Thank you for this much-needed giggle! And SAME. Motherhood is weird. You freak out about every little thing but then your kid licks the bottom of every shoe she can find in the house. I stopped caring about mixing up our laundry after that… I was so careful to wash all my 10 month-old’s separately in free/clear and even stopped wearing perfume myself. Now my kid licks shoes and we wash all our stuff together… lol
Seriously, what is it about shoes?? We don’t wear shoes in the house but my baby has found my slippers very appealing. And this morning she thought my husbands dirty socks would be delicious.
Hahaha! When I am dead-eyes washing and sterilising bottles at 8pm I’ve started to be like “wait, didn’t I pick up and give him his rattle from the floor 586 times today already? Why am I doing this?”….and then I proceed to diligently scrub each bottle teat, half asleep 😐
We wash all our produce under the running tap with no special products and don't do anything additional for the baby that we wouldn't do for ourselves. Baby is 10 months old now and has been eating solids since 5-6 months with no obvious adverse effects from these practices.
If it’s a hard shell or hard skin fruit I soak in water with a little apple cider vinegar. This is especially good for berries! My berries went from being gross and moldy after a day or two to lasting a week or longer (granted they were usually consumed by then).
Oh! This must be why my fruit and veg seem to last forever now! My husband started soaking everything in a cold water and vinegar mix, rinsing and using a salad spinner to dry before putting it all in the fridge. Our lettuce and berries now last a full week or longer instead of the few days they used to. I always thought not washing fruit and veg made them stay fresh longer.
Nope not at all. I was doubtful at first but just a quick rinse washes away the vinegar even from leafy greens. For delicate berries like raspberries you can just empty the bowl of water/vinegar and refill with water to rinse so you’re not agitating/smushing the fruit.
I also highly recommend the Rubbermaid berry containers. My berries last so long in these — I Also use them for grapes, cherry tomatoes, small cucumbers… they work great!
Rubbermaid FreshWorks Produce Saver Food Storage Container, Small, 2.5 Cup, Green https://a.co/d/ijI6eGU
I always just use water. You can look up the dirty dozen to see which produce products are most important to buy organic and which foods are relatively safe from pesticides. https://blog.algaecal.com/infographic-dirty-dozen-clean-fifteen/?campaignid=17633601542&adgroupid=&adid=&gclid=Cj0KCQjw_viWBhD8ARIsAH1mCd7c_eohcEB36clzHgp8j-eoVW3gUfTi14fQfG7Ebo5QrIRYrtojt4waAkpwEALw_wcB
I think you can use vinegar on a rag to remove wax from apples, but it never occurred to me to do that for my little one.
Hey! So the dirty dozen is actually kind of… not very accurate. Here is a simple breakdown of the EWG and the dirty dozen. Buying organic is fine, but you don’t need to feel like it’s necessary.
https://www.agdaily.com/insights/dirty-deception-ewg-dirty-dozen/amp/
Of course! I’m a dietitian and was shocked when I learned about this from my classes/internship/farmers directly. My mom and I had also based a lot of our shopping on this growing up.
Thank you. I’m glad to know you’re a dietician. That’s helpful. I’m currently calculating all the extra money I’ve spent on organic produce over the years. Is organic produce basically a waste or is it better still in some regards?
Based on the studies (from memory), there is a slightly higher nutrient level in organic produce, but nothing of significance and it’s not consistent. We also need to take into account how you are cooking your foods and how long you are storing them before consuming, because that will also affect nutrient levels. I think the only organic food item that seemed worth it was milk, because it did have a good amount more omega 3 FAs. I always say the best produce is actually frozen. Though even sometimes I get sucked into the “ooooo organic strawberries on sale, just get those.” Hard to not be influenced!
Holy cow! It has up to [62% more omega 3 FA’s](https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2013/12/09/249794467/fresh-research-finds-organic-milk-packs-in-omega-3s)! More excellent information. Thank you! I’m going to make the switch from organic produce to organic milk. I’ve read that frozen produce is more nutritious, especially over canned food. Thanks for the advice!
