How To Create a Non-Toxic Home, Use Clean Swaps & Protect Your Family From Hidden Chemical Exposure Ft. Branch Basics Co-Founder Allison Evans

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Skinny Confidential Him & Her Show Episode: How To Create a Non-Toxic Home, Use Clean Swaps & Protect Your Family From Hidden Chemical Exposure Ft. Branch Basics Co-Founder Allison Evans
Release Date: July 17, 2025

---

Introduction and Purpose

In this episode of The Skinny Confidential Him & Her Show, hosts Lauryn Evarts Bosstick and Michael Bosstick delve deep into the realm of non-toxic living with special guest Allison Evans, co-founder of Branch Basics. Allison brings her expertise in creating wellness-focused, non-toxic cleaning products, aiming to empower listeners to make informed decisions for a healthier home environment. Lauryn emphasizes the goal of providing actionable tips without overwhelming the audience:

Lauryn Evarts Bosstick [02:00]: "This is one of those episodes that like you can take what you like and leave what you don't. You don't have to take every tip and feel overwhelmed."

---

Delayed Bathing for Babies

One of the key topics discussed is the concept of delayed bathing for newborns. Allison and Lauryn explain the benefits of allowing the baby’s vernix—a protective waxy coating—to absorb naturally, enhancing the baby's microbiome:

Lauryn Evarts Bosstick [02:12]: "Vaginal juices better be on my baby for two weeks."

They discuss how immediate washing can strip beneficial bacteria essential for the baby's immune development.

---

Impact of C-Sections on Baby's Gut Microbiome

The conversation shifts to the implications of C-section deliveries on a baby's gut health. Allison shares insights on how C-sections can disrupt the natural transfer of beneficial bacteria from mother to child and offers solutions such as:

• Probiotic Supplements:

  Lauryn Evarts Bosstick [04:28]: "There's Tiny Health, an infant gut test. You can swab their poop and send it in, and it will show you exactly what bacteria they're lacking."

• Bifidobacteria Supplements:
  Lauryn highlights the importance of specific probiotics to replenish essential gut bacteria, mitigating the effects of a C-section.

---

Navigating Non-Toxic Baby Products

Navigating the plethora of baby products can be daunting. Lauryn and Allison address the confusion caused by varying certifications and labels, stressing the importance of education over perfection:

Lauryn Evarts Bosstick [05:12]: "What do I actually need to pay attention to? What can I actually believe?"

They advocate for focusing on critical aspects like flame retardants in car seats and choosing products that avoid harmful chemicals.

---

Car Seats and Flame Retardants

A significant portion of the discussion centers on the dangers of flame retardants in car seats and strollers. Lauryn criticizes manufacturers for continuing the use of toxic chemicals despite viable alternatives:

Lauryn Evarts Bosstick [06:16]: "Why are the other car seat companies choosing to continue to meet those flammability standards with the use of synthetic flame retardants when they can be using wool or a better weave of polyester?"

She praises brands like Nuna and UPPAbaby for offering flame retardant-free options, emphasizing that safer choices are available without a price premium.

---

Mattresses and Sleep Safety

Lauryn underscores the importance of using non-toxic mattresses for babies, highlighting recent studies linking conventional mattresses to higher toxin levels and potential risks like SIDS:

Lauryn Evarts Bosstick [13:00]: "The mattresses are like my two soapboxes about baby gear. Babies are sleeping up to 20 hours a day, and we have them on these mattresses all the time."

She recommends Pure Baby and Child mattresses made from coconut husk fibers, which are breathable and free from harmful flame retardants.

---

Diaper Choices: Kudos and Coterie

When it comes to diapers, the hosts discuss clean diaper options that prioritize safety and sustainability. Lauryn highlights Kudos Diapers for their 100% cotton ruffle parts, which are gentle on a baby’s skin:

Lauren Evarts [27:24]: "Kudos is sold at Target and is the cleanest disposable diaper, with a cotton ruffle that’s gentle all day long."

Allison also mentions Coterie but emphasizes that Kudos stands out for its non-toxic materials.

---

Wipes and Safe Practices

The conversation turns to baby wipes, where Lauryn expresses concerns over toxic preservatives like triclosan found in many brands:

Lauren Evarts [29:32]: "Wipes are a breeding ground for microbes... every single wipe has to have a certain preservation in the formula, and that preservative is too toxic to touch a baby."

She advocates for dry wipes paired with a water spray as a safer alternative:

Lauren Evarts [30:19]: "I use dry wipes and have a spray bottle with water. It's super easy to make your own safe wipes at home."

---

Cleaning Supplies and Health

Allison and Lauryn discuss the impact of household cleaning products on family health. They promote Branch Basics as a non-toxic alternative that effectively cleans without harmful chemicals:

Lauryn Evarts Bosstick [35:04]: "Branch Basics works just as well... you don't have to have that fragrance."

Lauryn shares a study linking daily disinfectant use to decreased beneficial gut bacteria in children, reinforcing the need for safer cleaning solutions.

---

Co-Sleeping and Safe Bed Practices

The hosts explore co-sleeping practices, balancing the benefits of skin-to-skin contact with safety considerations. Lauryn shares her experience and safe techniques to minimize risks:

Lauren Evarts [15:41]: "Co sleeping for me was not only necessary but was the sweetest time... our heart rates sync as a protective mechanism."

They emphasize using organic mattresses and avoiding blankets or pillows that could pose suffocation hazards.

---

Breastfeeding Tips and Challenges

Breastfeeding strategies, including frequent pumping and maintaining milk supply, are discussed in detail. Allison references Hilaria Baldwin's methods and Lauryn shares her power pumping technique:

Allison Evans [24:30]: "She pumps every 30 minutes for only three minutes to train her body to produce more milk."

Lauryn discusses the logistical challenges of pumping and offers practical solutions like stainless steel storage containers for breast milk.

---

Conclusion and Takeaways

The episode concludes with a compassionate message, encouraging listeners to make gradual changes towards a non-toxic home without guilt:

Allison Evans [40:34]: "We're all refining... just let it go. No one's perfect. We're all just doing our best."

Lauryn and Allison highlight the importance of supporting companies that prioritize safety and encouraging small, manageable swaps to enhance family health.

---

Key Quotes

• Lauryn Evarts Bosstick [06:16]: "Why are the other car seat companies choosing to continue to meet those flammability standards with the use of synthetic flame retardants when they can be using wool or a better weave of polyester?"
• Lauryn Evarts Bosstick [29:32]: "Wipes are a breeding ground for microbes... every single wipe has to have a certain preservation in the formula, and that preservative is too toxic to touch a baby."
• Allison Evans [40:34]: "We're all refining... just let it go. No one's perfect. We're all just doing our best."

---

Final Thoughts

This episode serves as an invaluable resource for parents seeking to create a non-toxic living environment. Through candid conversations and expert insights, Lauryn and Allison provide listeners with practical strategies to reduce chemical exposures and promote holistic family wellness.

Transcript

[Lauren Everts]

The following podcast is a Dear Media Production.

[Michael Bostick]

She's a lifestyle blogger extraordinaire.

[Allison Evans]

Fantastic.

[Michael Bostick]

And he's a serial entrepreneur, a very smart cookie. And now Lauren Everts and Michael Bostick.

[Allison Evans]

Are bringing you along for the ride. Get ready for some major realness.

[Michael Bostick]

Welcome to the Skinny Confidential.

[Allison Evans]

Him and her. You guys know how passionate I am about non toxic living and cleaning products and even like the paint and toxic chemicals. I've really gotten into that. My thing is like I don't want to be perfect. I just want to have the information so I can make an educated decision. And so on this episode I decided to invite Allison Evans. She's been on the show before. She co founded Branch Basics. It's a wellness lifestyle brand that creates non toxic cleaning products to the show. And I wanted to pick her brain on all things birth, baby and beyond. And in this episode she gives you all the tips, all the tricks to pregnancy, to things that could be toxic in the nursery, to even like strollers and car seats. She tells us all these different tips. I had my notebook out. It's one of those episodes that like you can take what you like and leave what you don't. You don't have to take every tip and feel overwhelmed. Just take the ones that are meaningful and impactful to you. On that note, let's welcome Allison Evans, the co founder of Branch Basics to the him and her show. This is the Skinny Confidential. Him and her. The reason that I kicked Michael off this episode is because I want to go so granular. I want people to be able to pull out their notebook and really seriously build a non toxic life from scratch. Especially if they're in their motherhood era.

[Lauren Everts]

We would have scared him off anyway.

[Allison Evans]

Yeah, I don't think he can handle how int like we're going to the moon.

[Lauren Everts]

Oh, for sure. Okay, vaginal juices will be mentioned.

[Allison Evans]

Vaginal juices better be on my baby for two weeks.

[Lauren Everts]

Or three.

[Allison Evans]

Or three. Just leave it on.

[Lauren Everts]

Just. Yeah.

[Allison Evans]

Do they even need a bath?

