Photo Gallery
Photo source: http://www.sxc.hu/profile/pcioca
Green Parenting Tips For Raising A Green Baby
Published: 11/05/2010 by BigGreenWeb.com
Raising a green baby is a funny title, admittedly. Surely we are not suggesting you do anything that will make the coloring of your child's skin turn green. Now that we've gotten all that out of the way, let's talk about what it does take to raise a green baby, environmentally speaking.
Almost certainly the area where the first issue arises about using environmentally conscious alternatives to raising your child is diapers. Disposable diapers are bad for the environment, period. They sit in landfills forever and they basically never biodegrade. They are a poor solution for a more "convenient" society. Now, there is an argument that cloth diapers have an almost equally negative impact on the planet, but in a different form.
The argument against cloth diapers is that they need a lot of energy to clean. The harmful impact of using a cloth nappy is almost totally connected with the practice of cleaning that diaper. Well, this grievance is most likely pretty well founded. It does take oodles of energy to wash a cloth diaper. I think it is fair enough to say that a large amount of that energy is used in machine drying. So, the implication is to utilize cloth diapers instead of disposable diapers, because of the waste impact and to air dry those diapers rather than machine drying. This concession most likely results in the best environmental solution available for Green baby diapers.
Now, there are other ways in which to raise a Green baby, as well. Baby foods are a strong consideration when it comes to raising a hale and hearty eco-friendly baby. Making homespun organic baby food isn't difficult. All it comes down to is creating puree and all puree comes down to is putting cooked organic food in the food processor. It is much healthier for your child to eat homespun pureed foods and healthier for the environment to avail yourself of locally grown, organic food to prepare your baby's puree.
If you want to keep your baby healthy, one of the best ways is to kit out your child in organic garments. Today's baby clothes are packed with harmful chemicals such as formaldehyde and other substances to keep them fire retardant and water resistant. Using organic clothing will keep these chemicals out of your child's system and possibly keep them away from disease and illness that can be caused by exposure to so many of the substances used in non-organic baby clothing. Just imagine, Benzene, Ammonia, and Ethylene Glycol are used in baby clothes as finishes.
Until recently, not too many people thought about the need of environmentally friendly toys for baby. That was until American toy manufacturers discovered some of their baby toys had been made with lead paint and other dangerous solvents by their overseas facilities. Just like baby clothes, baby toys can frequently be made with compounds that you really don't want your baby exposed to at a young age, or maybe any age for that matter. Be careful about your baby's toys and research the materials used to create them, or purchase Green toys from manufacturers devoted to using only nonhazardous organic materials in the making of their toys.
Green Parenting Tip: When buying green toys for your baby, look for the following:
- toys crafted from natural, sustainable, recyclable, biodegradable and/or recycled materials
- toys made from sustainable woods
- toys made locally help reduce environmental costs
- toys shipped in environmental packaging such as recycled corrugated boxes
- toys contain no traceable amounts of Phthalates or BPA
There are many other areas where you can concentrate your awareness to raising a Green baby. Just about everything that your baby eats or drinks or comes in contact with can have a Green choice that will be healthier for your baby and the environment.
Search BigGreenWeb.com's green business directory for green baby products and eco friendly baby toys.
Got a green business? List it on BigGreenWeb.com - The Green Business Directory
