Ditch & Switch - Three Green Changes to Make Before Baby Arrives

Ditch & Switch - Three Green Changes to Make Before Baby Arrives
By Tara N Smith

Now that the green movement has gained some momentum, many families who are expecting a baby may be wondering how they can make healthier household choices before their baby comes. Here are 3 easy changes you can make to go green for your baby, and create a safer environment for her and the rest of your family!

Ditch: Hazardous Household Chemicals

Switch: A select number of versatile products that are non-toxic, and eco-friendly

Lots of popular cleaning and household products are not only hazardous to your health, but they are hazardous to our environment. Common cleaning products contain phthalates, petrochemicals, fragrances and other harsh chemicals. These chemicals can easily be inhaled and ingested while they are being used, and can be fatal if ingested by small infants. Additionally, the internet is ripe with stories of households that switched to more natural products, and noticed a reduction in asthma, eczema and allergy symptoms immediately. In the age of clutter, many people have closets full of half-used toxic cleaning products for every cleaning task under the sun. You can simplify your home and green it before your baby comes by getting rid of the toxic products and replacing them with just a few safe & green products.

Products to Ditch:Chlorine Bleach, Conventional Cleaners (Toilet Boil Cleaners, Window Cleaners, Oven Cleaners, Tile & Mildew Cleaners, Laundry Detergent, Fabric Softener, etc.) Ammonia, Solvents, Bug & Pest Chemicals, Weed Killers, Antibacterial Soap

Switch to: Oxygen Bleach, Eco-Friendly Cleaners, Vinegar, Baking Soda, Lemon Juice, Borax

Ditch: 24 Hour Electronics

Switch: Peace & Quiet, House Plants

It's surprising the number of electronics we have in our houses compared to when I was growing up. Yes, I remember when we got our first color television (Yay! Sesame Street in color), when I was 6 or 7. Today in my house we have 2 TVs, 2 Desktop Computers, 1 Laptop and numerous other radios, video game machines and media players. What many people are not aware of is that when these devices are running many of them are off-gassing polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), which are used as flame-retardants on most electronic equipment. Levels of these chemicals in human breast milk have been increasing over the past 25 years and researchers are now linking them to endocrine problems, like thyroid dysfunction and PBDEs are a suspected neurotoxin: a substance that can harm the central nervous system.

Ditch: Turn off the TV, computers and video game devices when they are not in use.

Switch: Get the family outdoors, where the air quality is better and where you're more likely to interact than zone out in front of the TV. Adding houseplants to your decor can dramatically reduce the level of indoor pollutants. Frequent dusting and vacuuming can also help reduce the levels ingested by children.

Ditch: Nasty Plastics

Switch: Safer Plastics, Glass

Plastics have been in the news a lot lately due to new studies that further implicate the chemical, bisphenol a (BPA), a common ingredient in baby bottles, in a number of health problems including hormone disruption, cancer and reproductive disorders. While plastic serves a number of important functions in our society, science if finding that some might not be safe for ingestion. One study found that the amount of BPA that leached into the contents of the container was drastically increased when the container was heated and scrubbed.

Ditch: #3 Vinyl/PVC (lunch boxes & bags), #6 Polystyrene (fast food), #7 Polycarbonate (baby bottles, reusable water bottles)

Switch:#1 PET (bottled water), #2 HDPE (milk jugs), #4 LDPE (plastic wrap), #5 PP (ziploc food containers)

Avoid using single use plastic products when possible, tote your water or beverage in a reusable and safe bottle. Avoid microwaving plastic, instead use glass or microwave-safe ceramic. Use glass baby bottles or safer plastic ones.

Tara Smith is a mom, perennial researcher, reader and author of growbabygreen.com, a website that helps parents "go green" for their baby and family.To learn more green, organic and natural living ideas and tips visit http://www.growbabygreen.com

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