[Lauren Everts]

Absolutely. Unless they're using Branch Basics week three.

[Allison Evans]

Week three. So. But do they really need a bath?

[Lauren Everts]

How many baths really? Honestly, I never really did it.

[Allison Evans]

Yeah, my mother in law I think.

[Lauren Everts]

Was really grossed out. But then it's funny because the Vernix ends up just absorbing anyway. So then you can trick people like the mother in laws and the moms into thinking they had a bath. But really it all just got absorbed and helped their microbiome.

[Allison Evans]

You know if someone's listening and you don't know what the fuck we're talking about. We're talking about delayed bath bathing. Delayed bathing. It's where you don't bathe the baby and you just leave all the goodness. And I heard. And you could speak on this more eloquently. If you get a C section, what do you do?

[Lauren Everts]

You should probably go into the mom's vaginal canal and get all the juice and then rub it over the baby. And this is not like some hippie thing that I learned, right? I mean, this is going to have a feeling. I can quote studies. No, but really, it's amazing. It's called seating, isn't it? Vaginal seating.

[Allison Evans]

Do you yourself go up your vagina and get the juice?

[Lauren Everts]

I have home births. And so the juice is just there in the process. Naturally.

[Allison Evans]

Yeah. But if you have a C section, would one go up their own vagina?

[Lauren Everts]

Oh, oh, oh. I thought you were talking about me personally. The doctors, I'm sure, do it. But I mean, vaginal seating really is a thing because they found that the children were born. Born from C sections. Their gut was like, decimated. Right? Because you get all of that yummy stuff as you're coming out of the vaginal canal.

[Allison Evans]

But I think too, the conversation is because I talked to. I talked to one of my girlfriends who had a C section. She said I felt guilt around it because they didn't get the, you know, the good bacteria. I don't think you have to feel guilt around it. I think if there's a will, there's a way. If you can't get through the window in the door, come down the chimney and pull it out.

[Lauren Everts]

But also, if you've had a C section baby and they're two or three, four months old or even older, you can give them bifidobacteria. I mean, there's probiotics, there's tests. Like Tiny Health is an infant gut test. You can swab their poop and send it in, and it will show you exactly what bacteria they're lacking. Especially the bifidos are super important. You wanna have a low diversity of bacteria in the first six months, but you can seed with specific strains and you just kind of sprinkle the probiotic into a bottle or on your nipple before the baby latches.

[Allison Evans]

And.

[Lauren Everts]

And so there's things you can do. So C section people, don't be scared.

[Allison Evans]

Welcome to the show. Yeah, third time you're back. The charm, your first episode, I reference to all the time when I tell brands how to work with creators. Because you came on and told your Story about non toxic living. The episode crushed it. Then you came back with your aunt who is your partner in Branch basics that crushed it. And this one I'm doing selfishly. Sorry guys. Because I want all the secrets to a non toxic nursery and just baby land.

[Lauren Everts]

It's hard to navigate. It's overwhelming. It really is.

[Allison Evans]

It is very. It's hard. You don't know where to start. And I also don't want to be psychotic.

[Lauren Everts]

Exactly. That's exactly right. And it's confusing because you see organic or Greengard Gold certified or phthalate free and it's like what, what do I actually need to pay attention to? What can I actually believe? And just because it doesn't have one thing, does that mean that it's safe? You know, and as you know, there's 85,000 chemicals people can choose from and less than 1% are tested for safety. And I would say when it comes to those everyday items for your baby, it's so important to try to get it right if you can.

[Allison Evans]

I say it's for me, it's 85, 15ish. Yeah, I had Flaming hot Cheetos the.

[Lauren Everts]

Other day and I understand that, but that's also you in a diet. Like I feel like it's easy. It's so much easier to choose safer baby products because we're not talking about getting in between us and our Flaming Hot Cheetos, right? We're talking about do I use this diaper or that diaper? Like you don't have strong opinions about that. Like, let's go ahead and just do the things that we can do the best, the things that stress us out and freak us out. Don't start there.

[Allison Evans]

You know why I'm a bit frustrated is that the fact that there's even toxic products on the market marketed towards.

[Lauren Everts]

Babies is ridiculous when there doesn't need to be. You know, that's the sad part, is that so just as soon as you find one wipe or car seat or crib mattress that's toxic, you find that you can reach the same safety standards, inflammability standards, and not add those ingredients. So people need to be educated, which is why I'm so glad you're having me here. And I think the more it's the power of the purse, the more that we can choose the safer products. For instance, when my 8 year old was born, I was choosing a car seat and I had the greatest gift of my aunt to be able to help me navigate through all of these things. So I knew these Things going into this, my mom didn't. Most women don't have this information, but there were only two car seats on the entire market that did not spray for toxic flame retardants that are known to lower iq. They're carcinogenic. They cause endocrine issues. I mean, I could go on and on. So there were two. Right now I want to say it was UPPAbaby, Mesa and Henry or something, but now there's dozens. And so what I want to say is, why are the other car seat companies choosing to continue to meet those flammability standards with the use of synthetic flame retardants when they can be using wool, when they can actually achieve the same rating by weaving the polyester in a better way? So my point is we don't have to. To make these toxic choices. We just need to be educated. And I'm not talking more expensive either. I'm literally talking choose A and not B.

[Allison Evans]

You know, I think they're doing it. This is my own theory, because I think they place an order in China for 150,000 units.

[Lauren Everts]

Yeah.

[Allison Evans]

And they get the units to America and they're three PL.

[Lauren Everts]

Yeah.

[Allison Evans]

And then they have to sell through the 150,000 units before they can change anything.

[Lauren Everts]

Yeah.

[Allison Evans]

So my theory is.

[Lauren Everts]

There's your business brain. Hello.

[Allison Evans]

I can't help it. Sorry. I'm like, what is going on?

[Lauren Everts]

What it is, it's convenience culture. Okay? So let's take, like, people know, my friends, my best friends all know that I have this thing against. I'm not going to ever name names, but against the car seat that turns into a stroller. Okay. And the reason that we have an epidemic of this product is because it is the most convenient thing ever. The baby falls asleep in the back of a car and you don't want to wake the child. And so you pop the wheels out and you can stroll them into a restaurant or church or wherever you're going. Right. But anytime you go anywhere, you see all these car seat strollers. Right. There's not one on the market that actually is meeting the flammability requirement without the use of a toxic flame retardant spray. And so when we've emailed them, which is what we do at Branch Basics, we don't just take the website word for it. We will email the manufacturer. We have a whole sample letter you can send to a manufacturer and ask about the materials used. And they say, yes, we use a toxic. They say, yes, we use a synthetic flame retardant. And it is proprietary information. And I think the reason these are still selling in the truckload is because moms don't have this information. And we want convenience. We're overwhelmed, we're stressed, you know, and so I think it's more just about understanding that there are alternatives. And I'm hoping one day the car seat turn stroller industry will step it up. Here's the interesting thing. So the, the car seat turn strollers are actually not allowed across the Canadian border because they don't meet safety ratings. So they're. The car crash standards alone are not great.

[Allison Evans]

So if you have a car seat stroller. Yeah, it has toxic chemicals. Such as what?

[Lauren Everts]

Such as chlorinated, brominated, fluorinated, phosphorus based flame retardants. I don't know. They, we've emailed them and they say it's proprietary. So I'm not sure. But all I know is that you can achieve the flammability fire safety rating without the use of any type of synthetic spray. You can use wool, you can use a certain weave of polyester, you can use bamboo. I mean, there's tons of ways to reach it. So there's just no reason why these companies should not step up and do the best for our babies. If you think about these infants, they're in, their lungs are not developed yet. And the thing about fire flame retardants, I would say that's the number one thing you should avoid when it comes to baby products. They are ingested by, you know, a baby touching and putting their hands in their mouth. They are inhaled and they are absorbed. So there's three avenues of, of, you know, acquiring and accumulating these toxins, like I said, that are lowering IQ and related to cancer. There was a scientist, Arlene Bloom, in the 1970s, and she was the first one to kind of come out with all of these studies about flame retardants. And it was all about having them on children's pajamas. Right. And so a lot of the flame retardants have been phased out of pajamas and furniture. However, they're still allowed in a lot of the baby products we have today.

[Allison Evans]

Which pajamas are they in still today?

[Lauren Everts]

You know, if you have 100% cotton or linen pajamas, you can pretty much be sure that your pajamas are clean. I mean, ideally you would want organic. They're actually so easy to find these days. I mean, Target and they want skis.

[Allison Evans]

And they want the nightgown with the princess.

[Lauren Everts]

I know, it's so hard. That's hard. Well, you're talking about Like, Zaza's age is tough.

[Allison Evans]

Yeah. She wants the pr, but it's hard.

[Lauren Everts]

I tell my kids, listen, y' all can wear this kind of stuff sometimes during the day. I understand. But when it comes to sleep, like, I'm pretty protective over what they're wearing. And those marshmallow. What are they called? Marshmallow things.

