Eco-Friendly Tips for Raising Baby
Diapers galore |
- Choose organic, unbleached cotton diapers (visit www.gaiam.com to purchase).
- Use a wrap with cloth diapers—you don’t have to deal with pins.
- When washing, simply shake loose feces into toilet, or swish in toilet bowl to remove most of it (something you should ALWAYS do, whether you’re using reusables or disposables. Fecal matter should never go in the trash). Place wet diapers in a lidded diaper pail lined with a garbage bag. At the end of the day, if there aren’t enough diapers to run a load of laundry, place the diaper pail contents in the washing machine and fill it with water and soap, but don’t complete the cycle until you have enough for a full load.
- Use a phosphate-free laundry soap without fragrances. Don’t use bleach, but use Borax from time to time to whiten.
- Rinse with a cup of distilled vinegar to remove all traces of laundry soap and urine (good for baby’s bottom), and to soften the fabric (don’t use fabric softener, it makes diapers less absorbent).
- Cut down on energy use and get diapers sterilized and whiter by drying them on a clothesline or in a sunny window.
- Use cloth wipes instead of disposables and throw them in with your diapers.
- Sometimes a disposable diaper is required, whether it's for travel or day care. For those times there are chlorine-free diapers available, such as Seventh Generation or Tushies.
- Treat diaper rash with a mixture of tea tree oil and warm water, or water and calendula tincture. Add a pot of calendula tea to baby's bath water.
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Reducing household toxins: Cleaning green |
- Make your own hospital-quality disinfectant by dissolving 1/4 cup borax in 1/2 gallon of hot water.
- Since baby is on the floor a lot, avoid toxic carpet shampoos and floor cleaners. Clean problem areas in carpets and rugs by mixing 1/4 cup vegetable oil-based liquid soap (such as Murphy's Oil Soap) with 3 tbsp. (or more) water. Whip ingredients in bowl with egg beater. Rub foam into problem area. Rinse well with water.
- Keep surfaces clean and dry to reduce the need for disinfectants.
- Instead of disposable baby-wipes treated with chemicals, cut squares of an old towel, robe, or soft cloth (such as flannel). Moisten the squares and put them in a sealed plastic container (like an old margarine container) in the diaper bag.
- Avoid tracking in pesticides, fungicides, and herbicides from parks and lawns by leaving your shoes at the door, or wiping them thoroughly on a welcome mat. Avoid using toxins on your own lawn.
- Find more non-toxic recipes for household cleaners.
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Make good use of reuse |
- Donate used toys to local thrift stores or charitable organizations.
- The Parenting Place accepts used toys for donation. No stuffed animals. Please call ahead at 303-449-0177.
- Shop for less expensive, reused toys at local thrift stores or yard sales. Share toys, used clothes, and other baby accessories with family and neighbors.
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Homemade toys |
| Take a clean plastic container like a yogurt tub and cut a slit in the top. Collect the circular metal ends from frozen juice containers. Toddlers love to test their coordination by slipping the metal ends in the slot and shaking the filled container. Then they can open the tub, dump the circular ends, and try again. |
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Nourishing from the start |
- Try blending or grinding the meal you prepared for yourself to make it edible for baby, instead of buying expensive, over-packaged baby food. Small, portable, manual baby food grinders are available for a very low price (also available used).
- If you buy packaged food, make sure it's in a recyclable containers.
- Compost fruit and veggie waste.
- Start with smaller servings.
- Reuse baby food jars. They make great containers for home-ground food and perfect organizers for beads, buttons, nails, etc.
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Great sources for more information |
- Read Ask Eco-Cycle about the benefits of reusables versus disposables.
- Visit www.punkinbutt.com.
- Greenpeace issues a report card on toy manufacturers and the use of PVC in their products. Check out which companies are eliminating toxins and which are not.
- Share your great ideas with us at recycle@ecocycle.org or 303-444-6634.
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Page last modified August 2004
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