Whether he officially has a cold or not, Roscoe seems to always have a slight glaze on the narrow space between his nose and mouth.  Since traditional tissues use only virgin forests to create their products and recommend against recycling after use, we wanted to find a greener option.  The recycled tissue products on the market cost just a few cents more than mainstream brands, but I was seeking out the eco-friendliest (and thriftiest) option. 

The answer came from my friend Valerie, who used lacy cloth handkerchiefs with her one-year-old daughter’s frequent colds.  To keep track of the tissue while her toddler busily explored her world, Valerie tucked the hanky into the back of her daughter’s waistband so that it fluttered off behind her like a quarterback on the field. 

Now Roscoe has his own set of handkerchiefs and I love them!  They’re softer than tissues, washable, and very helpful for quick face-wipes as well. Most of the time they can totally handle the slime that he generates, although I have occasionally resorted to recycled tissues when he has bad colds that turn his nose-goo into interesting colors.  Ninety-nine percent of the time, our hankies can handle the gunk.

I know that in my grandparents’ generation everyone used handkerchiefs and even prided themselves on their elegant designs.  Other thrifty green parents turn those flannel receiving blankets into handkerchiefs for their children.  Roscoe’s come from a discount store, have never been ironed, and aren’t particularly attractive, but they do the trick! 

Joy and I have been friends for over fifteen years, and even back then we were budding environmentalists (not to mention accomplished penny-pinchers).  In writing the Green Baby Guide, we’ve discovered many other green mom bloggers.  Some have years of experience with green parenting and others are just starting out.  Holly writes in her first Ecobaby blog post that she doesn’t consider herself an environmentalist–and she’s not even pregnant.  She says, “There is something about the prospect of having a baby that compels me to live a more natural life, and in the process, work towards creating a better environment for my children and future generations.”  The Ecobaby blog is a great resource for others beginning their green parenting adventures.

A few of the blogs have some innovative ideas for raising older kids in an environmentally-conscious manner.  Tiffany over at Nature Moms is one of the green mom blog veterans who has been dispensing advice since 2005.  We have also become dedicated fans of Treehugging Family, written by co-bloggers Jennifer and Peggy.  Treehugging Family is updated almost constantly–every time I log on I learn something new about raising a little treehugger, like Good Places to Go Visit Trees  and 60 Eco-friendly Ways to Celebrate Spring.  Jennifer also writes the Pregnancy and Baby Blog and devoted an article to praising the Green Baby Guide! 

Here’s a list of blogs we’ve added to our blogroll since we posted our “Best Green Baby Blogs” article a few weeks ago:

• Eco Child’s Play.  Recent articles include Eco-friendly Finger Paints and Top Ten Healthy Snacks for Kids.
• Gray Matters.   Alana is out having a baby at the moment, so she may need her own Top 13 Green Picks for Baby.
• Mom Go Green has a helpful post about Bad Plastic Baby Bottles.
• Not Quite Crunchy Parent offers some tasty suggestions for Healthy School Birthday Treats, such as popcorn and fruit skewers.
• Pregnancy and Baby Blog.  Read about the pros and cons of being a work-at-home mom. 
• Treehugging Family, mentioned above.

We have combed the Internet for all the best green parenting blogs, but we may have overlooked some.  Is anyone missing from our blogroll?  Please let us know.  And in the meantime, happy green reading.

Don’t forget to enter our green cleaner giveaway!   Just a few days left!  It is now easy to post a comment on the Green Baby Guide–you no longer need to log in to tell us your thoughts.

It clutters our family’s mailbox and rapidly fills our recycling bin, but who has time to actually contact every source for this mass of wasted paper?  Lately I find myself spending ten minutes a day reading and shredding piles of envelopes. That’s time I’d much rather spend sorting through matchbox cars with my toddler.  Enough!  I finally developed a few solutions to stop the endless stream of junk mail flooding into our home. Less Junk Mail=More Play Time!

Opt Out:  I didn’t think I had the twenty minutes it took to print and fill out the online forms available at Opt-Out, but then I realized that I spend twice that amount of time each week shredding junk mail and tromping out to the recycling bin.  It’s worth a little effort to get the time savings in the long run!

