Tag Archives: baby

Green Your Baby Bottles

Some of the things I need to replace from raising my older kids are my baby bottles. I had the drop-in kind. They were nice, since you can get the air out of the disposable plastic sleeve easily, but there are those two words.

Disposable.

Plastic.

Ugh. These days, just plain ugh.

As a mom who intends to breastfeed the first year and however much beyond, I don’t exactly need a lot of baby bottles. Just a few for those times when siblings want to help, Daddy needs a turn, or the grandparents are babysitting. I know all that is going to happen, and often.

So I’ve been shopping around Amazon trying to figure out what to get. Wherever I end up buying, I like being able to get a good feel for what’s out there and what people think of things before I actually buy.

So far I’m liking the Evenflo glass baby bottles. You can get better nipples for them, they’re fairly inexpensive for glass baby bottles, and they fit on the Medela Pump in Style.

Then again, I’m still thinking about the Klean Kanteen baby bottle. That one just fascinates me.

I have a lot of thinking to do on this, as well as discussions with my husband. He isn’t quite so on board with the BPA concerns, but then he doesn’t do as much reading on parenting topics or environmental topics as I do. He does, of course, hear from his parents every time we do something too “tree hugger” or “environazi” for their tastes. That of course just means doing something green that they think would be easier done some other way.

The plus side is that I’ve converted my mother-in-law into an enthusiastic supporter of breast feeding. Took more than a year, though, and my refusal to quit until each of my kids weaned on their own.

I expect glass baby bottles and cloth diapers will be a similar battle.

What More to Do for a Green Baby and Green Nursery?

In general, I’m pretty pleased with how green we’ve kept things for baby. Choosing cloth diapers rather than disposables. Reusing so many things, both from things we still had from previous babies to handmedowns from family members, many of which have gone through more than one child already.

It’s quite the adventure doing all this so deliberately. So nice that I finally won some of the debates on green parenting issues with my husband.

But there are still some areas I haven’t gone over in relation to baby.

Baths are a big part of dealing with a newborn. We’re very fortunate in that our kitchen sink is a single basin, rather than two. Perfect for baths, and no need for an infant tub, just Mommy’s hands and full attention.

The right kind of soap matters too. I hadn’t even heard of BPA or phthalates with my older kids. Now they’re things I’d like to avoid where possible. Lucky me, California doesn’t allow phthalates in excess of 0.1% in products for children as of January 1, 2009. For the rest of the country, there’s a post on The Daily Green from last year that gets into how to spot phthalates in ingredient lists. The Skin Deep site has a Parent’s Buying Guide to help you find safer products.

California Baby Shampoo does well on their list, with a hazard score of 1/10. Dr. Bronner’s also has a lot of products listed with good scores. Lots of 0 and 1 out of 10 scores. I don’t know about you, but I like dealing with companies that are doing the right things because that’s just how they do business. They’re good to encourage.

For cleaning around the house or in the nursery when it’s set up, just my usual cleaning supplies, most of which are made from things like baking soda and vinegar. There really isn’t a need to get fancy. However, I would note that for washing cloth diapers I’ve seen people recommend Country Save HE Laundry Detergent. I haven’t had a chance to try it yet. I don’t have a HE washer, however. Might make a difference in how I use this product. I’m still figuring that out.

And of course, who can forget bottles?

Well, me, for much of the time. Except for the occasional outing with my husband once baby is old enough and I have enough of a backup supply pumped and ready for whichever grandparent.

We got rid of our old ones already, I think. I know the old nipples are gone, as those really don’t last through years of storage. I’m looking at BPA free baby bottles because I have too many relatives who will struggle enough with the whole cloth diaper idea. Buying glass baby bottles might be pushing things a bit far for them. It’s a bit of a balance sometimes.

That said, I’m just about in love with the Klean Kanteen baby bottle. Just so perfect for so many years! Pricey, of course, but when you consider that it won’t be outgrown it’s not so bad a deal. It’s the same size bottle as my daughter uses at school. That’s just much too cool.

If I had to buy a new crib, I’d probably be shopping IKEA first. Not only do I love their furniture, but they work hard at having safe and healthy products. I’ve gotten good deals there too. But I don’t need anything just now, soooo…

Give me a few months. We’ll be needing bunk beds and a new dresser. But I’m thinking thrift store for those. Hopefully no CPSIA problems by that point, as we don’t have the space to store these until needed.

Am I forgetting anything? How else would you green your nursery and baby’s first few years?

What Do You Really Need to Bring to the Hospital for Childbirth?

