Category Archives: Eco Friendly Parenting

Can Disposable Diapers Ever Be the Green Choice?

Not every family wants to use cloth diapers. I strongly prefer them to disposables, having used both types, but washing cloth diapers isn’t something that all families are up for.

What are the chances for a disposable diaper to be a green choice? Does that ever happen?

Green and eco friendly are hard words to define. In general, something that creates waste and cannot be reused is not going to be as eco friendly as something that can be used over and over, and even handed down when you’re done with it.

There are times, however, that a disposable diaper makes sense.

That would be when water usage matters. If you’re living in an area with a severe drought, having water available for drinking is far more important than using water for washing diapers. That’s a place you can cut back on your water use.

When that kind of situation happens, the important thing is to pick the most environmentally friendly disposable diaper you can buy. Don’t be fooled by the eco claims of major brands – they’re usually too vague and use words that don’t have any legal meaning to make themselves sound good.

The trouble is that even the more environmentally friendly disposables aren’t that much better than the traditional disposables. They don’t use bleach, they use renewable resources for parts of the diaper, they don’t use latex or fragrances. But they cost more than traditional diapers as a rule, making this as much a budgetary decision as a green one for most families. There’s usually a limit for how far we can vote with our wallets while raising a family.

Biodegradable diapers are another option. You can throw these into your compost pile, although due to the human waste involved the compost should then not be used on food plats. Safe enough for anything you aren’t going to eat, however.

Some come as covers with biodegradable liners that you dispose of in your compost. Biodegradable doesn’t work so well in a landfill, as they get covered too quickly to properly biodegrade. If you just throw them in the trash, you aren’t taking advantage of their biodegradability.

When it comes right down to it, I still have to recommend cloth diapers over other diapering options. Preferably organic cloth diapers.

But if it happens that you must use some sort of disposable, don’t reach for the easiest solution or the greenest looking package. Take a better look and find the balance between caring for the environment and being kind to your wallet. Sometimes the answer you want isn’t the one you can afford.

Give Your College Students a Green Start

As kids get older and further along in school, they need more supplies. Mine are in elementary school, with one homeschooling, and so don’t need much in the way of supplies this year. That’s not going to last. Kids in high school and college in particular need more supplies.

Laptop Computer

Older kids and young adults are often best served by having their own computer, especially if they’re going to college away from home. It’s a big advantage to not need to use the library computers or wait for the family computer to be available.

Laptop computers use much less energy than desktop computers. Look for Energy Star certified laptops to find the most efficient models. Also pick Energy Star printers and other accessories the laptop may need.

Backpacks

What student of any age gets by without a backpack? Most students carry them, and too often only use them for a year if you don’t pay attention to quality.

Buying a good quality backpack with the goal of using it for more than one year is a good green step. Look for backpacks made from recycled or organic materials.

Eco Friendly Writing Supplies

Look around for eco friendly writing supplies. There are a few brands that make eco friendly pens and pencils.

Get a Bike

Once kids are old enough, encourage them to bike or walk to school. Same for college students. Not only will they save on gas, but biking to college classes rather than driving means not having to buy a parking permit. You may need to rent a bike locker for storage, however.

Buy Dorm Decorations Used and Locally

When kids go off to college, there’s a huge temptation to ship them off with a ton of supplies to decorate and otherwise set up their rooms. Better is to help them buy dorm room supplies locally, used if you can find thrift shops in the area.

This can be a hard sell, as there are usually roommates to deal with, and no student wants to look like they can only afford thrift store stuff. But sometimes you can find things that no one will know came from the thrift store, which can help to soothe your college student’s needs.

Besides, there’s almost a tradition of college students decorating with some really odd stuff. Thrift stores can help you get a start on that.

Mini Fridge

The mini fridge is a classic feature of the dorm room. It’s great if a shared one can be negotiated with roommates, but that often leads to battles over whose food is whose, and so many students just prefer to keep their own.

Once again, go for Energy Star.

Cooking Gear

Having a fridge means there’s going to be some cooking going on in that dorm room, at least in a microwave. Microwave cooking isn’t the healthiest of ways to go, but dorms usually limit what can be used in the rooms.

Dishes and other supplies for cooking the food in are a great target for the thrift stores. You don’t need anything fancy for dorm room food.

Laundry

Make sure your student knows how to do laundry when he or she goes away to college. Otherwise they’re either going to suffer in the laundry room or keep hauling it home, which isn’t very efficient.

Encourage your student to use eco friendly laundry detergents such as Country Save, Method or Biokleen.

Care Packages

It’s always fun to send a care package to your student a few weeks in. Find out what your student needs, and send along eco friendly versions, along with some fun treats.

How Long Does Breastfeeding Make Sense? Should It Be a Law?

I got the comment the other day. Most breastfeeding moms know this one or a variant of it: “How long are you going to keep indulging her?”

It came from someone surprised to see that I am still breastfeeding my toddler. She’s 18 months old now and going strong on the breastfeeding. When do you stop?

My answer has always been “When it’s right for both of you.”

Breastfeeding my toddler is still a lot of fun for me. Not always pain free, as she’s pretty acrobatic about the matter at times. Flipping upside down, seeing how many times she can change positions during a nursing session, testing out her own version of that old saying, “You can’t take it with you.”

