1. A Juice Box has Wings ... but it can't fly!
Every time I hand NHV a juice box, it comes with a stern warning. "Here you go, sweetie. Here's your juice box. DON'T SQUEEZE IT." I mean, really, you would think I was issuing some sort of safety warning, not just making an effort to keep her shirt from getting juiced! It's gotten to the point that Natalie issues the warning herself. In this super dramatic voice with her eye brows raised, she turns my plea into a question, "No 'queeze dat duice box, right, mommy?"
Geez, she's been drinking from a juice box since last summer, so we've had a full year's worth of "don't squeeze it" warnings ... and subsequent, yet accidental, squeezes. And, let me tell you, NHV gets distraught when her shirt gets we-et. (She puts an extra syllable in this word and adds a little Southern twang, and I think it's adorable!).
I read about this somewhere - just recently, but I cannot for the life of me remember when or where ...
Before you hand over the juice box, pull up on the two triangles on each side. I call these the "wings." Tell your child to grab the box by the wings.
And, to be honest, I thought it was too simple of a concept to be a) effective or b) useful to anyone besides me. Well, I was wrong on both counts. It works. It really and truly works, and Natalie loves the idea of her juice box having wings. At a recent playdate, I heard a mom mention the "squeezing the juice box" predicament, and so I shared my new idea ... thinking all the other moms would already know about it, but it was "news" to all five of the moms there! Imagine how cool helpful I felt :)
2. Apparently Juice Boxes also have Lead ... and that's not good!
When I put a juice box in Natalie's hand, I think about the sugar content - just before I remind her to hold the wings. I wonder whether or not that is the most nutritional choice. I worry that she'll fill up on those "empty" calories and not eat her meal as well. But it never - and I do mean, never - crossed my mind that I should be concerned about lead content. Lead in old chipping paint? Sure. Lead in some plastic toys? Yes, I've heard of that and have a great source for knowing which toys are rated safest for lead content (click here to find out more).
But now, testing shows that in more than 85% of sampled bottled juice, juice boxes, and packaged fruit the lead content is higher than federal allowable limits for our youngest population.
But now, testing shows that in more than 85% of sampled bottled juice, juice boxes, and packaged fruit the lead content is higher than federal allowable limits for our youngest population.
There's an article at a great site called Inhabitots.
And the complete list of tested products - pass or fail - is here.
It seems I've solved one problem only to stumble upon a much bigger one!
It seems I've solved one problem only to stumble upon a much bigger one!
3 comments:
Just another reason why we should live closer. I have known about the wings but never thought to share it with you! If we were having playdates, you would have seen the wings in action a long time ago!
Scary about the lead, though. Sometimes I wonder if we are better or worse off with all this knowledge! What is your take on bath products? Do you use Johnson and Johnson despite the problems there? I don't understand why things are made FOR kids and have such terrible stuff in them!
This makes me want to can my own fruits and make juice from scratch- really nothing usually makes me want to do that.
Can I link this post on my blog?
We've been enjoying the HonestKids juice pouches. They are an acceptable amount of sugar, lots of water and some juice. No lead, no junk. Tasty as can be!
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