Cloth Diaper Mama-Drama

Everyone has a roller-coaster relationship.  One minute your in love, the next total disdain.  Finding excuses for irrational behaviour is easy for humans.  My love affair with cloth diapers is no less dramatic than a bad daytime soap, and similarly mine has an obsessive beginning.

Pregnant with Micah, my first child, my mind entered a permanent state which I can only describe as "excessively tox-spicios."  Once during the roundest month of my pregnancy, my unassuming aunt assertively rubbed grocery store brand lotion on my exposed baby-sphere.  Grabbing the nearest kitchen towel, I wiped fervently at the offending petrochemicals while racing to the shower.

When he was born, I expressed my dedication to swaddling his pure and precious little bum in organically grown comfy cotton diapers until the day he was potty trained.  I did well with a stack of prefolds and bummis covers for the first year.  I was diligent then.  There was no chore more satisfying than a clothsline uniformly hung with cotton rectangles flapping in the wind.  When Micah was 14 months old we stayed with friends for a week during a move.  That's the week that commercial brand diapers found their way into my regimen.  Wow, so soft for paper diapers!  So easy to put on... and those cute little Pooh characters couldn't possibly be indicators of some dark disposable secret.  I was (temporarily) hooked.

With my second baby I stocked up on variety.  Little Meric has been pampered in Fuzzi Bunz, Swaddlebees, Little Beetle, Kissaluvs, Eco-baby, Imse Vimse, Bummis, Hemparoos, Aristocrats, and two dozen fresh prefolds.  (Planning to review them all in future posts.)  My motto became: Whatever you do eight times everyday should be fun, even if it's changing a diaper.  My interesting arsenal of nappies has gotten me through well into the sixteenth month, although I must admit a former addict's fascination with 7th Generation disposables and a brief affair with Little G pants.

Some points of eco-intrest to help you with diapering decisions: (Source: The New Parents Guide)

• It is estimated that roughly 5 million tons of untreated waste and a total of 2 billion tons of urine, feces, plastic and paper are added to landfills annually. It takes around 80,000 pounds of plastic and over 200,000 trees a year to manufacture the disposable diapers for American babies alone.
• Although some disposables are said to be biodegradable; in order for these diapers to decompose, they must be exposed to air (oxygen) and sun. Since this is highly unlikely, it can take several hundred years for the decomposition of disposables to take place, with some of the plastic material never decomposing.  (Little G diapersclaim to be compostable, I'll let you know in 90 days!)
• Disposable paper diapers contain sodium polyacrylate (the super absorbent gel), and dioxin, which is a by-product of bleaching paper.  Sodium polyacrylate has been linked in the past to toxic shock syndrome, allergic reactions and is very harmful and potentially lethal to pets. Some dyes and dioxin according to the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) is known to cause damage to the central nervous system, kidneys, and liver.

Now some practical tips to help minimize your own diaper-drama:

• Variety really is the spice of life.  Different situations require different diapering options.  Prefolds are fine for spending time at home, but pocket diapers travel well and hold more.
• Washing cloth diapers is easy: 1. run through a cold cycle with no soap to rinse well 2. wash with a small amount of soap on hot to sterilize, add extra rinse cycle 3. line dry or tumble (detailed wash tips at Green Mountain Diapers)
• Oh yeah, and whether using cloth full time or part time paper: ALWAYS put solids in the toilet.  Not only will your house smell better, but this helps minimize untreated waste going into landfills.

My husband still smirks at the look of satisfaction I get when all the cloth diapers are clean and folded neatly into their catagorized baskets.  He also appreciates the stash of "natural" paper diapers I keep around for his mornings with the kids.  Micah remembers everything and once wanted to know why I don't buy the character diapers for his brother.  "Chemicals." I told him.  He understood.

Micah is now four years old.  This morning he asked me "What is Helpful, my baby octopus, made out of?"
"Polyester."  I informed.
"Is is organic?"
"Nope."
"Is it natural?" he inquired futher.
"It's man-made."  I said.  At this he promply washed his hands with soap and water.   Honestly, I couldn't make this stuff up.  I guess tox-spicious-ness is passed on easily to children.  So far, I'm okay with that.

Breastfeeding is good for the environment too!

