Toxic Chemicals in EVERYthing!!

AHHHHH!!!! My cabinets have been full of products with scary stuff in them. I was watching Candid Mommy on YouTube the other day, and she mentioned this website called EWG where she found out about the safest sunscreens to use. So I traversed over to this site last night, and could hardly fall asleep after looking up a couple products I use because I could only think about replacing them. Environmental Working Group (EWG) has gathered test results and ranked a bazillion skin care products and household cleaners, but this is just two of the pieces on their website that I have explored today! They also have stuff about food--eek! What will I find there??

After reading over the skin and household cleaner parts of the website, I did some cabinet binging.

Here's a closer look at a couple of the bags

 All of these bags are full of products I'm throwing away that have toxic chemicals in them (except the soy milk box). And it's made a ton of room in my cabinets, which I won't be replacing with much! What am I doing about it?

Household Cleaning
 
Nearly all of my soap-based products are being replaced by Dr. Bronner's soaps, including Sal Suds as a tougher cleaner. Dr. Bronner's soaps are replacing my body wash, hand soaps, floor and surface cleaners, laundry detergent, toothpaste, dish washing soap, and probably some other things. You can get Dr. Bronner's 18-in-1 liquid and bar soaps at Target. You can also get huge amounts off Amazon or the company's website. This will be much cheaper than purchasing all those other products, especially since I'll be diluting it for my body wash.

For the dishwasher, I'll be using Seventh Generation Automatic Dishwashing Powder (available at Target, I believe) and pure citric acid to fight the hard water here in So Cal.


For dusting, I'm just going to use microfiber towels. They're supposed to wipe up dust well; it's what's recommended for dusting electronics and cars, so it should work in my house. I'll also use them for mopping up messes and other surface cleaning.

Personal Care

As mentioned above, I'll be using Dr. Bronner's soap for many personal and household cleaning items. Dr. Bronner's even makes a mild baby soap! And it's available at Target!!  

Moisturizing: I'm also purchasing Dr. Bronners lip balm, shaving gel, and unscented body balm off Amazon. Additionally, I'm getting 100% almond moisturizing oil for my everyday moisturizer, and it only costs $11.99 for a 16oz bottle! That's only 75 cents per ounce! Lotions from Bath and Body Works in 8-12oz amounts cost at least that much and more! I'm also planning on making a mixture of coconut and almond oil for an extra-awesome combination; it was recommended by an Amazon reviewer.

For deodorant, I'm planning on mixing together pure coconut oil, corn starch, and baking soda. Cotton Bottom Mama's blog explains how to do it, and I'll be trying it out as soon as I can make it to the store!

For sunscreen, I'm going to peruse Sprouts tomorrow to see if they have the Kiss My Face Natural Mineral Sunscreen because that brand is on sale this week. I will also be checking for Badger sunscreen products. If they don't have these, you can be sure I'll be purchasing something from Loving Naturals off Amazon, as Candid Mommy recommends.

Unfortunately, all this change means I'm throwing a way A TON (well at least several pounds worth) of products, but I like feeling confident in my choices, and in the end I will waste less and spend le$$.

By the way, in case you think your products are safe because they say "natural," or they're made by Burt's Bees or Yes to __ brands, think again. Some things made by these companies are safe, but not all of them. To make it easier on myself, that's why I'm using mostly Dr. Bronner's brand.

You can be sure there will be MUCH, MUCH more to come on this endeavor. Do you make any of your own personal or household products? What do you use? How have you liked them? If not, what do you think about this?

Reusable Coffee Cups

At least 4 billion paper coffee cups are thrown away each year (Neumer Lara, Alison "Starbucks Cup Recycling: What's the Holdup?"), but it's so easy to reduce this number!

The most common way you see this done is through buying and bringing your own mug or tumbler to your coffee shop of choice. Many places offer a 5 or 10 cent discount on your coffee, too, when you bring your own cup. Thus, the cup pays itself off and more! If you're a Starbucks drinker, you can get one of its $1 grande size reusable cups. Did you read that right?! Yes, ONLY ONE DOLLAR. Starbucks recognizes its part in causing the problem of coffee cups being thrown away, and this is one of its attempts to change. If you buy the $1 cup, it pays itself off in only 10 uses, so after the tenth use, you're saving yourself money! Look for the $1 cup on the counter of your favorite Starbucks! (see picture below) When the cup is no longer useable, it's also recyclable. Additionally, I recently noticed recycling bins added to my local Starbucks, so look or ask for them at yours.