[Allison Evans]

Sm.

[Lauren Everts]

People are going to laugh at me. Smushmallows. Listen to me. I have three girls. I don't even know the name. And I'm like, let's just not breathe deeply into all of these stuffed animals all night long, you know?

[Allison Evans]

Yeah. There's the smush. Once you remove the toxins in your house. And you have the smush melons or whatever they're called.

[Lauren Everts]

Yeah.

[Allison Evans]

You're like, damn, those smell like a fucking car freshener in a new.

[Lauren Everts]

Oh, the fragrance ones.

[Allison Evans]

Yeah.

[Lauren Everts]

Yeah.

[Allison Evans]

What's the brand of car seat that you would recommend if you were to pick one?

[Lauren Everts]

Yeah. So I love Nuna because they are the only line that is completely free of flame retardants and pfas, which are forever chemicals. So I applaud them and all of their colors. And those are great. Chico, as in, like, the more economical line is actually now coming out with flame retardant free. I mean, there's so many great ones now. Maxi cozy.

[Allison Evans]

I think that's a good place to start. We'll link it in the show notes.

[Lauren Everts]

Yeah, so. Oh, I wanted to say really quick. So we actually developed a registry that has all of this information, and we did a landing page just for your followers. So we did branchbasics.com backslash skinny20, and it will have all of the different references that we're making here.

[Allison Evans]

Amazing.

[Lauren Everts]

Just to make it easy, blankets. I mean, to me, that's so easy because there's so many amazing companies out there now. I mean, 100% organic cotton blankets from Koiuchi Pure Baby and Child. I believe you're using their mattress. My friend has Pure Baby and Child. It's the best mattress on the market.

[Allison Evans]

That's the mattress I got because I ran into your friend in Italy. Italy. And she told me all about your mattress selfies.

[Lauren Everts]

So good. They're the best.

[Allison Evans]

The mattress is amazing. I just got it in the mail. Yeah, it seems really comfortable.

[Lauren Everts]

It's so. It's the most breathable mattress on the market because it's made from the fibers of coconut husks. And so it's super breathable. Like, when you think about babies, just breathing deeply into these mattresses can I take a moment about baby mattresses just for a second.

[Allison Evans]

Let it rip.

[Lauren Everts]

So the mattresses and the car seats are like my two soapboxes about baby gear. Because if you think about this, those babies are sleeping up to 20 hours a day. They are processing information. They're growing at these, this rapid rate, and we have them on these mattresses all the time. So CNN just recently reported these two studies where they found in 25 babies bedrooms between the age of three and four months, the most toxic air in the bedroom came from all around the mattress. So, which is crazy, right? And it turns out these are all conventional mattresses sold in the United States at most, you know, large retail stores. And they ended up finding that these flame retardants that they say, like the mattress would say that they are free of, you know, X, Y, and Z, and they would still find these now banned flame retardants in the mattresses. And so when you have a baby breathing deeply into this mattress, and, you know, I know it can be a controversial subject and there definitely needs to be more research done on this, but sids Sudden Infant Death Syndrome has been connected to the combination of the flame retardants that are sprayed on these mattresses, plus a common toxic fungus that can grow in bedding and mattresses, and it can actually inhibit the central nervous system and breathing and heart is all undermined. So not making any huge claims here, but it's just something to consider. I would say, you know, when people say, oh, my gosh, the mattresses are so expensive, I would say put everything second. If you're going to splurge on anything, like, people will come together, Family and friends, get everyone to pitch in to buy a truly clean mattress.

[Allison Evans]

Maybe we have a code for pure mattress.

[Lauren Everts]

Ooh, we need to go.

[Allison Evans]

I should ask her. We should get you one maybe.

[Lauren Everts]

Yeah. Purebaby and child.com has an incredible mattress. And it's. Listen, I have four kids, and I've used the same mattress for all of them for eight years.

[Allison Evans]

And that's the mattress that you've used?

[Lauren Everts]

Yeah.

[Allison Evans]

What about sheets and bedding?

[Lauren Everts]

Again, that's so easy. They're everywhere. I mean, everything from Target, Aubaby, A, U, B, A, B, Y. Pure Baby and Child also makes sheets and bedding. It's. That's one of the things Burt's Bees you could probably find under 15 on Amazon. You can get some organic sheets from Burt's Bees or, you know, one of those companies.

[Allison Evans]

Okay, so what if you want to co sleep? I feel like you're the co sleeping queen. Tell us about that.

[Lauren Everts]

Yeah, co sleeping is one of those things that I stumbled upon. I didn't even know the name for it when I started doing it because I was literally in survival mode. I had my first baby. This was before Instagram and Facebook and all the. Well, it was, I guess, in the heart of Facebook, but it was before I was seeking out information through Instagram or AI or anything like that. So I'm just doing my thing and I'm using my intuition like my aunt told me to, but I am getting up every hour or two and going over to the bassinet across my room because I always knew I was gonna have the baby in my room. And I was so exhausted. Lauren. I mean, I. One day I had her in the rocker and I was about to fall asleep. So the AAP came, says that they recommend keeping the baby in the room for the first six months. It highly reduces the risk of sids. Right? But they do not recommend co sleeping. So if you really think about all these parents that are doing the best by their babies and trying to follow the rules and they're so damn tired in this rocker, it's more dangerous than actually co sleeping in a safe way. Right? So co sleeping for me was. Not only was it. Did it help me survive and really thrive during those newborn days, but honestly, it was the sweetest time. Like, I would wake up at 2 and 3 in the morning and just smelling that little newborn head and being so close and skin to skin. You know, there's a reason why all of our ancestors slept with their babies. I mean, first of all, they didn't have halls and caves. Right? You know, it's just so funny. We put our babies down the hall, but, like, we. This is a pretty new concept, you know, I mean, having our babies snuggle up next to us. Science actually shows that our heart rates, heart rates will sync with one another. So that's a protective mechanism against breathing issues for the baby. And for a mom like me, who had a low milk supply, like, it was absolutely necessary for me to keep my supply to have my baby nursing me kind of throughout the night. And so if you have a flat surface, we of course had an organic mattress. To me, that's like key in this. We weren't using any sort of fragrances or toxic laundry detergent. Of course, no pillows, no, you know, blankets that could inhibit the baby or breathing or anything like that.

[Allison Evans]

You have no blanket around you.

[Lauren Everts]

So I had it on the bottom part of my body. And then a lot of times I would almost touc tucked the blanket like. So here's what we did. Let me try to describe this, like, with words. For me, I found that the side lying nursing position was best. So baby and I would both be on our sides and I would almost have my upper arm around the baby's, like, bottom, if that makes sense. And then my upper. My lower arm would come across the back of their head and back. So I almost kind of created this, like, cradle fence for my baby.

[Allison Evans]

Okay. But here's the problem. I only will lay on my left side.

[Lauren Everts]

That's okay.

[Allison Evans]

Because you know how your gut drains.

[Lauren Everts]

Yeah.

[Allison Evans]

Do you know what I'm talking about or do you think this is crazy? Well, I think your gut, you're doing.

[Lauren Everts]

It for a health purpose.

[Allison Evans]

You want to only lay everyone in the world on their left side.

[Lauren Everts]

Okay, so I hear that and I agree with that. But I would think in those newborn days, you may have to, like, side switch just to keep up your supply. Because you're going to be breastfeeding, Correct?

[Allison Evans]

I'm gonna try. I don't. I'm gonna try to breastfeed.

[Lauren Everts]

You're gonna see.

[Allison Evans]

No, I mean, I mean, I think I'm gonna breastfeed. I've breastfed my last two. I'm gonna breastfeed, but I'm not like one of those people that's like, I'm.

[Lauren Everts]

Doing it for two years. Breastfeed or die. Right. No, I totally get it. I'm not gonna establish that supply or really just for sleep. Listen, Kelly, my co founder, she co sleeps and I felt like she did it in a different way. A lot of people don't do the sideline. They sleep on their back or they sleep on their belly and their baby's just right next to them. I just found that letting the baby kind of nurse themselves to sleep in the first few months was the way that I could keep supplying what he or she needed.

[Michael Bostick]

Quick break to talk about Just Thrive. One of our favorite partners, one of our favorite companies, is that cookie calling your name. At 3pm, the midnight fridge raids the extra slice of pizza you swore you wouldn't eat. If you feel like your cravings control you, it's not just willpower, it's your gut crying for help. We have been talking to the founders of Just Thrive on this podcast for years now, and they are the go to source for us when it comes to gut health, gut microbiome, and overall stress that gut health can cause if we don't manage it. And this is exactly why we've been talking about Justified probiotics on this show for so long. But now we're also obsessed with their digestive bitters. We chatted all about digestive bitters on the March episode we did with the founders. You don't want to miss that episode. If you have just search Just Thrive and go back and check it out. It was an episode we did in March. And here's the thing. Our modern diet lacks essential bitter compounds that manage appetite hormones like GLP1, the same hormone in those expensive weight management shots. Just Thrive's Digestive Bitters gives you the power of 12 clinically proven herbs that help your body break down food efficiently while naturally supporting GLP1 production. All you have to do is pop two tasteless just thrive capsules before your largest meal, and the difference is incredible. It's going to help you with controlled cravings, less bloat, steady energy, and comfortable digestion. So check them out. Try Just Thrive Digestive Bitters in the Just Thrive probiotic [e-mail] and use code TSC for 20 off your first order. That's justthrivehealth.com and code TSC for 20 off your 1st order. Your body will thank you.

