A healthy life is all about balance.  Follow these tips and you will find balance between your busy everyday life and non-toxic healthy living!

Want to live a healthier less toxic life, but don't know where to start? Here are 17 easy changes to make in 2017.  So, go ahead, print them out, place them on your fridge and start incorporating them into your daily routine!   

1. Take your shoes off. Your shoes bring in petroleum byproducts, pesticides, fecal matter etc. Start the habit of leaving them by the front door.

2. Stop using toxic store bought conventional cleaning products and instead make your own. Try it just once at least! Read our post NON-TOXIC HOME CLEANER; BECAUSE KIDS WILL LICK (AND TOUCH AND BREATHE IN) THAT RECENTLY CLEANED SURFACE for recipes and more reasons to make the switch.

3. Switch out your family body wash/soap and try Castille Soap instead. (We love Dr Bronners, but our Shop Our Favorite Products Tab/Amazon store has plenty of options for adults and for kids that are safe too!)

4. Buy 1 non-toxic lipstick or gloss to use daily.  Save your favorite ones that are not non-toxic for special occasions. I like:  Beautycounter (I especially like their glosses and lipsheers)

5. Stop placing plastic  in the microwave, instead reheat food in glass containers or on the stovetop.  While you are at it, stop placing plastics in the dishwasher machine; if you must use plastic then hand wash. in a nutshell, when plastic is exposed to heat it can leech bad chemicals into your food.

6. Stop using Teflon or old non-stick pans for everyday cooking (especially if you are cooking food for young children!) Place them in the very back of your cabinets or somewhere where it is hard to get to and start using stainless steal or cast iron.

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7.  Save the Environmental Working Group's Dirty Dozen list of fruit and produce with the highest pesticide levels on your smartphone or print it and have it handy in your wallet when shopping, and refer to it when deciding what fruits and veggies you should buy organic and which you can opt out of.  

8.  Stop using plastic lunch containers for your children's (and your) school lunches/snacks on the go.   Buy some stainless steel containers instead. If you are looking for ideas of which are safe to buy take a look at our Amazon Store/Shop our favorite products tab.

9.  Donate or throw out children's loose fitting flannel pajamas and start using tight fitting pajamas which do not contain flame retardants (these will always have a yellow tag that specifies the item does NOT have flame retardants on them, and thus should fit snuggly). For more information you can read our post Ho Ho No! How to Stay Away from Toxic PJs

10. Take a look at your children's bathtub toys and throw out vinyl/soft plastic toys.

11. If you are still using plastic baby bottles or sippy cups, make the switch to stainless steal or glass (with silicon covers) for daily use.  You can find our favorite glass and stainless steel options at our Amazon store/SHOP OUR FAVORITE PRODUCTS tab.  

12. Stop using toothpaste with fluoride for young children and yourself (fluoride as it is used today is a neurotoxin.  Children are already getting their fair share of it in the drinking water, no need to expose them to more on a daily basis in their toothpaste.) 

13. Make sure mattress protectors in young children's beds and cribs are not vinyl.   Opt for safer plastics or wool.  We like these.  

14. Discontinue using artificial air fresheners, plug ins or sprays around the house.  These are exposing your family to horrible endocrine (hormone) disrupting chemicals.  Instead, open windows to let fresh air in and opt for natural beesewax candles.

15.  Stop using fabric softener and/or drying sheets.  These are, seriously, some of the most chemically loaded items in a household since they coat our clothes with a subtle layer of slimy chemicals, called quats,  known to cause asthma to develop in otherwise healthy people as well as fragrance chemicals that are endocrine disruptors.  

Alternatives?  1/2 cup of white vinegar per load during the rinse cycle  is said to help.  I use rubber balls that are sold in some stores to help alleviate static in the laundry.

16. If you do not already have a water filtration system, and live in an older home (pre 1978) then consider purchasing a basic NSF 53 Certified lead filter from your local hardware store.  If you want more filtering (which I do recommend) look for a solid carbon block filter certified to NSF/ANSI 42, 53 and 401(and 58, if you would like to add reverse osmosis)

If you rent, a good thorough option is:Travel Berkey Water Filter with 2 Black Berkey Filters and 2 PF2 Fluoride Filters

17.  Finally follow us on Instagram( @nontoxicmunchkin ) and Facebook so that you can read all of our tips and blog posts in the new year!!