Category Archives: Eco Friendly Parenting

Buy Christmas Gifts That Encourage Kids to do More Outdoor Activities

Here it is, the start of the holiday shopping season, or at least the start I’m willing to admit to. I’m trying to ignore all those businesses that had Christmas stuff out back before Halloween, or the ones that tried to move Black Friday a week early.

At this time of year, kids are clamoring for all kinds of gifts. The hottest toys are discussed, and most kids want far more than they could ever play with. It can be pretty crazy.

With all the toys many children already have, I like to suggest thinking about what it is you’d like them to be doing, as well as what they like to do. Any gifts you do give you will want appreciated, after all.

My own favorite gift for my kids to get right now is anything that encourages them to be more active. They’re pretty active already, and I’d like it to stay that way as long as possible. Better for their health and certainly a better way for them to appreciate the world around them.

The really great part about outdoor activities is that whatever equipment they require is not likely to include a lot of small pieces to be left all over the house. Sports equipment and the like left around the yard, sure, but not all over the house.

Here are some ideas to get you going on shopping for outdoor toys and equipment for your own kids.

Wheeled

The right wheeled equipment depends on age. Younger kids will need more stable equipment than older kids, and any kid will need a bit of time to get used to unfamiliar equipment. But it’s all fun.

Consider a bike, tricycle, scooter, roller skates, skateboard, and any of their cousins. These help kids to be more active and learn to balance well. Don’t forget appropriate safety equipment and discussions.

Team Sports

Whether you enroll your kids in a team sport or just play at home with family and friends, team sports help your child be more physically fit and active while learning how to play on a team. Just how good the lesson is will depend on the particular team, since some overly emphasize winning and giving the top players most of the game time.

Your child probably has a favorite sport, and it’s best to stick with that when getting your child into a team sport. You can push for other sports, but if you’re going for more active, you want your child to enjoy what they’re doing. Physical activity should not be dreaded.

Swing Set

How can any young child resist a good swing set? It’s hard for many adults! Figure out the space you have and a reasonable budget, and get things moving.

There are of course many other ways to get kids active outdoors. What are the favorites in your family?

How to Teach Your Kids About Conserving Water

Water is one of the most important resources we have. Here in the United States, most of us take for granted that we will have safe, clean water available for drinking, bathing, cleaning and watering. It’s very rare to have a serious water shortage here to a point beyond where yard watering is limited.

Our water resources aren’t infinite, however, despite that water goes through a continuous cycle on this planet. Fresh water can be very hard to come by, and many places are beginning to struggle with how to keep a sufficient water supply available.

This is why it’s important for you to teach your kids about water conservation. Helping them to understand the value of water will help them to think about how they use water.

1. Make a Rain Gauge.

You can make a simple rain gauge by placing a glass jar or plastic bottle outside to collect the rain, and then measuring how much rain it collects. The sides should be as straight as possible, and the opening should be about as wide as the rest of it.

Leave it outside when it’s raining, then measure how much rain it collects. You can chart it over several days if you like, noting either rain totals or dumping the jar regularly to measure the rainfall for a particular period.

This is a good lesson in how much rain falls in your area. You can talk about what’s normal for your area and how it effects the availability of water where you live.

2. Make or Buy a Rain Barrel.

The next step is to make or buy a rain barrel (if permitted in your area) to collect rain off your roof. Show your children how you can use this water around the yard. Install your rain barrel and take advantage of this free water.

3. Discuss Your Local Water Resources.

This is a good opportunity for a field trip. Visit a local dam or any local water resources open to the public. Tell your kids how the water comes to your area.

If water tends to run short in your area, talk to them about why water can be an issue and what you can do as a family to limit your use of water.

4. Don’t Use Pesticides or Fertilizers.

Explain to your kids that when pesticides and fertilizers are used, they get washed down into the gutters and can contaminate the water downstream, as well as the health issues involved in using such chemicals in the first place.

Frustrated with Halloween

I love Halloween. I really do. I make my kids’ costumes as much as they’ll let me, and I have to say my son’s spider-monkey costume came out great this year. Combination spider and monkey costume, and it took some work.

It turns out that our neighborhood is the big place to go for trick or treat. I don’t exactly know why, although a few houses do a really good job of decorating. But it was crazy. I was warned of the crowds by a neighbor, and had what I thought was a lot of candy.

It lasted an hour and a half, maybe 300 kids. My front door was rarely closed for even a minute during that time. The flow of children had barely slowed when I had to shut down for lack of candy.

That’s not what frustrated me. What frustrated me was the number of parents driving their kids for trick or treating or following them in their cars. What happened to walking?

A good number did walk, of course, but I was shocked by the numbers who drove. One family even had their kids getting in and out of the car at each house, driving in between.

This wasn’t all for little kids either. My husband said one car was trailing a group of about 10 girls who looked to be 13 or so. I’d expect a group of kids that big to be just fine without their parents following them, even on foot, never mind in a car.

First of all, the sheer waste of driving a car all around. Most people are quite capable of walking the usual distances for trick or treating. It can’t be good for the car’s engine to go at such low speed for so long, as well as how much idling there would be. What a polluting waste of fuel!