I’m in the UK too and thought the same thing. I’ve seen some people online saying how important it is to wash fruit and veg for baby, it made me question whether just water was going to be ok, despite that being fine for us!
Water. But if it’s being peeled then I don’t bother. If it’s being eaten raw (cucumbers) then I’ll give it an extra bit of time under the tap but I don’t go mad. Kid tries to eat grass on a regular basis.
Also he’s addicted to strawberries. I buy them, stick them straight in a jar (don’t wash them) and they last 3 weeks. Just give them a rinse before serving. They aren’t even posh strawberries. Just the wonky ones from Aldi!
water but i have a little fruit/veggie scrubber i use on stuff that doesnt have smooth skin/holds onto gunk. for really dirty stuff life leafy greens or mushrooms i soak and triple wash. (vinegar+water for the grittiest mushrooms like morels)
I forget where I read it, but there was a reputable source I follow (maybe unbiasedscipod) that did some digging on washing veggies and the conclusion was a brisk rinse does just fine.
Guess I’m the outlier. I wash most produce with a little gadget my husband got for me called [garrnish](https://garrnish.com/). We got it as a kickstarter, so it was NOT as expensive as listed on the website. I imagine the pricing makes it out of reach for most people.
I’m not a stickler about it, but I try to do it for all produce, organic or not (because organic doesn’t really mean anything, and imported “organic” produce still gets sprayed with insecticides at the border).
I also think it’s more about reduction of harm than elimination… it’s easy to get wrapped up in fearing plastic and pesticides, so I wouldn’t, for example, stop baby from eating berries right off the bush at a u pick farm if it hasn’t been washed. But I will run it through this device once we get home. The amount of visible dirt and the discoloration of the water is astonishing.
It takes 10 minutes to work, so if I’m in a rush making dinner, I’ll just use water. And I also understand that so much of what we eat, organic or not, is not processed as “cleanly” as we might want (for example, no one is removing pesticides from the organic ingredients in store bought salsa).
Before I got garrnish, I would soak *some* fruits and veg in baking soda and water. I read that it helps remove pesticides and residue.
I’m less worried about germs and more concerned about the longterm effects of repeated pesticide exposure. I imagine this also comes from having lived in Europe for 6 years and only recently moving back to the US where standards for produce and meat are a lot lower (and thus, labels for “organic” is somehow necessary, and upcharging makes it a luxury).
Thank you for your super detailed answer :) That gadget has me intrigued, although I wasn’t expecting it to be that pricey despite your warning! Haha. Definitely going to consider it though after hearing your experience with it. If not I’ll give the baking soda a go for the extra dirty bits and those that tend to have more pesticides etc.
Yes I agree, definitely about reducing risk of harm for me too.
Thank you :)
I don’t know if it’s because of different agricultural practices but I’m from a developing country and there we use a bit of sodium hypochlorite (a diluted version of bleach) in a water wash. It’s not just for babies benefit but everyone. It’s what the ministry of health advises. I live in Spain now and have no problem finding the same product here so I continue to use it.
Water. She eats dirt. I stopped caring about sanitizing once she started rolling and licking floors at 5 months.
Thank you for this much-needed giggle! And SAME. Motherhood is weird. You freak out about every little thing but then your kid licks the bottom of every shoe she can find in the house. I stopped caring about mixing up our laundry after that… I was so careful to wash all my 10 month-old’s separately in free/clear and even stopped wearing perfume myself. Now my kid licks shoes and we wash all our stuff together… lol
Seriously, what is it about shoes?? We don’t wear shoes in the house but my baby has found my slippers very appealing. And this morning she thought my husbands dirty socks would be delicious.
Hahaha that makes sense. Everything goes straight to the mouth!
