Monthly Archives: August 2010

How Long Does Breastfeeding Make Sense? Should It Be a Law?

I got the comment the other day. Most breastfeeding moms know this one or a variant of it: “How long are you going to keep indulging her?”

It came from someone surprised to see that I am still breastfeeding my toddler. She’s 18 months old now and going strong on the breastfeeding. When do you stop?

My answer has always been “When it’s right for both of you.”

Breastfeeding my toddler is still a lot of fun for me. Not always pain free, as she’s pretty acrobatic about the matter at times. Flipping upside down, seeing how many times she can change positions during a nursing session, testing out her own version of that old saying, “You can’t take it with you.”

The minimum I recommend is one year, if it’s working out for the mother. There are legitimate reasons why a breastfeeding relationship ends sooner, and that means any you can manage is a good thing. But if you can make it work, do your best to make that year. It’s what’s recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

There’s nothing wrong with going longer, but be ready to hear comments from people who don’t understand about breastfeeding a child who is capable of eating solid meals. You are still giving your child great benefits with your breastmilk.

A maximum age is hard to define. There have been more extreme cases where children 8 years old are still breastfeeding, and most will call that excessive That’s incredibly personal to those who choose to go that long, and it’s far longer than I’d want to go. But I won’t say it’s flat out bad for the kids.

Breastfeeding isn’t just food for your child. It’s about health benefits and comfort.

Breastmilk provides antibodies to help your child deal better with illness. It doesn’t mean your child will never get sick, but it helps.

Breastfeeding is one of the easiest ways to comfort a child, whether from an injury or because your child is just worn out. Being held close and allowed to suckle calms children down faster than just about anything else much of the time. The bonding time is great for mother and child.

So How Long to Breastfeed?

My favorite duration for breastfeeding is “until the child decides to wean.” It’s the most relaxing way for me, personally. My older two self weaned by 18 months; this one looks to be going strong a while longer yet.

My second favorite is “as long as you can stand it and your lifestyle permits.” It’s not second best really, as many people have lifestyle or other issues that require weaning before the baby chooses it. You have every right to decide when you are done with breastfeeding. It’s your body, not your child’s, even if babies and toddlers get really possessive of their mother’s breasts at times.

The important thing is to have a happy and healthy mother and child. If that’s not at all due to medications or other issues, that’s how it goes. If that’s three or more years because you’re both that comfortable with the whole thing, it’s your decision. The right length of time to breastfeed is more about what works for you, not what everyone else is telling you is the exact right amount of breastfeeding.

Should It Be a Law?

Don’t be ridiculous. Of course it shouldn’t be a law. I don’t care what Gisele Bundchen said.

What breastfeeding moms, and moms in general need from the law, is support. Laws that make it easier to breastfeed, especially in public. That’s legal in many places now, but not everywhere.

We need laws that give moms more paid maternity leave. Paternity leave for dads would be nice too. But it’s easier for moms to breastfeed if they have more paid maternity leave. It would allow breastfeeding to be better established before mom has to return to work.

This isn’t just an issue in the United States. It’s an issue worldwide, especially in countries where families can’t afford formula, but are often given free samples, which disrupts the proper establishment of breastfeeding. Nestle’s business practices are a strong example of a company’s business practices interfering with breastfeeding.

We need obstetricians and pediatricians who are well trained on the subject of breastfeeding. We need better education for mothers rather than a “breastfeeding support bag” filled with formula and coupons for formula.

We need social support and acceptance that a woman’s breasts are not just about sex.

And we need support for moms who are struggling with breastfeeding or cannot do so.

Are You Replacing Too Much in an Attempt to be Green?

Living an eco friendly life is complicated at times. There are usually a lot of things you want to buy that are more eco friendly than what you own now, but when is that the right choice? When does it make more sense environmentally speaking to buy new?

Appliances and Electronics – It’s Not All About Efficiency

Replacing appliances and electronics can be a tough decision, and much of it depends on just how bad the old version is. Really old refrigerators are likely good prospects for replacement when you’re ready. Newer models are much more efficient and you should quickly see a decrease in your power bills. Just make sure the old one is sent off to a good recycling program.

Laptop computers are much more efficient in terms of energy use than desktop models, but that’s not necessarily a good reason to change computers. Could you improve the energy use of your desktop by turning off more often, and even switching off the power to its surge suppressor so there’s no standby power use or power used by anything else plugged into the same strip such as the monitor and printer?

