Welcome parents, grandparents, siblings, friends and all members of the community.

Children are beautiful, inspiring human beings. You love and adore them. You are committed to protecting them from all harm and ensure they have all they need to develop healthy minds and bodies.

 Parents and caregivers can:

• Be present everyday and especially at those important times of development in a child's life.
• Act as role models to other family members, children, colleagues and friends by helping others to see how important yet easy it can be to take action.
• Use their power as consumers to request safer products and increase the demand for alternatives.
• Make changes in your home that can immediately change the quality of life for a child.
• Share their success stories with others. (Feel free to send your story to us and we will include it on our site!)

This section of our website is for you. It will inform you of the various ways in which children can be exposed to environmental contaminants. It will also highlight those actions you can take in your home, work, and community to positively affect your health and that of the children in your life.

Protecting children's health and environment is all about baby steps - one action at a time. Here is our Top Ten List of solutions for parents, caregivers and families.  

1. Play safe. Avoid plastic baby toys especially during teething. Children from early infancy to early childhood put everything in their mouths. Some toys such as those made from soft vinyl contain toxic chemicals that you don't want in your child's body.
   
2. Mix in organic. Every grocery visit, choose to switch up one conventional vegetable or fruit with its organic alternative. If you are can only buy conventional produce, opt for items with the LOWEST pesticide load: Onions, Avocado, Sweet Corn (frozen), Pineapple, Mango, Sweet Peas (frozen), Asparagus, Kiwi, Bananas, Cabbage, Broccoli, Eggplant.
   
3. Be clean. Adding toxic chemicals to your home while you clean makes no sense. Save your money and use safe homemade cleaners like vinegar, lemon juice, and baking soda to clean surfaces in your home. Check out more homemade household cleaner recipes in the Resources section.
   
4. Go scent-free. Coloured dyes and scents are added to everything from soaps to dryer sheets. Unsafe chemicals such as pthalates can be found in many fragrances. Prevent skin rashes and allergic reactions by choosing laundry, cleaning products and candles without scents.
   
5. Love your weeds. Don't mess around with pesticides. Use organic lawn care alternatives. 
   
6. Don't be a metal head. Pass on buying painted toys and metal trinkets which may contain lead. Children's brains continue to develop and mature well into their adolescent years. Lead and other heavy metals that enter the bloodstream can wreak havoc on a child's brain leading to learning and behaviour issues down the road. Check out the Issues section of the website to learn how to perform a simple "scratch test" and identify which products may contain lead.
   
7. Suck it up. Everything from flame retardants to volatile organic compounds can end up in your household dust bunnies. Crawling children are low to the ground and can breathe in the dust on floors and in carpets. Vacuum twice a week especially if you have young mobile children.
   
8. Read labels. This is an oldie but goodie. If most of the ingredients in a food or personal care product are too difficult to pronounce, you are better to be safe than sorry and leave it behind. Be empowered as a consumer and go for products with these words on their labels: non-toxic, biodegradable, perfume-free, free of dyes, chlorine-free, no parabens, and Poly Vinyl Chloride or PVC-free. 
   
9. No smoking. Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS) or second-hand smoke is very unhealthy for children. Protect children's sensitive lungs by not smoking in the house or around them.
   
10. Don't cook in plastic. When heating food or drinks, take them out of their plastic containers (including baby bottles) and use glass instead. Heating especially in microwaves can cause chemicals from the plastic to be absorbed into your food. Store food in stainless steel or glass containers to be safe.