The Green NYC Fashion Runway

There I was sitting at the end of the runway in NYC with a judge's clipboard. I was a fashion judge! Not just any fashion judge but a green fashion judge! I am not a fashion saavy person but I was selected as a judge a few years ago.

So how could I judge based on being clueless about fashion? Thankfully I didn't need to because I had green fashion designers on each side and we had a lot of whispering back and forth.

Cute kids paraded in front of me as did adults in functional or crazy clothes. What made the clothes green to me what was how little of an impact they had on the environment. Yes the organic cotton imported from Egypt was "green" but it was MANUFACTURED and SHIPPED across an ocean and around the continent. Then there were the repurposed clothes. Clothes that had been salvaged from thrift stores then were carefully redesigned into one of a kind treasures. I liked these and the winning designer based on style and greenness had used repurposed clothes.

The owner of Loveday 31 in Astoria, NY was also a judge.

Seeing that I am not into fashion, I don't care for shopping. I love it when our Church has a once a year consignment sale and I can fill a huge bag of goodies for a fixed price. I feel good knowing that my money goes directly to charity, my kids are clothed, and I helped the environment. My three girls wear hand me downs that they have received from other kids or from their older siblings. We are not cheap, we are green.

Today is Small-Business Saturday so go support your local consignment store!

VIDEO: How to Cloth Diaper

This is the real world, not Hollywood, but here goes my first video!  Here I am demonstrating how to cloth diaper using prefolds.  This is my very easy way of diapering where I only do one load of laundry per week!  Enjoy and don't forget to check out why I cloth diapered baby #3 and the details of cloth diapering the easy way with prefolds.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Uk975ujPXQ&feature=player_embedded

Useful but not necessary baby registry items

Medela Pump-n-Style Breast Pump

As promised in my Useless Baby Registry Items post, this post contains items that you can easily get for free on your local mom boards or www.freecycle.org. You can also find them at yard sales or through other moms for cheap. These are things that are useful if you have the space but they are not at all needed to buy new (or to own). You can see what life is like without them then buy them if you feel that they would be useful. I did not put stroller on this list but it is certainly something that you don't need for a long time if you plan on baby wearing. Both of my kids were about one year when I really put them in (or bought) the stroller.

1. Bouncer, swing, exersaucer. These things are used for a short period and take up a lot of space. If you really want one, borrow one from a friend so you can return it when you are done if you are short on space. A bucket carseat can easily be used to put the baby for a few minutes or in the bathroom for a shower.
2. Changing pad. These create a mattress to change the baby on. I have one and like it but really a towel is just as useful. I know many people who just put a towel on their bed or couch.
3. Pack-n-play portable crib. We travel a good bit but never bothered to get one of these until we went on a trip where we would be sleeping in many different (and often dirty) hotels and cabins. Family was always able to find someone to borrow one from. 
4. A really good breast pump. Use nothing (you can use your hands like women have done for thousands of years!) or pay for something good (like Medela). Cheap pumps are cheap for a reason and do not work well. Most pumps say that you should not share them with other moms but you can as long as the mom did not have an infection. Each brand is different so you have some research to do. I often see really good pumps sold for cheap in mom groups. If you are planning on going back to work full time you should really look into the Medela Pump N Style and consider just adding it to your registry if you cannot find it used from someone who you trust.
5. Towels and washcloths. I was given special baby sized ones as gifts but could have easily lived without them.
6. Bathtub for the sink. This was super useful when bathing a newborn especially mine that had the slanted base for the baby to lay on. My first child was in it for almost 2 years because she loved it so much (although we had to put it inside the big tub)!
7. Mobile. Again these are only on the crib for a short period because they become a danger. Of course it is great to find a cute one that matches the room but there are plenty of moms out there who have them just sitting around in storage. My favorite mobiles are the Waldorf inspired ones that you can make yourself using a branch and felt ornaments or cutouts. I have been making one with simple felt stars for baby #3 (cost = free, look = $150).
8. Co-sleeper and bassinet. If you are gun-ho about co-sleeping, skip the co-sleeper and take apart your bed! A mattress on the floor is easy and cheap. Babies only fit in a bassinet for a short period so if you think that you want one for an area of your home or right next to your bed, borrow it from a friend. 
9. Swaddle me wrap. These are special blankets that make it easy to swaddle the baby. Babies are only swaddled for a short period and it is really easy to swaddle using a receiving blanket. Watch some You Tube videos and you will be all set.

My next post will be your must-have baby registry items so keep reading!

Useless baby registry items

image: 123rf.com
Moodboard

As I plan for the arrival of my third baby, I need to buy some crib sheets, and a pacifier (to stuff in her mouth while asleep, on airplanes, or during screaming fits in the car).  This short list is because I own everything that I need (including mama milk and cloth diapers).  

