By Shannon Choe, Premier Baby Concierge
for Traditional Medicinals
 

Going green is more and more mainstream with every passing Earth Day.  It used to be that most grocery stores didn’t carry organic items; no one blinked at using paper bags; or had even heard of B.P.A.  But today, messages about “organic” this and “toxic” that are everywhere from TV and magazines to store aisles.  The take-home message is that green is good and important to being healthy.   Once they start eating, shopping and planning “for two,” most moms-to-be take a harder look at what it really means to go green.  Do they need to go green in order for their baby to be healthy?  Is it possible to create a healthy environment without going crazy or breaking the bank?  Where to start?!  Moms find that, like so many things on the parenting path, there is not one simple “one-size fits all” answer to these questions. 
 

People make green changes for different reasons and in different ways.  Some are concerned about the impact on the environment; others about their own family’s immediate and long-term health.  For one family, going green may mean eating organic, for another, using cloth diapers, yet for another it may mean avoiding toxins in all areas of their home.  Going green is certainly not an isolated “Yes” or “No” checkbox! 
 

Parents-to-be are generally very thoughtful of every decision as they prepare for baby.  They’ll certainly notice that in nearly every category of baby gear products there will be some that boast of organic materials; in every parenting magazine there will be articles about when, how and why to go green.  With new research coming out all the time, it can be challenging to stay informed and sometimes to separate the hard facts from the headlines.  Most new parents and parents-to-be are already overwhelmed by their to-do list full of unfamiliar tasks and while, of course, they want the best for baby, determining what that is can seem daunting. 
 

For all of these reasons, it’s really essential that parents become educated consumers, learning what all of the “buzz” is about and how these issues may directly affect themselves and their baby.  It’s key for parents to have a handful of trusted resources that offer reliable, unbiased information to check in with and become informed about the latest issues and information available.  A couple of Premier Baby Concierge favorites include:  the Healthy Child Healthy World website: www.healthychildhealthyworld.com, and the book, "Raising Baby Green; The Earth Friendly Guide to Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Baby Care," by Alan Greene, M.D.  We also suggest the Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) Skin Deep website (www.cosmeticsdatabase.com) which has a regularly updated online database of cosmetics and personal care products that are deemed safe to use based on research.  There are countless others; parents should ask their doctors, friends & colleagues for recommendations as well. 
 

With a basic understanding of going green and the tools to evaluate products, parents are empowered to make choices for their family.  There is no one correct answer. It’s great to be a part of the on-going dialogue with friends, online, and with your pediatrician to help you interpret the facts and apply what you know to your own choices.  Is it possible to make a commitment to going green without breaking the bank? Yes. Parents can decide that the items that are closest to baby need to be non-toxic and maybe forgo the organic wood nursery furniture, for example.  Is it inconsistent to go with a wool mattress but not opt for cloth diapers?  Not at all.  Parents should not feel pressured to live up to an outside measure of the “right” choices, and furthermore, should allow themselves to bend or re-define their own rules as they need to.  Maybe they use cloth diapers 99% of the time, but use disposables when  traveling.  The key is to be informed and make choices that are a comfortable fit their family. 

Stay tuned for our upcoming article, “Greening Your Nursery” for more on this topic and specific items to consider.