My Green Baby

So my baby girl is almost 1 year old...I'm hoping not to lose it in a couple weeks when she turns one, but I make no promises!  It's so hard to believe that a year ago at this time I was wondering when she would get here and what she would be like.  Time sure flies!  It seems like every day she has new accomplishments or goals.  I wish I could just record her every minute up into my memory.

Ok, enough emotional droning by this Mama!

Before Baby G was here, I was determined to Raise Baby Green.  I think we've done a pretty good job almost a year into things.  Recently, my favorite baby food company, Happy Baby Food (http://www.happybabyfood.com/) published an awesome book.  I got it off half.com and have been diving into reading it.  And I'm in love.  I loved this company before due to their awesome philosophies and principles - organic food, probiotics, prebiotics, eco-friendly packaging, etc. etc., but I'm really digging the book so far.  I thought I was pretty green and had a good understanding, but this book is pretty enlightening to me in a non-preachy way and I love it.  Check it out if you are interested in becoming more eco-friendly.

Some of the ways we've been raising baby green:

1. Breastfeeding - Baby G has never had formula.  I was really determined to try and nurse her for at least her first year for several reasons.  Mainly the health reason in hopes that she wouldn't have allergies and would be healthier - seems so far to be working.  It's definitely helped us really bond, which is wonderful.  Another awesome benefit - no buying formula.  Significant savings - I've seen estimates between $900 and $2000 the first year.  That means no formula containers and subsequent carbon footprint.  Yay!  I'm so happy this worked out for us, but it's definitely been work and a challenge.  She's worth it though! (Note: Don't want to in anyway make anyone think I'm meaning anything negative to those who do not or could not breastfeed - it's a very personal choice - do what's best for you and your baby - this is what was best for us).

2. Cloth Diapering - I could have gone 100% cloth, but we didn't - I was scared in the beginning and didn't start CDing until G was 2 months old.  Since then, she's in cloth the majority of the time - except when she had a yeast infection or when people watch her who aren't comfortable with the cloth diapers or we're on vacation without a washer.  I love cloth diapering and I'm mad at myself for being scared at first.  Her fluffy bum is adorable to me and I love that we aren't contributing to all the extra waste in landfills.  I honestly don't mind doing the diaper laundry every 2 - 3 days.  Plus, I can't even begin to imagine how much money we've saved.  Plus, I'm going this weekend to try and sell some of my stash - stuff I don't use or isn't my style.  You can't resell a disposable diaper now can you?  Total investment I might have $400 in diapers, if that.  I fully expect I could sell what I have now for between $300 and $400.  Plus, what I have now could be reused if we have another and I won't need to buy any more diapers - unless I see more cute covers that I must have.  My favorite prefold covers are Thirsties & Blueberry.

Dammit if that Blueberry cow print diaper isn't the most adorable thing ever - I love it so much I have two of those.  I own the Thirsties cover in purple, orange, and pink.  I also have a few other covers, but these are for sure my favorite go to choices.  I've seen varying amounts of estimates, but the range seems to be that cloth diapering saves people about $800 - $3000 in the first year.  Yay!

3) Baby Food - I have made a lot of G's baby food vs. buying it.  However, there's a lot of stuff I wanted her to taste and eat that we don't eat or it wasn't economical to buy, so I bought baby food.  I made sure to go with organic as I didn't want her exposed to the extra chemicals and preservatives.  My favorites were Earth's Best, Plum Organics, and lately Happy Baby Food.  I've also given her a lot of our foods over time so she gets used to eating what I eat (which is a lot of veggies) and I have a lot of frozen stuff from our garden.  I can't wait for this summer for her to get the fresh stuff from the garden.  So exciting!  I really want her to value local and organic produce.

So that's a few of the ways we're trying to raise our baby green.  There's definitely quite a bit more, but I'm kind of tired for the night and I'm really wanting to watch more of "The Pelican Brief".  So with that, I'll bid you adieu!

~A