Is Your Child's Toothpaste Toxic? (continued)

Short of scanning ingredient lists and product labels, there is one simple thing parents can do to reduce the risk: buy less, and think more. “My guess is that children probably use a lot more of these products than they really need,” says Williams, who recommends that parents ask themselves why exactly they are using each product. For instance, she says that unless your young child has visibly dry skin or is itchy, moisturizers shouldn't be necessary. Case agrees: “One question every consumer should ask is 'Do I really need this product?' because there's a lot of products we use that we don't really need.”

So next time you're browsing the shelves of your local supermarket, consider the simple bar of soap instead of that bright pink shower gel, or the product whose ingredients you can recognize over the one that sounds like CHEM Lab 401. Until government regulations are put in place to protect consumers from questionable products ranging all the way from toys to toothpaste, parents will need to be the ones policing the aisles.

To find out more, visit the EWG's Parent's Buying Guide or check out TerraChoice's Six Sins of Greenwashing