With things getting so close to the end of my pregnancy now, I have to get ready to go to the hospital. Naturally, I looked over what is recommended that you have prepacked and ready to go. It’s been a while, after all, and I don’t want to be too rushed.

I forgot how ridiculous most of those lists are.

I’d forgotten a lot since with my last pregnancy nearly 4 years ago I was sent from a routine OB check to the hospital to be monitored and prepared for an urgent C-section. In other words, no bag. No supplies.

And in my first pregnancy, I quickly found that I didn’t use that much of what I brought. There just really aren’t that many things you need there.

Toiletries

Yes, absolutely. But unless you have duplicates, they’re really hard to prepack. Just keep in mind that you will want your toothbrush, toothpaste and hair brush at some point. The hospital has soap and shampoo as a rule, so if you don’t bring them it’s not the end of the world.

Important Papers

You’ll need your insurance card. You’ll want to have a copy of your birth plan if you’ve written one. Not much else matters.

My husband and I had a birth plan with our daughter, but ended up really not paying attention to it. Sometimes they work out great. Other times… just paper.

Don’t forget a phone book or list. If you have a family member who is willing to call with the good news, you can split up this job so that you mostly call the people you really want to talk to. After giving birth you’re probably going to be tired, so anything that keeps the number of calls down to something reasonable is good.

Clothes

Most important to me has always been just having an outfit to go home in. But if you want to wear your own gown during labor, or clothes other than a hospital gown when you’re done, pack what you need.

My first time around, I found that I just didn’t feel like changing clothes much of the time, so I spent a lot of time just in the hospital gowns. Also nice that if anything got on them, I wasn’t going to have to wash them when I got home.

A nursing bra is nice to have along, though. Your milk may start coming in during your hospital stay, so have some nursing pads ready too. Oh, the joys!

Your partner may or may not want to bring clothes. My husband always just went home to change. For our first, we were just blocks from the hospital anyhow. For the second, he spent time with our oldest as well as with me in the hospital, so packing clothes wasn’t needed. But that won’t work for every couple.

Labor Supplies

What do you need to make your time in labor comfortable? MP3 players really make bringing your own music easier than it was back when I had my daughter. Some people like lotions or massage supplies, a birth ball, focus object, pillows… you can create quite a list.

Just practice at home first. If something sounds nice when you read about it, but doesn’t work out at home, odds are you won’t want it at the hospital either.

Money

Odds are pretty good that you will have to pay for parking. Not true at all hospitals, but know in advance if it’s true at yours.

Besides, your partner will want to be able to buy snacks and/or meals. The hospital rarely feeds anyone who isn’t a patient there.

Snacks

Odds are, the hospital won’t let you eat during labor. They’re too concerned that you might have to go in for a C-section, as I understand it. If you want to eat during labor, better do so before you head out to the hospital if you can.

You may be able to enjoy some hard candies and such to keep your throat moist, but that’s about it.

Your partner, on the other hand, will probably need snacks. The hospital won’t care what he eats. But if it bugs you, send him out of the room to do so.

Raisins are a fair choice for snacking after giving birth. That first postpartum bowel movement is not so fun. Making it move a little easier is not a bad idea. Though you probably don’t want to overdo it.

Camera and Supplies

I have my digital camera cleared out, and two sets of batteries charged. I still need to check the camcorder to be sure that there’s plenty of tape, although I don’t anticipate recording the labor. Cozy times with baby, on the other hand….

Baby Supplies

The only vital things are your infant car seat, a going home outfit and an appropriate blanket. All of these can be brought from home by your partner after you’ve given birth. No need to rush on getting these together beforehand if you just don’t have them ready.

The hospital will have disposable diapers and wipes for you, so just skip it unless you really, really need to start cloth diapering in the hospital. Which isn’t a bad thing, but rather more inconvenient than you may have the energy to deal with.

Something to Do After Baby is Born

Hospitals are boring! Even with a new baby beside you waking regularly to be fed, you will get bored. Keep it simple, as you’ll probably have to put down your book or whatever you bring down pretty often as people come in to visit, nurses come in to check your blood pressure and such, baby wakes up and so forth. Boring certainly doesn’t mean restful.

No, You Probably Won’t Use All This Stuff

If you get in a rush and don’t even bring the bag at first, don’t be surprised if you get along just fine with only what the hospital gives you for the first while. The only things you really need in order to give birth are a comfortable place and some good support.

But having things packed means your partner can bring the things you need for after labor pretty easily. No wondering about what you want to wear when you go home. No searching for baby’s first outfit. No wondering what you’d like to do with your spare time.