[Allison Evans]

Lately I have been doing a Fiesta bowl. So what I do is I grab Taylor Farms Avocado Ranch Chop Salad Kit. It's so good. I use that as a base. And then I add my ancestral blend of meat on top of that. I like shredded cheddar cheese. I'll chop up maybe some red onion. And then I'll add jalapenos. I'll add sometimes habaneros because I like it really spicy. And then I'll take chips, tortilla chips, and crunch it up and put it on the top. And then I get this salsa at the farmers market. It's a salsa verde by Moose Farms at our local farmers market. So good. I put that on my Fiesta bowl and I sit there. I love to sit in silence while I'm eating, and I just like to enjoy the food. And it's so delicious. If you have like a spicy sparkling water, you put a little grapefruit juice in it. Next. It's just. It's heaven. I'm telling you. It's such a good lunch. Taylor Farms Chop Salad kits, they really have you covered. They have sweet kale, Caesar, Avocado Ranch, Mediterranean crunch. And you can make the best bowl of fresh greens with their yummy dressing and toppings. You can mix it up with A meat bowl. Or you could just do it plain or even add chicken. Grab a Taylor Farms chop salad kit and get your salad together.

[Michael Bostick]

This episode is brought to you by Squarespace. Squarespace is the all in one website platform for entrepreneurs to stand out and succeed online. Whether you're just starting out or managing a growing brand, Squarespace makes it easy to create a beautiful website, engage with your audience, and sell anything from products to content to time, all in one place, all on your own terms. We live in such an incredible time in history where we can reach anyone instantly online in seconds with beautiful websites, beautiful brands with all the capabilities to monetize and build a business right from the comfort of our own home. I know this is what Lauren and I did. We started with a blog and then we created this podcast and then created a product line. And this was all done on websites that were created with platforms like Squarespace. We have been huge proponents for years about owning your own online brand, your own online destination, and most importantly, your own online business. Squarespace can help you do so cost effectively without having to involve 18 different third parties. When we first started in this space, these platforms did not exist. What I love so much about this is this now democratizes the Internet. It gives anyone with a desire to build a brand online or a business or a side hustle or even just content the ability to do so. Squarespace has so many different capabilities. Whether you want to accept payments, create a newsletter, they have AI that's going to help you with design intelligence. They have ways to connect all of your social and multimedia accounts. They have ways to help you sell content, SEO tools, you name it, Squarespace has it. And like I said, all cost effectively and in one place. So if you've been thinking about building that online business, that online brand, that online content hub, now is the time you can do it and control all of it yourself without relying on third parties. All you have to do is go to squarespace.com for a free trial and we and you're Ready to launch squarespace.com skinny to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. Again, that's squarespace.com skinny.

[Allison Evans]

It'S funny that you say that. I just finished Hilaria Baldwin's book who's married to Alec Baldwin. They have seven kids. She said this thing in the book and I am no breastfeeding experts, but I have to ask you this. She said the way she kept her supply up for seven babies because she was nursing two at once, was she would pump every 30 minutes or feed for three minutes. And she said the trick to. To getting all this milk, she had so much milk. She said, wow. Was that instead of, like, pumping every two hours or, like, waiting, she would do it every 30 minutes, which is, like, so much, but only three minutes.

[Lauren Everts]

Okay. That is unreal. I'm also so impressed because she has all these other babies running around her house and needing her or needing a ride somewhere and must be glued to that darn pump. That is commitment. That's amazing.

[Allison Evans]

Well, it's only three minutes, though.

[Lauren Everts]

That's true. But I mean, cleaning the parts and all the. To me, that's.

[Allison Evans]

Do you clean the parts? I mean, let's be honest.

[Lauren Everts]

I mean, I do. Everyone really. I stick them in the fridge for sometimes up to six or seven days, and then I'll, like, boil them.

[Allison Evans]

Yeah. I mean, how. How often are we really, like. This is like when people say they clean their makeup brush.

[Lauren Everts]

No, no, that is different. But we are talking raw milk here, so we have to handle it a little with a little more care.

[Allison Evans]

Okay. So. But. But I think she would just, like.

[Lauren Everts]

No, that's amazing. I may actually try that because my. Listen, my left boob barely produces anything. My babies have all survived off to my. Off of my right one. So I may. My left one may need this.

[Allison Evans]

She says the trick to breastfeeding, she said every 30 minutes, pump for only three minutes.

[Lauren Everts]

Okay.

[Allison Evans]

And it trains your body to make a ton of milk.

[Lauren Everts]

See? And I went through the. I'm kind of doing the power pumping thing right now. I actually did it while I was having some water right before the show on my little balcony. But I'll do 10. No, sorry. 20 minutes. Stop for 10, on for 10, stop for 10, on for 10. But that's only if I'm actually in a place for an hour, like before bed or.

[Allison Evans]

You know, it's so much work.

[Lauren Everts]

I know it's a lot of work, the pumping. Honestly, with my first two, I didn't pump, so my second one never took a bottle, so I never even thought to pump. Didn't own a pump.

[Allison Evans]

Does pumping change your boob?

[Lauren Everts]

In terms of what? Like the way that they look or the way they produce? No, I don't think so. I mean. Well, your nipples look absolutely crazy going through that thing. I mean, it feels very unnatural to me. Sometimes I look down and I'm like, this is unreal that this is happening.

[Allison Evans]

But maybe instead of pumping every 30 minutes, you could just nurse for three minutes. Can you do that or no?

[Lauren Everts]

So to me, That's. That's the thing. It is so much easier to grab my baby and to latch them on me because you don't have to clean a darn thing. The milk is already the temperature they need. You don't have to store it or deal with any of that stuff. You know, I mean, having my baby with me, even traveling, sometimes I'm like, honestly, it's easier to just take the baby than to have to pump and store and fly with this milk also.

[Allison Evans]

Then I'm like, you're taking your breast milk and you're putting it in those plastic holders.

[Lauren Everts]

Yeah.

[Allison Evans]

Which. Can someone invent something else?

[Lauren Everts]

I know, actually. Okay. I heard that someone had. But not. I don't know about when it actually drops down into the. The plastic. I only have plastic for those. But then they're immediately. You can transfer to these stainless steel called Cera. Gosh. C E R E S. Sarah, chill. It's like this brand that's come out with this great way to manage breast milk as you're traveling. So anyway, I just got it, and I'll have to use it for my next trip because I had a little cry over spilt milk in my Stasher bag on my last vacation.

[Allison Evans]

I would cry if you spilt milk.

[Lauren Everts]

It was a lot.

[Allison Evans]

It's devastating.

[Lauren Everts]

It was a lot.

[Allison Evans]

What's the brand of diapers and wipes? The Allison approved.

[Lauren Everts]

Yeah. So Kudos diapers, which I don't feel like as many people have heard of. They're sold at Target. They are the only diaper where, you know the band that goes around the baby's leg, that's kind of the ruffle that you have to bring. Once you put the diaper on the leg has that little, like, ruffle part that keeps the hoop and stuff in. So they're the only brand that makes 100% cotton ruffle part, which is actually important because it's touching the baby's leg.

[Allison Evans]

And all day long.

[Lauren Everts]

All day long. So I. Coterie is also great, too. But I will say Kudos is probably the cleanest disposable diaper.

[Allison Evans]

Okay. I use Coterie wipes and diapers, but I just ran into my friend Cora, who's married to Tarot, who owns four Sigmatic.

[Lauren Everts]

Yes.

[Allison Evans]

And he started a diaper line that. This is so cool. And I might be flubbing this. The diaper. When the baby pees in it, you throw it away. And then when it goes to, like, the garbage place. What do you call it? Where the garbage place is dropped?

[Lauren Everts]

Yeah. The.

[Allison Evans]

The dump.

[Lauren Everts]

The dump.

[Allison Evans]

It grows into mushrooms.

[Lauren Everts]

Okay. Is it hero diaper maybe?

[Allison Evans]

Yeah.

[Lauren Everts]

H I R. Okay. Yeah, I just tried them. You can basically plant the diaper and, like, build a garden. It's amazing.

[Allison Evans]

You can build the diaper. But here's what he said, which was crazy. He says the blue line is what's the most toxic thing.

[Lauren Everts]

Interesting.

[Allison Evans]

So he has no blue line also. We don't really need a blue line.

[Lauren Everts]

We don't really need a blue line. I don't. I've never really understood that. I'm honestly like, can't you smell? And if not, can't you feel we're that like.

