DaisyBabies!

Hello, folks! Thanks for hitching a ride back to The Daisy. Now, today's post may not concern everybody who reads it at the present moment, but it's info that somewhere along the line, may prove quite valuable... at least to one special little person. That's right.. I'm talkin' about...

BABIES!

Babies. Different people have some pretty different responses to the word! We've all seen people's eyes light up on the topic (especially when they're going to be an aunt or uncle instead of the mummy or daddy.. heh heh), and we've also seen a lot of people's eyes roll in terror at the thought of filthy diapers or a galaxy of spit-up down the back of someone's shirt. As for myself... well, let's just say that although I can feel my arms almost reaching out on impulse to cuddle the big-eyed, chubby little creature sitting in the shopping cart in line ahead of me, (I'm reminded of those nature documentaries where every female chimp in the clan are climbing all over themselves to adore the new baby of the group) I can safely say that I'm quite content with the company of cats at this point in my life.

Nevertheless, babies, childcare, and other such things have been at the forefront of my thoughts lately for a few reasons. Firstly, because I've been employed as a nanny for a 15-month-old and a 3-year-old since January, and with the end of my contract is coming up soon, I feel like I've learned a lot, and have come to the heavy conclusion that environmental concern and babies (and small children) go hand in hand like no other segment of the population. Another reason, is that just recently I've noticed that the birth rate among my closer acquaintances has skyrocketed, bringing the whole topic of birth and baby-rearing closer to home.. our little ones are the most vulnerable among us, and the most deserving of protection. Being small, their tiny, delicate systems accumulate a higher level of toxins than adults, but are less able to deal with it. Even a baby's skin is way more absorbent! It's painfully easy to see that childhood cancers and defects are on the rise, along with respiratory illnesses, among many other ailments.

That being said, baby-rearing is an occupation with a huge potential for waste. Looks like we've gotta protect our babies from the environment and protect the environment from our babies!!!

When you're choosing soaps, lotions, and other body-care products for your baby, toddler or child, don't get suckered in by cute packaging or even a popular brand. Read that ingredients list!! Don't buy anything for them that you wouldn't slather on yourself. Just because it's 'made for babies' doesn't mean that it's even close to baby-friendly. Check out the previous post on crap that ends up in toiletries, and avoid those things. Go for organic, basic, and natural. Don't buy anything with sodium laurel sulfate or anything like it - as I've added before, it's a cheap industrial cleanser, and it's too harsh for the body. On a baby's skin, it can lead to irritation, dryness, and rashes.. and when it's rinsed into our waterways, it strangles aquatic life. There are a lot of people washing themselves, and this stuff adds up!

On that note, forget about petroleum-based products too. Not only is a lot of pollution created in its manufacturing, it's really no good for anyone's skin. When used for diaper rashes and skin ailments, it may feel soothing at first, but it blocks air and clogs pores, stifling the area and making matters worse. Watch out for alcohol and ammonia in baby-care products too... I've read some pretty scary labels in my time. We wouldn't put those ingredients in their raw form on baby.. why mix it in with their lotion? Fragrances and colourants are usually nasty substances, too... they're unnecessary and add to the chemical bath. Egad.

On a brighter note though, I can say with a ton of confidence that there are a lot of people out there who are sticking to their belief that natural is better for baby, and are producing some high-quality, affordable alternatives. The environmental shop that I've worked at has a bustling baby section, and I've heard rave reviews from parents on natural products.. not only do they work like a charm, but they're concentrated and last longer. Check out these brands for ointments, shampoos, soaps, lotions and all sorts of other baby-friendly products!

-Aubrey's (makes a lovely shampoo for children)

-Butterfly Weed (Rave reviews! Especially for their nappy-rash ointment)

-Burt's Bees/Baby Bee (A plethora of baby products.. watch for 'fragrances' though)

-Druide (Smells so good.. I want some.)

Taking care of baby's delicate skin doesn't have to be pricey. Check out some of the recipes for body care products I've listed before.. they're gentle as can be, and make some hefty batches. I can guess though that you'd probably want to cut down on essential oils though for wee ones.. babies are sensitive in many ways, and strong scents of any kind are probably gross-outs.

Moving on... what goes in, must come out. And that's why we need diapers.

Ugh. Diapers. I've changed SO many in the last four months. Weirdly, I've gotten quite used to it. It's almost like a scientific miracle.. baby poop doesn't bother me anymore? I never thought I'd see the day. Anyways, we've got to take care of it somehow, and if we're gonna do it, we'd might as well take the most environmentally and baby-friendly route.

A note on disposable diapers: they're convenient, they're less yucky because you deal with the contents a little less, and they're widely available. But. The average kid goes through as many as 7000 diapers before they're potty-trained. They're plastic, they're bleached with chlorine, and they're going to sit in the landfill, outliving us all, for thousands and thousands of years. Awful! If every kid goes through thousands of diapers, imagine the millions and millions and millions of disposables taking up space, leaching nasty chemicals, and forever adding up, all over the world! They don't let your baby's skin breathe, worsening diaper rash, and exposing little guys to the bleach and chemical compounds used on them. Luckily, there are some great alternatives to this problem.. and they're not new. Just ask your grandma!