When I finally went to the Opt-Out website I found the process surprisingly easy. The site will let you fill in your information and then formulate dated, addressed letters to seven different marketing networks and credit reporting agencies. I then simply printed out the letters, addressed the envelopes and sent them off with my own postage.

The site also has the Opt-Out telephone number listed to get you off the phone solicitation list.  No more calls during dinnertime or when Roscoe is in the middle of a diaper change! It also prevents me from tersely interrupting the telemarketer and bitterly informing him or her never to call my number again.  (Which isn’t easy for a generally congenial person like myself.)

Just Say No:  I have a secondary strategy to rid our family of excess mailings now that I feel freedom is in sight.  I just printed up a bunch of quick notes to send in the postage-paid envelopes that are often enclosed with junk mailings. Feel free to copy the text of the note below. You’ll notice that it’s a bit snarly, but sometimes that’s what it takes to get off the list!

To Whom It May Concern:

I would like my name to be removed IMMEDIATELY from your mailing list.  Rather than spending your organization’s time and energy sending me mail that is of no interest to me, please stop sending me any offers from this point on.  If you do not concede with my request, I will be forced to make further and more forceful complaints. I expect you to honor my wishes.

 Sincerely,

(Include your name and address)

Or Say No Nicely:  Here’s a note to send to charities that load you up with junk mail.  It sounds a bit less hostile, but still works:

To Whom It May Concern: 

Surely your charity wants to put its limited resources to the best possible use.  I would like to be removed from your mailing list.  My family has chosen to focus our giving on a few organizations and yours is not one of them.  Please help us limit waste and save your charity’s time and money by honoring our wishes.

Sincerely, 

(Include your name and address) 

You can fit about four of these notes per printed page and easily have a stack ready to shove into envelopes when the junk mail arrives.  Then just sit back, relax and watch those heaps of incoming mail slowly dwindle.  Ahhh….  If you want even more tips on how to make your life easier, go to Rocks in My Dryer for more “Works for Me Wednesday” ideas.  And don’t forget to check yesterday’s post for tips on how your cleaning closet confessions can win you some free Shaklee products.  Register and spill your deepest cleaning secrets today! 

The Green Baby Guide is teaming up with Green and Clean Mom for our first ever product giveaway! Sommer, the founder and resident blogger at Green and Clean Mom, began worrying about the effects of her conventional cleaners when she had children. “I’ve always wondered if the chemicals I’ve used to clean my bathroom were being rinsed down the drain when my three year old was in the tub,” she states on her website. “I worried about the germs on the counters but feared the chemical I was spraying just as much.” When she saw that there was an eco-friendly, family-friendly alternative to mainstream products on the market, she went for it. Sommer got rid of all the toxic cleaners in her house and began using Shaklee products, eventually becoming a Shaklee distributor.

You may be feeling a bit leery about your own household cleaners. Many of them may not be safe for your family and can have harmful effects on the environment. To see for yourself which cleaners are the most dangerous, go to this list of harmful everyday products. You can check off the ones you have under your sink and learn more about them by following that link.

If you have realized that you have a biohazard in your cleaning closet, fear not! You can actually use those items to help you score some healthier cleaners by entering our contest. Let us know what toxic products you have in your home that you’re considering replacing and we’ll enter you in our giveaway. Here’s what you could win just by spilling the contents of your cupboards (simply post a comment and you will be entered to win):

Germ Off Disinfecting Wipes

Scour Off Heavy Duty Paste

We’ll choose a winner (don’t forget to post your comment!) by next Tuesday, April 1, and send these prizes your way. (U.S. addresses only, please.) If you don’t want to wait for the contest results to make a change, try making your own homemade cleaners with recipes that use eco-friendly ingredients. Joy wrote about safe cleaners last month and her post includes a link to several simple recipes you can try.

Okay, I’ll start with my own “toxic confessions.” I have to admit I haven’t converted to all-organic-natural-non-toxic cleaners. I use plain old white vinegar on everything from the kitchen floor to mirrors and windows, but if you check under my sink you’ll find some bright yellow generic “all purpose cleaner” I’ve had for at least four years now. I promise to replace it with something better for our health and the environment once it’s empty!