My heart breaks when I see first time moms (or subsequent moms) engulfed in the consumerism of useless baby items. I know firsthand what is useful because my first two babies were born into a small one bedrooms NYC apartment with no storage. We simply did not have the space for "things" that we could only use for a short time so we took the opinion of "let's live without it and see if need it". After having the second child, we moved into a house and had endless storage so our baby supplies have increased greatly (thanks mostly to donations and yard sales) but we still only have what we really need.

The most important thing is not to be afraid to return things that you don't like, want or need. Stores like BabiesRUs took back all sorts of gifts that I received in exchange for store credit. I think that I returned around 15 extra cloth bibs and 10 extra receiving blankets. It is not that I was ungrateful or unappreciative of the generosity, but I really had to be practical. I exchanged gifts that I didn't need for items that I needed. I knew that the gift giver would be happy to know that I had something that I really needed.

Useless:

1. Gender specific "stuff".  If you plan to have only one child and then get your tubes tied: do whatever you want. If you don't then think about what you want to buy or make again if your next child is the opposite sex. Is it really worth buying a new car seat, stroller, or activity mat: NO! I am also a fan of neutral crib bedding because they use things like bumpers for a short period. 
2. Bottle warmer. Breastmilk is fine at room temperature for several hours. My husband had a good routine of just leaving a container of milk at room temperature and the babies adapted to it instantly. This makes bottle feeding on the go easier. He spent afternoons with the baby all around the city thanks to not needing to warm the milk!
3. Bottle drying rack. Do you really need something else on your kitchen counter? Most likely you already own a drying rack.
4. Bottle sterilizer. Another counter top item that does the same thing as a $1 bottle brush. Most bottle cleaning directions say that they should be sterilized once before first use then just washed with soap and water. They take 1 minute to clean by hand with one of those bottle brushes.
5. Baby wipes warmer. Why get your baby used to having warm wipes? Then what would you do when you are out and about?
6. Bumbo seat. This seat allows a baby to sit upright before they are old enough to sit. Why do they need to sit before they are ready?
7. Crib toys. These things clip on to the crib and make music and give the baby something to look at. When they are newborn these are a suffocation risk. When they are older it is just a distraction that can create a "sleep crutch" of noise or a distraction to going to sleep.
8. Stuffed animals. These collect dust, absorb spit-up and clutter a room. Return or give away most of the ones that you get. Keep 1-2 that you love as a special "lovey" for your child.
9. Burp cloths. You will have enough cloths to use. I use yesterday's swaddle blanket as a burp cloth for today before it goes to the laundry basket.
10. Baby food makers. Been there, tried these, and didn't like them. My cuisinart mini-chopper and blender were able to do more than these things. I just chopped or blended what we were eating for dinner and had instant baby food. Best of all I used what I had and was not stuck with "stuff" when the baby moved on to larger chunks of food.
11. Diaper bag. Yes, you need a bag to put stuff in but 99% of diaper bags sold are just ugly and oversized. They encourage moms to bring too much stuff with them. Most kids are good to go with a few basics in their cute purse. My husband prefers a backpack when he has the kids solo.  Breastfeeders are at a huge advantage that they don't have to bring much.
12. Hanging diaper holders. People buy these as part of themed decorations for a room. I find them unattractive and rather useless. I rather like to repurpose a cute basket or a drawer filled with diapers. The drawer is my preference so it doesn't look messy.
13. Special laundry basket for the baby. We have always kept our babies in our room for up to their first 2.5 years so it never made sense to need a laundry basket in a separate room.  The clothes are so small that I like keeping a basket in my room so I can easily see when it is full of family clothes. Having multiple places to check and transfer clothes from one pile to another seems like extra work to me! We wash all cloths in a dye/perfume/chemical free and ecological laundry soap (please don't use Dreft or another mainstream baby laundry detergent that is filled with chemicals and skin irritants!) so there is no need to wash the baby's cloths separately.

Posts will follow that include things to buy used and things that must be on a first time mom's baby registry.

Join a mom's group while still pregnant

It is a great idea to start scoping out the support communities for new moms. Most mom groups accept new members who are pregnant with their first child as well as those seasoned with other kids.  Moms who have had a large gap between children also enjoy being reconnected with a new wave of moms.

I suggest joining the following mom's groups while pregnant:

1. LaLeche League -- They usually have an online loop that you can join (often for free but membership is appreciated) and read all about new moms breastfeeding and seeking help. It is a good way to get some invaluable knowledge in your head before you start learning and teaching breastfeeding to your own baby. Once you have your baby you won't have time to look them up and figure out how to join and what if you need them on day two home from the hospital? It is good to already have contact.
2. Holistic Moms Network -- Since you are reading this blog you are into green living and mindful parenting so this is a national group of like-minded moms who have rocked my world! I started a chapter when there wasn't a local one in my town and was thrilled that my new community had an existing local chapter. There is a yearly fee that is very much worth it.
3. Attachment Parenting International -- This a group that specifically connects parents who are into Attachment Parenting practices (breastfeeding, co-sleeping, baby wearing, etc.). I have heard great things about this group but had never joined it because I did not realize that our lifestyle feel into this category! Funny how things work out :)
4. Your neighborhood moms group -- They might meet at the local community center or be an organized group through Mothers & More or Meetup. Don't rule out groups that charge a yearly fee ($10-$50 is normal) because they have a lot to offer.

