From The Pros: Green Baby Products

I recently wrote this blog post for the International Baby Planner Association's (IBPA) blog and I wanted to post it here as well since it's getting close to Earth Day and all.


But let's face it - every day should be like Earth Day, right?


For more information on IBPA, please visit the web site.


Green Baby Products - By Carly Kirsch of Newly Nested Baby Planning


I’d say it’s now safe to say that green may possibly be the new black! Thankfully, there are some amazing product manufacturers that are on board with this here-to-stay trend and making some truly fantastic swag that is good for baby and the environment.

Naturally (no pun intended) a huge part of baby planning is dedicated to helping parents make the best choices for their families – from the perfect nursery décor right down to the creams they choose to rub on their baby’s delicate skin. Therefore, we’ve rounded up some of our favorite green baby products for you to either learn about for the first time, rediscovering them for your expanding family or for you to pass along to a new mommy-to-be!

Products & Clothing

Earth Mama Angel Baby Organics has an amazing line of health, wellness and baby products that are safe and natural and oh-so pampering for both mom and baby. A few favorites are the Earth Mama Angel Baby Bottom Balm & baby Shampoo.

Stephanie Zerr of Birth Matters recommends Hevea pacifiers and teethers to keep baby safe while soothing gums when teeth begin to come in.

Joanie Whitman of Itsabelly Kansas City loves Boon Odd ducks for play time in the bath.

Sophie the Giraffe – Need we say more? Sophie is a favorite for a reason and babies cannot seem to get enough of her – which is okay by our standards!

Diapers

Cloth Diapers – Colorful and eco-friendly, both Bum Genius and Apple Cheeks offer some great ways to diaper your baby. Trust us. These are not your mama’s cloth diapers.

If you’re looking to cloth diaper but are looking for a bit of a mix, we suggest both GroVia Hybrid Cloth Diapers orgDiapers.

If you’re not into the idea of cloth diapering but you are still looking for safer diapers, try Seventh Generation Disposable Diapers or Bambo Nature diapers.

Cleaning

Dapple – I came across Dapple in 2008 for my first born and I’ve loved it ever since. Their entire line of products are really great and truly clean without unnecessary toxins.

Feeding

Plum Organics – Not only are Plum Organics foods tasty, they are more than just organic.  Their packaging is BPA free and makes feeding baby easy since the packaging is so portable.  It makes feeding baby carefree in more ways than one! http://www.plumorganics.com/index.php

5 Phases bottles - Check out this blog post by Stormie Sowinski  of Hello World Baby Planning for the scoop on these neat bottles:  http://helloworldbabyplanning.com/?p=905

Beaba products – From safety to making meals and more, Beaba products are sure to please with their fun colors and safe designs.  http://www.beaba.com/flash/#/en_GB/homepage/index

Hygeia Breast Pump – http://www.hygeiababy.com/ While many people first think of other brands when thinking of breast pumps, but Hygeia is making their products known for ease of use and their Green Breast Pumps and their eco-friendly recycling program.

Sleeping

Babyletto’s affordable green convertible crib –  The Babyletto brand prides themselves on being modern with fresh, clean designs. With a variety of products to choose from, you’ll see why we love Babyletto!

Green Buds http://www.greenbudsbaby.com/ Rest easy with Green Buds line of sheets, mattresses, covers and pillows.

Swaddle Designs Organic Collection – http://www.swaddledesigns.com/page/Category-Organic-Collection.htmlTheir blankets, crib sheets, blankets and more are just pure heaven for baby’s bottom.

For a closer look at any of these products mentioned and for more reviews on strollers and other gear, visit ItsaBelly’s blog for their 2011 Seal of Excellence award winners!

Simple & easy ways to go green in your home

Hello!  I hope this post finds you well :)

It's a snowy morning here in Connecticut after topping the thermometer here at nearly 60 yesterday - crazy!

As it's been a fairly mild Winter here in the Northeast, we typically spend quite a lot of time indoors.  Like most people, you consider your home to be one of the safest places for you and your family, right?  You keep things tidy and as dust free as possible - but did you know that indoor air can be more "polluted" than outdoor air?

I came across a company's web site called GreenGuard with some information that was a bit shocking to me.  After reading it, it made sense, but like a lot of things in life - you really don't view things or realize things that seem like common sense until you read it!

For example (straight from GreenGuard's web site):

Facts You Should Know

Children breathe in a greater volume of air than adults relative to their body size.

Children's organs and respiratory, immune and neurological systems are still developing.

