With Avin being about 4-5 months away, we are starting to get more and more of the essential type things ready for him. Things like diapers, bottles, clothes, etc. so I started thinking about the possibility of buying Green products for our baby, and if it was even worth it. I’ve always been an idealist my entire life, and being able to do things that take little effort that pay off big in the long wrong seem like a win win situation for anyone. I decided to do some googling about going green with your baby and found some fantastic information from Treehugger, and their guide on How to Green Your Baby. If you want the whole package, check out their guide, if you want a simple summarized version of the info I found, than keep reading.

Why go Green?
The Go Green Initiative can answer this one for me:

The world has a fixed amount of natural resources - some of which are already depleted. So as population growth greatly strains our finite resources, there are fewer resources available. If we intend to leave our children and grandchildren with the same standard of living we have enjoyed, we must preserve the foundation of that standard of living. We save for college educations, orthodontia, and weddings, but what about saving clean air, water, fuel sources and soil for future generations?

Seems pretty obvious to me, save your resources so the generations after us will be able to live with them as well. What’s better for the environment makes it better for humanity as a whole. Having this mentality also teaches a wonderful lesson to your children. It teaches them how to look at the big picture, and how to make decisions based on what’s best for everyone, and not just for themselves. This is something that I learned at a young age, and something I hope my son will learn as well.

Some info you may or may not know….

• For every ton of paper that is recycled, the following is saved: 7,000 gallons of water; 380 gallons of oil; and enough electricity to power an average house for six months.
• You can run a TV for six hours on the amount of electricity that is saved by recycling one aluminum can.
• By recycling just one glass bottle, you save enough electricity to power a 100-watt bulb for four hours.

(from the Go Green Initiative)

Here are some tips on how to start Greening your baby:

1. Diapers - The average baby uses approx 6,000 diapers before potty training. Babies in the U.S. uses approximately 49 million diapers a day. Babies use a crazy amount of diapers, we all know that. While disposable diapers may be cheaper in some places, and easy to obtain, they still pose a problem for the environment. According to the numbers, petroleum-based disposable diapers take between 200 and 500 years to decompose. Finding an alternative to the disposable diaper is definitely something to consider.

So what are the alternatives?

Cloth - a.k.a. kickin’ it old school. An obvious reason to use cloth diapers is that because they are reusable, you save a lot of money in the long wrong by not having to buy a ton of diapers. A drawback to this is that even though you don’t have to buy new diapers, you are still spending money, time, and energy by having to wash them.

One study has found that home-washing cloth diapers has only 53% of the ecological footprint of disposables, and if you use a diaper laundering service that impact is halved again. (Treehugger)

Even though the days of cloth diapers are long in the past, there are still new types of reusable diapers that are worth considering. Some companies have created eco-friendly cloth diapers which are made of hemp, bamboo, and organic cotton. Some of these diapers also give you the option of using removable flushable liners. By using a laundry service, or an energy efficient machine at lower temps, reusable cloth diapers may be a great alternative to the disposable.

Where to buy and how much?

Better For Babies - This website sells Organic Cotton Diapers for $19.95 and come in a variety of colors such as White, Willow Green, Sunny Orange, and Elemental Blue. They come in many sizes and types of closures. They also sell Organic Hemp Fitted Diapers that range from $15.95 to $17.95 and also come in a variety of colors.

Want to know more about cloth diapers? Check these out:

Cloth Diapering Basics - http://www.betterforbabies.com/clothdiaperingbasics.html
Why Cloth Diapers? - http://www.betterforbabies.com/cloth_diapers_vs_disposable.html
DIY Oz Cloth Nappies - http://www.ozclothnappies.org/links.html#knitting

Biodegradable Diapers - These types of diapers are made with plant based plastics, also known as bioplastics. They are derived from plant sources such as hemp oil, soy bean oil, and corn starch rather than petroleum which disposable diapers are made from.

