When I was still pumping at work and crawling out of bed for nighttime feedings, I clung to the dream of weaning at one year.  Although I loved my amazing ability to create food for my infant without a second thought, there were times where I longed for freedom.

It came as a surprise to me that I wasn’t ready to give up breastfeeding after my son’s first birthday.  Luckily, the decision to continue had many benefits for my son, for the environment, and for my own health.

For baby’s health:

• Breast milk provides excellent immunity for toddlers so that they get sick much less often.
• Breast fed toddlers have fewer problems with allergies.
• Extended breastfeeding helps a child continue to bond with the mother.
• Breast milk provides incredibly nutrient-rich food for toddlers.

For the mother’s health:

• Studies show that breast cancer risk is reduced in direct proportion the amount of years that mothers breastfeed.
• Extended breastfeeding also reduces the risks of ovarian, uterine, and endometrial cancer.
• Producing breast milk can help moms continue to lose baby weight.
• It can delay ovulation so that it naturally provides space between pregnancies. (Don’t count on this as your only means of birth control though!)
• Breast feeding forces a mom to sit, breathe, and admire her baby before throwing another load of diapers in the wash or whipping up a lasagna.

For the environment:

• Breast milk comes without containers and is naturally organic! 
• There’s nothing more local than breast milk. 

Roscoe started to wean at 20 months and is now finished breastfeeding, but I have to say that I really do miss it.  If I was a stay-at-home mom I would probably have gone a bit longer, but Roscoe was starting to want less and less so we just followed his lead.  For more detailed information on why extended breastfeeding is such a great option, check out this article from Mothering magazine.  

I’ve managed to go my whole adult life without owning a car.  When I was pregnant, I wondered if I’d finally succumb to automobile ownership, but I’ve found I get along just fine.  In the first few weeks of parenthood, I plopped my daughter into a sling and stepped out the door. 

At three months, she took her very first stroller ride, and at almost two and a half years she still takes a spin in it almost every single day.  I have found the stroller indispensible for a car-free lifestyle–jaunts around town are entertaining for the baby, and the basket provides some storage space for books or groceries we pick up along the way.  We enjoy what I like to think of as a European way of life: Instead of driving to the store every week or every other week and filling up an entire cart full of groceries, I stop by every few days and pick up the items I need by foot.

My husband does have a car, but I have only driven it once, and that was to take him to the emergency room (long story).  He does commute to work by car, and I have to admit that I rely on his chauffeur services to run to the store for particularly heavy or unwieldy items.  Yes, I am grateful that I don’t need to walk down the streets with a 24-pack of Seventh Generation toilet paper or a ten-pound bag of flour!

In many ways I’ve had to revolve my life around not driving.  It’s no coincidence that we live within walking distance of shops, libraries, restaurants, and coffee shops.  It can definitely be inconvenient to rely on walking or bus-riding, especially with a fussy baby.  A few times a year the weather is bad enough to keep me stuck indoors all day long.  Also, my hour-long bus commute to work would take a mere twenty minutes by car.  This may seem like a waste of time, but I use the bus ride to read or grade papers.

Despite the inconveniences and drawbacks, I love remaining car-free.  I hate driving and am thrilled to live a life that doesn’t require getting behind the wheel.  We save thousands of dollars by not buying a second car, not to mention all the time and money we save on gas and maintenance.  My husband’s commute by car is terrible for the environment, and I rely on the bus to get to work two to four times a week, so we can’t claim to be carbon-neutral.  However, we are able to cut back on our combined carbon emissions by running most household errands on foot.  On those bad days when I’m standing in the rain with my toddler in one arm and a bag of groceries in the other, at least I have the solace of knowing I’m doing the planet a small favor!

Check back soon for my tips on taking babies on public transportation.  And for more Works for Me Wednesday ideas, go to Rocks in My Dryer.

