Today our post comes to you via Parenting Press, an online site packed with resources to support you in your child-rearing adventures from  birth to the teen years.  The January newsletter contained this short article outlining the brilliant (and very green) strategy of gift swapping.  It involves getting rid of unwanted stuff, cleaning out closets, and then having the chance to get what you really wanted–all for free!  You may want to round up a group of families with varying ages of kids and involve the little ones in this easy “stuff swap!”  The following piece is entirely written by Parenting Press.

In keeping with New Year’s resolutions and the general 2010 focus on going green, get together with friends and family to swap things you no longer want or can use (maybe even including the white elephants that arrived as holiday gifts). Take over a large room in someone’s house or the meeting room in an apartment complex and consider setting up “stations” by kind of item (sports equipment, clothing, craft supplies, toys, books, furniture) or by size (little kids, grade school kids, teenagers, adults). Be sure to create a space for odds and ends: the incomplete puzzles, fruitcake tins, jars of buttons, fabric remnants, old magazines. Chances are, what you consider trash is ideal for a neighbor’s next craft project­ or Cousin Kyle’s science fair entry!

Natural childbirth seems to be catching on amongst my peer group, but I’m not sure if it’s happening across the country.  Here in Oregon families have several natural childbirth choices available to them in hospitals, clinics and in the comfort of their own homes.  With both my kids I was fortunate enough to give birth in a local midwifery clinic furnished with antiques and hand sewn quilts.  Friends of ours have had water births in their homes or worked with midwives in local hospitals.   Do you have access to natural birth resources or is it trickier in your area?  What are your plans for labor?  (I realize that sometimes our bodies don’t cooperate with our plans.)

In search of an eco-friendly car seat, I ran across the latest must-have baby accessory: organic car seat covers. That’s right—you simply take the horrible polyester cover that came with your car seat, throw it away, and buy your baby a bamboo infant car seat liner ($40). Too cheap for your precious bundle? You may be interested in the Itzy Ritzy Baby Ritzy Rider in Organic Baby Bamboo Infant Car Seat Cover ($110) or perhaps the organic wool car seat cover ($99.95). Never mind that they cost just as much as the car seat itself!

All right, to be fair, some babies may be especially sensitive to toxins in the fabric of regular car seat covers. And it wouldn’t be a bad idea for car seat manufacturers to use natural materials in their products. But we’ll save our money for a car seat made out recycled milk jugs!

Before my son was a toddler, he was a perfect eater––gulping down pureed spinach with the best of them.  But when he turned two, all green foods became instantly poisonous.  So much for my dreams of a child who dined on feta cheese and kate!  Still, lately we realized that we weren’t doing a good job of stretching his food comfort zone and decided to try a few new tricks.

Four easy tactics have made an enormous difference at our house.  We’re expanding his palate, making simple foods, and avoiding the struggle over what to eat.

Here are our recent discoveries:

1. Limit snacks.  If Roscoe is really hungry at mealtime, he is far more likely to eat a healthy meal.
2. Serve healthy foods first. We put a plate of edamame or a bowl of lima beans in front of him first while we prepare the rest of our dinner.   Often he’ll work his way well through his appetizer before we get the rest of our meal on the table.
3. Sauce it up. Somehow everything seems a little more fascinating with a side of red wine vinegar or a blob of mustard.  Letting your child experiment with flavors for dipping is a huge way to market healthy food.
4. Have fun with presentation. When we ask our son to make a picture with raisins on top of his peanut butter bagel, he forgets that he hates raisins.  Sometimes cutting his quesadilla into triangle makes it suddenly glamorous.

What are your favorite tips for making nutritious food fun for your child?  Please inspire us!  Stay tuned for our upcoming post on meal planning ideas for your little one.

Just how low will you go? Sure, most of us are willing to nudge the thermostat down a degree or two for the sake of the planet. But living without heat altogether? In Baltimore? A recent New York Times piece, Chilled by Choice, highlights people willing to go to this extreme. Why? Most of the shivering subjects of the article who wear gloves and coats indoors do so out of “thrift, environmentalism, and a commitment to unique real estate.”

Noticeably absent from the people featured were families with babies or young children. In the United States, I’d worry that parents subjecting their children to indoor freezing temperatures would face child abuse charges. But not all countries share our aversion to extreme weather—European youngsters, for example, may enjoy communing with nature in “forest kindergartens,” which are held outdoors rain or shine (or snow).

Before I read this article, I thought I was keeping my thermostat pretty low. Certain guests with weak constitutions have been known to wear their coats inside! For the record, our house is a toasty 64 degrees during the day and a perfectly bearable 55 degrees at night. I’m really not sure I’m capable of living in forty-degree (or colder!) rooms for half of the year, though a part of me wishes I were up to the eco-challenge. What about you?