Now leave your own toxic confession and you’ll be entered to win our wonderful Shaklee prizes!

Update: It is now easier than ever to comment.  You no longer need to log in!

If you think I sound frugal, I haven’t introduced you to my sister.  As a stay-at-home mother of five children, Jen has nearly a decade of experience hunting for used bargains at rock bottom prices.   In high school, she planned on becoming a fashion merchandiser and envisioned herself as a buyer for a major department store. Little did she know that two decades later she would be using her savvy style to outfit her family in quality clothing at huge discounts. For less than $500 per year, Jen keeps her whole family of seven clothed in stylish, comfortable duds at a fraction of what most parents pay.   Besides the financial savings, Jen’s family makes a much smaller environmental impact than other similarly sized households because they have bought nearly all of their clothing used.  (They also buy furniture, cars, and everything else used too, but that’s another story.)

While used clothing costs far less than it would new, it can still be expensive to outfit your family at a standard thrift store when you’re on a tight budget.  Jen goes for the ultimate adventure by taking her troop of children to the ultra-discount thrift store outlets.  These bargain super stores are usually only found in large cities, but they may be worth a short drive or bus ride.  Jen shops at the Goodwill Outlet in Hillsboro, Oregon, which stocks items that don’t sell within a certain number of days at regular Goodwill stores. Click here to get a list of Goodwill stores and outlet centers in Oregon.   

The first time Jen took me on one of her ultra-thrift expeditions, she prepared me for the “ick factor.”  Clothing is dumped onto large bins and isn’t sorted in any way.  Although it should all be laundered, she says that she has sometimes encountered some funky smells and textures.  There is no dressing room and you are surrounded by endless bins mounded with loads of clothes.

It is an expedition for someone who has more time than money, because it can sometimes take awhile just to find any baby clothes, let alone ones that are in good shape, of the right size, and in the right season.  Jen finds that she has much more luck searching for quality girls’ clothing for her four daughters than items for her son and husband. She endeavors to buy good quality girls clothing that she can sell for a profit on Ebay or at a consignment shop after her little ones outgrow it.

After just an hour of treasure hunting, we had heaped our cart with maternity clothes for me, a sweet little jean jacket for our soon-to-arrive son, Hannah Anderson striped pants in perfect condition, and loads of clothes for all of my nieces and nephews.  Can you guess the total cost for these many dozen good quality garments? $9.65.  That’s right!  Clothing costs just $1.39 per pound if you’re buying less than twenty pounds, but prices drop when you buy higher poundage. 

If you’re smart like my sister, you only buy fifty pounds or more at a time.  The price then?  Fifty-nine cents per pound!  Jen warns that even with a friend, it usually takes her three to four hours to hunt for enough items to provide the fifty pounds needed for the best prices. 

And the deals don’t end with clothing.  Glassware and dishes are also just fifty-nine cents per pound. You can pick up hardback books for one dollar and also find children’s toys for far less than thrift store prices. 

If you’re up for the adventure, outlet thrift stores are a great way to go.  You can save the planet, stock up for baby, and pay a pittance for some amazing steals. Instead of buying organic cotton onesies, you’ll be reusing pre-existent clothing––a much greener action than purchasing new planet-friendly products.  Your infant won’t mind the hand-me-downs and you’ll have a shopping adventure to remember!

 How to Live a Low-Carbon Life, by Chris Goodall

Last night I had a personal crisis while reading Chris Goodall’s How to Live a Low-Carbon Life: The Individual’s Guide to Stopping Climate Change. The premise of the book is that each Westerner is responsible for emitting twelve tons of carbon dioxide every year–”four times what the Earth can handle.”  This book shows how the individual can personally reduce his or her emissions from twelve tons to three tons. 

I read through several chapters patting myself on the back for my low-carbon ways: I don’t drive, I don’t eat meat, I don’t live in a big house, I don’t turn the heat up too high.  Then I got to the chapter about air travel.  Goodall writes, “No single step that we could take as individuals to take responsibility for global warming comes close to deciding to stop flying.”  One round trip flight from England to the U.S. emits 3.6 tons of carbon dioxide.  A 3000 km (1864 mile) flight generates 4.5 tons-per person. 