Lately, Roscoe spends all of his time running around our house, hitting a ball with his “ockey tic”  (hockey stick).  He can’t go anywhere without it and even has it by his side when we lay him down at night.  It is his most cherished possession.  It also happens to be a wooden spoon. 

Roscoe also uses his “ockey tic” as a drumstick, a “scooper-dumper” (shovel), and a  cell phone when he can’t be reached on his land line.

A few weeks ago we went to grandma’s house, two hours away.  Roscoe spent the car ride talking on his phone and beating his drumstick along to the songs on the radio.  Upon his arrival we went down to the beach where he used his spoon to dig in the sand, ladle seawater into his mouth, and pack down the exterior of the sandcastle he then quickly destroyed.  One toy sustained all this activity for the entire day.

Before I had kids I heard people talking about how children tend to latch onto cardboard boxes and rubber bands as their preferred playthings, but I had no idea just how true it would become. 

Here are some other objects that Roscoe adores:

Real pans: Instead of playing in a toy kitchen, Roscoe bangs around with authentic culinary stuff while I cook dinner.  I think he likes the fact that actual pans are much louder than their plastic counterparts.

The vacuum cleaner: Roscoe has to be held by daddy while the two of them vacuum the floor together.  It’s always the highlight of his day.

Tape: He loves having scotch tape stuck onto his hand and then sticking it on the other hand for awhile.  This whole process is very entertaining and can last for at least ten minutes.

What weird objects do your children love to play with?  Maybe we can get a top ten list going once we get all your ideas!

We love getting email here at the Green Baby Guide.  One of our readers is planning to switch over to cloth diapers and wrote in with the following questions:

I really want to switch to cloth diapers and have been doing a lot of research on the different kinds out there and it is really overwhelming!  I think I am leaning towards prefolds and/or flats with a Dappi cover for the most inexpensive option.  What kinds do you gals use?  Any specific brands of diapers and covers that you like?  Any helpful tips for someone just starting out??  Thanks for your time, I know you are busy mommies! -Amber

I wrote back to tell her about my experience.

Hi Amber,

Both Joy and I use prefolds with covers, although we have tried other types, too.  You are right that they are the least expensive option.  Starting out, I bought three dozen prefolds (the small size with green stitching) and about five newborn sized covers.  I have tried Proraps, Imse Vimse, and Diaperaps covers and they all work well.  You could get a couple different types, and then when it’s time to buy the next size up, you will know what types work for you and your baby.  I have actually gotten away with just one set of prefolds for over two years (my daughter is very small), so my cloth diaper supplies have cost me about $100 total!

Check out Sunshine Diapers for a Prefold Tutorial

So, all you cloth diapering parents out there–what would you recommend?  Does anyone have any experience with flat diapers?  I have never tried them myself, as they seem to require intricate folding and pinning.  With a prefold I can just fold a diaper in thirds and place on the diaper cover that has Velcro or snap closures (pictured).  Then I put it on as I would a disposable.

Thanks for writing in, Amber.  And thanks in advance to everyone who responds with tips, recommendations, or anti-recommendations for a first-time cloth diaper user!

I’ve recently realized that the foods that thrive right here in my local community gardens have somehow become more exotic to most families (including mine, until recently) than mainstream items like oranges or bananas.  My grandparents generation regularly ate homegrown cabbage or beets, but today these are somewhat of a culinary rarity in many households.

Our family’s vegetable vocabulary was much smaller until just a few months ago.  Since joining a CSA, I’m humbled by just how ignorant I was about the range of produce available.  We ate the same ten types of veggies most of the time and rarely tried anything outside our repertoire.  Then we got a rutabaga.   

Of course, I had no clue what this alien veggie was even called until I looked it up on our CSA website.  Previously, I had only used rutabaga as a nickname for my infant, but I had no idea how to prepare it. 

After looking in the Joy of Cooking for a simple recipe, I found that it was easier than I imagined.  I peeled, sliced, and sautéed the rutabaga with a bit of red wine vinegar, a few herbs and some salt.  The result was incredible!  The rutabaga flesh was buttery and smooth, with a taste that my toddler loved. 

