It all started with our baby basics class at the hospital. I was about three weeks away from my due date and my husband and I were at the hospital learning all the necessities about baby. How to put on a diaper. How to swaddle. How to bathe. How to feed. When to feed. All those good things that I couldn’t remember so well from my babysitting years.
The lovely woman who taught the class put out a few bottles of shampoo on the table and asked us all which one we would use on our babies. Of course one of the bottles (which I shall not mention), was a very recognizable brand and all of us chose it. She read the ingredient list, which might as well have been written in another language, as I had no clue whether it was good things or bad things. As she went down the list and ‘explained’ what these chemicals were, I was shocked. Absolutely shocked that a large company like this, that catered to babies worldwide had included ingredients that weren’t healthy for our little ones.
So I started doing research and let me tell you, it’s scary. Once you start looking at the ingredient labels on your everyday products from shampoos, to soaps to makeup, etc. there’s a world of toxins that we use everyday. Now I am not here to make you throw out all your household items and start over. I try my best to be informed as a consumer, but now as a parent I find myself even more devoted to making sure that I am making informed decisions for my daughter.
That’s where Laurie has been a major help. Owner of ‘Adventures of Little,’ she runs a green company that’s dedicated to helping inform parents by offering greener choices for your family (and selling some fantastic things too)!. She recently spoke to one of our Mom & Baby groups, so I asked her a variety of questions to help others out there understand as well as how exactly we can do our part to go green.
1. What kinds of toxins are in disposable diapers that we are unaware of? Is there a disposable diaper that’s ‘greener’?
Most disposable diapers are bleached and not all bleaching chemicals are created equal. Dioxins from the bleaching process are scary. The absorbent center in disposable diapers is made from sodium polyacrylate (SAP). Once used in tampons, SAP was responsible for the cases of Toxic Shock Syndrome associated with the products. SAP also irritates skin, can cause staph infections, and may be related to other health problems, as well. There are eco-disposables which to some end may be healthier…they still add to the trash issue though as biodegrading only happens when oxygen is present. Landfill trash cells are covered and oxygen is very limited.
Green Mom Collective has a great article on how to make disposable diapers greener and I recommend giving it a read.
2. Cloth diapering sounds difficult. How do you do it? How is it easier? What’s the brand you recommend?
Honestly and truly, cloth diapering is not difficult. In many ways, its easier and cleaner. Less odours, less waste and less poo-splosions!
Setting up right for your family is important and sometimes over looked. Making it as easy as possible based on your home layout (think the kitchen triangle but with a change table, toilet and washing machine instead) makes for much less stress. Make sure all the care givers have at least of few of their favourites.
In Canada due to our maternity leave awesomeness, most diapers will be changed by the mom. Make sure dad has a few that he likes the best so he he’s involved too. Sending them to daycare? Making it easy for the care givers makes your life easy too. I write a blog for Adventures of Little and discuss tips to be successful as well as write for The Green Moms Collective. Simple is best.
There are a number of great brands that are Canadian made with lots of styles to choice from. Choosing a good brand with solid warranties, help lines and reference material is a good choice. They stand behind their products and their retailers. Bummis, AMP, Mother ease and Applecheeks are excellent Canadian made cloth diapers. Their styles vary, so you can choose what will work best for your family’s budget, needs and fit.
Start with a small, varied stash and wash more frequently until you find what styles you really like. Then you can add more without wasting money on diapers that don’t fit your baby or lifestyle. 28-32 is a good number of diapers to get you through 2 full days of changes, less as they get older. You can start for less than $500 for the full range of diaper time and then it can go up depending on style and number. A great way to get started is to have a registry with the diapers you want on it or ask to contribute to a diaper fund instead of a gift. Its less wasteful and you can get exactly what you need.
3. What are some simple ways I can be ‘greener’ everyday with a baby (under a year of age)?
Simple tips are a must as parents have precious time with a young family.
– Cloth diapers will save about 1 tonne of waste from entering our landfills per child.
– Find out what ingredients are in your body care products and household cleaners; the amount of toxins we use in these products each year is a bit scary. You can learn what ingredients are healthier and greener at www.ewg.org
– Make your own baby food at home. Using local and/or organic whole food has more nutrients and less toxins than convention and processed foods.
– Find ways to leave the car behind more often. Plan your day with transit or within walking distance a few days a week.
– Find ways to remove disposable items from your life. Replace baby wipes with small cloths, disposable napkins with cloth napkins, and paper towel with old towel that have been cut up.
– Follow the 5 Rs: Refuse, reduce, reuse, repurpose and recycle (great article: http://thegreeningofwestford.com/2014/04/5-rs-refuse-reduce-reuse-repurpose-recycle.html)
– Phase out items that are non-stick and antibacterial.
– Choose local whole food more often. Visit your local farmers market or look for the local label when grocery shopping.
– Become a vegetarian at least once per week.
4. What are the kinds of toxins that I might not be aware of?
Body care products? phthalates, parabens, sodium laurel sulphate are just a few to watch out for. You won’t see phthalates in an ingredient list: it is 1 of 1000s of chemicals used under the label “fragrance”
Household cleaners? antibacterial…pesticides are listed as antibacterial. Don’t rely on the words natural, organic or non-toxic unless they have a third party certification. The words are over used and the marketing term is greenwashing. Vinegar is one of the most powerful and safest cleaning components we have. There are many DIY recipes.
A great place to find out what is in your body care and household cleaning products is www.ewg.org. They have an excellent database with products rated and explanations why. They have an app too.
5. Food/Packaging/Bottles – this is a huge area of waste – what do you suggest that’s easy but also environmentally friendly?
For 1 week, put all packaging material into a separate garbage bag/collection spot. Compare at the end of the week how much of your “trash” comes from packaging. Its alarming to see in such a short period of time. Buy in bulk when you can, use washable cloth bags for produce, and reuse glass jars for storage of dry goods. Make it a habit to have a reusable mug on you for that tea or coffee you get when you’re out, carry water in a reusable bottle (1000 times cheaper, literally) and if you head out to eat, bring along a container to take home the leftovers. If you start becoming more aware, you’ll notice brands that purposefully use less packaging. Single serving packages can be replaced with small storage containers like Wean Green glass.
6. Any final advice on going green on a daily basis?
Any positive action makes a positive impact, no matter how small it may seem. Write out a list of where you want to start and then track your changes. Celebrate milestones and achievements. Choose to make your decisions intentional.
7. What does Adventures of Little do in terms of being green as well?
As a business, we reuse all of our packaging when possible. If we send out orders in new packaging, it is made to have a long life with multiple chances of reuse. We print all of our business cards and detailed cards on 100% post consumer recycled paper with soy based inks. We are paperless; so whether you order online or in person, you receive your receipt via email instead of on bpa lined paper. We choose locally designed and made as often as we can with a big focus on Canadian made, then US made and finally sustainably made outside of North America. We offer many forms of natural fibres and love offering a local pickup option or meet-up to reduce shipping costs (both ecumenical and environmental costs).
8. Great resources
www.ewg.org
www.greenmomscollective.ca
Books: Slow Death by Rubber Duck, TOX/IN TOX/OUT
EcoParent Magazine
For more information on these and other topics related to going green, check out Adventures of Little:
http://www.adventuresoflittle.ca
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