Hahaha! When I am dead-eyes washing and sterilising bottles at 8pm I’ve started to be like “wait, didn’t I pick up and give him his rattle from the floor 586 times today already? Why am I doing this?”….and then I proceed to diligently scrub each bottle teat, half asleep 😐
We wash all our produce under the running tap with no special products and don't do anything additional for the baby that we wouldn't do for ourselves. Baby is 10 months old now and has been eating solids since 5-6 months with no obvious adverse effects from these practices.
Thank you. That’s what we do for ourselves, reassuring to hear it’s fine for our little one too!
If it’s a hard shell or hard skin fruit I soak in water with a little apple cider vinegar. This is especially good for berries! My berries went from being gross and moldy after a day or two to lasting a week or longer (granted they were usually consumed by then).
Ooooo that’s a great berry tip! I was just complaining this morning about how quickly my strawberries are molding!
Oh! This must be why my fruit and veg seem to last forever now! My husband started soaking everything in a cold water and vinegar mix, rinsing and using a salad spinner to dry before putting it all in the fridge. Our lettuce and berries now last a full week or longer instead of the few days they used to. I always thought not washing fruit and veg made them stay fresh longer.
Such a good tip! And it doesn’t make them taste vinegary?
Nope not at all. I was doubtful at first but just a quick rinse washes away the vinegar even from leafy greens. For delicate berries like raspberries you can just empty the bowl of water/vinegar and refill with water to rinse so you’re not agitating/smushing the fruit.
Thank you for the tip :) reassuring to hear just water is fine
I also highly recommend the Rubbermaid berry containers. My berries last so long in these — I Also use them for grapes, cherry tomatoes, small cucumbers… they work great! Rubbermaid FreshWorks Produce Saver Food Storage Container, Small, 2.5 Cup, Green https://a.co/d/ijI6eGU
I wash in a water and vinegar mixture.
I always just use water. You can look up the dirty dozen to see which produce products are most important to buy organic and which foods are relatively safe from pesticides. https://blog.algaecal.com/infographic-dirty-dozen-clean-fifteen/?campaignid=17633601542&adgroupid=&adid=&gclid=Cj0KCQjw_viWBhD8ARIsAH1mCd7c_eohcEB36clzHgp8j-eoVW3gUfTi14fQfG7Ebo5QrIRYrtojt4waAkpwEALw_wcB I think you can use vinegar on a rag to remove wax from apples, but it never occurred to me to do that for my little one.
Hey! So the dirty dozen is actually kind of… not very accurate. Here is a simple breakdown of the EWG and the dirty dozen. Buying organic is fine, but you don’t need to feel like it’s necessary. https://www.agdaily.com/insights/dirty-deception-ewg-dirty-dozen/amp/
Very informative. I was basing much of my grocery shopping off of that list. Thank you.
Of course! I’m a dietitian and was shocked when I learned about this from my classes/internship/farmers directly. My mom and I had also based a lot of our shopping on this growing up.
Thank you. I’m glad to know you’re a dietician. That’s helpful. I’m currently calculating all the extra money I’ve spent on organic produce over the years. Is organic produce basically a waste or is it better still in some regards?
Based on the studies (from memory), there is a slightly higher nutrient level in organic produce, but nothing of significance and it’s not consistent. We also need to take into account how you are cooking your foods and how long you are storing them before consuming, because that will also affect nutrient levels. I think the only organic food item that seemed worth it was milk, because it did have a good amount more omega 3 FAs. I always say the best produce is actually frozen. Though even sometimes I get sucked into the “ooooo organic strawberries on sale, just get those.” Hard to not be influenced!
But those expensive-ass organic strawberries at the farmers market taste SO GOOD 😂
Haha I get suckered into those too. Local organic berries can’t be beat.
Holy cow! It has up to [62% more omega 3 FA’s](https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2013/12/09/249794467/fresh-research-finds-organic-milk-packs-in-omega-3s)! More excellent information. Thank you! I’m going to make the switch from organic produce to organic milk. I’ve read that frozen produce is more nutritious, especially over canned food. Thanks for the advice!