Children are much closer to the ground, and as a result, breathe in more of the heavier airborne chemicals than do adults.

Infants and young children breathe through their mouths, more so than do adults, which increases their risk of pulmonary exposure to particulates and fibers, that would otherwise be filtered out in the nose.

So of course, I wanted to share and write about this (in case you're just like me and have an A-Ha! moment or a OMG I should have known that!).

There are some incredibly simple and easy ways to keep your home as green as possible by doing just a few things differently in your home - which thankfully we already do, but it's never too late to start!

1. Take off your shoes - we have a no shoe policy in the house.  Think of ALL the places you walk during the day - public places, public bathrooms (blech), sidewalks, shopping centers, etc.  Do you really want those traces of these places tracked throughout your home?  Methinks not.  Not only does it keep toxins and grossness out of your home, it keeps your floors cleaner, also.
2. Get some green - Add some green houseplants to your home. Plants are amazing at removing toxins in the air and replacing it with cleaner air.  Here's a post from TreeHugger that I found on the best air filtering plants.  I personally love Gerber Daisy, Bamboo and the Peace Lily plants.
3. Don't be smelly - Steer clear of scented air fresheners, candles, harsh perfumes and other "smelly" products that you may use in your home.  They can inject harmful toxins into the air.  Try using things that are fragrance-free. 
4. Use non-toxic cleaning products - I am quite the clutter-bug, but I do love having a clean home.  Foreverrrrr, I thought clean meant brands like Clorox, Lysol, Windex, etc.  But harsher chemicals does not equal cleaner things.  I still use the "strong stuff" for certain places such as disinfecting the kitchen sink and the toilet where the germiest things may be - but everywhere else I use "green" products or natural products wherever possible.  A few products I love are Bona Floor Cleaners, ActiveIon, Shark Steam Mop and Seventh Generation.  You can also go to The Smart Mama for more information on making your own cleaners from Vinegar, Baking Soda, Lemon and more. 
5. Just be more aware - Read the ingredients and just increase your awareness.  Simply opt for bringing products into your home that are as natural as possible - use safe laundry detergents, soaps, shampoos and other products that you put on, in or near your body.  

One last resource I love is the Environmental Working Group and their Skin Deep Cosmetics Database.  You can search thousands and thousands of products in tons of categories for harmful ingredients and they rate them on their safety scale.

Thanks for reading and stopping by and please feel free to share this with your friends and family!
~Carly

What to do with those "banned" cribs?

If you're like, oh, say most households today, you've got one of those now "banned" drop-side cribs not in use for one of many possible reasons.

Either you decided to stop using it (right choice), you gave it away awhile ago before the banning, you no longer have a baby that needs the crib, etc., etc.

Either way, it's probably taking up valuable storage space somewhere, right?  Now, you are unable to donate it, sell it or do much of anything with it.

So, if you're crafty (or think you're crafty, like me) I've found two solutions of what to do with those cribs.

I must of course thank Pinterest and my love of crafty blogs :)

An old crib turned into a work bench - via Apartment Therapy and created by A Little Learning For Two

Image courtesy of A Little Learning
For Two of the finished project

I could totally see my two kids sitting there nicely together!  Coloring. Using the dreaded Play-Doh. Reading books.

According to the original post from A Little Learning For Two, she created this space and did not lose the ability to turn it back into a crib should she require it again - which is amazing.

As you can see from the picture, the end result features a large work space that doubles as a chalkboard and has little hooks and nooks to hang scissors or any other accessories your little ones will require to be the creative beings they are.

This is just beyond adorable and looks quite easy to make.  They show you step by step in the blog.  I think one of the best parts is you don't even have to take the crib completely apart to make it.

I totally want to attempt to make this.

But then - just when I think I want to make one thing from the old crib, I come across another idea that I seem to love.

This project is an older antiqued headboard (not a crib) salvaged and re-purposed as a bench!  It comes from Scissors & Spatulas.   However, even though it was not a crib - the parts they used can easily come from your old crib.

For the record, my style is not country - at all.  But this bench just screams "I'm so country and cozy! Sit on me!"

Image courtesy of  Scissors & Spatulas blog

The pillow, the distressing of the white paint, the added swoop detail at the bottom - I love it ALL.

When I make this bench make my husband make this bench for us (he-he) I would likely make a cushion to go length-wise over the bench - and of course have a pillow, too.

I'd also grab some baskets to stick under it for extra storage.

Oh, the ideas just keep coming :)

Darn you, crafty people of the world and Pinterest!

