Eco-Baby

As you know, we're all about making our best attempts at going green and live sustainably around here. Sometimes it works great and we're able to change our habits completely (hooray for cloth napkins!!!), and other times we fall off the wagon (boo when the "baby" craves McDonald's - yep, there's a correlation between McDonald's and non-sustainability - for 100 points, tell me what it is :-D). Heck, at times our CATS do way better than we do - after all, their lives are pretty much "eat, play, potty, sleep." Not TOO complicated. ;-)

So, of course, when it comes to the future Baby D (still no nickname, and the "D" isn't a hint as it its possible first name ;-)), it's not like we're suddenly going to throw caution to the wind and suddenly raise the kid in an eco-less life. We feel too responsible for the future of our planet, especially now that we'll be worrying about the future generations that will be using it. Plus, so much of living a "greener" lifestyle is also about maintaining one's own health - it's a win-win, as far as I'm concerned.

As far as how we're going about our green baby journey, it's probably easiest to simply break it down for ya:

- Cloth diapers. While I read an article last night stating that cloth diapers AREN'T more eco-friendly (from a magazine riddled with disposable diaper ads...hmmm, coincidence?), I'm still fighting the cloth diaper battle. I'm still trying to decide between a million different options, and am finally to the point of asking myself, "Do I just want to go simple and purchase all one kind and brand, damn the consequences? Or should I pick a few different styles and brands (as well as price points) to see what works best?" It's hard to determine how your kid will respond/react to each type, and I haven't heard 100% positives from ANY one given diaper. Of course not! Kids. All. Poop. Differently. I just hope I don't regret my final decision. Regardless, we're doin' this.
- Cloth wipes. Depending on how challenging cloth diapering is, I'm planning on using cloth (reusable) wipes for their tushies. If it was good enough for my mom to use on my bum... Oh, and if we're traveling or visiting someone's house (y'know, the grandparents, aunts/uncles, friends, etc), we've got eco-friendly wipes.
- Reusing Clothes. I've already got a bin of newborn-to-6 month, gender-neutral clothes, courtesy by incredibly generous sis, who also didn't find out the sex of her daughter prior to her being born last September. Anything else I get will be icing, as far as I'm concerned. Although, I'd be lying if I didn't say that I can't wait to find out (when he/she finally comes) whether I'll be shopping for the modern bright pinks and chartreuse greens for a girl or finding part-quirky/part-hippie/part-preppy (think sweater vest; like Daddy, like Son) for a boy.

- Decor. Okay, not only is it a huge cost savings, but finding thrifted items or repurposing old family treasures really adds massive personality to the nursery. We're nowhere close to done, of course, but some of the ways that we're saving AND "greening" up the place include using an antique rocker that my mother passed down to me (from my grandfather's house - man, does this thing have personality! And I've already have blankets/cushions to comfy it up), putting art in cheap (yet mostly wood!) frames from Goodwill, painting a hand-me-down dresser to use for storage and as a changing table, using toys/books that we grew up with (which serve multiple purposes), and I've even got something up my sleeve for a sheet that has an awesome antique-looking edge (which happened to cost $2...yes, I said $2). All this is stuff that wasn't created new just for our little space - although we'll, of course, have to buy a handful of new items.

Cute AND politically incorrect? Sign me up!

Mmm...scallopy...

- Breastfeeding. I'm by no means a praying person, but "LORD, JESUS, PLEASE HEAR MY PLEA TO HAVE A RELATIVELY UNCHALLENGED TIME AT BREASTFEEDING THIS LITTLE ONE WHEN THE TIME COMES!!!!" *whew* Seriously, though, what's "greener" than breastfeeding? ;-) While we're at it, I've registered for the manual pump, although there wasn't really a green reason for it; if breastfeeding DOESN'T work out, for whatever reason, I don't want to try to resell a $200+ double-boob-electric-monster. Ain't happenin'. The eco-friendliness just happens to be perk. Oh, and when I pump (or if BF doesn't work out), we're hoping to get BPA-free GLASS bottles.
- Toiletries. We're trying to be "ASAP" - As Simple As Possible. We've done enough purging (still more to go) that simply adding to the chaos is silly. So, taking a cue from some blogger parents I've read, we're going pretty darn basic with toiletries. Here's what we picked up one day (because the prices were pretty good); I'd like to eventually keep it down to one item for washing (shampoo and wash in one), sunblock, and if we absolutely need it, lotion and baby powder; oh, and have the products as eco-friendly as possible.

- Toys. We're in love with Melissa & Doug toys (mostly wood) and other non-plastic options out there, but a lot of this depends on what we're gifted, too. (See our little choo-choo above that belonged to my hubby's family.)

I'm positive I'm forgetting some other eco-stuff we're doing, but we'll just blame that on pregnancy brain. Fun! If I wasn't already air-headed enough... (And, yes, I realize that "Mom Brain" or "Parent Brain" or whatever it's called hangs on for good. Oh, goody.)

There are some areas that I'm sure we could do better on, I'm sure, but it can sometimes be an uphill battle. We're incredibly blessed to have family members who are aching to help out - so if that means not purchasing a certain item secondhand, sobeit. And there are a few convenience items (a travel-sized swing or breast pump, for example) that I just want new. But, as with everything, we try to do our best, and I'm looking forward to keeping things relatively simple around here -- because things are sure to get complicated enough pretty quickly!