How Green Has My Pregnancy Been?

Here I am, on the homestretch of this whole pregnancy thing. I’m pretty pleased with how the whole thing has gone.

First of all, I bought very few new clothes. Total costs for new clothes for this pregnancy was probably under $100, with the largest piece being my maternity girdle – a must as new since I wanted very good elastic. It really helped me get through some of the horrendous hip pain.

Aside from that, just some maternity jeans and shorts when I couldn’t find used. That’s it. I still had enough shirts from either past pregnancies or that were old enough already that stretching them out didn’t matter. Plus a couple larger shirts handed down from my sister for just in case I needed to go larger.

Drove my mother-in-law nuts. She had been thinking about taking me shopping.

We even have an infant car seat promised. My oldest sister doesn’t need her old one, and while you aren’t supposed to buy them used for safety reasons, I have no problem with a used one with a known history. My mother just called last night to point out that she has a reversible car seat that she wants to keep on hand in general, but she can loan us until my sister can dig hers out of storage when they move into their new house. I love not having to buy things!

My goal is to have this baby as naturally as possible. I keep getting the “you’re nuts” response from people, but I really believe I can do this. My husband is supportive if occasionally clueless. I think he finally understands that HE is not to talk about “and if it’s too painful…”

I need him more positive than that.

Quite possibly the least green thing we’ve had to do is shop for a minivan. I keep saying sedan, but I don’t seem to be winning that debate. It would be tight with 3 kids in the backseat, but doable. I grew up that way, although I will concede that car seats were used far less back then. But since the current car is not up to the job, a second vehicle must come to be. SOON!

No choice but to get used; we don’t have the budget for new, although I would love the added flexibility on gas mileage. I always prefer to keep a vehicle as long as possible anyhow, typically until it’s not worth the money to me to repair it.

A plus is our ability to reuse so many handmedowns. Selene won’t be getting much new stuff, but babies don’t really need that anyhow. They don’t know the difference, and they can learn to appreciate whatever you give them if you don’t make it a big deal.

And of course, cloth diapers, as I’ve said before.

All in all, I feel pretty good about the pregnancy, and how we have things planned to start out for baby.

What Not to Buy Used for Your Baby

Lots of things that you can buy for your baby are just fine being purchased used. Clothes are perhaps the prime example. Babies outgrow them so fast that many baby clothes are barely used by the time they become handmedowns or hit the thrift or resale shops. They’re hardly worth buying new.

Some things should absolutely not be bought used for baby. Others should be bought used only with caution.

1. Car seats.

Did you know that car seats come with an expiration date? Generally this is after about 6 years. The plastic in them does get old!

This has actually lead my husband and I to look into new car seats for the baby coming soon. Perhaps not, as my sister has a newer one. But our old one was past its expiration date, and there’s just no compromising on safety.

The other problem is that you don’t know if someone is selling a car seat that has been in an accident. Even after a minor accident, car seats are supposed to be replaced and disposed of. And of course there’s the issue of recalls.

2. Breast pumps.

This especially goes for mechanical ones. Hand operated units are cheaper, and you could boil enough of the parts that I suppose they could be safe enough if bought used. But the financial savings may not be enough.

Consumer Reports has a post with people debating this one a little. The question comes down to whether or not you can sterilize enough parts for it to be safe. La Leche League International also has some good information on why you should not share a pump. The risks of cross contamination are quite small, but most do not find it worth the risk.

A good pump is a bit pricey, up to $400 or so, and vital for anyone working outside the home while trying to breastfeed. But the money it saves in avoiding formula is well worth the cost and trouble.

Rental units are presumably made to be completely sterilized before being rented to someone else.

3. Cribs.

Slightly used may be fine. Made before 2000, and it may not meet current safety standards. The CPSC offers a checklist for crib safety that you can consider if you decide to shop for a used crib.

4. Play yards.

Essentially, recalls and changing standards are the big reason for this one. Add these to issues with how play yards can be used or damaged in regular use, and an older one may just not be safe enough.

5. Slings and carriers.

Another case of recalls and aging issues. The materials can be damaged with normal use, and so a used sling may not be as safe as you think.

Of course, anything where recalls may be the issue you can do your research and see if any used item you’re considering has been recalled. That goes for toys and clothing as well as any of these items that are generally not recommended for buying used.

If there aren’t any recalls, look into what makes an item safe to use if you’re still shopping used. But be very, very sure of what you’re doing. Reusing is a great idea, so long as it doesn’t endanger anyone.