While these have been found not to break down under landfill conditions, there are other options to compost them such as using a composting toilet, an earthworm system, or a highly active and properly conditioned composting area. Hybrid diapers, like gDiapers, have removable inserts that can safely biodegrade when flushed. (Treehugger)

These diapers are designed to break down quickly after they are disposed of, and is usually made without chemicals from postconsumer material. They are designed to be comfortable, ecologically sound, and easy to use. These biodegradable diapers can be used in composting and vermicomposting, where they can break down quicker than they would in a landfill. And although these composts wouldn’t be suitable for most plants, they can be used for flowers and other decorative plants. Check with your local utility company to see if your local garbage collection includes composting, where you can discard these diapers.

Where to buy and how much?

gDiapers - gDiapers sells biodegradable flushables for $14.49 for a 40 pack. These flushable inserts are to be used with their Little g Pants, which can be purchased for $16.99 and are available in a variety of colors. They also have a starter kit for sale which includes 2 Little g Pants and 10 flushables for $26.99, which makes for a great gift for parents to be!

More info on flushables:

Why flushing is good for the planet - http://www.gdiapers.com/flushinggood

2. Clothing - Green baby clothing comes in many different materials including hemp, bamboo, and organic cotton. They are extremely trendy, super soft, and designed oh so beautifully. They are also created without the use of toxic chemicals which is wonderful for sensitive skin, and also last longer through constant washing. The problem however, is that most Green baby clothing is a little more expensive than the traditional cotton clothes. Considering that babies grow incredibly fast, spending a lot of money on clothes that won’t be used for that long isn’t the greatest idea.

Where to buy and how much?

American Apparel - AA sells organic sustainable clothes that range from $8 to $14 in a variety of styles.
Better For Babies - They have a variety of styles and colors of organic cotton and wool clothing.

some others I enjoy:

• Go Goose Go! - http://www.gogoosego.com
• My Conservation Baby - http://www.myconservationbaby.com
• Ferdinand - http://www.ferdinandhomestore.com
• Nina and Tom - http://www.ninaandtom.com
• Bamboosa - http://www.bamboosa.com
• WonderToast - http://www.wondertoast.com
• Irie Star - http://www.iriestar.com

3. Other Green Stuff

Food - I don’t really need to go into eating healthy organic food. You find these products everywhere because it’s all the craze. If you don’t know what I’m talking about then check out your local Target or Whole Foods Store.

Toys - It really isn’t necessary to get into why we should or shouldn’t buy Green toys. Toys are toys. They are fun regardless. However, with the abundance of toy recalls in the past year because of lead, maybe going Green is the better option. They also seem to appeal to me and most of them are designed and marketed so beautifully, it’s no wonder why I’m attracted to them. Check out some of these examples.

Where to buy and how much?

Branch: Sustainable Design for Living - I would probably spend way to much on this site if I could. I especially like the Standing Leopard, which is made out of natural wool yarn, treated with natural vegetable-based dyes, and costs only $24.00.

Our Green House - This website has a variety of natural toys that range from dolls to puzzles to natural crafts.

Clean Green - Cleaning products are a necessity in any family. More so when you have a baby in the house. Buying Green cleaning products can help you not only have a clean house, but a toxic chemical free house as well. Check out this guide on Treehugger, How to Green Your Cleaning.

Need more Green? Check out these links:

Treehugger
Go Green Initiative
Great Green Baby

In conclusion, I think the whole Green revolution is great. It’s a needed step towards progressing society into sustainable living. We do so much that’s destructive to our environment and it’s great to see a growing trend on making sure we don’t do any more damage than we have to. So, are we going to go Green with our baby? We’re definitely going to try. It will take a lot more work, and maybe even a little extra money. You have to ask yourself if spending that extra dollar, and taking the extra time is worth the trouble of going Green. As I always say, the truth is in the middle. We want to save money and make things easier on the family, but we also want to save our environment, so meeting somewhere in the middle is what we’re going to try and do. As time goes by, society will start to accept Green products as the norm, which in turn makes the products cheaper, and more accessible for everyone. Sooner than later I hope.