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By Amy Crelly

Because what’s good for mama is good for baby, and what’s healthy for baby makes mama happy, we’d like to recommend two fabulous ways to pamper and protect yourself and your little one.

Worry-free feeding
Bisphenol-A (or BPA) has been in some scary headlines lately. The chemical, commonly used in manufacturing plastic baby bottles, sippy cups and kids’ dishes, is being linked to behavioral changes in infants and children, early-onset puberty in girls, and reproductive cancers. (Yikes!) All of this reaffirms the wisdom that “breast is best,” but it’s also leading parents to look for healthier bottle-feeding alternatives, including glass and BPA-free plastics.

BornFree™ is a leading brand in this growing market. Their honey-tinged bottles are not only free from BPA, Phthalates and PVC, but their innovative design features non-collapsing nipples (in five different flow rates) and an inner valve to help reduce gas, spit up and middle ear infections in babies (available at Whole Foods Market, Babies 'R' Us, and www.NewBornFree.com). Two other brands to check out are ThinkBaby™ and the very cute and stylish Green to Grow™ line (available at Me Gusta Baby in Auburn and Sunshine’s Hip Baby in Sacramento).

The MacGyver of shower gifts
Like a paper clip or a gum wrapper in Richard Dean Anderson’s expert hands, the Shower Hug™ is so much more than just a terry velour bandeau for new and nursing moms. In fact, this super-soft, Velcro-adjustable wrap boasts no fewer than seven different uses on the back of its packaging. Developed by moms for moms, the Shower Hug™ was first and foremost created to protect tender breasts and sensitive nipples from harsh shower spray, so that nursing moms could enjoy the simple luxury of a nice long shower postpartum (thus the name). Dye-free, it also protects nursing babies from chemical residues left by soaps and shampoos.

Mom inventor Andria Sgro quickly realized her product idea had applications outside the shower, as moms started using their Hugs for strap-free support and soothing, gentle compression. It also offers a great alternative to traditional night-time nursing pads and bras, and new mamas recovering from C-section have worn their Hugs as a wrap around the surgery area, for protection, support, relief, and faster healing. None of our testers could defuse a nuclear warhead with it, but I think that’s only because they didn’t try. You can find the Shower Hug™ at local maternity boutiques or online at www.BelMamaAndCherub.com.