After that first success, I’ve learned that there are so many simple ways to prepare the veggies outside my comfort zone.  I’ve thrown red cabbage, kale, leeks, and potatoes into frittatas and stir fries with great success.  There’s really no recipe required!  Just chop veggies, sauté them and season for stir fry or toss in eggs and cheese for frittatas. 

My best adventure was making homemade pizza with sausage, leeks, and red chard.  It was a great success and everyone loved the veggies I slipped in!  So, if you’re wanting your toddler to develop a healthy palate, you can take the lead by throwing some unique produce in your cart or planting them in your raised beds.  Enjoy!

This week’s Works for Me Wednesday has a theme: “Mom, I’m Bored!”  This summer will be the perfect time to bust out some homemade finger paint to keep my restless toddler amused.  Even very young babies can express themselves with finger paint–with a little assistance, of course.

A few months ago, I included this picture of Joy’s son Roscoe in our Eco-Valentine’s post.  I knew exactly what Andy would say when he saw Roscoe on Joy’s kitchen floor, wearing nothing but a cloth diaper, finger painting.  “What a mess!” he said, shaking his head.  I have to admit I felt the same way, and I marveled that Joy was definitely turning into the “fun mom” while I’d be forever known as the “uptight mom.”

You know what might work for me this summer?  Outdoor finger painting!

Here are some recipes to get you started.  Some are more eco-friendly and natural than others.

Basic recipe with food coloring

Finger paints with homemade natural dyes

Finger paints using juice for dyes

Easy corn syrup finger paint

With the warm weather ahead, I’m looking forward to making a batch of finger paints and letting my daughter go wild out on the driveway.  Clean-up will be a snap: I’ll simply hose her off when she’s done.

National Geographic’s “Green Guide” ranked my hometown of Eugene, Oregon, as the greenest city in America back in 2006.  Popular Science makes us the fifth greenest this year and Forbes magazine puts us in ninth place.  That’s not bad for our mini-metropolis when you consider that there are thousands of contenders. 

So what is it like to live in this green wonderland?  GLORIOUS! Here are some common Eugene sights that you’ll notice as you wander our streets:

More gardens, less lawns. Many Eugene residents have replaced all or part of their lawns with food-producing gardens or flowerbeds.  Many of the people who do have lawns simply let them die out rather than using precious water on them over the summer.  When the fall rains return, so do our lush lawns. 

Compost bins galore. There are homemade contraptions and sophisticated manufactured containers, but they are plopped in the majority of yards here.  Some families are even brewing up their own compost tea for use in their gardens.  To see how to make your own bin, check out this post of ours. 

Rooftop solar devices. Some of these produce energy and others heat water for household use.  EWEB, our community owned power supplier, provides zero interest loans for people who want to use solar power to make their homes more energy efficient. 

Huge recycling bins and tiny trash containers. Sanipac, our local waste management company, provides curbside recycling for just about anything you can imagine, except for Styrofoam.  We can toss take-out containers, individual yogurt cups, newspapers, magazines, aluminum cans, cardboard, and most kinds of plastic into our giant recycling tub without sorting.  Since we also have curbside pick up for yard debris and many of us compost, our trash ends up being pretty miniscule. 

Fabulous food choices. Vegetarians and vegans can get just about anything they can imagine here and organic options abound.  At pot lucks there are usually several meatless dishes and grocery stores are loaded with healthy, eco-friendly foods.

Bikers everywhere. This town was built for bikes.  We have streamside bike trails that run from east to west and loads of bike lanes all through downtown.  Plus, our buses allow people to load their cycles up and find creative ways to commute. 

Is there a drawback to this glorious city of ours?  Hmm…. If so, I haven’t found it yet.  Hopefully this post won’t cause thousands more people to flock to our happy little city, although if you’re looking for a family friendly, eco-friendly city, Eugene is the place to be!