Pinko Magazine Hedonism + Activism

So I’ve been around babies a lot lately and then I got an action alert that was all FIRE RETARDANTS WILL HARM YOUR KIDS! And I was all oh shit! They won’t just harm your kids; they will retard your kids. They’re retardants. I will retard one of my friends babies. I don’t want to do that. The big risks are foam (like in furniture) and old carpets, which eliminates my favorite baby-sitting game Eat the Ript Part of the Chair. 

Anyway the action alert, courtesy Environmental Working Group, was nice enough to provide the 5 Tips to Keep Retardants Out of Your Kids, and so I wanted to pass them on (after the jump.) They are good tips if you have a baby, or if you want to prepare your apartment for a visit from your friends babies that you don’t want to retard. 

1. Inspect foam items and replace any with ripped covers or mishapen/breaking down foam. (Ha ha “broke down foam” I don’t even want to know. 
2. Use a vacuum with a HEPA filter. (HEPA filters are finer-filters that pick up smaller particles) 
3. Don’t reupholster foam furniture.
4. Carefully remove old carpet because the padding may contain PBDEs.
5. Have small children wash their hands frequently so they put clean hands in their mouths! 

About The Author - Ben Wyskida is a writer, activist, conscientious hedonist and political communications strategist living in Brooklyn. - Visit Ben's site.