Cloth diapers! They're not really all that bad! I've dealt with them, and yes, you have to face up to poop a lot more, but it's really not as horrendous as I thought it was going to be, and it's not even that hard with all the updated stuff out there right now. Also, you relieve yourself of a huge guilt-trip (Heh heh... "relieve"). Hoorah! Check out health, environmental and baby stores for cloth diapers. Sure you can get the old fashioned kind that you fold, but some of the updates for cloth diapers are pretty fun. A lot of them are pre-folded, and stitched to stay that way, with velcro and snaps to do them up! Companies are making them from breathable, organic cotton and other natural fibres, with really cute patterns and colours. Kushies is one brand that makes cute-as-a-button cloth diapers, and Hankettes is another, both available across Canada. Of course, there's an environmental burden associated with cloth diapers too because of the need to wash them frequently, but if you use plant-based, biodegradable soaps and biodegradable peroxide bleach instead of chlorine to do the job, you can rest assured that you're taking care of a reusable product and avoiding - literally - tons of trash. And don't forget.. cloth diapers are a one-time buy, compared to the packages and packages of costly disposables a kidlet goes through!

Somewhere in the middle between disposables and reusables, is the new "gDiaper" that I've seen lately. It's kind of neat. (www.gdiapers.com) A starter kit comes with pre-folded, fitted cloth diapers that you can keep and continue to wash, but they come with bioderadable liners (from wood pulp I think) that stick in to absorb the poop, etc, which you can then remove and either flush or chuck. You don't have to wash the entire diaper as often that way, because the diaper itself doesn't get a lot of mess on it. It's got all the convenience of disposables, with some of the goodness that comes with reusables. I think it's an interesting idea for busy parents. You do have to check with your city if it's okay to flush the liners though..

Yep, cloth diapers are a good thing. But let's be realistic for a minute. Today's families travel and get about a lot more than in days past, and there's a lot of high demands on busy families. Even for the most dedicated cloth-diaper users, there may be times when a strategy isn't available to use them somewhere. Seventh Generation makes a line of disposable diapers that aren't bleached with chlorine or treated with any chemicals, which is good for sensitive skin.

What's one baby-related environmental topic that's been all over the news lately? The whole plastic thing. Baby bottles and sippy cups made from plastic are the standard choice these days, but that may not last for long with all the recent confirmations that plastic in general is a health no-no.. heck, with Mountain Equipment Co-op pulling all of their plastic Nalgene bottles, a big seller, off the shelves because of alarm over drinking from plastic, it seems very plausible that baby and child supply stores will follow suit.

Check out the post on the horrors of plastique from a few pages ago for more info, but here's the quick breakdown on plastic types:

- Plastics numbered #1, #2, #4 and especially #5 are okay for drinking from.

- #3 is the worst. Effects organs and bones and is probably carcinogenic.

- #6 is highly toxic and exposure messes up the brain and nervous system.

- #7 wreaks havoc on the reproductive system. Yikes.

Plastic smells repulsive when heated and creates deadly pollution in processing.. it's no wonder people seriously started looking into it. #5 is your best bet for plastic that is more inert and doesn't release junk into liquids.

Better yet, heck with plastics all together. Glass baby bottles are still out there, (check pharmacies, health-type stores, baby stores) and newer ones are shatter-proof even when dropped on the kitchen floor. A good bet for sippy cups are those great stainless steel ones available these days made by Klean Kanteen, etc. Environmental stores will stock these, or check the internet. They're selling like hot-cakes! Both glass and stainless steel are wonderful, durable, non-leeching alternatives to le plastique.

A few more environmentally friendly baby n' child carin' tips that I've picked up along the way:

* The lady that I nanny for buys only certified organic jarred baby food for her tiny kidlet. It's only a few cents more expensive, and if it's properly certified, guarantees that the fruits and veggies within weren't exposed to pesticides. That's something to nom nom on. Great books full of nutritious blender babyfood recipes are available too! They advise that you make a big batch of baby food in the blender - that way you know exactly what goes into it - and then freeze it in ice-cube trays in the freezer for perfect portions. It's such a fun way to introduce behbeh to new foods, it's economical, and it's super-handy.

* Buying second-hand clothing and using hand-me-downs for l'il 'uns is a great way to recycle! Especially the way kids blast through clothing. Lots of clothing companies are making kid's clothes from sustainable materials these days too! Check the 'net and local shops for organic cotton, hemp and bamboo stuff for babies.. additionally, these materials are super-soft and breathable, making them ideal to swaddle babies in. The designs are insanely cute, too. (Check out http://www.underthenile.com/ for organic, fair-trade kids n' baby clothes... the little stripey onesies are too much!)

*The plastic rule should be taken into account when buying toys for babies and toddlers too! Face it.. they shove EVERYTHING they can into their mouths and chew it to death. It's part of the learning process. Noshing on chemical-laden, off-gassing plastic is no way to grow up.. try focusing on toys made from natural, sustainable materials like wood, and plush toys made with friendlier materials. http://www.barefoot.lk/Toys.htm is an amazing place to look - Barefoot Toys employ men and women in Sri Lanka to made adorable toys for a living wage, with everything made from super-friendly kapok fibre and natural dyes, so kids can chew the hell out of them without making parents and gift-givers fret. The colours and designs are unreal - lions, elephants, octopi, caterpillars... actually, I want one of those little mice. They even have tiny bloomers under their dresses!

Whelp, that's about it for now. It's time to stop thinking about rugrats and start considering the fact that I'm at my mom's house and her immaculately clean bath tub is calling me for a soak. What is it about parents' bathrooms that are ALWAYS cleaner and nicer than your own? It's like they stay that way by magic. Anyways, happy Spring, happy Easter, happy Chocolate day and happy everything else.

PS, don't forget about Earth Hour coming up on March 29th, at 8pm. Visit the website for some great info - this is gonna be REALLY neat!! (http://www.earthhour.org/) Hey.. you can get T-shirts too. Nifty.

HEARTBEAMS!