Second, a majority of coffee shops offer drinks in a "for here" mug, so you can enjoy your drink like you would at home. Of course, you can only get a "for here" mug if you'll be finishing your drink at the coffee shop. Every Starbucks I've gone to whips out its for here mugs when I ask for it too, so start asking for one! Make sure you tell them right away that you want a "for here" mug along with the size of your drink. Another bonus for this option: Coffee shops offer the 5 or 10 cent cup discount for the "for here" mug option too!

The best part about both of these options: Your drink will stay warmer or colder longer! Paper and plastic cups have no insulation, so your drink loses its perfect temperature much quicker.

Don't you all love to personalize your property or Facebook page now, too? There are so many reusable tumbler options out there, even ones you can completely personalize by adding photos and such. Coffee shops often sell tumblers for an expensive price, so look for clearance sales or deals, or check out your local grocery store, Ross, TJ Maxx, or Target. I have seen reusable cups for both hot and cold drinks of various sizes at all of these stores, and I have ones from all of these stores. I think I purchased my cold tumblers at TJ Maxx for around $5.

Afraid of forgetting your cup? Buy two, and always leave one in your car!

Go out there and find your perfect tumbler for your favorite hot or cold beverage. Purchase one for a friend as a gift too! 

Food Storage

Last night I wanted to steam some foods for my 7.5 month-old to try this week, but I knew they wouldn't keep all week, or even for several. So, how do I steam foods for my baby to try without wasting the extra?? I will eat some of the steamed foods, but I don't need to steam my pears to eat them!! Ick! Like anyone in a situation like mine, I did a Google search for "freeze sweet potatoes." And I stumbled across this amazing website called Still Tasty.

That's a snapshot of it just to give you an idea of what's there. Well, I did learn that I can freeze sweet potatoes and pears after steaming them. I think I'm just going to eat the leftover pear that's not steamed though. The sweet potatoes can be frozen and kept for up to a year in an airtight container or bag.

This site is user-friendly with helpful charts and easy-to-use, concise instructions. The "Keep It or Toss It?" section of the site is an alphabetical index of the information I've been describing, or you can search the site for a food you want to know about. Additionally, each food is broken down by whether it's raw or cooked. Below is an example of the storage information for fresh and cooked yams.

Additionally, I love the "Your Questions Answered" section of the site. It has quick answers to questions like: How can you tell if a watermelon is ripe? Should I store my bread in the fridge or on the counter? Do spices ever go bad? Can you freeze raw eggs for later use? Lastly, the "Shelf Talk" section has articles related to food and storing them, which I found interesting. Did you know that pure honey never goes bad?! And you can "thaw" it by running it under warm water. Too bad I just threw away some!

Paperless Note-Taking

I'm going to try to resurrect this blog! A whole lot has happened since my last post here. Let me give you a quick update:

• I gave birth to a healthy baby boy who we named Elijah just over seven months ago.
• My husband just received a pink slip for his teaching job.
• Elijah is a huge blessing in our lives!! I couldn't imagine life without him now.

With some Christmas money, I got an iPad mini! I love it, too. It has a plethora of practical uses for my life as a wife and mom, but today I'm only sharing one: paperless note-taking. You can do this on any tablet, smartphone, or even an iPod Touch. I'm going to talk about the app I use though, since I'm familiar with it. I'm sure there are similar apps for other devices though.

I use GoodNotes which has a FREE version. The free version allows you to keep two notebooks with up to ten pages in each one. Afraid of maxing out too fast? No worries! You can download your notes as PDF files to your computer, and then clear your notebooks. Want to view your saved files on your device? No problem! Download them to it.

There are lots of neat features for note taking with GoodNotes, as the image below shows:

A plug for the iPad mini: It's perfect for women because it's light and small, which means it fits perfectly in a purse or diaper bag without adding much weight! However, there are tablets of similar size out there; I just got this one.

Scraps to Skirt

My niece recently turned two, so I made her a little skirt out of strips of cloth scraps.  I always have leftover scraps from projects, so this was a perfect way to use up some of that.  Originally I saw the idea on Pinterest.

