Going green for green baby
A baby living in an eco-friendly, healthier, safer and happier place is called green baby. A greener life dedicated to sustainability is the prime condition of becoming a green baby. Green, eco-friendly, congenial, frugal, sustainable, simple, healthy, happy -- no matter what we each call it, we should try to create sustainable communities for our children so that they can live the lives they want to live.
How to raise a green baby?
Breast feeding: Breast feeding is highly recommended for the green baby. When the mother of the child is eating well, then the baby is eating well, there's no more difficulty to that “formula.” Mother's breast milk is the healthiest form of milk for human babies. But there are some exceptions, such as when the mother is taking certain drugs or is infected with dangerous contagious diseases. It accelerates the physical and mental growth; build up immunity against diseases; and reduces the health care and feeding costs.
Green mom: At first a mom goes green for growing a green baby. The mother should avoid amalgam fillings in any dental work. Hair dyes are harmful for the baby. She should eat organic foods. The smoker mom should quit smoking to avoid smoky environment. Cigarette smoke is dangerous to baby. Drugs and alcohols are also harmful for the baby. The mom should reduce her exposure to aluminum by not using aluminum pots or cookware, deodorant or antiperspirant containing aluminum.
Saying “no” to disposable diapers: The disposable diapers are much more harmful to the environment and the baby than the cloth diapers. It is also a possible danger contaminating ground water. It may take several hundred years for the decomposition of disposables to take place, with some of the plastic material never decomposing. It is not possible to keep baby's skin dry, healthy and free from diaper rash with the disposable diapers. Prolonged wetness, lack of air circulation, chemical and dye cause irritations to the baby. Sodium polyacrylate (the super absorbent gel), and dioxin (a by-product of bleaching paper) are used to prepare the disposable diapers. Sodium polyacrylate has been linked in the past to toxic shock syndrome, allergic reactions and is very harmful and potentially lethal to pets. Dioxin is known to cause damage to the central nervous system, kidneys, and liver.
Saying “yes” to “hand me downs”: Handing down baby clothes is a very old and true practice. It is a huge cost savings. Hand-me-down baby clothes, or "used" baby clothing need not be a dirty word. Without wallet shrinking the wardrobe grows very quickly. By accepting “previously enjoyed” clothing again, a parent can serve as the pebble in the pond. “Hand me Downs” is a basic principle of sustainable development.
Using organic products in the home: “Simple green” is good for the environment since pristine time. For an organic lifestyle of a baby the parent will love organic resources for switching to a greener way of life. The organic cosmetics and natural skin care will be free from parabens, SLS, synthetic fragrance and mineral oil or propylene glycol.
Organic baby foods: Before weaning, it is essential to know that there are no chemicals like fertilizer or pesticide residues in the food. As your baby grows and you begin to wean, go ahead and introduce organic baby goods. Organic baby food will be prepared from naturally good ingredients grown without chemical pesticides, nitrates, growth hormones or other unwanted extras and the meals will be produced without artificial additives, or processing chemicals. For growing infant or toddler the foods will be free from salt, preservatives, gluten, dairy, additives, sugars and/or fillers.
Organic toys: Organic toys are made from stuffed animal, wood and toxic free pure fabrics (cotton). Organic toys help a child's imagination flourish. The fabrics will be colourful but not be dyed. This is achieved simply by using fibers from naturally occurring brown, green or white varieties of the cotton plant, thereby producing coloured fabric without using any dyes. Low-impact “reactive”, safe and environmentally-friendly dyes may be used. Harmful chemicals like formaldehydes cannot be used during finishing process to give a material a soft or shiny quality.
Organic baby bedding: Baby bedding should be eco-friendly. Organic crib mattresses on soft bamboo sheets can bring bundle of joys for the little angels. Organic pads and blankets create green environment daily for the green baby. To protect your organic crib mattress, organic wool puddle pad can be used directly over the crib mattress. Wool is highly absorbent and provides the best natural protection without resorting to a plastic barrier.
Organic sippy cup: Non-leaching, safe sippy cup made by the stainless steel alternative to plastic can be used for the green baby. They are odour free and have no metal like taste. Plastic/polycarbonate bottles leach bisphenol-A (BPA), a chemical that mimics the hormone estrogen, and can cause chromosonal abnormalities.
Green painting: Any renovation of home should be avoided. Lead containing paint is very harmful for the baby. For the decoration of the new nursery plant-based paints with low fumes can be used. Solvents and fume-emitting adhesives are strictly prohibited in the baby nursery.
Making our child a part of the recycling process: As the child begins to walk and becomes more mobile, we should train them to place “trash” in its appropriate place. By teaching the first word “recycle,” we can be the proud green parents.
Setting the green examples: The parents should tell and cite green examples like a mountain lion having all organic diet will win over an alligator in a fight. Let our kiddos see we buy organic, cook organic, recycle, reduce, re-use and enjoy the fruits of being eco-friendly by enjoying the great outdoors.
Nature conservation: Unless and until we all are involved in the nature conservation, beautiful destinations may not be here for our green child to enjoy.
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