[Allison Evans]

I feel like we just. Come on.

[Lauren Everts]

Come on. And also, you know when your baby needs a diaper change?

[Allison Evans]

Townes pees twice in the diaper. He pees twice.

[Lauren Everts]

I don't need a blue art. More than that. Yeah, yeah. You know what I mean?

[Allison Evans]

We're all just hanging on by a.

[Lauren Everts]

Thread, a thousand percent. As long as it doesn't leak out, I'm like, you can do whatever you want.

[Allison Evans]

Yeah, I don't need a blue line. So I thought that was really genius.

[Lauren Everts]

Interesting.

[Allison Evans]

It grows into mushrooms and then he.

[Lauren Everts]

Harvests them and sells them. Or.

[Allison Evans]

No, the mushrooms, it just grow. It's like biodegradable.

[Lauren Everts]

That is unreal.

[Allison Evans]

I mean, it'd be cool if it grew into magic mushrooms, but. Oh, wow.

[Lauren Everts]

Yeah. So that you could be like a more mellow mom as you're changing diapers. Full cycle diapers.

[Allison Evans]

So kudos. Wipes or coterie?

[Lauren Everts]

Oh, wait, the wipes. The wipes conversation is very different. You were talking diapers, Right?

[Allison Evans]

Great, let it rip.

[Lauren Everts]

Well, you're sitting down.

[Allison Evans]

What's wrong with the wipes?

[Lauren Everts]

Everything. There's. Honestly, here's the deal with wipes. Wipes are a breeding ground for microbes because you're introducing water, high water content, to a highly absorbable surface. And so there will be mold and mildew and all the nasties, unless you use a strong preservative. So therefore, every single wipe has to have a certain preservation in the formula. And that preservative is too toxic to touch a baby. So I know that so many people listening are like, you've officially lost me. This is so extreme. But guys, I have not used a baby wipe. I mean, I don't use baby wipes. I mean, I will use them on the go.

[Allison Evans]

What are you using?

[Lauren Everts]

Okay, so I use dry wipes. And right next to my dry wipes, whether it's in my purse or at Home, I have a spray bottle with water, and I literally wet the wipe and then.

[Allison Evans]

Look at that. It sounds like water wipes.

[Lauren Everts]

It sounds like water is. But it's not. But what's so crazy is last ingredients, guys. And this is where I'm going to bring out my nerdy toxic brain. But the ep, the science of epigenetics shows that a small amount of a toxic chemical can turn on and off genetic expression. So if you think about daily use items, those darn wipes are touching our baby in the most absorbable area of their body. Right. Highly absorbable. Multiple times a day. Okay. So when we think about diaper rash, we think about eczema, and then we think about future things. We think about organ accumulation, we think about autoimmune immune. We think about allergies and autism. And all these things can be connected to these small little ingredients that are in microdoses that add up over time. So I would say if you're going to do just a handful of things, making sure your mattress is clean and those daily use items like your car seat and your wipes, I think are really key. So Honest Company sells 100% organic disposable dry wipes. I buy them on Amazon. It is the easiest thing. It's one of those things, once you get into the habit, you realize you really don't need to have a wet wipe. I mean, yes, you can throw them in your bag like on the run. And I will say healthy baby, I think makes the best wet wipes because they use sodium benzoate, which is a preservative. We don't love it, but it's probably one of the better ones. So kudos. Diapers and then healthy baby wipes. But there's not. There really aren't great wipes on the market.

[Allison Evans]

I went and got my blood tested and it came back higher than anyone he's ever seen for Triclosan. And I could not figure out. I might have checked it was wipes. Yeah. And you know what's. Is that ingredient is not on the package. You have to dig deep. And something. That's a very popular white brand. White brand. That's supposed to be one ingredient.

[Lauren Everts]

It's not one ingredient because sometimes it's such a small amount that it doesn't. It's not on there. But they're talking about that one wife. Think about how many times a day we're introduced to that one thing.

[Allison Evans]

And it's. It's by the butthole. It's by the. It's by the intimate area. Then it's on your hands. I even like. Like, I was giving my kids the wipes to wipe their face after they ate.

[Lauren Everts]

So I did that at the farmer's market a couple days ago. I felt bad because there was a mom there with me, and my three year old obviously had stuff all over her face. And so she was just being a friend, and I wasn't gonna be like, oh, no, no, no. But she wiped Eleanor's mouth all over with this wipe. Okay. So we get in the car. I wasn't thinking much of it, and I look in the rearview mirror. She's sitting in her car seat behind me. Her entire mouth is bright red. Her body just was not used to being introduced to those things. And my kids have pretty resilient skin. Like, they're olive. They're not, like, they're not sensitive skin kids. I could not believe it. I took pictures because I was like, one day I'm gonna have to show my audience that this is what wipes can do. And it was the same wipes you're talking about, by the way. Because I know what you're talking about.

[Allison Evans]

It's so intense because you don't, like I said, want to be psychotic, but at the same time, if it's a daily habit that they're doing all day long.

[Lauren Everts]

Yeah, it's the daily things.

[Allison Evans]

It's. I just don't get why there's no brand integrity.

[Lauren Everts]

Is that crazy? No, honestly, I will say the wipes, the car seat thing is. It's whole. It's a whole soapbox for me, as you can tell, in the mattress. But with the wipes, we have tried to create a wipe right. With Branch Basics, and we cannot meet the standard of preservation that is needed to keep the wipes safe more than four or five days without growing mold. So I understand why these manufacturers are having to add these ingredients. I do get it.

[Allison Evans]

That's a bummer. I'd love a Branch Basics wipe.

[Lauren Everts]

Well, I brought. I got you a little gift bag of some stuff.

[Allison Evans]

I'm gonna try the dry wipes from Honest with the spray bottle.

[Lauren Everts]

I'd love to set you up. I'd love to set you up with the whole system so Michael can't balk.

[Allison Evans]

Well, I'm gonna get the heated wipe warmer.

[Lauren Everts]

Yes.

[Allison Evans]

And put the dry wipes in there.

[Lauren Everts]

Yes. It's so easy to make that. So at home. It's super easy. Cause you just put it next to the baby changing area and you get the oxo. You know, the Oxo brand. And you can put a bunch of dry 100 organic cotton wipes. Let's see, there's another brand that makes them off of Amazon. Oh, I'm blank. Whoopsie. W H O O P S I E S Whoopsies and Honest company make dry wipes. You fill the little Oxo, you know, wipe dispenser or whatever heated one you want with a little bit of water at the bottom and they'll last for a while without that.

[Allison Evans]

That's just a water wipe.

[Lauren Everts]

It's just like it.

[Allison Evans]

Huh?

[Lauren Everts]

Genius.

[Allison Evans]

I mean, without triclosan.

[Michael Bostick]

Yeah.

[Allison Evans]

It's honestly wild.

[Lauren Everts]

Yeah.

[Allison Evans]

I only use Branch Basics in my house for cleaning supplies. Sometimes I use Molly's suds, like for, for certain things.

[Lauren Everts]

Molly suds is great.

[Allison Evans]

It's. It feels like it's very clean, like Branch Basics. But Branch Basics is like everywhere. And I'm really proud that we just switched the entire office cleaning supplies to Branch Basics. Carson, don't know if you knew that I'm looking out for your well being.

[Lauren Everts]

For his future babies.

[Allison Evans]

Why is it so important for a mother to consider the cleaning supplies and let this one rip? Because people, there's still pushback about switching cleaning supplies. And it's such an easy switch. And my house, it. It's not more dirty.

[Lauren Everts]

It's not more dirty. Yeah. Well, I always love to go with this kind of extreme story. So Kelly, my best friend and co founder, her husband was on the. He's a doctor and he was on the Covid team and he is in a home where they don't use one sanitizer or one disinfectant. And never did he come home and say that's what we should be doing. I mean, he is a doctor and he was exposed in the depths of the COVID situation. Their family never got sick. I mean, that's the thing. My kids are rarely sick and when they're sick, they're sick for one or two days max. And we have not used bleach, we have not used a chemical based, pesticide based disinfectant ever. I mean, my kids have never been around one really, unless, you know, they're at school or something. So the reason that this is so important is because our cleaning products contain carcinogens, asthmagens, obesogens, like actually proven to be connected to causing obesity, childhood obesity, because of the way that they're disrupting our hormones, synthetic fragrances, I mean, the allergens alone and the way that they're connected to eczema, the fact that we Use them but yet we don't need them is what boggles my mind. Like we do not need to have these toxic cleaners in order to effectively clean and remove germs. And in fact, what's happening when we bring in these disinfectants is we're actually decimating our gut microbiome. So there was a study done on 757 babies between the ages of 4 and 6 months. And then they've tracked the babies. It was a long term study again at age 1 and age 3. They found that the babies that were growing up in homes that use disinfectants on a daily basis had the least amount of friendly bacteria in the gut and the highest amount of unfriendly bacteria in their gut, which is directly the same pattern as one with like eczema or obesity.

