Re-using is always an eco- and budget-friendly choice, but unfortunately there are safety issues attached with choosing used cribs, car seats, carriers, and other baby gear. Used baby clothes, on the other hand, can be washed and should be perfectly safe.

I’ve bought some maternity clothes for myself at local consignment shops and noticed that they have a ton of really sweet and adorable looking baby clothes, many of which still have tags and, presumably, have never been worn. I had been planning to hunt down a baby wardrobe this way, but then my sister-in-law generously gave us this HUGE box of my niece’s clothes, with sizes from newborn all the way up to 24 months:

(My cat, who is coincidentally also a hand-me-down from my sister in-law, insisted on being in the picture!)

I feel like I hit the jackpot!

I put the smallest sizes in the drawer under our new crib and breathed a sigh of organized satisfaction:

The remainder of the clothes will go in one of those under-bed storage boxes. Plastic, I know, but sometimes you have to be realistic…

When we bought our mattress, I knew that we wanted one made out of 100% natural latex (100% is key because many manufacturers sell “natural latex” mattresses that have foam or other chemicals mixed in) with a wool cover for several reasons:

1. No off-gassing of toxic chemicals from polyurethane foam or fire retardant sprays. A wool cover is naturally flame-retardant.

2. Comfort – No pressure points, sagging, or depressions that occur over time with spring mattresses and memory foam. Even Consumer Reports said that owners of latex mattresses were most satisfied when it came to comfort.

3. Durability – Latex rubber mattresses should last for at least 20 years, which helps to off-set the somewhat high initial price.

The tricky part was finding one that we could afford. If price were no object, I probably would have gone with a Savvy Rest or a Bella Serra, but with each ringing in at well over $3000 for a 3-layer mattress plus a foundation (this is basically a box-spring only sturdier to support the weight of the latex), this put them out of our price range.

After hours days weeks of scouring the internet for information about dunlop vs. talalay processed latex, firmness levels, and latex manufacturers, I decided to go with a 3-layer talalay latex mattress from a company called Sleep EZ. I was a little skeptical at first, because the website looks a little less, let’s say, polished than the websites of the companies that I mentioned above, giving it a bit of a used-car salesman feel. Also, they sell some mattresses that have a blend of natural and synthetic latex and some that are made out of memory foam (the ultimate off-gaser), which was a little unsettling for a green momma like me. But the price was reasonable enough (around $2000 for a 3-layer 100% natural talalay latex mattress with an organic wool/cotton cover, plus a foundation) to keep me interested.

I found nothing but positive reviews from Sleep EZ customers (I made sure to look at forums and sources other than the company website for these testimonials), and they had an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau, which made me feel better about ordering online. Shipping was free, and they have a 90 layer exchange program so that you can adjust the firmness of your mattress if you aren’t happy. I was also able to find information on their latex suppliers right on the Sleep EZ website, which made me feel much more confident in the quality of the materials that I was purchasing.

We lurv lurv lurv it! The best part, as a preggo lady, is that we can rearrange all of the different layers to customize the firmness (I’m usually a back sleeper, but I’m currently sleeping on my side). The guy at Sleep EZ recommended that we get split layers, so we started with extra firm, firm, and medium layers on my husband’s side and firm, medium, and soft layers on my side – but we swapped them back and forth until we were both happy. The Sleep EZ guy promised me that we wouldn’t feel any separation in the middle due to the split layers – I was skeptical- but he was right.

A natural latex crib mattress is a lot simpler because you don’t have to worry about different layers (you basically want 6 inches of fairly firm latex). Sleep EZ makes a crib mattress that has 6 inches of 100% natural dunlop latex covered in an organic cotton/wool for $295. This is the best price I can find by far, and trust me, I’ve looked.

Done and done!

I’ll be sure to post a picture when it arrives…

PS- If you are nervous about latex allergies, I also found this organic mattress (inner springs, cotton, wool) that is similarly priced. I did some research and it seems like latex allergies aren’t really an issue with natural rubber mattresses because of the processing and the fact that they are covered, but you should look into this yourself.

A quick foray on Google quickly taught me that Pacific Rim cribs are pretty much the only option if you want a truly green, 100% solid wood, non-toxic crib, right down to the finish and the glue. Unfortunately, a $700 crib was a bit outside of our budget, especially since the crib mattress that I am set on will add around $300 to the cost.

Sigh. Moving on. Next, I found several people who recommended Ikea cribs as a relatively non-toxic option, and although their cribs  – surprisingly – are made mostly of solid wood, the ones I saw all had a fiberboard base (MDF, fiberboard, particle board, and other pressed wood boards are often held together with a formaldehyde-based adhesive or other toxic glues). Plus, there was no note of the finish being non-toxic, which is something that most crib manufacturers highlight if that’s the case.