Taking just one flight a year can easily push an individual over the three-ton carbon dioxide limit.  Goodall concludes that “the only morally responsible course of action is to avoid flying except in emergencies.”  He goes on to say that while this would be a sacrifice and curtail our freedom, the damaging effects of flying “means that severe and uncompromising self-restraint is an obligation.”

So there I was, congratulating myself for recycling a bunch of cardboard boxes and buying an organic apple–when I had just returned from a thousand-mile flight from St. Louis?  My daughter is now two years old.  In her lifetime, she’s already taken three flights to Denver, two flights to Reno, and one flight to Hawaii and San Diego.  How can I not fly?  Is Goodall saying that my daughter should never see any of her grandparents or great-grandparents again?  That she shouldn’t travel at all–see the world, experience different cultures, learn another language?  I immediately thought of ways to justify my air travel.  I also got defensive: It’s easy for him to avoid air travel!  He lives in England, where all his friends and family can be reached by rail in one day!

I felt guilty–not only for the flights I’d made in the past, but for the flights I knew I would make in the future.  It’s especially difficult to vow to stop flying when I know that the airplanes flying to Reno, St. Louis, or any other destinations will fly there whether I’m on that plane or not.  Of course, if every eco-conscious person ceased traveling by air, the difference would be huge.

I’ve always valued travel as a way to broaden my horizons, experience different cultures, expand my world view–and these were values I wanted to pass on to my daughter.  So where do I go from here?

There are a few ways to become more conscious about travel.  Every “carbon calculator” I’ve come across gives me different numbers, but sometimes it’s better for the environment to drive rather than fly, especially over shorter distances.  Traveling by train is eco-friendlier than going by car or plane, so in the future, I’ll look into more opportunities to ride the rails. 

Also, some airlines are already working on going green.  This article cites Continental Airlines as one of the “Ten Green Giants” who are making strides to become more sustainable.  Virgin Atlantic is experimenting with flying their jets on biofuel, although there is some controversy about whether or not it will have enough environmental impact to make a difference.  Learn more about it here. 

If I’m not willing to stop traveling altogether, I can at least alleviate my eco-guilt by buying some carbon offset coupons.  This website allows you to calculate the miles you traveled and put money towards a “carbon reduction project” such as a wind farm.  It’s not a perfect solution, but it’s a step towards acknowledging the harmful effects of my actions.  I may not lead the low-carbon life Chris Goodall wants me to lead, but I credit him for opening my eyes to my environmental transgressions.  And as Joy always says, “Progress, not perfection.”  I’m working on it.

In case you didn’t notice, you are currently enjoying a carnival–minus the expensive rides, suspicious ferris wheel operators, and heartburn.  Today is greenbabyguide.com’s first post in Rocks in My Dryer’s ”Works for Me Wednesday” blog carnival.  ”What is a blog carnival?” you ask.  It’s a herd of bloggers all writing themed blogs on a similar subject–in this case, a simple solution that works.  On Works for Me Wednesday greenbabyguide.com will strive to provide an eco-tip that makes life a tad easier for you and a bit better for the planet as well.  

As a working mother, I sometimes long for packaged foods—but I’m not thrilled with the economic or environmental costs.  Oftentimes the nutritional content is horrid and hydrogenated oils seem to be lurking everywhere.  Plus all that packaging isn’t exactly eco-friendly.  But still, I love the idea of pulling warm homemade cookies out of the oven to share with my eighteen-month-old. Do I have a Betty Crocker complex?  Very possibly. 

Lately, I’ve taken to making my own packaged foods so that I can still fit some baking into my very full life.  My mother, a frugal green pioneer in her own right, first perfected this pre-packaged concept by using her “Make-A-Mix” cookbook back in the eighties.  It offers 67 recipes for mixes that can be creatively used to whip up 306 different favorites.

