alternative for you to buy. Trust me – I was skeptical when I first hit upon this website. But with all the information coming to light about plastics and unsafe sippy cups and bottles, I went back for a good read. And learned a lot.

So do your family a favor – just peruse the website a bit. Go to their home page, then click on Programs, then Overview. I’ve signed up for their newsletter and have read through their Five Easy Steps, implementing some of them immediately. Easy things you can do to change how your family lives. ‘Cause you know, our kids are worth it.

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