Are toxins silently harming our kid's development?

A child policy review study in US has reported that babies under two years of age are 10 times more vulnerable to chemicals than adults.

It also notes that babies by the age two accumulate 50 percent of the cancer causing chemicals.

These facts make you shudder as a parent for once but then you ignore them thinking you don't use any chemicals near your baby and hence your little one is safe. The truth is far from it, unconsciously and unknowingly we have been making choices as parents which might not be the safest ones. Unfortunately these harmful chemicals are found in many everyday use baby products from baby lotions, shampoos to feeding bottles.

These chemicals have many side affects like some of them are endocrine disruptors and hence impact ability to digest. Some others are allergens which can cause eczema. Also a recently discovered side affect is learning disabilities and hormonal dis-balance this leads to disorders like ADD and premature puberty. We need to be aware and read labels to ensure our baby products do not carry these harmful chemicals, below is a list of a few chemicals that you must avoid in your baby products.

According to Varun Alagh, Founder, mamaearth, "When we as parents did our basic research which most parents do we felt cheated knowing the products that we had chosen from respected international brands had all these chemicals. AT Mamaearth we have developed products which are completely free of all these toxins (certified by madesafe.org) and instead contain goodness of nature which you actually want for your babies."

To ensure healthy development in our babies we need to start making safer and healthier choices.

• Start reading your labels and avoid these chemicals in your baby products.

• As much as possible use natural homemade solutions for babies which work equally well.

• Grow plants and trees around your home for better quality air.

• Ensure they eat home cooked food as much as possible and especially avoid frozen food since they carry extensive preservatives

• Shower lots of love and spend time with them. When kids have their emotional needs met they are much more responsive to your choices.