For this project, you'll need:
-Scrap fabric
-Scissors
-1/2" or 3/4" piece of elastic that's smaller than the waist you're making it for
-Sewing machine and thread

First, you can sew the elastic in to a circle.  You should overlap it about an inch, stitching an "X" and a box on the overlapping area for extra stability.  Second, you can start tearing your strips of fabric.  I tried to make all of my strips the same width, but they're different lengths depending on the size of the scraps I had.  To tear the fabric, I simply cut a small notch in the fabric, then tore down it from there.  This can actually be a fun thing to do with older kids or a friend (my husband helped me).  You can choose to tear all your fabric at once or tear as you tie it on the elastic.

Third, start tying the strips on the elastic band.  I knotted the strips on by looping them around the elastic so the fabric would lay more flat, and it covers the band more nicely than a standard knot.  Try to keep the elastic from getting turned around while doing this, though it will stretch a bit.

I hope you enjoy this fun little project!  Little effort, but lots of fun for a little girl.

Reusable "Paper" Towels

In one of my first posts I mentioned my desire to try to make as many things reusable in my house as I could, including paper towels. This week I purchased two of Trader Joe's Kitchen Cloth and plan to clean my counters with them thoroughly today.  These can be found on the aisle where they have cleaners, usually hanging from the shelf.

In my usual morning perusal of baby deal sites today, I came across Pepperjack Home products on Baby Half Off.  They make tons of different reusable products, including snack bags, dryer sheets, and wool dryer balls.  However, I purchased their kitchen wet bag with twelve reusable cloth towels in attempt to replace my paper towels.  I'm rather excited to give this a try!  The wet bags and towels come in lots of different stylish fabrics, but I chose a simple green fabric with red and yellow dots on it so it didn't look too feminine.  The one pictured below is obviously not the one I bought.

Something I was reading recently (I think it was the Web MD diaper article I linked to last week) in regards to using reusable, washable items instead of throw-away argued that using reusable and washable items was just as bad for the environment because it used electricity and water.  However, water is an ever-renewing source.  Second, everything we throw away will end up in a landfill or something like that.  Land ills are horrible on the environment around them because of the smells and other things released into the air and ground, so it has to be a better trade-off to wash these things rather than throw away more.  I'm going to make a note to do more research on landfills to share with you.  I also promised you a post on reusable shopping bags last week, and I took photos of several of my bags last night, so I will write that post this weekend.  In the mean time, check out some reusable cloth towels for your kitchen!

Traveling with Cloth Diapers

Once again, as an expecting mother all I can tell you about this subject are my preparations.  For running errands, I intend to have a smaller wet bag to go in my mommy clutch by Lilly Bit that will serve as the diaper bag.  Wet/dry bags have pockets for both soiled and unsoiled items.  For longer days out, I will bring a larger wet/dry diaper bag, like the bag or backpack I registered for on Amazon, both by Planet Wise.  I intend to sew in velcro in the backpack so that the wet pocket will velcro closed to help prevent smells and leaks from escaping.  I also purchased a wet/dry bag with clear pockets on the outside by Smitten Baby from babyhalfoff.com because I liked the idea of having pockets that would allow me to see where things are.  However, the pockets only have one piece of velcro in the middle for the closure, so I may sew some more velcro on so that the pocket closes more.

Don't forget to have a nice changing pad, too!  I registered for Kushies Deluxe Flannel Changing Pad because they're extra large, soft on one side, and waterproof on the other.  If you have a crossover, SUV, or van, you might also like the car changing pad by Dipe n' Go.  It attaches to the inside back of your car, holds diapers wipes, and keeps the pad in place since it's being held in down.  I've also found a couple diaper rash ointment options that allow you to not get gunk all over your hands!  Wouldn't that be nice while you're out, especially?  One is the Magic Stick by GroVia, which is all-natural, and the other is California Baby's Non-Burning Diaper Spray. 

Both of our parents live out of town, so in traveling to their houses, I'll bring either the diaper pail liner for soiled diapers or a couple large wet bags, and one of the larger wet/dry bags.  I will certainly have to have all of my diapers clean before leaving, and bring all of them with me.  If we'll be there for more than 2-3 days, then I'll also have to bring stuff for washing the diapers (i.e., detergent).

Cloth Diapering--A healthier choice?