The minimum I recommend is one year, if it’s working out for the mother. There are legitimate reasons why a breastfeeding relationship ends sooner, and that means any you can manage is a good thing. But if you can make it work, do your best to make that year. It’s what’s recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

There’s nothing wrong with going longer, but be ready to hear comments from people who don’t understand about breastfeeding a child who is capable of eating solid meals. You are still giving your child great benefits with your breastmilk.

A maximum age is hard to define. There have been more extreme cases where children 8 years old are still breastfeeding, and most will call that excessive That’s incredibly personal to those who choose to go that long, and it’s far longer than I’d want to go. But I won’t say it’s flat out bad for the kids.

Breastfeeding isn’t just food for your child. It’s about health benefits and comfort.

Breastmilk provides antibodies to help your child deal better with illness. It doesn’t mean your child will never get sick, but it helps.

Breastfeeding is one of the easiest ways to comfort a child, whether from an injury or because your child is just worn out. Being held close and allowed to suckle calms children down faster than just about anything else much of the time. The bonding time is great for mother and child.

So How Long to Breastfeed?

My favorite duration for breastfeeding is “until the child decides to wean.” It’s the most relaxing way for me, personally. My older two self weaned by 18 months; this one looks to be going strong a while longer yet.

My second favorite is “as long as you can stand it and your lifestyle permits.” It’s not second best really, as many people have lifestyle or other issues that require weaning before the baby chooses it. You have every right to decide when you are done with breastfeeding. It’s your body, not your child’s, even if babies and toddlers get really possessive of their mother’s breasts at times.

The important thing is to have a happy and healthy mother and child. If that’s not at all due to medications or other issues, that’s how it goes. If that’s three or more years because you’re both that comfortable with the whole thing, it’s your decision. The right length of time to breastfeed is more about what works for you, not what everyone else is telling you is the exact right amount of breastfeeding.

Should It Be a Law?

Don’t be ridiculous. Of course it shouldn’t be a law. I don’t care what Gisele Bundchen said.

What breastfeeding moms, and moms in general need from the law, is support. Laws that make it easier to breastfeed, especially in public. That’s legal in many places now, but not everywhere.

We need laws that give moms more paid maternity leave. Paternity leave for dads would be nice too. But it’s easier for moms to breastfeed if they have more paid maternity leave. It would allow breastfeeding to be better established before mom has to return to work.

This isn’t just an issue in the United States. It’s an issue worldwide, especially in countries where families can’t afford formula, but are often given free samples, which disrupts the proper establishment of breastfeeding. Nestle’s business practices are a strong example of a company’s business practices interfering with breastfeeding.

We need obstetricians and pediatricians who are well trained on the subject of breastfeeding. We need better education for mothers rather than a “breastfeeding support bag” filled with formula and coupons for formula.

We need social support and acceptance that a woman’s breasts are not just about sex.

And we need support for moms who are struggling with breastfeeding or cannot do so.

What Should You Teach Your Children About Climate Change?

As a mother concerned about how the climate of our planet is changing, sometimes it’s hard to decide just what to tell my kids about it. There’s a lot to explain, and it changes as kids grow older. I don’t want to scare them, but I don’t want them casually wasting things either.

What do you tell children about climate change?

Younger Children

When children are really young, I don’t think explaining climate change as such is effective. What is effective is to teach them to not waste food or other items. They can start to learn about recycling.

Young children are usually great about repurposing things you might otherwise throw into the trash. So many things can be parts of various art projects. Sometimes it’s hard to balance keeping things for future projects with keeping clutter out of your home. Once kids get the idea, they’ll often try to keep just about everything you’ll let them.

Kids in Elementary School

Elementary school is a good time to start getting a bit more into the details of why you want your children to recycle and not waste. You can discuss what littering and pollution in general do to the environment, and how your lifestyle can help.

Be aware of what’s being taught at this stage at your child’s school. It may or may not agree with what you want your children to learn about climate change.

I find it important for my children to understand that humans are most likely a factor in global climate change. I don’t mind explaining that some people disagree, because that’s something they’re going to hear at some point. Better they get used to hearing about why we believe as we do than to be confronted with a different perspective they don’t know how to handle.

You should also see what your local schools are doing to reduce waste at their locations. Do they have recycling bins? Do they have a gardening program for the kids? Are they offering information to parents online or by email rather than printing every notice out?

Middle School on Up

The older kids get, the more you can teach them about climate change, individual action and volunteering to make more of a difference.

This is a good time to really get into why you make the shopping choices you do. If your kids are really interested you may have covered this topic at a younger age, but as they get older start talking to them about why you shop where you do. Tell them what’s good about going to thrift stores, especially when they start resisting. Come up with a plan to balance their needs for a particular look with environmental considerations.

Kids in this age group are eligible for many kinds of volunteer opportunities. They don’t have to go for environmental causes in particular; it’s just good to get them used to the idea that helping others is something they should do.

If you raise your children to consider the environment, it will come more naturally to them. They may rebel against it at times, but if you pay attention to their concerns and needs you can find the balance that will help them appreciate all they can contribute to making the world a better place.

I Love These Boxes My Daughter’s Homeschool Books Came In

My daughter’s school supplies from k12.com came today. It was a lot of fun checking out what we got from them. But one of the most interesting parts was looking at the insides of the top flaps.

That’s just one of the flaps. It’s a little hard to read, but all four flaps give ideas on how you can reuse the box around the house, as a toy and more. It’s really a great way for them to encourage the reuse of the box.

I have to say the supplies look really great too. It’s going to be a great school year.