Second, they’re making it less safe for other trick or treaters by driving around. That’s more chance that one will make a mistake and hit someone else’s child. It would be low speed, most likely, but that’s still a risk.

Third, for the kids young enough to need a parent along for trick or treating, you’re missing out on the best part of going trick or treating with your kids, the interaction with them. You don’t have to go to the door with them, especially beyond the age where they’re comfortable doing so on their own.

You also miss out on chatting with other parents going the same way. Get the kids into a group and have fun chatting with the parents you know. More fun for all involved. That’s also good for having a group of kids for your own to go with once they’re old enough they don’t need an adult along.

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, so I don’t let the frustrations keep me from enjoying it. At the same time, I certainly prefer how it went in our old neighborhood. More fun in general, even though there weren’t nearly as many kids out.

Hyland’s Teething Tablets Recalled – Should You Be Concerned?

Hyland’s Teething Tablets have been recalled due to inconsistent levels of belladonna in them. The FDA states that there have been reports of serious adverse effects due to these inconsistent levels, as belladonna can be highly toxic.

This is one of those recalls I almost hate to see. I used Hyland’s Teething Tablets with great success on two of my children – the youngest didn’t react in any way to them. No comfort, no bad reactions either. They were such a blessing with my two oldest that it was hard to recognize that for my youngest they would not be the solution to teething pain.

Hyland’s Teething Tablets have been used safely for decades. Are the inconsistent levels really a problem, or is the FDA being really picky?

Personally, I’d like to see consistent levels, especially with the reports of adverse effects. The amount of belladonna is incredibly small, and I find it hard to imagine that there’s enough to cause harmful effects, but if there are some, we need to be aware of that fact.

Of course, we also need to remember that acetaminophen and ibuprofen can have adverse effects too. It’s not like the usual OTC medications are 100% safe or anything.

I know not all doctors approve of Hyland’s. I remember mentioning them to my pediatrician when my son was an infant. His response was along the lines of, “well, you could give him the whole bottle and not hurt him,” and an implication that it wouldn’t do any good either.

It’s also a good time to remember that all medications need to be kept out of reach of children. Hyland’s Teething Tablets don’t have a childproof lid. That’s nice when you’re trying to deal with a fussy baby in the middle of the night, but makes it all the more important that you keep those medications safely out of their reach.

If you have Hyland’s Teething Tablets on hand, take a look at this recall and either dispose or return any you have right now. It’s better to be safe.

Want Happier Kids? Buy Fewer Things for Them

It may be contrary to what children themselves will tell you, but if you want happier kids, don’t buy them so much stuff. Things do not equal happiness, for any of us. By buying too many things for your kids, you’re encouraging them to want more and more, rather than enjoying the good things they do have.

Think about all the things children see on television that they want. No parents in their right minds would buy every single thing that a child says “I want” about. Yet so many parents always get sucked into buying more than children can really enjoy.

Teaching Kids to Avoid Consumerism

Children are impressionable. That’s why they love all the toys their friends have and all the toys they see advertised. It all sounds like things they must have.

But people who are excessively materialistic usually aren’t the happiest. Just think how happy simple things in your own life make you feel. The pride you feel in doing things yourself. How often is it things that make you happy rather than what you do?

It’s the same for kids, and it’s up to you to teach them that.

If you let them watch television, talk to them about what ads do to make them want the toys, fast food and other things they see advertised. Talk to them about why they don’t need everything they see. Point out the things that they have enjoyed for a long time, rather than the few minutes that many of the things advertised would be enjoyed.

It’s not easy to teach this in today’s society. Ads are everywhere. It’s easy to want ridiculous quantities of things you don’t need, yet that’s not the choice that will make most of us happy for any significant time.

Make sure you take your kids with your often when you go shopping. Talk to them about what they see that appeals to them, and whether or not those items would be a good purchase. Teach them what you think makes a good purchase. Show them how quickly the cost adds up for the things you do buy, and how much more it would be if you bought everything that caught their eye. Discuss the environmental cost to buying things you don’t need and won’t really enjoy for a long time.

But My Friends Have….

Kids are going to compare their possessions to those of their friends. It’s a part of growing up. They’re going to wish they owned some of the things their friend has, and may not always appreciate the lessons you’re teaching them about avoiding consumerism.

It’s not easy hearing your kids wish for more. We all wish we could let our kids enjoy whatever their hearts desire. But that’s not good for children and it’s not good for the environment either. Teaching your kids that they don’t need to have everything their friends have is one of life’s great lessons.

Help them to think about their own possessions and what they enjoy about them. Help them think of the things they enjoy doing. Help them to see how these things have value.

Talk to them about those who have less. Kids have great sympathy for the less fortunate if you talk to them about it. The idea that other kids have even less than they do is a great lesson that can be taught to young children.

Don’t make them feel bad about owning what they do or even for wanting other things. We all want things we can’t have. We learn to deal with it. It’s a natural feeling.

You can help your kids deal with our consumeristic culture without becoming excessive consumers themselves. Talk about your beliefs, and live them as a family. It’s amazing how well these things can work out.