[Allison Evans]

Branch Basics works just as well.

[Lauren Everts]

And it just, it works. And you don't have to have that fragrance. And if you think about guys like the way that our babies are breathing deeply into those sheets and clothes, I mean even when someone comes and visits my baby and they have perfume on, you know, I'm just kind of cringing or I'll really nicely ask if they'll, they'll put a burp cloth. I'll say, oh, sometimes the baby spits up, if you don't mind putting a burp cloth on. Because I can smell when they hand the baby back and just the perfumes and all the things coming from their dryer sheets and all the things that they're using on their laundry.

[Allison Evans]

I even think like if you have a nanny or someone who's helping you or even like your mom if you like sometimes I'll just say, hey, here's Molly's suds. Do you guys mind washing your clothes?

[Lauren Everts]

Yes.

[Allison Evans]

Because if the baby's going to be.

[Lauren Everts]

Breathing it in, your baby's caretaker, you should advocate for your baby. They cannot speak up. You know, this is the time like our babies are born pre polluted. There was a study done by the EWG 20 years ago. So think about how many more toxins we've introduced since then where babies were born. And we used to think that these chemicals did not pass the blood brain barrier. Right. We thought that the placenta was this protective barrier around the baby. But they were born with 287 chemicals tested in the umbilical cord blood. 180 of them are carcinogens. Okay, that's just before they were born. So if we as moms, as parents have information, you know, it's one Thing to have the information and to decide, listen, you know, I get it, but I'm choosing this. But what makes me sad is when we don't have the information and all of a sudden our children are having to pay for that. I did. My mom only wishes that she had an Aunt Merrily to tell her the things that I am talking about now. Because I had cysts, thousands of cysts covering my ovaries by the time I was a teenager. I had chronic inflammation. I was on hydrocodone and antidepressants and painkillers and muscle relaxers all through college because of crazy inflammation and pain. And when Merrily woke me up to this lifestyle when I was 22 years old, guess how long it took me to reverse pretty much all of those things? I listed 10 months. So, like, our bodies want to heal. We are so resilient. And our babies. If you're listening right now and you're thinking, oh, my gosh, I've screwed up my baby, they're already three or they're already eight, like. Like, I was 22, you know, so there's so many things that we can start doing today. And once we remove these chemicals, our bodies will run in the direction of healing, and we will detoxify and overcome symptoms.

[Allison Evans]

This is why I'm such a Louise Hay fan. Because her. In her meditations, she always says, like, let the past go. Like, if you. It's. It's. If you've already. If you've made mistakes like we all have with whatever it is, and you're hearing this and you're overwhelmed, let it go. Just let it go.

[Lauren Everts]

No shame, no guilt. The last thing I, I. When y' all asked me to come on, I thought, this is a really sensitive topic, you know, and the last thing I want to do is make a mom feel like they have made the wrong decision for her child.

[Allison Evans]

We're all. We're all refining. Yes. My gravestone is going to say edit and refine. Like, I'm editing and refining all the time. You can edit and refine.

[Lauren Everts]

Your friend Carson. Can you edit that? Is that going to be your quote on your.

[Allison Evans]

You can edit. We're fine. It's like, no one's perfect. We're all just doing our best. But if it is a daily habit and it's the same price exactly. You know what's annoying? The dry cleaner, because what do you do? You have a nice shirt. You spend a lot of money on it. Yeah, it's a silk moment. My. I just got my daughter a Silk nightgown.

[Lauren Everts]

Yeah.

[Allison Evans]

What do you do? Is there.

[Lauren Everts]

Okay, so I will say there are certain types of silk that actually do really well in the laundry. Are you sure you have to dry clean her silk nightgown?

[Allison Evans]

It doesn't look the same.

[Lauren Everts]

It doesn't.

[Allison Evans]

I'm sorry.

[Lauren Everts]

Okay.

[Allison Evans]

I really wish I could say it does.

[Lauren Everts]

Okay, well, so there are dry cleaners that.

[Allison Evans]

Where. Where?

[Lauren Everts]

Okay, well, Houston has an eco clean. So what we do is that.

[Allison Evans]

I feel like that's like look over here. It's like we're green. But like.

[Lauren Everts]

So you asked him not to do the final spray. But in the end, I would not let my child sleep in something that's been dry clean. I mean, I just wouldn't. I think there's. There. My children have a few silk items and we just put them in the wash. And you're right. Lunia L U N Y A yeah. As that beautiful brand. And they actually tell you to wash them.

[Allison Evans]

So no final spray though? If you have to.

[Lauren Everts]

Yes. No starch or finishes or fragrances. I always say that when I go. And then take them out of the bag immediately. Don't let them suffocate in their own filth. Right. And put them in the sun. Because the sun honestly is the best detoxifier. So I always have Will's like beautiful shirts like out, you know, on the balcony.

[Allison Evans]

See, I knew you would have a tip for that. That's a random one I want to talk about. This is not really to do with baby, but it's something that I'm struggling with the hair gel with the guy.

[Lauren Everts]

Oh, the hair gel. We still haven't figured this out.

[Allison Evans]

We got. Okay, we got the volcano.

[Lauren Everts]

I told you. That's what Will uses.

[Allison Evans]

The volcanic paste, which we'll link in the show notes, you guys, for towns. So town is my son. When he does his hair, he uses the volcano paste. Michael is also on to this hair gel.

[Lauren Everts]

Yeah.

[Allison Evans]

Can we. We need to. I don't know.

[Lauren Everts]

I mean, I feel like my husband has used a few brands and I feel like the volcano. And then there's one more that I felt like I sent you a picture of over text and I'm forgetting what it is right now, but it's in a black container. Was that the volcano one?

[Allison Evans]

I think it's the volcano one. So maybe.

[Lauren Everts]

I don't know. Michael has a lot of hair. We gotta. We need to formulate just specifically for him.

[Allison Evans]

Which is a problem though. Cause it's a whole to do.

[Lauren Everts]

It's a whole thing.

[Allison Evans]

And then he tries to get in the bed with us, and it's.

[Lauren Everts]

But is it fragrant?

[Allison Evans]

I can smell right now. I can smell.

[Lauren Everts]

You can smell it in your mind.

[Allison Evans]

I'm like a blood. A bloodhound. I can smell from a mile away. And he tries to get in the bed on my brand new silk pillowcase that's fresh. And lay his head down. And then, like, the kid.

[Lauren Everts]

Well, he at least needs to shower if it's fragrant. He needs to get that off before he gets in the bed.

[Allison Evans]

That's the rule. But I.

[Lauren Everts]

But then he's just gonna get mad about your spray tan. So you can only go so far. This is constantly. It's the hair gel versus the spray tan.

[Allison Evans]

The spray tan is really slim pickings.

[Lauren Everts]

It really is. There's one. Oh, my gosh. What is the name? Salt air or salt something that's. But it's not like a person that comes to the house. It's like you diy and it's just not the same.

[Allison Evans]

That's your. That's your next company as a spray.

[Lauren Everts]

A spray cleaning products and spray tan.

[Allison Evans]

Without getting too granular. And someone's giving birth in the hospital. What's the Allison birth plan? Ooh.

[Lauren Everts]

I mean, back to basics, baby. Okay, so literally, like, please do as little as possible. I mean, okay, I'm. I'm someone who has had all my babies at home, so, like, I have embraced the fact that our bodies can do this. And I have to tell myself this over and over when I'm facing the pain and there's another baby coming, and I'm like, how am I gonna do this? I have to hype myself up. So for me, personally, if I'm giving birth in a hospital, I want to be able to move constantly. So if they're going to do the constant fetal monitoring, which to me is excessive, because I don't need to know every single detail of what's happening, because I feel like that can sometimes over information can be stressful. Right. And I think that early intervention that's unnecessary sometimes comes in because we're so micromanaging every single piece of our birth. And I hope I'm not stepping on toes or making people upset right now. But for me, I'm like, I want as little monitoring as possible. I want to be able to move. I want to be able to get on my hands and feet. I mean, ideally, I've given birth three times under with baby coming out underwater. So, like, I love a good water birth, but at least I would Love to be able to labor in the water, because it tremendously helps that pain.

[Allison Evans]

But how can you do that if you have an epidural?

[Lauren Everts]

You cannot. Okay, so if you're having an epidural, it's a whole different subject. I would say once I have. Once that baby comes out, give me my baby, and we don't need to do anything else, and then let me go home. Okay, so I'll just keep it at that because I'm not going to get into more details, but I'm, like, very back to basics. The one thing I can say here on air is try to delay the umbilical cord clamp as long as possible.

[Allison Evans]

Like, how long?