There are many important decisions to make when preparing for your new baby.  Numero uno on the eco-mamma's list of concerns is preserving the stability of our planet which will be her lifetime home.  In years past environmental issues have taken a back seat to seemingly more pressing concerns, but with climate change creating rampant chaos around our globe, the integrity of our atmosphere has found itself a seat at the head of the table.

As with most modern comforts, there are hidden environmental costs to the most accepted form of feeding your baby.  Bottle feeding is so widely practiced that it's almost expected of each new mother, that she will give her baby formula from a bottle: synthetic mother's milk from a pretend breast nipple.  It seems a little strange when you stop to ponder it, but let's really dig deep, shall we?

I was just reading that the average bottle-fed baby will go through 8-10 cans of formula per month.  Even at $25 per can, that's a couple hundred bucks a month at least...wow.  Well, that's hard on the pocket book, but let's take a look from the earth's viewpoint:

• The base of most formula begins it's journey inside a non-organically fed dairy cow's painfully enlarged udder.  After consuming 30 gallons of water and 100 lbs of grains each day, some of her milk may be reserved to make formula for human babies.  First the milk is heat pasteurized to kill any offending bacteria the antibiotics might have missed, which also kills the enzymes that would have benefited her calf (or the human baby) in digesting her milk. The milk is then dehydrated and enriched with vitamins, minerals, amino acids, essential fatty acids (if you buy the more expensive kind) and all the other healthy things that human mother's milk naturally contains.  The powdered formula is then packed in cans (most likely) lined with BPA, a known hormone disruptor that may leach into the product.  The packed cans are shipped by carbon emiting diesel trucks to the local grocery store.  The new parents will purchase the formula on their weekly shopping trips, bring it home, mix it with sterile water and put it into sterilized (maybe plastic) bottles which will be slightly warmed by some means of energy production before being fed to the hungry baby.  Whew!
   
  
• While there are some soy formulas and some "organic" cow's milk formulas, the majority of baby formula has a conventional cow's milk base.  All cows produce methane; a greenhouse gas which is 260 times more potent than carbon dioxide in warming our atmosphere.
   
  
• Another environmental concern is that of water shortage.  It takes 2,000 gallons of fresh water to produce just 1 gallon of cow's milk., when considering the amount of water she drinks as well as the amount needed to grow her food.  (Source: Natural News)
   
  

Now, barring any unforseen circumstances... baby can count of a constant supply of nutrition.  But, as we have in recent times, global warming has made it hard to pedict our Earth's behaviours.  What if there is a natural disaster in your area?  What if the water treatment plant shuts down and the stores sell out of bottled water?  What if there is a problem with the transportation that delivers the packed formula?  What if you or your family becomes stranded in a vehicle or even in your own home for an unspecified amount of time?

It's been two years since, but I'm still inspired by the story of Kati Kim, a mother who kept her baby and 4 year old daughters healthy and well for 9 days while trapped in a snowbound car in the wilderness.  When they were rescued, the trio was in excellent condition given their ordeal. (Source: abc News)

My obviously strong position on the matter of breastfeeding is this:  I feel that all women should be given unlimited educational and personal support to protect the nursing relationship between mother and baby.  I have found in my conversations about breastfeeding that most women want to nurse or try to nurse their baby at first but many don't continue due to lack of support.

I've  learned to type one-handed as my free arm frequently cradles my 15 month old nursling.  All children are creatures of habit.  Mine have an impulsive need for attention as soon as I sit down to write.  For the youngest, this means climbing into my lap for a little nurse and nap session.  He must get that snuggle-down feeling as soon as he hears the click-clack of the keyboard.  Sweet dreams, little guy.

By the way, I really regret that delivering information is such a somber mission somtimes.   Unfortunatly though, we are inheriting a system permiated with short-sightedness.  For environmentally conscious persons who are trying to live life in a more simple and sustainable way... the art of inspecton can be a dampering ordeal.  When it comes to children though, and their safety, their futures, their right to purity; I try to speak up whenever possible.  Thanks for listening!

Gift bags for the eco-artist

I recently read that "if all American households used recyled materials to wrap just three gifts, it would save enough paper to cover 45,000 football fields."  I just love stumbling upon facts that give even more meaning to the artful endeavors I've attempted throughout the years.  For instance, I've been reusing paper gift bags (as well as carryout bags, shopping bags, etc..) for many Christmas' already.  It started with a collage art infatuation.  Before having kids, I used to sit around with old picture books, scalloped scissors and collectable stamps I'd bought on ebay and make my own greeting cards.  This evolved into very ellaborate gift bag decorating, it was really fun!  Once I learned how to effectively use Modge Podge, it was a new and limitless world! 

