We’ve just discovered that humble ranch dressing helps our children wolf down carrot sticks and even raw spinach! But other quirkier favorites around here are dollops of peanut butter in applesauce, Laughing Cow Cheese spread on Ak Mak crackers, boiled edamame with salt, and homemade macaroni and cheese. (I’ll be posting the recipe for an incredibly easy and delicious mac and cheese very soon!) What are your children’s favorites? Inspire us!

In no particular order, here are my top five—and actually only five green cleaning must-haves (excepting laundry detergent, dishwashing liquid, and dishwasher detergent, of course. Oh, and a broom and vacuum cleaner).

• Steam cleaner—clean floors, grout, even windows without chemicals.
  
  The Wagner power steam cleaner
• Borax: An eco-friendly, budget-friendly wonder product—Joy turned me onto Borax, which I use to scour the bathtub and clean the toilet.
  
• Baking soda and vinegar—read Joy’s “Thrifty solutions for greener cleaning” for details—I don’t know what I’d do without this cleaning combo. I clean mirrors and windows with vinegar and newspaper and use baking soda and vinegar to clean the kitchen sink.
• Rags—Any green housekeeper worth her salt uses good old rags instead of paper towels!  (Note: worn-out prefold diapers make the very best rags!)
  
• Bon Ami—Bon Ami is natural and non-toxic, made from sodium carbonate, calcium carbonate and feldspar. It’s super cheap, and a great alternative to Ajax or Comet, which contain chlorine and other chemicals. I may even prefer it to Borax for scouring the tub.

Am I missing any green wonder product I should know about? Let us know!

Exactly one year ago yesterday, our book, The Eco-nomical Baby Guide: Down-to-Earth Ways for Parents to Save Money and the Planet, hit store shelves.  It took us three years of hands-on research and thousands of drafts before we were satisfied with our practical green guide for new parents.  We flavored the manuscript with humor, anecdotes, and lots of humility as we tried to convey what we wished we would have known before our babies arrived.  The cloth diaper information we provide is highly user friendly, but there ‘s also information on buying less, buying used and buying green that helped each of us save over five thousand dollars on our babies’ first year alone.

If you wish you had a copy in your hands right now, you’re in luck!  We’re giving away one copy on the anniversary of it’s publication.

Three Ways to Enter The Eco-nomical Baby Guide Book Giveaway:

1. Simply post a comment

2. Like us on Facebook (then tell us you did it in the comments)

3. Spread the news about the giveaway! Email someone, post it on Facebook, tweet it, blog it, or send someone a message about it via carrier pigeon. (And again, don’t forget to tell us all about it in the comments!)

This contest ends on March 10th and is only open to U.S. Residents.

Good luck!

Also, we have some gorgeous Eco-nomical Baby Guide bookmarks that we’d love to distribute in OB/GYN offices, midwifery clinics and other spots where green moms can find them.  If you have a location where you know they’d be snatched up, please email us your name and address and tell us where you’d like to distribute them.  Thanks in advance for all your help!

It’s been a while since we’ve discussed chlorine-free disposable diapers on this site and in our book, The Eco-nomical Baby Guide. With my diapering days well behind me, I haven’t been able to try any of these out on a real-life baby. Has anyone had a chance to compare the brands below? Which do you prefer, and why?

Seventh Generation Chlorine Free Baby Diapers

Earth’s Best TenderCare Chlorine Free Diapers

Nature Babycare Eco-friendly Chlorine-free Diapers

Tushies Diapers

gDiapers

Bambo Nature Chlorine-free Eco-friendly Baby Diapers

Am I leaving out a great brand of chlorine free disposables? I know Whole Foods makes a store brand that ends up being more cost effective than Seventh Generation. What else do we need to know in this complicated world of greener sposies?