There's much debate among researchers about whether cloth or disposable diapers are a healthier, safer choice.  Web MD concludes that cloth may not actually be so much more safe and healthy for a baby than thought, despite listing the many chemicals in disposables within this article.  The article discusses some of the biggest health concerns I've heard.  The same use of harmful chemicals in tampons long ago is present in disposable diapers, but the article disputes this concern with the fact that tampons were inserted in the body whereas diaper are not.  Since I'm having a boy, I was concerned when I heard about the German study that found scrotum temperatures to be higher in boys who wore disposables, which kills the sperm.  However, Web MD says that another study was done two years later that shows the temperatures were the same.  Additionally, dioxin (or a type of bleach) is present in most disposable diapers to make them white, so Web MD whisks away this worry by saying that parents can choose to buy chlorine-free diapers. The article fails to mention that dioxin is also known to cause cancer and is banned in most other countries, but Michelle Alsoop addresses that in her article about dioxin elimination.

Personally, I don't think Web MD's counter-arguments are very strong.  Despite the fact that diapers aren't inserted in the baby and you can choose chlorine-free diapers, there's a host of other chemicals in disposables.  Plus how can we be sure that the same tampon chemical really isn't harmful?  What if parents don't know dioxin is present in disposables?  Lastly, how could one study show differences in scrotum temperatures and one doesn't?  It seems there are some major discrepancies here.

Unfortunately, there are a host of other things to be concerned about regarding disposables.  In an article from CBC News, it says, "Diapers contain a variety of plastics, adhesives, glues, elastics and lubricants, some of which can cause irritation."  The article also explains that diaper-making companies are self-regulated, meaning they have to check for themselves to make sure they're meeting diaper regulations.  What a joke!!  They also don't have to list all of the ingredients in their diapers, and many companies only list one ingredient while there's a long list of other things in them.  According to the article, some diapers may have chemicals in them that are known to cause irritations, more serious skin problems, and respiratory problems. 

My conclusion is I know what's in a cloth diaper, uh, cloth, which is more safe than taking a gamble with disposables.  It seems there's no incredibly conclusive evidence on the harmful effects of disposables, but there are a lot of big concerns.  I'd rather not risk those concerns.

Cloth Diapering 101

This coming Saturday is the Great Cloth Diaper Change event where parents around the world will attempt to set a new world record for the most cloth diapers changed at one time.  Leading up to this event is a blog hop started by The Eco Chic (see button to the right), which I decided to join today since this blog is partially about cloth diapering.  I will resume my once-a-week blogging next week with a post on reusable shopping bags, as previously promised.  Today I decided to address Monday's topic since I didn't write about it yet.

As I mentioned before, I'm expecting my first baby in a few months, so I can't offer much advice about how to cloth diaper.  However, I can offer up the advice I've gotten from others about what you need.  Here's my growing list:

1. Diapers (obviously): 20-24 seems to be the consensus among CD users I know.  There are all sorts of different kinds, but I plan to use mostly covers with inserts by GroVia, BonniBuns, and Thirsties (because they make a small size to fit newborns).  I also plan to have a few FuzziBunz* pocket diapers to help along the nursery workers at church and my parents with this new challenge of cloth diapering.

*Correction: I'm now planning to get Booty Buns pocket diapers because they truly will fit a newborn.  This company is also a stay at home mom business that's conveniently located near me so I can pick up the diapers from her instead of pay for shipping.  Additionally, she donates one cloth diaper for each sold and provides two inserts and a cloth wipe with each diaper purchased. 

2. Two or more wet bags: I've heard high ratings for PlanetWise wet bags, so that's what I plan to use.  PlanetWise makes tons of different sizes, plus a wet/dry bag that includes two pockets--one for the used diapers and one for unused dipes and other diapering necessities.  I'm planning to use this bag and the backpack they're making that's similar as diaper bags and then having some plain ol' large bags for the downstairs part of the house or traveling.

3. Pail liner: Two pail liners is a good idea because then you always have one available while one is being washed.  I've registered for pail liners by PlanetWise, but I've also heard good things about pail liners by Blueberry.

4. Detergent: I spent tons of time researching detergents, not wanting to spend an exorbitant amount of money on washing (20+ cents/load) but, of course, wanting the best for my CDs.  I settled on the unscented hard water version of cloth diaper detergent from Crunchy Clean.  I split an order with a friend of mine so we qualified for free shipping.  I also plan to try out their pure oxygen cleaner and other cleaning products in the future. I decided to go with Crunchy Clean because of price and my extremely hard water situation, mainly.

