Quick Note: I just submitted a parenting piece for an environmental magazine and am publishing the material I did not use. -Elisa

BERKELEY, Calif. -- As part of my research, I compared the prices of organic and non-organic baby and kids' foods at two Walgreens in Berkeley, the Berkeley Bowl supermarket, Whole Foods in Berkeley and Safeway's Pak 'n Save supermarket in nearby Emeryville. To my surprise, the prices for organic foods have fallen, making them comparable to better-known, non-organic brands in certain food categories like cereal.

Or, my perception is simply colored by the fact that prices for all foods have risen, as NJmom recently blogged here.

Anyways, I thought I would share with you what I found, especially since some of these stores are available nationwide. I noted which foods were organic so you can assume the rest is non-organic. Walgreens, for example, sells no organic baby foods or snacks, although it does sell one organic baby formula by Similac.

Formula (25 oz.)
Walgreens
Walgreens Infant Formula...$14.99
Enfamil Infant Formula...$26.99
Similac Organic Infant Formula...$29.99
Berkeley Bowl
Earth's Best Organic (13.2 oz.)...$16.49
Whole Foods
Earth's Best Organic (13.2 oz.)...$15.99
Baby's Only Organic Formula (12.7 oz.)...$10.29
Pak 'n Save
Similac Organic Formula...$31.19
Enfamil...$26.49
O for Baby Organics...$25.99 or $21.99 with free Safeway Club Card

Rice Cereal (8 oz.)
Walgreens
Gerber...$2.29 or 2 boxes for $4
Berkeley Bowl
Earth's Best Organic...$2.08
Whole Foods
Earth's Best Organic...$2.99
Pak 'n Save
Earth's Best Organic...$3.29 or $2.75 with Safeway Club Card
Gerber...$2.98

Baby Food
Walgreens
Gerber 4 oz. jar...$0.99
Gerber 6 oz. jar...$1.19
Berkeley Bowl
Healthy Times Organic 4 oz. jar...$0.79
Healthy Times Organic 6 oz. jar...Not Available.
Earth's Best Organic 4 oz. jar...$0.79
Earth's Best Organic 6 oz. jar...$0.99
Whole Foods
Earth's Best 4 oz. jar...$0.83
Earth's Best 6 oz. jar...$1.29
Pak 'n Save
O for Baby Organics 4 oz. jar...$0.79 or 10 for $7 with Safeway Club Card
Earth's Best 4 oz. jar...$1.29 or 10 for $7 with Safeway Card
Earth's Best 6 oz. jar...$1.28 or 10 for $10 with Safeway Card
Gerber 4 oz. jar...$0.65
Gerber 6 oz. jar...$0.85 or 10 for $8 with Safeway Card

Baby Finger Foods
Walgreens
Gerber Graduates 1.48 oz.-container of puffs...$2.99
Walgreens #2
Gerber Graduates 1.48 oz. container of puffs...$2.69
*Note: Except for Gerber Graduates puffs, the prices for all other baby items were identical in both Walgreens.
Berkeley Bowl
Healthy Times 5.5 oz. box of Organic Teddy Puffs...$2.38
Whole Foods
Healthy Times Organic Teddy Puffs...$2.29
Pak 'n Save
Gerber Graduates 1.48 oz. container of puffs...$2.89 or 3 for $6.60 with Safeway card

As for the older kids, here is a comparison of some favorites:

Don’t gag, but the florescent green mankini made famous by Borat (see pictured), is popular enough that New Zealand police have banned it at a rugby tournament. But what's most disturbing about this story is fans are actually p.o.-ed!

And don’t think the mankini's allure is limited to the Kiwis. John Mayer was recently spotted wearing one on a cruise ship. Ick.

New MotherTalkers Editors: We have added some "new" bylines to the roster. Please welcome Melissa (aka “lilianna28”), Melinda (aka "parentalunit1"), MaggieFrances and Sue in Queens to the front page!

Vibrators at Walgreens: Have you noticed anything different about your local drugstore? Apparently, the big drugstore chains -- CVS, Rite Aid and Walgreens -- are carrying "sexual health" products like lubricants, massage oils and vibrators, according to a story in Newsweek. Considering I spend most of time in the baby aisle, I have not seen them.

Newsweek's headline was funny, too: "Price Check In Aisle Sex."

What else is on your minds, MotherTalkers? Have a good weekend all!