You create your own mixes by measuring out and combining dry ingredients and storing them in Zip-loc bags or Tupperware.  Then when you want cornbread with dinner or pancakes for breakfast, you can dump the mix into a bowl, toss in the wet ingredients and have a glorious home-baked product without the cost, packaging or time required from other options.  Plus, it’s much easier for me to whip up homemade muffins with my toddler when the prep time is cut in half.  You can preview the whole book here and even try some of the recipes. 

It was re-published in 1995 and again in 2007 with even more recipes and is still very popular.  My only criticism is that I would add more wholegrain flour and cut down on the sugar in several of the baked goods.  Still, with a few modifications I can spend an hour or less on the weekend preparing a few mixes, and end up with a stash of dry ingredients that will provide me with a month of homemade favorites.  Works for me!  

I have to admit that my first concern with plastic is not toxins and off-gassing and all the possible health risks I mentioned here.  Of course I’m not happy that some plastics are bad for us, but I’d been avoiding them long before I ever heard the terms “phthalate” or “BPA.”  Plastic takes hundreds and hundreds of years to break down in a landfill.  Why buy a child a toy he’ll enjoy for three months, only to have it last for all eternity?  Sure, we can pass the toys on to other children, but after a while, plastic tends to look grubby.  Because it’s cheap, it’s often uncared for.

A wooden kitchen from Heirloom Wooden Toys

Hand-crafted, heirloom toys made out of sustainable woods, on the other hand, are beautiful.  These are the toys parents keep in a box to pass on to the grandchildren one day.  They can also serve as nursery decorations, which is more than we can say about a blinking plastic gizmo that sings the Alphabet song.  All of Audrey’s toys are hand-crafted heirlooms–I wouldn’t let her play with anything else.

Ha!  All right, so Audrey doesn’t have any hand-crafted heirloom toys.  She even has some plastic doodads, including ones that light up and make obnoxious sounds.  What can you do when so many friends and relatives give her these things as gifts?  Unfortunately, Audrey does not share her mother’s disdain for plastic–she loves her plastic toys.  Even so, I’ve devised a few ways to cut down on PVC playthings:

1. Give specific gift requests.  Friends and relatives are always asking what Audrey wants.  I ask for books, clothes, or specific toys such as wooden puzzles.
2. Keep plastic toys in rotation.  I can handle only so many blinking “learning tools” at a time.  I keep one or two out and store the others in my basement.
3. Donate toys to charity.  I have to admit that I have donated a few things before letting my daughter play with them.  At this age, she doesn’t know the difference.  I am not sure what I’ll do when she gets older.
4. Threaten family members.  We haven’t had to go this far–yet.  One relative, who shall remain anonymous, knows very well that we try to limit plastic toys for Audrey.  However, she persists in buying villages of plastic houses, barns, animals, and dolls.  She even made us promise not to give any of it away.  This is a devious plan, designed to lure Audrey away from her mean parents and into Fun Lady’s plastic-toy-filled house.  On the bright side, she has given us our word that from now on, she’ll stick with biodegradable presents such as books and clothing.

A wooden dollhouse from Little Wonderland

Recent concerns over toxins have some parents ditching every piece of plastic baby gear in the house.  This presents further problems.  If you give it away, you’re exposing other children to possible health risks.  If you throw it away, you’re piling more trash into a landfill.  My plan is to avoid accumulating more plastic and to pass it on when I’m through with it.  Older plastic does not off-gas as much as aged plastic, so I feel better about donating it than I do tossing it in the trash.  Now I’ve got to work on finding some of those heirloom toys. . . .

We are outdoors people, and therefore took plenty of walks with Roscoe tucked into his sling in our early parenting days. Even so, I always watched the bikes and their toddler trailers with a certain excitement as they zoomed by. 

When Roscoe was just eight months old, I couldn’t take it anymore and bought a used bike trailer. Our Instep Schwinn bike trailer was $100 on Craigslist and had only been used twice.  It isn’t a fantastically great deal, considering that many of them go on sale for that much new at the end of the season and cost $160 full price, but we’ve been quite happy with it.  It also seats two children so we may eventually use it as a double stroller in the years to come.