5. Drying rack and clothespins: It's best to try air drying cloth diapers as much as possible from what I've heard and read, plus drying them in the sun gets rid of stains and helps sanitize them.

That's all I'm aware of for now!  There are lots of other great accessories that you may want, like a diaper sprayer, but aren't so necessary.  You can check out my Amazon registry and registry at Grow Natural (an Orange County baby boutique) if you're interested in all of the diapering accessories I've registered for or something specific.  Today's topic for the blog hop is saving money with cloth diapers, which I already wrote about last week, so you can check that out in the archives if you missed it.

Cloth Diapering = Less Money

I'm a mom-to-be carrying a baby boy at 22 weeks now, 18 weeks left!  Nearly two years ago my niece was born, and my sister-in-law had decided to cloth diaper.  At first I thought it was a little crazy, but then I saw the diapers and calculated the cost difference, among other things, and I was also convinced I would cloth diaper my babies. As I mentioned, there are plenty of good reasons to cloth diaper, but I'm going to focus on the cost efficiency this time.  Here are five unconventional reasons to cloth diaper and here are six more conventional reasons to cloth diaper.  Some of these reasons I will also cover later.

According to the Real Diaper Association, one child will cost about $1,600 to diaper for the first two years of life.  

Unfortunately, a diaper service for the same amount of time won't be much cheaper, maybe $100-$300 cheaper over the two years.

However, a basic set of cloth diapers (not including laundering necessities and other cloth diapering needs, like wet bags) costs as low as $300.  People sell their used cloth diapers on ebay, too!  Using the Cloth Diaper Calculator on Kelly Wels's website, I figured the cost of my cloth diapers, laundering them, and purchasing the wet bags and such would come out to roughly the same amount as using disposables would for the FIRST YEAR.  After the first year of my child's life though, we'll be saving a considerable amount of money--about $500-$700 per year, per child! Isn't that amazing?!  If I have two children who wear cloth diapers for four total years, I will save $1,500-$2,100!!  If you spend less on your cloth diapering stuff, then you'll save MORE!

If you want to know more about cloth diapering, check out these sites:

• Real Diaper Association
• The Cloth Diaper Whisperer Blog or their shop, Kelly's Closet 
• All About Cloth Diapers 
• The Diaper Jungle
• Kelly Wels

Questions?  Comments?  Thoughts?  Leave a comment or send me an email!

Reusbale "Swiffer" Dusters

Tired of buying those Swiffer Dusters?  Man, they're expensive!  A box of ten refills, which includes a new handle and some dusting spray, runs for $9.49 at Costco.  All you need for this project is some fleece fabric, which you can get on sale or clearance usually.  Probably a half yard would do, which might cost $3.  Thus, you'll SAVE about SEVEN DOLLARS after using your reusable dusters just ten times.

I put Swiffer in quotes because these aren't really by Swiffer now, they're made by you and me!  However, they do fit the Swiffer Duster handle, or you can make them to fit any other similar duster handle.  Also, I can't take credit for this idea; I saw it on Pinterest.  If you don't have access to a sewing machine or refuse to sew, you can purchase reusable Swiffer dusters from Mitsuyo Day's Etsy shop.  I also just noticed that she sells reusable sweeper covers which could be used for your Swiffer Sweeper or similar sweeper.

If you have a sewing machine though, you can make some reusable "Swiffer" dusters, like I did.  These could also be great as part of a housewarming gift or wedding shower present, along with some other household cleaning necessities like dish soap, detergent, glass cleaner, surface cleaner, dusting spray, and bathroom cleaner.

What you'll need:
21" x 9" piece of microfleece fabric for one three-layer duster or 14" x 9" for a two-layer duster
A Swiffer Duster handle
Your usual sewing needs: scissors, thread, measuring tape, marking pen or chalk (I prefer chalk)

From the edge of the fabric, measure in 2.5" and place your duster there.

Measure about 1/2" from the bottom of the fabric to the bottom of the center tab of the duster.  Make a horizontal mark at this spot.

Now, trace around the inner and outer edges of the duster--free hand or with a measuring tape is fine.

If you didn't cut a 9" high piece of fabric already: Move the duster out of the way and measure 2.5" up from the top of your trace marks.  Put a horizontal mark here.

Measure 2.5" from the side of your trace marks.  Put a vertical line here, then mark a dashed line along this spot.