Here are some reasons to join a mom's group while pregnant:

1. Local advise --  Local moms offer local advise on where to go for prenatal massages, birthing classes, acupuncture, and baby supplies. The advise alone is priceless!
2. Free stuff -- Moms are often inundated with baby gifts and sometimes their babies don't even wear an outfit.  Or they have a baby that hates their new swing.  Some moms were blessed with fabulous donations and they want to pass it forward and need someone to share baby gear and clothes with.  It is very helpful to know these moms while pregnant!
3. Post-Partum Support -- These moms are experienced in breastfeeding in public, local lactation consultants, where to meet other new moms at a cafe, and a shoulder to lean on in person or virtually.  Other moms also love to cook for new moms so it is another great reason to make these contacts before the baby arrives. I STILL am very connected with my pre-natal friends from baby #1.  When our babies arrived, we met at least weekly for our own sanity.

Removing toxins from your beauty routine

As you know, I took my journey to removing beauty toxins in baby steps starting with what I use most: moisturizer. I now have more and more skin to cover with moisturizer and it all gets absorbed through my skin into my bloodstream which passes nutrients (and toxins!) to my baby.

What can you not live without?

My lips have always been pale and I like to tint them. Most of my lip color enters my mouth which seems like a gross place for traditional lipsticks filled with lead and other nasty chemicals. I found that I like Hemp Organics lipstick but it is rather pricey to have collection of colors. I use it sometimes but not often because my older daughters are always going through my purse and I don't want them wasting this lipstick! Instead I discovered that my local target has a lot of  rather natural tinted lip glosses/balms that really perk my lips up. Then I discovered that I could order them cheaper online at Vitacost (disclosure: we both get a referral bonus if you buy using this link) or through my Holistic Mom's Network Frontier buying club. When my girls put a little on they do not end up looking like a clown.

I have also found that I look better with less makeup and my skin seems happier!  The expensive makeup items that I own last much longer (often several years) because only a small amount does the trick.

Before I buy a product, I check it at the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep Database to see how toxic it is.  This goes for shampoo, soap, makeup, nail polish, sunblock, moisturizers, and etc. Every now and then they do not have a new product in the database so I look up the individual ingredients and see what they say about the ingredients.

Removing toxins from your cleaning routine

image: www.care2.org

It is widely published that pregnant women should stay clear of cleaning products so the chemicals released into the air and put on the skin do not harm the unborn child.  Most women shout for joy and gladly hand over the task of housekeeping to their partners.  That it what I did when I was pregnant with my oldest child.  But I was on that holistic mission and learning more and more about why I didn't even want my husband exposed to those toxins. It was really hard for me to part with Mr. Scrubbing Bubbles and his effortless bathtub cleaning. This whole holistic journey was a lot for me so I needed to start with baby steps.

I started by replacing the most used products with products that were safer.  The first item that I changed was the dish soap since my hands were in it all day long.  After a long experimentation period, my beloved Dawn was replaced with Seventh Generation dish soap.

I was blown away by the price differences of everything.  It seemed that many of the green cleaners were at least 2-4 times the cost of the chemical cleaners.  So I attended a friend's DIY Green Cleaning workshop and started making my own recipes that surprisingly worked great.  I used the recipes from Care2.org to make my own green cleaning kit with supplies that I mostly already had.  I have also learned some great cleaning tips over time such as a damp microfiber cloth is great for dusting and that my wood furniture only needs to be oiled (with a natural oil) once a year!  My hard floors are cleaned with a steam mop that cleans with only water and the cloths go in the washing machine to be reused for years so there is no waste.  Dryer balls make my clothes soft without coating them with chemicals and last for several years.  Vinegar, baking soda, and Dr. Bronner's castille soap are the main cleaning items in my cleaning bin and I love it!  Keeping my bathroom ventilated while showering with "air-in" and "air-out" prevents mold (for example an open window and the fan -- or -- an open door and the fan).

For the cleaning products that I do buy, I like to support companies that are green because they know that it is best for the environment and the next generation.  That is why I don't buy brands such as Clorox Green Works and I suggest that you don't either.  Stick to the wholesome companies like Seventh Generation, Earth Friendly Products, BioKleen, Ecover, etc.

The best part of green cleaning is that our kids mimic us. When they see us do something they want to do it to.  I have no issues handing one of my older kids a rag to help me clean because I know that I am not exposing them to any extra chemicals that can disrupt their immune system or behavior.