you need to try! One of the best choices you can make when trying to go green, especially with babies and kids, is to choose reusable over disposable. The amount of disposable products out there is just mind boggling. Honestly, it may be a little more difficult at first. But once you get going, you really will get used to it and you may even like it better!
10 reusable products you should be using (or at least trying):
- Diapers. Cloth diapers save you money in the long run, especially if you use them for multiple children. Compared to disposables: They save trees and plastic consumption. They reduce the amount of untreated waste going into our landfills. And they don’t expose baby’s skin to unnecessary and toxic chemicals that can be found in conventional disposable diapers.
- Swim Diapers. Durable, they work great, and I have found that they aren’t any harder to use than the disposable ones. The place my son took baby swim lessons actually required them since they were better for the filtration system they used. Plus the reusable swim diapers are so much cuter!
- Wet Bags. There are wet bags made specifically for use with cloth diapers, but any waterproof bag will do. Wet bags are wonderful for cloth diapers, but also can be used for wet/dirty clothes, swimsuits, dirty bibs, anything you can think of that you wouldn’t want touching all the nice clean things in your diaper bag. Skip the plastic bags!
- Bibs. There really is no need for disposable bibs at home. Even if you are going out to a restaurant or a friend’s house, take along a cloth bib or two and your wet bag to put the dirty one in after use.
- Changing Table Pad. I have yet to see a diaper bag that does not come with a changing pad (be sure to avoid Microban which contains the pesticide Triclosan). You can also buy so many different types of quick change sets that allow you to store a diaper, wipes, diaper balm in a nice little compact set. Why buy, or use, the disposable ones?
- Wipes. I know this change can be a little harder to make, but it isn’t all that much harder than the cloth diapers! Just keep a little spray bottle handy, filled with water or special cloth wipe solution, to wet the wipe before using. Your baby will appreciate the softness of a cloth wipe on her skin and you’ll appreciate the cost savings and knowing there are no unnecessary or toxic chemicals touching baby’s skin.
- Reusable nursing pads. Well these are more for mama than baby, but still important. They are made out of some great materials, organic cotton, wool, organic cotton/hemp blends, wool/cashmere blends to name a few. There a lot of benefits to you, not just the environment, by choosing reusable nursing pads. They provide good air flow, reducing the risks of infection. They keep your breasts warm helping with circulation and milk supply. They don’t contain toxic chemicals that can irritate the skin, and are just not healthy for you, your baby, or the environment.
- Cloth Napkins. For wiping dirty faces and hands, boogie noses, or any other messes or spills, cloth napkins are easy to use and easy to wash. Using these doesn’t make anything really harder, it’s just doing it, making the change.
- Baby Food Containers. We’ve talked about our love of glass bottles and making your own baby food, but we haven’t said much about the containers to store breastmilk and/or homemade baby food. I believe that glass is better than plastic, and some plastics are better than others, but reusable containers of any material is by far the better choice. Take care with freezing, as some things should not be placed in glass in the freezer.
- Reusable Shopping Bags. I know this one seems like a no-brainer as every grocery store and “go-green” article tells us that we need to use our reusable bags when shopping. So many people are still not doing it and not using it everywhere they could. Anytime you are going to be purchasing something that ordinarily goes into a bag, clothes, toys, groceries, take your reusable bag!
Any other tips for reusable baby products? Which do you use and why or why not?