Healthy Child Healthy World: Creating a Cleaner, Greener, Safer Home (Hardcover)

by Christopher Gavigan (Author)
Key Phrases: healthy resources, clean plate, cleanup time, Healthy Healthy, Safe House, United States (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
“Less than four cents of every health-care dollar is spent on prevention and public health. Our health-care system has become a disease-care system, and the time for change is well overdue.”
— First Lady Michelle Obama

“Healthy Child Healthy World helps mothers and fathers connect the dots, to understand cause and effect….It tries to emphasize the healthful solutions, the positive, easy-to-follow steps you can take for your family, your home, yourself.”
—Meryl Streep

“This is a book that every single parent needs to read….before they read the What to Expect books or even Dr. Sears’ books.”
—Nature Moms

"The work that Healthy Child Healthy World does is of the utmost importance. They are actually saving lives and supporting them, and it is not only our duty but our privilege to protect future generations as well."
—Brooke Shields

“Healthy Child Healthy World is an excellent resource for any parent looking to keep their home healthy, safe and green for themselves, for their children, and for the planet.”
—John Adams, Founding Director, NRDC

“LOVE the book...you did an amazing job!! I am so very impressed. Classy, informative, warm...you really nailed it!”
— Rita Wilson

“I LOVE (this) book. I think it’s so important, so well done, and I've already bought it as a gift for several new moms. It’s a must have for any one who cares about the health of their children and the world that we are living in.”
—Jane Buckingham, Author of “Modern Girl's Guide to Motherhood”, columnist for the New York Times Syndicate, and President of The Intelligence Group

“The best book ever written to help parents detoxify and green their households is Healthy Child Healthy World by Christopher Gavigan.”
— Elle Magazine

“This excellent green living guide contains simple solutions and daily steps for changing the way we live.”
—Library Journal

“I can do something—quite a lot actually—about the products in my home. That requires my being as conscious about things as possible—what you put in and on your body.”
—Kate Hudson

“We have lots of reasons for being optimistic. Over just the past twenty years, we’ve removed tons of lead from paint and gasoline, started huge recycling programs, encouraged millions to stop smoking, banned asbestos, made organic food more widely available, designed cars that go 50 miles on a gallon of gas, and learned to prevent skin cancer with sunscreen and avoidance.”
—Dr. Harvey Karp --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Description
Leading medical experts and scientists team up with celebrity activists to help parents detoxify and green their households.

Nothing makes one more keenly aware of health risks lurking in the everyday world than becoming a parent. Most know the importance of using cabinet locks and child gates, but research is showing many more ways we need to be childproofing our homes. Tens of millions of American children now face chronic diseases and illnesses including cancer, autism, asthma, birth defects, ADD/ADHD, allergies, learning and developmental disabilities, as well as a host of lesser but disruptive ailments. And the growing research points to much of the increases on unseen threats wrought by exposure to chemicals in everyday products like cleaning supplies, beauty care and cosmetics, home furnishings, plastics, some foods and toys as contributing to these ailments. With that in mind, the non-profit organization Healthy Child Healthy World offers parents a definitive guide to creating a healthy, nontoxic, and environmentally sound home.

Filled with easy steps and simple solutions to improve family living without wreaking havoc on schedules or budgets, this book includes inspiring ideas for safe, eco-friendly cleaning methods, choosing healthier food, pet and garden care, nursery and home building materials, plus extensive tips for energy saving and family fun. With contributions from environmental science and public-health experts such as Dr. Phil Landrigan, Dr. Harvey Karp and Dr. Alan Greene, as well as many celebrity supporters (including Gwyneth Paltrow, Brooke Shields, Tobey Maguire, Sheryl Crow, Vanessa Williams, and Tom Hanks), Healthy Child Healthy World is the essential guidebook for parents wanting to go green.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Adult; 1 edition (April 17, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0525950478
• ISBN-13: 978-0525950479
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #294,939 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What you CAN do....right Now!, April 18, 2008

By	Alissa Segersten "Whole Life Cookbook" (Bellingham, WA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Healthy Child Healthy World is an excellent, comprehensive resource for living a cleaner, greener life - not only for ourselves but for our children and grandchildren too!

It simply spells out what we CAN do right now to get the toxins out of our lives. For example, on page 159, the author gives alternatives to traditional mosquito repellents. Two actual brand names of natural repellents are given which have been found to be effective. Another tip he gives is to plant scented geraniums, lemon thyme, marigold, and basil next to our homes to repel the bugs.

There are many, many jewels of information in this book. Some examples include, a recipe for homemade soft scrub(ber), running your water on cold first thing in the morning flushes out lead from pipes (from older houses), a recipe for an all-natural pest killer for your garden, a list of safe and unsafe seafood to consume, and how to know if your produce is conventional, organic, or genetically modified by looking at the PLU#.

From the food we eat to choosing toys and clothes, even raising a green pet, everything is covered in this book. It is well-laid out, easy to read, with tips throughout to put you into action.

The chapters are as follows:

Introduction. Your (Kid's) Health is Your Wealth
Chapter 1. Doing the Bump: Preparing for Baby
Chapter 2. Cleanup Time: Safe Suds and a Greener Clean
Chapter 3. A Clean Plate: Choosing, Eating, and Storing Healthier Food
Chapter 4. The Beauty Part: Natural Body Care
Chapter 5. Child's Play: Safer Toys, Gear, and Clothing
Chapter 6. Splendor in the Grass: Greener Gardens, Yards, and Outdoor Spaces
Chapter 7. Every Sip-and Breath-You Take: Clean Water and Air Solutions
Chapter 8. BFF: Raising a Green Pet
Chapter 9. Safe House: Healthy Home Improvement
Chapter 10: It's All Good: How to Grow Your Impact

I highly recommend this book to every parent AND grandparent! Thank you Christopher Gavigan for putting together such a comprehensive resource and guidebook!

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Every Parent (and Grandparent) Should Own A Copy, April 23, 2008

By	J. Meegan "avid reader" (Silicon Valley, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I've been receiving e-newsletters from HealthyChild.org since the birth of my first child two years ago. So I was thrilled when I got word that they'd published a book. I immediately ordered three copies (one for myself, two for friends), sight unseen. Got the book yesterday, sat up most of the night pouring over it. The verdict? Excellent.

Seriously, this book is exactly what I've been looking for. I've been pretty disappointed with the majority of books targeted at parents that bill themselves as "green" or "eco." Many of them look gorgeous -- printed on recycled paper with lots of pretty, glossy photo spreads. Some of them take on a "holier than thou" tone that I find to be a big turn off. And most of them skimp on the concrete details and information we parents need to make the right choices for our families.

Healthy Child, Healthy World is filled with good, solid information to help any parent navigate the complexities of raising a child in a world over-burdened by chemicals. It provides helpful buyer and information resources in the back. And while it does include anecdotal celebrity cameos throughout, I didn't feel like I had to belong to an exclusive club (or be fabulously wealthy) in order to heed much of the advice in the book. Best of all, where most books of this sort leave me feeling wretched and panicked by the time I've finished reading them ("I've poisoned my child!"), this book left me feeling empowered.

Happy Reading!

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential, Educational & Empowering!, April 17, 2008

By	Myra in Carmel, CA - See all my reviews

Healthy Child Healthy World teaches everyone about the chemicals we are exposed to in our pet products, cleaning supplies, food, landscape, body care products, plastic items and more - AND it gives easy soultions to every problem it illuminates. Rather than feel overwhelmed, I learned so much from this book and feel empowered to make simple changes that I know will help protect my family's health now and in the future. Essenial reading for all!