Today marks our final in a series of posts dedicated to saving cash while keeping the environment in mind.  (Check here, here, and here for some great frugal blog resources to support your money saving efforts.)  Over the past two years we’ve written dozens of posts on budget friendly, earth friendly practices, but we’ve picked our favorites to help you save money in 2010.

• Did you know that there’s one brand of high quality, name brand green laundry soap that’s far cheaper than even generics? Check this post to see how you can save money and the planet while tossing those yam-encrusted baby bibs into the wash.
• You can save hundreds of dollars by making homemade organic baby food, cloth diapering and breastfeeding.  All of these options are better for baby,  the environment and your budget.
• Should you register for brand new baby duds or hit yard sales for gently used garments?  You can probably guess which one we recommend!
• Why take the time and energy to cut back on family spending anyway?  Is it worth it?  Absolutely!  We explore the long term rewards of under indulgence for your family (and your child!) here.
• If you’d like to save over a thousand dollars to tuck into the college fund, you might want to start before your baby ever arrives.  Opt for secondhand duds for your maternity months and postpartum transition wardrobe.
• Does shopping organic mean that you’ll need to shell out hundreds of dollars on a weekly basis?  Not necessarily.  In fact, Rebecca feeds her entire family eat wholesome organic foods on a shoestring budget without too much effort.  Learn how she does it here.
• Those of us living without dishwashers use far more water and soap than our Maytag-owning peers.  What are some simple ways to save water and conserve suds?  Rebecca takes a careful look at the problem here.

Does all that penny pinching add up?  You’ll be happy to know that because of all that careful thrift, Rebecca just graduated into the dishwasher-owner category after an arduous kitchen remodel.  I am still dreaming of slipping my peanut butter covered spoons into the silverware slot of my newfangled Maytag someday, but for now I shall make good use of Rebecca’s dishwashing research!

The early days of breastfeeding can be wrought with challenges, but some of us make it through the first phase only to face other issues further along.  When work became really stressful for a couple of weeks, my milk supply suddenly plummeted.  We quickly went through all the frozen milk I had pumped during my maternity leave and I found myself with barely enough ounces produced every single day.  Luckily extra fluids, rest, and a daily dose of fenugreek (a natural herbal remedy for low milk supply) helped me get my output back on track.  Have you faced milk supply issues?  What caused them and how did you deal with it?  Your comments will help mothers who are struggling with this issue today!

Our miracle baby requires no diaper changes, doesn’t cry, and doesn’t throw tantrums.  Instead of keeping us up all night with shrieking, our newest family member gets to work. That’s right—after going my entire adult life hand-washing dishes, we’re proud to introduce . . . our dishwasher! My life has officially changed forever.

My adorable stainless steel dishwasher (or one pretty much like it)

All right, so it isn’t as cute and cuddly as those other “new additions” some of you are bragging about. But I’m still excited to own an appliance that is supposed to save water and energy—not to mention time. (Side note: I don’t actually consider buying a dishwasher an entirely “green” decision. Sure, it conserves water, but the energy used to create a new appliance is considerable!)

Some of our readers may remember my obsessive dishwashing posts of the past.  Now that I have a new method for washing up, I have a whole new set of concerns. What’s the best eco-friendly detergent for dishwashers? What, exactly, is in Jet Dry—and what are some natural alternatives? Or can I go without a rinse agent altogether?

If you have any product recommendations or special dishwasher tricks, please let me know!

For the last four years I’ve been slurping my beverages from a well worn plastic bottle.  Yes, it’s made from a “safer” plastic–but it still didn’t exactly feel safe.  Still, I was loathe to toss it in the trash in the name of environmentalism.  Luckily, it failed on its own and I was free embrace stainless steel.  Still, I was convinced that the options were limited.  After all I wanted a water bottle that:

• Fit in my car beverage slot

• Had a wide mouth that could easily be filled with ice.

• Held at least 20 ounces of water.
• Had a flip top straw top so that I could drink safely while driving to work without having to unscrew a lid or tip my head back.

My husband found just what I was looking for in the Nathan Stainless Steel  Flip Straw Bottle.  (Many models are currently on sale right now).  I love this little bottle!  In addition to meeting all my criteria, mine is green and marked with a “reduce, reuse, recycle” label.  It also comes with a handy clip that can be fastened onto backpacks or bags when on the go.

What’s your favorite water bottle?  Do you stick with glass, plastic or stainless steel?  Thanks for sharing your tips with our readers!

Today’s the day! Forty-nine people entered our HappyBaby book giveaway. Using this random number generator, I found two winners: Kim and Ingrid. Congratulations! You will be hearing from us shortly. Please do report back once you get a chance to read it; we’d be interested to hear what you think.

For those of you who didn’t win a copy, don’t despair. HappyBaby appears to be on sale on Amazon right now—a used copy is just $7.31! And if you like the sound of HappyBaby, you just may be interested in another book that’s going to hit the store shelves very soon: our own Eco-nomical Baby Guide! There will be plenty of chances to win free copies of that in the upcoming months, so stay tuned.