“Expectant mothers can expose themselves to the higher risk by drinking the water, swimming in chlorinated water, taking a bath or shower, or even by standing close to a boiling kettle, say researchers.

The finding, based on an analysis of nearly 400,000 infants, is the first that links by-products of water chlorination – chemicals known as trihalomethanes, or THMs – to three specific birth defects.

Exposure to high levels of THMs substantially increased the risk of holes in the heart, cleft palate and anencephalus, which results in the absence of a major portion of the brain, skull, and scalp.”

Sometimes I wish I had never been taught to read.

So. Now what? Well, luckily you can buy water filter shower heads for less than a bottle of wine. Whole house filters, like the one my husband and I are placing on our water system, can be more spendy – which is again, why you should have this perhaps be a parent, in-law, or rich uncle gift.  After a month of research, I chose the Aquasana whole house filter. Here’s why: Why. If you live in an apartment, you can always buy one of many under sink systems, which hover about $100.

Either way, a great shower gift, as well as an essential part of  your baby’s bath, are chlorine balls, which I order from one of my favourite green stores www.Gaiam.com.  These balls will rid the bath water that washes your baby’s highly porous skin of 95% of the chlorine that flows from the tap. They last about a year and cost about $50. (And yes, they fit over faucet protectors.)

Learn More: Check the water quality rating in your city here

Good thing I didn’t specify the day of that lunch.

What, I thought, could possibly more regulated, reviewed or safer than a carseat? I was honestly more concerned with finding her an adorable one – as they must all be terribly safe, and the ones I had seen had the style of one of Kim Jung Ils jumpsuits. I was wrong, and not for the last time.

During my search I came across www.HealthyCar.org.  These cats analyze cars and carseats to determine their levels of chemicals such as lead, mercury, bromine, chlorine and other scary sounding heavy metals, allergens and carcinogenens – all of which we breathe when we are in our (usually newer) cars and carseats, and which bioaccumulate in our bloodstreams and brains. (Warning: After you visit this site, you’ll never buy a new car again.)  HealthCar.org analyzes hundreds of carseats, and then gives them a rating, based on their toxicity.  (You just can’t make this stuff up.) So…after getting over the utter shock of realizing that our government allows these chemicals in carseats, into which newborns and children are placed every second of every day – as would be my godson – I called my friend and explained that she would need to choose a very ugly, but very safe carseat. And I never assumed children’s product safety again.

Lesson #1: Despite the struggle to accept how little government regulation there is for ANY product, including for our most vunerable citizens, and that the burden is NOT on the manufacturer to prove safety before it’s sold to trusting parents – know this: even if it is something you remember from your own nursery, do not assume that ANYTHING is safe. (Wait until I tell you about that baby oil that you and I grew up with…)

Carseat I chose: Because of it’s lowest chemical rating on HealthyCar.org, we chose the Sunshine Kids Radian 65.  (Link: http://www.healthycar.org/carseat.mostleast.php)  Available on Amazon.com for approximately $200.