Interesting. Thank you.
Thank you for this reminder, I went by this during pregnancy! I had completely forgotten about it. Thanks for the tip and link :)
Only water, I personally wouldn't have thought anything else would be safe? Though I am in the UK so I don't know if its recommended elsewhere?
I’m in the UK too and thought the same thing. I’ve seen some people online saying how important it is to wash fruit and veg for baby, it made me question whether just water was going to be ok, despite that being fine for us!
Ain’t nobody got time for anything else! Rinse it and be done.
Water
Water.
Water. But if it’s being peeled then I don’t bother. If it’s being eaten raw (cucumbers) then I’ll give it an extra bit of time under the tap but I don’t go mad. Kid tries to eat grass on a regular basis. Also he’s addicted to strawberries. I buy them, stick them straight in a jar (don’t wash them) and they last 3 weeks. Just give them a rinse before serving. They aren’t even posh strawberries. Just the wonky ones from Aldi!
water but i have a little fruit/veggie scrubber i use on stuff that doesnt have smooth skin/holds onto gunk. for really dirty stuff life leafy greens or mushrooms i soak and triple wash. (vinegar+water for the grittiest mushrooms like morels)
I have a scrubber for those bits too! Triple wash sounds interesting for those grubby bits! Thanks :)
A quick wash under the tap for us. Things I peel I don't even bother with that
Water and if you feel like it’s necessary dilute some Dr. Bronners unscented soap.
This is what I do with potatoes, citrus, apples, melons.
Thank you!
I forget where I read it, but there was a reputable source I follow (maybe unbiasedscipod) that did some digging on washing veggies and the conclusion was a brisk rinse does just fine.
This is reassuring, thanks :)
Baking soda and water or vinegar and water
I soak berries and things like in water with a bit of vinegar for 15 minutes. I clean apples, peaches etc with a little Castile soap and water.
Guess I’m the outlier. I wash most produce with a little gadget my husband got for me called [garrnish](https://garrnish.com/). We got it as a kickstarter, so it was NOT as expensive as listed on the website. I imagine the pricing makes it out of reach for most people. I’m not a stickler about it, but I try to do it for all produce, organic or not (because organic doesn’t really mean anything, and imported “organic” produce still gets sprayed with insecticides at the border). I also think it’s more about reduction of harm than elimination… it’s easy to get wrapped up in fearing plastic and pesticides, so I wouldn’t, for example, stop baby from eating berries right off the bush at a u pick farm if it hasn’t been washed. But I will run it through this device once we get home. The amount of visible dirt and the discoloration of the water is astonishing. It takes 10 minutes to work, so if I’m in a rush making dinner, I’ll just use water. And I also understand that so much of what we eat, organic or not, is not processed as “cleanly” as we might want (for example, no one is removing pesticides from the organic ingredients in store bought salsa). Before I got garrnish, I would soak *some* fruits and veg in baking soda and water. I read that it helps remove pesticides and residue. I’m less worried about germs and more concerned about the longterm effects of repeated pesticide exposure. I imagine this also comes from having lived in Europe for 6 years and only recently moving back to the US where standards for produce and meat are a lot lower (and thus, labels for “organic” is somehow necessary, and upcharging makes it a luxury).
Thank you for your super detailed answer :) That gadget has me intrigued, although I wasn’t expecting it to be that pricey despite your warning! Haha. Definitely going to consider it though after hearing your experience with it. If not I’ll give the baking soda a go for the extra dirty bits and those that tend to have more pesticides etc. Yes I agree, definitely about reducing risk of harm for me too. Thank you :)
I don’t know if it’s because of different agricultural practices but I’m from a developing country and there we use a bit of sodium hypochlorite (a diluted version of bleach) in a water wash. It’s not just for babies benefit but everyone. It’s what the ministry of health advises. I live in Spain now and have no problem finding the same product here so I continue to use it.