[Lauren Everts]

Okay. So the hospital will say, oh, my gosh, it's fine. All the blood has been transferred. Well, you don't want to wait till it stops pulsating. You want to wait till that cord is white. Okay. So in the 1960s, they introduced the early cord clamp because Pitocin was popular. Right. And they didn't know how the drugs and the delayed cord clamping would mix. Well, now we do know that you can delay the cord clamp and still have the epidural, still have the Pitocin, still have all the things, and you can still delay the cord clamp, and everyone is fine. But because the hospitals are just kind of coming into this information, it takes, you know, years for. I feel like America. America to catch up. But when you delay the cord clamp, you can. You could increase the blood supply up to a third. So that's a ton more iron, which is amazing for brain development. There's no reason to clamp that cord in under 10 minutes. So sometimes the hospital will say, okay, we'll give you a few minutes. But I'm like, I don't know. Give me an hour if you can. Like, I don't mean to. An hour. Yes. Literally. Literally until it's completely white.

[Allison Evans]

They rush you along.

[Lauren Everts]

So as long as possible. If it's five minutes, that's better than immediate.

[Michael Bostick]

Quick break to talk about Symbiotica, one of our favorite supplement companies, one of our favorite wellness companies. We've had the founders of Symbiotica on this podcast so many times. And here's the thing. Symbiotica brings the best products to market. They have so many incredible products that it's actually hard for me to do these spots because it's hard for me to actually pick my favorites. I have so many favorites. I've talked about the vitamin B. I've talked about their Vitamin D. I've talked about their glutathione. All great products. Their magnesium, incredible. They have some new products that I'm super excited about that I don't think we've talked about on this podcast. First they have their Irish Sea Moss. CMOS is going to start to get a lot more coverage because of the incredible things it's going to do with bloat and healthy skin. They also just released their brand new Shilajit that come in these liquid complexes. They used to have this resin complex but now they actually have them in the package that they typically deliver on. And here's the thing, the new Shilajit is going to help with sustained energy, muscle recovery and vitality from the inside out. I also like to mention that both of these products, just like every other Symbiota product, taste incredible. What I would start with for sure is their Vitamin C. I think it's one of the best on the market. Their glutathione with the pqq, I think that's one of the best antioxidants out there. Symbiotica has the highest quality. And then I would definitely check out their new Irish CMOS and their Shilajit. If you have not checked that out yet. I've been experimenting with these and I feel great. Taking symbiotic supplements is one of the easiest ways I found to stay consistent with my health goals even during a busy summer. All you have to do is go to symbiotica.com TSC today to get 20 off plus free shipping. That C Y M B IOT aka.com TSC to get 20 off plus free shipping quick break to share some big news. Branch Basics, one of our all time favorite cleaning brands is now available at over 600 Target stores nationwide. [e-mail] that's right, you can now pick them up during your regular Target run. Branch Basics has become an absolute staple in our house. We use their hand soap, we use their cleaning supplies. We got rid of all of the harmful chemical hormone disrupting ingredients that so many other household cleaning supplies come with. And here's the thing, our house is still squeaky clean without all of those terrible scents and smells. One thing I've noticed ever since we got rid of those hormone disrupting chemical products, the house is calm, the children are calm, the dogs are happy. And like I said, Branch Basics can get the same job done just without all those harmful ingredients. From countertops to bathrooms, even tough stains, Branch Basics All Purpose Cleaner, Bathroom Cleaner and their new stain removal Tackle it all plus, they're gentle on sensitive skin and safe for babies and pets. Who doesn't want to use a product that's safe for their babies and pets? So if you're tired of toxic chemicals lingering in your home, who isn't? It's time to make the switch. You can grab Branch Basics products now at Target. Find their Concentrate All Purpose Cleaner, Bathroom Cleaner and stain remover right on the shelves. Trust me, your home and your health will thank you. We haven't looked back ever since we made the switch, so check them out. Shop branch basics and 600 plus target stores nationwide or target.com you can also use our code skinny15 to get 15% off at branchbasics.com skinny15 again skinny15 for 15 off at branchbasics.com Skinny15 levity levity.

[Allison Evans]

Is a personalized weight loss program that combines clinically guided support with GLP1 treatment. Every plan includes medical consultations, prescription only medication if eligible, and ongoing medical and lifestyle support from licensed healthcare providers to promote long term effective weight loss. So all treatments here are prescribed by licensed professionals and delivered discreetly to your door. If you're unfamiliar with a GLP1, it's designed to help reduce food noise and support portion control by mimicking hormones that regulate hunger. And what's cool about this is this isn't a quick fix. It's actually a long term approach to health with real ongoing support. So you have support the entire time. They're accessible online with no appointments necessary. And I think the licensed professionals part is really important. Everything is safe and clinically guided and they also have a range of cost which is nice. So if you're looking for different options, it's designed for people who have tried diet and exercise but need a sustainable expert led solution. Get $50 off your first levity order with code [e-mail] that's J-O-I-N L E V-I-T-Y.com joinlevity.com Code TSC50 did you know that most toilet paper has formaldehyde and chlorine in it? It also has dyes. I was shocked to know. I found out this probably a year ago that there's all of these crazy things in toilet paper. We're wiping our most intimate areas with this all day long. My daughter is using the toilet paper, my husband's using it. I went on this like wild goose chase to find the best toilet paper on the market. And while I found some brands that were great, I also wanted to create something better and so that's what we've done at the Skinny Confidential. We have created a better choice. I was involved in every single detail of this toilet paper. We took out formaldehyde. We took out chlorine. We took out the dyes. We took out all the things that I didn't want my family exposed to. And then, of course, in our very Skinny Confidential way, we wrapped it in pink. As you can see, I wanted the experience of the delivery when you got it to be very romantic and pretty. Never. Are you excited about getting your monthly delivery of toilet paper? And I wanted to make you excited. So it comes in the most luxurious box. You open it, it's packaged, cute, and it also has our little stamp on it. And you can put this on all of the rules in your house and know that it's a better choice for you and your family. I am so passionate about this launch. We have been working on this launch for a long time. My team is so excited about it. It's shaking up the market, and it's disruptive, and it's everything that we want to bring to the table. So if you're looking for a better choice when it comes to your toilet paper, go to shopskinnyconfidential.com. grab it now. We will sell out, but we're doing subscription, so I would definitely say to subscribe so you can make sure that you get it monthly. That's shot.

[Lauren Everts]

Stop.

[Allison Evans]

Skinny confidential dot com. You know what else I'm not a fan of? The blankets and the beanies.

[Lauren Everts]

Blankets and the beanies, definitely. BYOB And B, bring your own. Yeah, for sure. I would definitely bring my own. All the things. Because think about not only the blanket and the polyester and the microplastics in it and that fresh baby skin that's covered in that beautiful Vernix that you're not going to wash off. But then what are they washing those things in? Clorox. But these are easy wins, Lauren. These are easy wins. You have your own little basket with your 100% organic blanket. You have their first outfit. You have their first beanie. I mean, it's easy. Those are easy.

[Allison Evans]

It's easy win. But I will say there is a pushback energy that I cannot explain. It's an undertone. Call it what you want to call it. I feel it every time I've given birth of, like, what do you know, girl?

[Lauren Everts]

If there is one person in this world that can command her birth story, I'm looking at her right now.

[Allison Evans]

It's.

[Lauren Everts]

But I feel it.

[Allison Evans]

I Feel. Yeah, I. You need. Also, you're fucked up from the drugs when you do an epidural. Yeah.

[Lauren Everts]

Yeah.

[Allison Evans]

You're a little bit honest, Allison. I love an epidural.

[Lauren Everts]

Yeah.

[Allison Evans]

I walk in, I'm like, I'm in pain.

[Lauren Everts]

So in my mind, I'm thinking, she's missing this part. And you're thinking, no, she's missing out on the epidural.

[Allison Evans]

You are missing out on the epidural. It's really fun. But the epidural dural.

[Lauren Everts]

You're like, post epidural. I'm not missing out on Boss.

[Allison Evans]

After the epidural, I'm like.

[Lauren Everts]

But that's why you lay all this out in the beginning. And Michael is advocating for you just like he does.

[Allison Evans]

We'll talk off air. Michael is advocating for me, for sure. Michael's amazing.

[Lauren Everts]

Amazing.

[Allison Evans]

And Michael's a guy that when you give him the information and the facts, he pivots, which is great.

[Lauren Everts]

Yes, Absolutely. I've seen.

[Allison Evans]

Or else we would be living in chlorine.

[Lauren Everts]

Except the hair gel.

[Allison Evans]

Except the hair gel. That's the one thing that he won't give up. So it's just. It's hard a little bit to advocate when you're kind of.

[Lauren Everts]

No, I completely understand that. I honestly, I'm all about a birth plan. And we. With my first. You know, you just never know what's going to happen with your first. And so I was very diligent about making my hospital birth plan. Since then, I've been like, these babies are coming out at home. And I just have. I'm set on that story. And I've just. That's happened in my life.

[Allison Evans]

Life.

[Lauren Everts]

But I was very much ready with my bag by the door when my. When I was giving birth to my first, thinking, I don't know if we're going to transfer. I don't know what this is going to look like. And I had laid out what she. I mean, in a sheet, like, typed out what she was going to be wearing.

