Most pocket diapers are made from polyester or some other man-made material. If you use 100% cotton or hemp prefolds, you probably use nylon or vinyl covers. However, other options do exist. Wool diaper covers are soft, absorbent, and all-natural. Did anyone find a cloth diapering system that didn’t rely on man-made materials? What brands do you recommend? An Imse Vimse wool diaper cover…

Chinese prefolds, diaper covers, all-in-ones, pocket diapers, hybrid diapers—agh! If you are expecting a baby and looking into cloth diapers, you may have noticed just how many kinds of diapers there are. The abundance of options may have some parents running to disposables. But don’t worry. The Green Baby Guide is here to sort everything out. What kinds of diapers do we like best? Well, Joy prefers pocket diapers. I stand by the old-fashioned p…

Both Joy and I have had the opportunity to try adjustable diapers—such as bumGenius, Happy Heinys, or the new Econobums—that claim to fit babies from birth to potty training. However, we didn’t have them all throughout our children’s diaper days. Did anyone have success using just one set of adjustable diapers from birth to potty training, or did you have to supplement with newborn diapers or extra-big diapers at either end of the diaper journey…

Kiwi magazine wants to hear from you! Post your answer to this question in the comments, and you just may appear in their magazine. “What little thing did you do to green the way you cared for your baby?” Thanks for your help! We may email you for more information if your comment works for Kiwi‘s article on raising a green baby….

Were you worried about environmental toxins lurking in the Lysol, baby’s dirty diapers filing local landfills, or blinking plastic toys threatening to take over your household?  Were you motivated by family and friends or did they challenge your attempts to be an eco-conscious parent? We’re very interested in what makes expectant families go green because the lure of mainstream baby rearing with its hoards of innovative gadgets and c…

Thanks to my green resolutions from last year, I was able to make some big changes one step at a time.  Although I haven’t accomplished all of them perfectly, they did help to get me jumpstart 2008 in a much greener fashion.  As I begin 2009 things seem even more hectic than they did a year ago.  Here’s the big news: I’m pregnant!  Our baby is due on June 15th, which is wonderful news.  It also means that I’ll be juggling a nearly full time job…

To happily welcome our newly published book and reward those of you who are in the trenches of green parenting, we have yet another green giveaway this week.  One reader will win ALL of the quality eco-friendly baby gear listed below! Here’s what you could win this week: 1 copy of our book, The Eco-nomical Baby Guide: Down-to-Earth Ways for Parents to Save Money and the Planet. Using the tips we offer in the book, we each saved thousands…

Out of all those colorful booties, soft blankets, and various contraptions, what baby gift was the most thoughtful or useful?  What gifts do you now give expectant families? Among our favorite presents was a bag full of carefully selected, gently used baby garments.  Many people may shirk at receiving or giving hand-me-downs, but my sister-in-law knew that I ardently love recycled goods and bought me a huge bunch of clothes for the same price th…

Did you buy cloth diaper wipes? Last week’s post generated loads of positive comments about using cloth diaper wipes over disposables, but do you have to buy expensive fabric wipes or spend hours hemming tiny squares of organic flannel?  Hardly. In truth, cloth wipes are simply small pieces of fabric. For very little cost and time you can make your own set of wipes or purchase a discount pack of baby washcloths and get the same effect for a w…

Let’s say you’re stranded on a desert island. You have nothing—nothing except your baby, a high-efficiency washing machine that magically appears to work without electricity, and one type of cloth diaper. That’s right! You can’t have your Fuzzibunz diapers and your bumGenius diapers and your beloved Chinese prefolds with Velcro diaper covers. You have to choose one kind—so what will it be?…