Electronics can be problematic in general due to recycling issues. When it comes time to replace some of your old electronics, make sure you think about how you’re disposing of the old. There are some pretty toxic metals inside them.

Plastics

Getting rid of plastics is an environmental issue and possibly a health issue as well. People can argue about whether or not BPA is a problem, but there’s no denying that plastic is an environmental problem. Search for pictures of the Pacific Garbage Patch if you doubt that.

They’re incredibly hard to get rid of completely. Plastic comes into our homes in so many ways.

Plastic wraps some of the foods we buy from the grocery store. It’s used in the bags many stores use when you make a purchase. It’s used in water bottles and food storage containers. It’s used to make bottles that hold cleaning and personal care supplies. It’s all over the place.

Some areas it’s easy to say that you should buy something to replace the plastic you’d be using otherwise. A good quality reusable shopping bag – not one of the cheapies sold by the grocery store for a dollar, but a good one – should last a long time, be washable and keep you from having your purchases put into a plastic bag.

A stainless steel water bottle is a great replacement for buying disposable plastic water bottles. Pick good quality and it will last for years. You’ll even save money over time in comparison to buying water in disposable bottles. And I don’t mean all that much time if you’ve been buying a lot of water.

Invest in a good filter if you really aren’t used to the flavor of tap water. Plastic may be involved in at least the casing of the filter, but as I’ve said – it’s really hard to avoid plastics.

Clothes

If you’re replacing perfectly good clothes with eco friendly versions, you may be doing it wrong. What you have has already done whatever environmental damage inherent in its creation. So long as you choose eco friendly laundry detergents, there’s nothing wrong with continuing to use what you have until it wears out.

When to Replace?

In general, save the eco friendly shopping for when something really needs replacement. Don’t go chasing after the latest, greatest eco friendly whatever. That’s called consumerism and it’s very easy to fall for.

When you’re replacing something, think about how you’re disposing of it. Could you or someone else reuse or repurpose it? Can it be recycled? Is it honestly just trash?

Use things until they really aren’t worth keeping, and then think if they need to be replaced. Sometimes reduce is the real answer. Buying just because it’s the latest eco item to catch your attention is not a good reason to buy anything.

Does Buying Eco Friendly Clothing Really Help the Environment?

Choosing eco friendly clothes is a common piece of advice for families who are trying to go green. Clothing is something we all need, and with kids in the house, new clothes are needed pretty often. Wondering if your shopping habits are really making a difference isn’t a bad thing; it just shows that you’re really thinking about the impact you’re having/

What Is Eco Friendly Clothing?

The first thing you need to figure out is just what is meant by eco friendly when it comes to clothing. Clothes made from organic cotton come easily to mind for most of us. Bamboo is a popular material now. But to really get into eco friendly clothes, you need to go beyond the simple categories.

Handmedown clothes are eco friendly. You’re reusing clothes that someone else was done with.

Clothes bought at thrift stores are eco friendly. Same deal as with handmedowns.

The clothes you have in your closet aren’t going to get any more un-eco friendly, so long as you care for them in environmentally friendly ways.

That’s important to remember. Going green is not all about shopping.

Worrying about whether the materials used to make the clothes matters most when you’re buying new. That’s when you get into organic cotton and other such materials. They matter most when the materials used are new to your purchase.

Does Buying Organic Cotton Clothes Make a Difference?

You can feel as though the difference in how your clothes are produced is a small issue, environmentally speaking. We’re so far removed from where the cotton is grown and processed that it’s easy to miss the harms.

Tremendous amounts of fertilizers and pesticides are used on conventionally grown cotton. This is bad for the land it’s grown on and for the lakes, rivers and oceans the excess water may runoff to. There’s a good post over on The Good Human called What’s So Bad About Non-Organic Cotton? that explains the situation well.

Buying organic cotton also means you’re supporting farmers who aren’t using so many potentially dangerous chemicals.

Clothes made from bamboo, even organic bamboo, are a bit more complex. Most bamboo cloth is chemically processed. Some of these chemicals are hard on the environment and on the workers using them. This processing turns it into a viscose or rayon fiber. It’s not as natural as many want you to think.

Overall, if you want to help the environment through the clothes you wear, really think about where they’re coming from, and don’t go for the huge wardrobe. Reduce how much you buy new, buy used when you can, and pay attention to how the new clothes are made. That’s the best way to limit the impact your clothes shopping has on the environment.

Is Recycling Only About the Environment?

Recycling is a major part of living a more eco friendly lifestyle. It’s a part many people focus on, and something that has become easier to do in many communities. Some may only offer recycling for the basics, such as metal, glass and paper, while others accept a wide range of plastics as well.

