For a woman, underwear is arguably the most important piece of clothing. The wrong pair of panties can contribute to yeast infections, UTIs (urinary tract infections), bacterial infections, bad odor, and even pain during intercourse. To avoid all of these unpleasantries, you need to be choosy about the type of underwear that you buy.
I have learned many important lessons during my eleven years as a parent. When you have to be somewhere, plan to leave at least 30 minutes early in order to get there on time. Embrace your kids’ individual personalities instead of trying to fit them into a preconceived idea of the perfect child. Laugh at their nonsense knock-knock jokes. Put together that ocean puzzle with them for the thousandth time because you will regret not spending the time with them later. And give your children a tribe instead of more toys.
So you bought the organic mattress and the organic sheets. You found a beautiful wooden crib and painted the nursery with VOC-free paints. You are confident that your sleeping baby will be resting on materials free from harmful chemicals. But what about those fabrics that separate baby from the bed? Pajamas and other clothing come closer to baby’s skin than just about anything else, so it is important to choose jammies that are made with the safest materials.
When I was pregnant and shopping for baby gear, I gave the most attention to where my babies would sleep. After all, babies spend more time asleep than awake. Safety was my primary consideration – not just whether they would be physically safe and not roll out of bed or get their head stuck between the crib bars, but also whether they would safe from harmful toxins. Children develop at a rapid pace and their bodies are not always efficient at resisting or excreting contaminants. In other words, all of those toxins in the environment have a big impact on your growing child. So, I chose bedding and mattresses constructed from organic, all-natural materials.
Pregnant bellies are beautiful, glowing signs of new life. They are also itchy, tight and susceptible to stretch marks and saggy skin post-childbirth. The use of pregnant belly balms, oils and creams can help keep your skin supple and hydrated. While they won’t stop stretch marks completely, these products can help with the itchiness and tightness. Below is a list of belly balms and creams that are made with natural and organic ingredients. And they are formulated specifically for pregnant women.
I applaud all of you parents and caregivers who are able to use nothing but cloth diapers. I wasn’t so dedicated. When I wasn’t at home, I brought along disposable diapers. Of course, I always tried to choose brands that were not only safe for my baby but also kinder to the environment.
At home, I used cloth baby wipes when changing diapers. But when I was out and about, I found disposable baby wipes so much more convenient. I really tried to use nothing but cloth wipes and diapers but it was causing more stress than I was willing to handle. Plus, disposable wipes are great for wiping hands, faces and car seats too. I still use them now even though both of my kids are well out of diapers.
Only the safest and most natural products should be applied to your baby’s skin. This includes diaper rash creams and balms. Some people swear by creams, others by ointments and others by balms. I have included a selection of each. These products are in no particular order and none have an EWG rating of more than 1 (meaning they are super safe and natural). I always used California Baby Diaper Rash Cream and Motherlove Diaper Rash & Thrush Relief with my kids and found both really effective (although I would not recommend California Baby for open cuts because it can burn). I used The Honest Company Healing Balm in lieu of petroleum jelly for things like lubricating thermometers.
For me, New Years Day is a time to think about how my life has changed and what my priorities and goals have become. Then I try to work toward changing how I do things so that I meet my goals. In other words, I try to live life as simply as possible and not waste time on things that really don’t matter to me. This list of ways to be a green parent looks somewhat different than it would have when I first started all of this ten years ago. I think it is more manageable, less product focused, and more affordable.
Last year, I shared a post with ten non-toxic men’s colognes for Father’s Day. Since publishing that post, I have removed a couple of the colognes after discovering they weren’t so natural after all. But I have also discovered four new options, thanks to my readers. You can find these all-natural, non-toxic men’s colognes listed below. I realize that it’s probably a little late to get any of these for Christmas (unless you have Amazon prime) but maybe you know a special guy with a birthday coming up (like my husband). And please continue to let me know if you come across any other great finds.