Unfortunately, when my safety-oriented hubby checked all regulations on our trailer, I found that baby shouldn’t be riding in it until one year of age.  Since Roscoe’s birthday is in September, we’d have another summer of envying family bike caravans before we got our chance.  Some parents work their way around this rule by putting a child car seat into the bike trailer, but our instructions specifically stated that it was not a safe option.  So, we waited impatiently for Roscoe’s September birthday and then headed out for our first rides.

We were happily surprised by how much we used the bike trailer in the fall. I hooked up the trailer to take Roscoe for wading pool play dates and afternoons in leaf-strewn playgrounds.  There’s enough room for a diaper bag, a raincoat, and a bag of groceries in the back, so I found the trailer/stroller to be ideal for running errands on my bike or by foot.

Besides converting to a running stroller, the trailer has a weather-proof flap that makes it perfect for rainy day walks.  (In Oregon, that’s almost every winter day). We even managed our first family bike caravan on Christmas.  Roscoe was happily impervious to the rain pelting us as we biked at full speed to make it home before the hail hit.  We laughed and sang “Old McRoscoe” as we skedaddled our damp and bundled selves homeward.  It’s a bike trailer memory that will last far beyond Roscoe’s years in it.

Biking with Roscoe is the ultimate environmental solution because it creates benefits that extend well beyond planetary health.  Every time we opt to bike we’re getting exercise, saving loads of gas money, and enjoying the trip just as much as the destination. 

In real life, it’s often hard–or even impossible–to find cloth diaper supplies.  Big box stores like Target or Babys-R-Us sell a few cloth diapers, but these are generally the flimsy varieties that are better used as burp cloths.  If you want to get started with cloth diapers, your best bet is to find a brick and mortar store in your town.  Here in Portland, I’ve had good luck at Mother Nature’s (for new supplies) and The Children’s Exchange (for used supplies).  Joy purchased all her cloth supplies at Bambini’s in Eugene, which carries both new and used items.  In your local shop, it’s possible to look at the diapers, ask the shopkeepers questions, and avoid shipping costs.  Many stores will offer starter kits so you can get everything you need for less than buying everything piecemeal. 

If you don’t have a shop nearby, you will probably turn to the Internet for help.  So where do you begin?

Diaper Companies

The companies below sell their own diapers.  Their websites are also great places to find tips on washing diapers, weigh-ins on the environmental debate, and disposable vs. cloth cost-comparison analyses.

Diaperaps offers basic diaper covers to go over prefolds.  You can also get diaper liners through this company.

Cottonbabies is the company that brings BumGenius diapers, which are adjustable diapers that can fit your baby from birth to potty-training.  Cottonbabies also sells prefolds and an all-in-one.

Happy Heinys also has adjustable pocket diapers with great prints.

Fuzzibunz is a very popular pocket diaper.

Mother-ease has a leak-free system and offers one adjustable diaper style which can be paired with a waterproof cover.

Online Stores

You can go through the brands directly, using the links above, or go with an online store.  Here are a few online diaper stores to check out:

Baby Bunz & Co.

Baby Naturale

Better for Babies

Cottontail Baby

Diaper Junction

Eco Baby

Green Mountain Diapers

My Baby First

Diaper Tips and Cost Comparisons

Check out the Cloth Diaper Blog for tips on using your cloth diapers.  It’s your “all-in-one cloth diaper resource.”

Consumer Reports has an article about average diaper costs.

This site shows how Fuzzibunz end up cheaper than disposables.

Here is a detailed cost comparison chart of all the different cloth diapers compared to disposables.

And of course, The Green Baby Guide wrote an excellent cost comparison article.  Here’s where you can read all of our diaper posts. 

Greener Disposables

G-diapers are a hybrid diaper, available at many supermarkets.

Tushies offer a gel-free disposable and can be found at Whole Foods.

Moltex aren’t available in the U.S. (as far as we know), but are compostable.

Seventh Generation make widely available chlorine-free disposables.

If you have your own recommendations–or anti-recommendations–for online diaper resources, let us know by posting a comment or emailing us at greenbabyguide@gmail.com.  You’ll save yourself hours of Internet browsing by visiting a local diaper shop, but sometimes that isn’t an option.  The links above should give you a head start on the great eco-diaper hunt.