So, there you have it.  Two great, yet different, ideas for re-purposing that old crib that's taking up space (or making you get that baby lust!)

But whether or not you choose to be crafty with your crib or are need of searching for a new one - have no fear.  I'll be here to help you!

Thanks for stopping by!

Love Me Some Blogs Pt. 2

I shared a few of my favorites with you just the other day, but I'd like to share a few more:

Tip Junkie - http://www.tipjunkie.com/
This site makes me soooooo jealous of all the crafty people of the world. I see so many great DIY projects, organizing and decorating ideas - and their holiday ideas are great, too!

The Connected Mom - http://www.theconnectedmom.com

I enjoy her posts immensely. Not too many moms feel they can say certain things about motherhood.

On the same note, a more honest and "scary" side, is Scary Mommy - http://www.scarymommy.com/

Here, she lays it all out there - from her unique perspective. She has a book due out this April and her site is also the home of the confessional where you can anonymously post whatever you want. I mean What.Ev.Er.

One last one is Meagan Francis The Happiest Mom - http://thehappiestmom.com

She is an author and mom and offers another glimpse into mommy-hood honestly and offers realistic ways to keep it all together. She also shares how to keep the focus on yourself, too.

Love Me Some Blogs

I don't know about you, but I could spend all day on Pinterest and reading blogs. 


I just wanted to share with you a few of my favorites - but I'm always looking for new ones to subscribe to and check out, so please, tell me your favorites!


Parenting Illustrated with Crappy Pictures - Hilarious.  


Baby Rabies - Love Jill - she's a moms of two, like me and her writing is exceptional.  She writes honestly and from the heart and she does some great photography, too.


Thrifty Decor Chick - Sarah is awe.some. I wish I could be crafty and I LOVE her style and decor and her thrify-ness. 


Young House Love - These two are super cute and their daughter is adorable and they have a sense of style and do tons and tons of home improvement projects.  Their posts are informative and super funny to read.


Mama Cheaps - Great for saving money and time as it compiles some of the best prices and deals from stores and on the web. 


BabyCheapSkate - Breaks down great diaper deals and coupons and offers, also!


Baby Gear Guide - this is a site byThe Baby Guy NYC aka Jamie Grayson - I "met" Jamie on Twitter and I love him - he is the ultimate baby gear guy - he's single, gay but knows more about pregnancy, parenting, babies and of course, baby gear.  He has great contests, product reviews and more.


I'll have more to add, so check back soon!
Have a great weekend!

Toddlers!

You know that classic list of job titles that you see posted everywhere? 


Moms are: chefs, chauffeurs, house cleaners, maids, dog walkers, etc., etc.  
Yup - we do it all.


I feel like another should be added to that list as it is clearly missing:


Referee.


I feel more and more like a referee these days than anything else - especially now with two toddlers who are both expressing themselves with their budding language skills while simultaneously exhibiting those not-so-desirable behaviors that make this phase of childhood a seemingly dreaded one. Well, at least until the teenage years ;)


Until then, I'm thinking of investing in this sign from Land of Nod:

Now only if they could read it to remind themselves instead of my seemingly incessant raised voice ever-so-kindly.


(Trust me, we are working on it!)


I'd love to hear what new roles you find yourselves in as your babies and kids grow?

I'm Pro-Moms. What are you?

We have all heard of them - and likely been involved in a conversation about one.

I'm talking about those "mommy wars" that just don't seem to go away.  Oh, you know the ones I'm speaking of: formula feeding vs. bottle, crying methods of sleep training vs. non-crying methods, working moms vs. stay at home moms, etc. etc.

They can rear their ugly head from just about anyone these days - even strangers can come up to you and express their (unwanted) opinions to you.

Unfortunately I come across these more often than I'd like as an occupational hazard and within my own circle of friends ;)

However, as opinionated as I am in my personal life and choices I've made along with my husband for our children - I am NOT when it comes to supporting my clients, friends or families I help along the way.

I'm not pro anything.  I believe parenting is a series of choices - most of which we tend to make on the fly or as we go.  There is no right or wrong way, per se, but I do believe in planning and researching from qualified sources as much as possible.  I do believe in getting opinions and having conversations with other moms and professionals and getting different perspectives.

I actually take back what I just said about not being pro anything.  I'm pro-MOMS.  I just support moms in general - regardless of their choices. Period.

What about you?  Has someone recently engaged you in one of those aforementioned "mommy wars"?  If so, what was it?  I would love to hear about it!