But recycling isn’t all about the environment. It has other benefits, depending on what’s being recycled.

Manufacturing Can Benefit

Some metals are much cheaper to recycle than they are to use fresh from the mine. The EPA says recycling aluminum saves 92% of the energy it takes to process it from bauxite ore.   The demand for aluminum is high, as it is used in common products such as soda cans or siding on houses.

Recycling Creates Jobs

If you want a recycling program, people are going to have to work at the recycling center. That’s jobs for people getting products ready for recycling, transporting recyclable and recycled materials and so forth.

Recycling takes more people to do the work than similar jobs at landfills. Despite that, many kinds of recycling are economically feasible enough that this still saves money over dumping it all in the landfill.

Recycling Saves Money

Communities have realized that it’s worthwhile to have recycling available. Businesses have realized that it’s worth their time to recycle. There’s a good reason for that. They save money.

A good recycling program costs less than many other waste disposal options. The products being recycled can be sold, reducing the cost of the recycling program.

Landfills Benefit

Recycling can’t do away with landfills, but it can slow down the rate at which they are filled. Some areas of the United States are facing a shortage of available space for landfills. Other areas aren’t facing such problems, but it doesn’t hurt to slow down how fast we fill up landfills.

If local landfills are full, then states have to send their garbage elsewhere, increasing the costs to consumers. That’s significant to people living in areas where they have to send their garbage away.

Remember the Other Two Rs

Recycling has a lot of benefits, both to the environment and economically, but it’s not the only thing you should be considering. It’s more important to reduce your consumption and to reuse products when possible. These two actions are the most beneficial to the environment, and are pretty good for your personal finances as well.

How to Jumpstart Your Eco Friendly Lifestyle

Making the initial changes to a more eco friendly lifestyle may not be the hardest part of your journey to be more green, but it’s often one of the most intimidating. There are so many options that it’s really hard at times to know just where to begin.

Make a List and Prioritize

If you’re ready to be eco friendly, you probably have some idea as to what changes you would like to make in your lifestyle. You just don’t always know which to make first. Some steps may seem to be too big to do right away while others may feel too small to make a real difference.

This list should be the things you think you want to do. You may not be able to make all of these changes right away; that’s why you prioritize them.

You can also assign a cost to the various steps. If some will take a bite out of your budget, you should plan for that. But remember that many eco decisions will save you money. These are great for getting started.

Some simple steps are:

1. Drive less.
2. Change to CFL or LED light bulbs.
3. Eat less meat.
4. Buy a programmable thermostat.
5. Check out local thrift stores.
6. Buy a stainless steel water bottle instead of plastic.
7. Review what can easily be recycled in your community.

These aren’t particularly expensive for the most part. Switching to LED bulbs can be expensive as they aren’t that common yet, but even those should pay for themselves in time.

For many of us, more expensive options such as installing solar panels may not be possible right away. If that’s what you want to do and you can afford it, go for it! But if it’s not in the budget, be realistic enough to admit that it’s not time for you to do that yet.

How Fast Should You Make Changes?

It’s tempting to just plunge in and make all the changes you know you should make right away. It’s great if you can manage it, but most people will have a lot of trouble that.

That’s fine. None of us are perfect.

Start with some simple changes, and add to them over time. I won’t say to go really slowly, but make changes at a rate where you can accept the new habits. Otherwise it’s far too easy to slide back into bad habits.

Some changes you’ll be amazed at how comfortable they are. Others will challenge your resolve. We’re all human and there are things we all want in life. Choosing a slightly different lifestyle isn’t always going to be easy. You will find that it gets better with time and you’ll find new ways to enjoy yourself and what you’re doing. A more eco friendly lifestyle is worth the effort.

What About Skeptics?

Unless you’re extremely lucky, you’re going to have some skeptical people in your life who don’t see the need for such changes. Some don’t believe in protecting the environment because they don’t believe in climate change while others don’t think they or you can make a difference.

Talk to them as you find appropriate. Some people are really great for having spirited, respectful arguments with. Others respect only their own opinions and aren’t worth the trouble. Still others may find what you’re doing interesting and decide to give it a try themselves.

Remember that when you’re talking about living an eco friendly lifestyle that you do not need to focus just on climate change. Talk about pollution in general. Talk about ocean acidification. Talk about decreasing fresh water supplies in many communities. These are areas that give a different angle to the usual environmental arguments many skeptics are used to.