Now, fold your fabric under your trace marks to the point where it meets your side trace marks and repeat (if you're layering your duster with three pieces of fabric).  When I did this the first time, I actually did four layers, which proved to be a little much for my machine.

Cut along the folded edges to make two (or three) pieces of the same size.

If you're making a three-layer duster, set aside one layer.  Leave two layers on top of each other, and pull the top layer down a half inch.

Continuing with the three-layer duster instructions: Turn over the two layers and pin the half inch of fabric you pulled down on to the back of the other layer. You may also want to create a half-inch seam on the third piece of fabric, but you don't have to.

If you're doing a two-layer duster, you may want to create a half-inch seam at the bottom anyways.  It will make the duster look nicer and maybe even last longer.  However, you will have to create SEPARATE seams on EACH piece of cloth, not layered on top of each other.

Sew the bottom seam (for each piece of fabric, if you choose), pulling the fabric as flat as you can while you sew. 

Now you should have two pieces of fabric ready to be sewn together; pin them together.  You may want to make sure your duster handle still matches the marks you made earlier on the fabric before you begin sewing.  Only sew the outer edges first.

Once you've sewn the outer edges, insert the duster completely in to the pocket you've created.  Pull the pocket back so you can see where the end of the center tab rests and mark it.  Now, sew down the middle up to the mark you just created.

Last, make cuts around the edges of the fabric in order to create the little "dusting fingers," and you can choose to round the corners at the top if you want to.  Here's the finished product:

For the most effective dusting, pull the top layers of the "dusting fingers" toward the center so that there are more exposed layers of the duster to reach those crevices and corners.


BEFORE YOU WASH, I suggest running a lint roller over the duster to pick off any large dust bunnies you picked up so those don't end up on your clothes or towels.  Otherwise, just throw in your duster with a regular load of laundry as often as you need to!

Reusable Lunch/Snack Bags

A couple weeks ago we ran out of sandwich bags and Costco was out of them too when I went to buy them.  I have long been aggravated by the idea that I'm throwing away so many plastic bags after just one or two uses, so then I remembered that there are companies that make reusable lunch/snack bags!  I remembered seeing some Planet Wise ones at Grow Natural in Fullerton.  At this point I decided I would do some Amazon research on reusable bags.  I bought three different brands of top-rated bags, and all have very different features.  Here's a photo of them all:

First, on the far left is a set of three Lunch Skins bags.  They feature tough Velcro all the way across the bag and flap.  The fabric is used by professional bakers, though I'm not sure what for, perhaps also for storage.  They're toxin free.  They're supposed to be dishwasher safe, but I ran them through and the Velco is a little crumpled, so I will probably rarely do that.  I will likely just turn them inside-out to wash like the other bags we got.  What makes these even more awesome is they're sewn by a local family business in the US!  I purchased the set of three off Amazon for $25.

Second, the black bags with the green monster flaps are Re-Usies.  They're cloth on the outside, so if that gets wet while washing, they'll take longer to dry than the other two sets I got.  The flap has the Velcro running vertical across it and the bag, so there's less closure to the bag than the Lunch Skins.  The flap can wrap around to the back where there's another piece of vertical Velcro, which is helpful for wrapping up very small snacks.  These are also free of toxins, but aren't dishwasher safe.  The label says you can throw them in the washing machine, but the fabric may fade, it warns.  These bags also come in an abundance of different fabrics!  I got the set off Amazon for $16.

Third, I wanted to try a wrap, well, I want Joseph and Sarah to try a wrap because I rarely take any food to go right now.  Anyways, on the far right is the Food Kozy by Kids Konserve.  As you can see it's circular and has vertical strips of Velcro on it for closing the wrap.  It can double as a place mat, which is pretty cool.  It's also toxin free, and is easy to wash, rinse, and dry.  It seems like this would be best to use with sandwiches and not snacks, though.  I got this set of two (because they're orange) for only $8.01 off Amazon.

Now, I'm also wishing I got zippered snack bags because Joseph likes to take oats, granola, and craisins to put in his yogurt, which wouldn't stay in one of these bags well.  I'm going to look into those for my next Amazon purchase.  I'll update you the verdict of these three reusable options in a few weeks.

Of course, another alternative to this is plasticware, commonly known as Tupperware.  If you have a lot of it already, use it for your lunches and snacks!  We don't have a ton of plasticware, so I decided to get some of these bags.  The bags are also less bulky too.