However, these days it seems that there is a shortage of mommy-attention in this house.  (The dishes and laundry seem to be crying the loudest.)  So, my endless hours of cutting and pasting whilest singing along to repitions of Natalie Merchant's Tigerlilly CD, have given way to a quicker simpler method for last minute decorating.  During the year, I save all paper bags that find their way to me, many of which I've given away in past years and have been given back!  (I love that!)  I also save all the Christmas cards and any other pretty postcard photos we come across.  Then at Christmas I just get out my trusty glue stick and paste a lovely postcard photo over the logo on the paper bag.  Sometimes I'll tie a little scrap of ribbon on the handle, add a bead or two... seriously this stuff is so simple.  Finally, I coat the image in Modge Podge with a paintbrush.  When it dries it has that glossy, brush stroke finish to it that exuberates !art!!

Pet Peeve: The aisles in the craft store that sell "scrapbooking materials".  I know this stuff is cute and all, but I think it actually mutes some very beautiful inate qualities, like being able to gather some old junk and  turn it into something lovely.  Women have a strong gathering instinct, and a strong creation-drive (keep it in the kitchen, girls).  Making your own Christmas gift bags this year is a simple, eco-friendly way to satisfy your creative impulse.

Grow your own houseplants from kitchen scraps

An avocado pit is a wondrous thing to a four year old who is just discovering seeds.  "Can we plant it?" my son's eyes were as big as the huge round shiny seed.  His youthful enthusiasm often snaps me out of my habitual thinking patterns and gives me a peek into a world infinite potential.  "Maybe" I sincerely replied.  We dried the seed and placed it in the seed-sorting tray that he made that week: washed out condiment cups from our recent carry-out order, glued to a strip of construction paper.  This tray contained all the hope and vision of a child's backyard Eden: orange, grapefruit, date, tomato, squash, pumpkin, marigold, zinnia; every seed of every piece of produce that crossed our cutting board, and every seed of every spent flower we passed on our walks and every spinning helicopter seed from every ash and maple tree that his little hands could carry.  I felt a little apprehensive at the thought of being responsible for all of their fruition!  (A secret between you and me... I do not have a green thumb!)

I hoped that seed collecting was a fulfilling project in itself for my young son, until the next week when he asked "Mommy, when are we going to grow that avocado tree?"  I wasn't surprised that he remembered, after all "I'm an elephant." he proudly and routinely proclaims.  So, I put aside my afternoon chores, (like I always readily do!) and we set off to the book store to see what we could learn about growing seeds.

As serendipity would have it, the book I found in the "green features" section, seemed like it had been written just for us!  Don't Throw It, Grow It! 68 Windowsill Plants from Kitchen Scraps written by Deborah Peterson & Millicent Selsam.  My son was not surprised, because of course, you go to the bookstore and they have exactly what you need there but I was experiencing the magic of following my child's curiosity to it's fruition.

On the way home we purchased a small bag of sphagnum moss from the local craft supply store.  At home, we dampened a handful of the moss slightly and nestled the seed inside.  Then we placed this "baby bird egg inside it's nest!" in a small ziploc bag which we then sealed and (like a real bird's egg would've been)placed in a warm dark spot (a shoebox on top of the dryer.)

Not being an elephant myself, I soon forgot about our nestled avocado seed while it set about silently germinating in my laundry room.  About six weeks later, I happened to be cleaning off the top of the clothes dryer when I found the box.  Sure enough, the seed had split open and an inch long sprout was curling upward while three inch long roots searched tenderly for soil.  We put the sprouted seed in a pot one inch larger in diameter than the seed and buried it halfway in soil, as the book instructed.  Since then our little friend has been eagerly stretching skyward (toward our overhead kitchen sink light).  Avocado plants grow rapidly, this one has already outpaced the grapefruit seedling that my husband and son planted six months earlier.

Houseplants are great for keeping indoor air clean.  I sometimes buy them from the off-season clearance rack.  Our introduction to growing our own however, has been fun and fulfilling.  Give it a try!