Expecting families pull back on those baby buying reins!!!!

You have practiced what you preach when it comes to reducing, reusing, and recycling to make the environment cleaner. But now here comes Baby. All of a sudden it seems like you need enough gear to fill a landfill. Does a tiny baby really require all this “stuff?” And what baby gear options are out there for eco-minded parents? From diapers to high chairs, here are some tips for going green with your baby gear purchases.

Five Eco-trades for budget greening1
Don't really need
Multiple swings, bassinets, bouncy seats and the like. One kid can't sit in so many places! These are also the items that tend to be made of the worst plastics to have around a developing baby. Minimize exposure by paring down the excess.
Greener, healthier alternative
One hand-me-down or second-hand place for your baby to sit, lie or swing while you're busy. Cotton or other natural materials on metal frames are preferable to plastic coated fabrics on plastic bases. And try your child out in the seat or swing at a friend’s house or in the store prior to purchasing. Some like them, some don’t. You don’t want to spend a lot on something the baby won’t even use.

2
Don't really need
Plastic crib pads – putting growing lungs next to plastic is questionable. Some of the worst-for-baby plastics have recently been banned in toys and gear for kids under age 12, but you never really know what you’re getting, as labels (and regulation) are few and far between.
Greener, healthier alternative
Wool “puddle” pads make great moisture barriers. Lanolin, a natural component of wool, is nature’s waterproofer. Pour water on a wool sweater to see for yourself; it beads up. Wool pads are more expensive than plastic but will last longer. Buy the kind you can lay flat instead of one with fitted corners, so it can transition to a big-kid bed.

3
Don't really need
Things that will only be used for a short period of time or that nobody really needs, like wipe warmers, plastic-covered foam sleep positioners, floating bath thermometers, etc.
Greener, healthier alternative
Avoid these things entirely and save your cash for an organic-cotton baby carrier. You don’t need to clutter your life with extraneous, potentially unsafe kid gear. When you want to test the bath-water temperature, use your hand, and if you squeeze the wipe in your hand for a moment, that will warm it up, too! Less is more.

4
Don't really need
Foam and plastic mats and pads for the nursery floor. These materials might be off-gassing harmful chemicals and adhesive fumes into your baby's breathing space.
Greener, healthier alternative
Wood floors are great places to learn to crawl. Cover yours with rugs made of natural fibers, like cotton, which can be thrown in the washing machine. If possible, buy organic cotton.

5
Don't really need
Lots of clothes, including shoes for a non-walker.
Greener, healthier alternative
Only as much as your baby needs of hand-me-down or second-hand clothes in natural fibers. Kids grow out of things so quickly that it makes financial as well as environmental sense to use second-hand clothes when you can. When and if buying new, choose clothing made from organic cotton. Cotton is one of the world’s most sprayed crops; so organic is worth the extra expenditure.


When it comes to buying a crib, green parents may gravitate towards "convertible cribs," baby cribs that can be reassembled into toddler beds once a child grows older (reducing the total amount of baby furniture you need). Some convertible cribs can go through more transformations, changing from cribs to toddler beds to double beds.
Enviro-friendly parents concerned about toxins and other chemical substances used in furniture making should look for cribs—convertible or standard—that use zero or low VOC paints, non-toxic glues, stains made without hazardous air pollutants (HAPs), and formaldehyde-free wood materials.


Now keep in mind I am guilty as sin in this regard....  Although grandma did most the buying she bought off of craigslist.......  But it was still a crazy amount of stuff that my first daughters butt never even touched..  There is a few cool places that you can go to get the quality stuff you need that is cheap and eco minded...  A couple of my favorite is the just between friends sales that are held just about everywhere these days

http://www.jbfsale.com/default.cfm



Another great place is those once upon a child stores, they have really stuck with the right integrity in mind with buying and selling gently used items..


http://www.onceuponachild.com/

I know that we want the best for our new bundles of joy but you don't have to go crazy spending buying the latest and greatest of everything...  I would actually not buy items until you see what kind of baby you have on yo hands..  For example my first would sit in her swing for up to two hours content would even sometimes nap in it where as my second child probably sat in the swing a total of 6 times for 10 minutes before she was over it!!!  Bouncers, swings, exersaucers, jumpers, walkers, bumbos, alll that stuff is the kinds of things one should considering hold back on buying until after baby is born....  Less clutter and less money down the drain when you end up finding out that they have no interest at all....

Thanks for reading if you have and questions please message me and tread lightly!!!!!