[Allison Evans]

What?

[Lauren Everts]

Absolutely. Yeah. Yes. I think a lot of people do this. I mean, when I. Oh, I had.

[Allison Evans]

It with the first two.

[Lauren Everts]

Yeah.

[Allison Evans]

I'm just saying. I had it. And there's still an undertone. Yeah. And it's like, with everyone. It's just with certain situations, the reason that I do not want a home birth because I figure. Because you would think I would want a home birth is because I've realized that I would have to manage Michael.

[Lauren Everts]

And interesting.

[Allison Evans]

He. When he gets, like, really nervous or stressed.

[Lauren Everts]

Yeah.

[Allison Evans]

He gets into this state, and it throws me off.

[Lauren Everts]

Like, he would need his own doula, maybe.

[Allison Evans]

Yeah. Like, I. When. When Townes cut his head open, like, he. He got stitches in his head.

[Lauren Everts]

Yeah.

[Allison Evans]

I was, like, trying to focus on Townes because Townes is crying and screaming. But Michael's energy was, like, up here. And he wants me to take emotional residency, which is, like, matching his energy. But I have to stay calm and stoic for Town Bones.

[Lauren Everts]

Yeah.

[Allison Evans]

So I just feel if I gave birth at home, hopefully he's not listening to this. He would be like a maniac.

[Lauren Everts]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Allison Evans]

And I. It would, like, ruin.

[Lauren Everts]

But this actually what you're saying. Actually what you're saying. I mean, I know, but I'm. I'm serious when I say this. Everyone has to give birth in the place that they feel the safest, because that's how they're going to open up and have a baby in the least intervened manner. And I'm serious when I say that. So for me, I don't feel very safe in a hospital. I don't like the hustle, the bustle, the fluorescent lights, trying to advocate for things that the hospital may not want. Right. So I get. I would probably have what they call failure. Failure to progress. And they probably wheel me in and cut me open. Right. But at home, I'm like, I own this space. I'm relaxed. But then I talked to so many people who are like, I would be so freaked out at home. I'm like, home is not where you should give birth. You need to go to that hospital where you can relax. You feel safest in the hospital. You will. Wherever you are going to open up the quickest, that's where you go.

[Allison Evans]

I think, too, now that you're saying this, I'm not. I don't like my house out of order.

[Lauren Everts]

Yes.

[Allison Evans]

That gives me anxiety to have people walking in.

[Lauren Everts]

So that was actually my only negative thing. And I was cleaning as I was in the first and second stages of labor.

[Allison Evans]

That's how I would be.

[Lauren Everts]

I was making sure that my bathroom was perfectly clean and that my astringent was picked up and my cotton balls and my, like, face tape was in the trash. Like, I didn't want, because I knew people would all be in there. So, yeah, I get that.

[Allison Evans]

That and all. Just people in and out of my house and, like, managing that. I would feel a little bit like I have to host. But I really think the root of it is I love the epidural.

[Lauren Everts]

Yeah. Those epidurals, they need to find really They've got to find a home based epidural.

[Allison Evans]

It's like after 10 months you haven't had any vice and then it's like, give me that epidural right now.

[Lauren Everts]

Yeah, yeah.

[Allison Evans]

Does anyone else feel like that?

[Lauren Everts]

Okay, I'm sure most of your listeners do that. Most of them are relating to you right now. Not me.

[Allison Evans]

Air filters in the baby's room. I'm doing.

[Lauren Everts]

Jasper, what's your favorite Austin Air? I mean, find one without a smart meter with low EMFs. That is obviously HEPA. H E P A. Make sure the filters are clean. Right? That's huge. Make sure it's not right there next to the baby. I love using our Austin Air as a sound machine. I feel like that's a huge win for that white noise in the background. Ooh, can I talk about baby monitors for a second?

[Allison Evans]

Yeah, I was just gonna ask you about that.

[Lauren Everts]

Hold on everybody. We've just gotten rid of our, our wet wipes, our, our car seat turned stroller, and now we're taking it later.

[Allison Evans]

Down use an organic match.

[Lauren Everts]

Oh my gosh, that's hilarious. So baby monitors. Okay, first of all, EMFs are a real thing. We don't taste them, we don't see them, we don't smell them, we don't touch them. And so we want to forget about them. But we have to remember, babies brains are highly absorbable. They're. There's so much more water content and so they actually absorb EMFs twice as much as the adult brain. So babies are not just little humans. Like they breathe twice as much air. I mean, pound for pound, they're eating more, they're drinking more, they're absorbing more. Absorbing more. So studies have found that the term between birth and six months in terms of exposure to EMFs is highly correlated to autism spectrum disorders. So when you think about that, that baby brain is just on overdrive, growing like crazy and having a baby monitor which is super high in radio frequency fields, constantly on your baby as they're sleeping. When their brain is processing and storing all this information, it's just not good. And you know, it's hard to say, okay, well, so what do I do? Do I just listen to my baby to scream? I have somehow gone for babies and never used a baby monitor. I would rather not hear my baby for the first few minutes instead of feeling like I can watch their every single move. I feel very safe that my baby is, you know, sleeping on an organic mattress and not smelling a bunch of toxic toxins. And I feel like monitoring the every move of a child and having to watch them as they sleep can cause a lot of maternal anxiety. And so that is one option is to not have one. There's another option of Tech Wellness has one that you can actually hardwire so you can be constantly watching the baby. But you are. There are cables, okay? So it's not as, you know, chic. And then the second best or third best option besides not having one, having the hardwired1 is Le Rev L E R E V E. And there is not one baby monitor that is going to have no EMFs, okay? They're all going to have some sort of EMS unless they're hardwired. But Le Rev has been tested as the only one that claims to be low emf, to actually have a low EMF setting. So I would highly consider that.

[Allison Evans]

Also, if anyone is taking care of your baby at any time, whether it's a minute or an hour, my rule is no cell phone by that baby's head.

[Lauren Everts]

No cell phone by that baby's head.

[Allison Evans]

I mean, get the cell phone.

[Lauren Everts]

It is a radio satellite right next to that baby's brain, okay? I have the best hack for that, Lauren. Because sometimes you have to have your cell phone while you're nursing. Okay? So we had an electrician come out and he dropped a line in the wall and put a jack next to my bed, okay? Because I wanted to be able to nurse and scroll Instagram and check DMS and do the things that sometimes you need to do as a business owner. And I actually hardwired my phone, so my phone actually becomes like a mini laptop, okay? So I cannot make calls, but I can scroll the Internet. I can scroll social because I am actually hardwired with Ethernet that into a jack next to my bed. It will take a few hundred dollars for an electrician to come do that. Your home.

[Allison Evans]

Why can't you just nurse and put your phone way away from you on airplane mode?

[Lauren Everts]

You can. That's ideal. But sometimes when you're nursing hours and hours a day and you're trying to, you know, answer somebody, or you want to scroll Instagram, I mean, these. This, my option right here is better than just having your phone by the baby's head, which is what most moms do for hours a day. But I'm with you. Listen, that's the ideal.

[Allison Evans]

I have to get a hardwire in my house. Well, can you text me how to do that?

[Lauren Everts]

I'll send your electrician.

[Allison Evans]

Well, you know who I love the test? My home guy. He always recommends Branch Basics, too.

[Lauren Everts]

Oh, we love him.

[Allison Evans]

I have notes all over this. It's overwhelming because. Not because this is overwhelming. It's overwhelming to me because there's so many brands that just don't care. Yeah, that's what's overwhelming.

[Lauren Everts]

Yeah.

[Allison Evans]

Branch Basics does care. And do you guys have a code for us?

[Lauren Everts]

We do. Okay. Skinny 20. Okay, 20 off all starter kits and laundry powder.

[Allison Evans]

Yeah.

[Lauren Everts]

So if you do one thing, guys, laundry powder, I'm telling you, just make sure that that baby's clothes, everything that is touching their skin, that's highly absorbable, if there's any sort of rash or eczema or anything. I recently had a mom call me and she said I've exhausted every single route. I've been to all these doctors. Her baby is covered in eczema and she was using a less toxic laundry detergent. I'm obviously not going to name names. Switch to Branch Basics. And within a week, that baby took a picture of the baby on the beach. It's the sweetest thing. So it does make a huge difference.

[Allison Evans]

Okay, and you guys are also available at Target now. We are target.com Amazon branch basics.

[Lauren Everts]

We are. Yes.

[Allison Evans]

Branchbasics.com skinny20. You get 20% off if you use code skinny20.

[Lauren Everts]

Yes. And your landing page is branchbasics.com backslash skinny20. And the discount code is already taken. And then we have all of the registry recommendations. And I want to end by saying there are so many brands doing amazing things. So let the takeaway from this not be brand bashing or, oh, my gosh, this is so overwhelming. But this is honestly an opportunity to make changes and to support the companies that are doing better because there are so many great ones.