Back to the drawing board. With a little more research, I found that Davinci cribs have a good reputation for safety, and most (if not all) are made from solid New Zealand pine with a non-toxic finish. The prices seem pretty reasonable, ranging from around $150 to $300. The great thing about Davinci cribs is that many convert to a toddler bed as well as a full-sized bed, giving you a lot of bang for your buck. Unfortunately for me, I kind of had my heart set on a modern style crib, and most Davinci cribs are more traditionally styled, like this one:

I really liked the looks of Babyletto cribs, like this one:

And this one:

Love the clean lines and the modern, two-tone finish! And from what I could find, they are made from solid wood with a non-toxic finish. The only drawback was that the $400 price tag was still a little over-budget, especially with the Davinci cribs as a viable option.  I wasn’t sure that I could rationalize paying $100 more just for style.

The crib gods must have been watching over me, because somehow I stumbled across this beauty:

The Baby Mod Parklane crib. This baby is constructed from solid New Zealand pine wood, has a non-toxic finish, and is JPMA certified. For $299!

Bingo!

Now, nothing is perfect.  If you click on the link, you’ll see that it’s from Wal-Mart. I had some moral reservations about this and wondered a little about the quality, but it had a lot of great reviews.  And – after all that – it turns out that  Davinci, Babyletto, and Baby Mod cribs are actually all produced by the same company. I guess that explains the strong family resemblance between Babyletto and Baby Mod.

I’m happy to report that the crib arrived very well packaged, with all pieces in-tact. It doesn’t smell (hopefully no off-gasing), the quality is good, and it was pretty easy to put together.

Here it is, still in most of the packaging:

And here it is in all of its put-together glory:

Ok, so it looks a little like a baby-jail right now, but a mattress and some bedding should cuten it right up…

Like all parents out there, I just want what’s best for my little turnip. And boy do companies seem to know this! Everywhere I go lately, I’m given advertisements, coupons, and product samples for baby stuff. Par exemplar, here is a “gift bag” from my OB-GYN’s office, chock full of product samples and advertisements:

I’m down to a few two pairs of pants and a couple of shirts that still fit me, so I finally bit the bullet and bought some maternity clothes over the weekend. I bought two pairs of capri pants and a cute shirt from a consignment shop and few more things from a maternity store at the mall. Tucked into my shopping bag was this pamphlet:

In case you can’t see it clearly, it’s a little speaker that you strap around your belly with a “prenatal curriculum…designed to strengthen your baby’s learning capabilities.” My initial reaction was something like, “Are you kidding me?! What a crock of [bleep]!” Luckily, I was in my car, so no one could hear me other than the Turnip, and I’m pretty sure my voice sounds like Charlie Brown’s mother at this point.

I try not to be stupidly dismissive, so I figured I should at least read what they had to say. So while sitting at the next traffic light, I perused the inside of the brochure:

“Based on 20 years of scientific research”

“A breakthrough in learning”

“BabyPlus parents report…earlier developmental milestones…enhanced intellectual abilities…greater creativity and independence…longer attention spans…”

At this point, I’m thinking, What kind of scientific research? Who funded it? Of course parents report good results! Parents who would buy this must be doing all sorts of things to support their kids’ development! Not to mention the placebo effect…

Still trying to keep an open mind (you may be noticing that this is not my strong suit), I figured that I should look into the research myself. First stop – the company’s website. I click on the “Science” tab and I’m taken to a timeline of research related to their product, beginning in – are you ready for this? – 500 BCE. Now laughing, I click on “Independent Clinical Trial,” and I’m taken to a page with a research study conducted in Russia between 1992 and 2001. I have to admit, a study of this length made me stop laughing for a minute. But then I looked at the sample sizes:

11 babies who received BabyPlus enrichment

11 babies who received musical enrichment

9 babies in the control (no enrichment)

So over a period of 9 years, they studied 11 babies who used their product. Take a look at the article yourself, but this is clearly not a rigorous clinical trial. I know I may be insulting well-intentioned parents out there who have bought this or similarly ridiculous products like this one or this one, but I’m gonna stick with tried and true methods like reading to my child and letting him/her bang on pots and pans with a wooden spoon. All of you BabyPlus parents out there can laugh when your kid beats mine on the SAT.

To borrow from John Stewart, I’ll leave you all with this moment of zen.

When I initially decided to try cloth diapers, I mentioned this diaper sprayer, which attaches to your toilet to help make clean-up easier. I have since discovered the Potty Pail sprayer, which also has the option of a bucket to (theoretically) make the clean-up job easier, but I’m not sure I want a poopy bucket sitting in my bathroom. The $45 cost of the sprayer sans bucket is about the same as the bumGenius, so I’d like to find a comparison of the two sprayers’ performance, but haven’t had much luck. Is there anyone out there who has tried both?

Right now I’m leaning toward the Potty Pail version since they really emphasize the strength of their materials and reliability of their product. While reviews of the bumGenius sprayer are overwhelmingly positive, I did read at least one story of major water damage caused by a leak in the connection. Ack!  If you are the handy type and want to save a few pennies, I also found these instructions for a DIY diaper sprayer.

After reading a variety of instructions on washing cloth diapers (here’s the best one I found), I think this routine makes the most sense:

1. Spray diaper using one of the above-mentioned sprayers.

2. Cold wash without any detergent to prevent stains.

3.  Hot or warm wash (depending on type of diaper) with detergent.

4.  Extra rinse cycle to get out any detergent residue.

I’d love to be able to eliminate steps 2 and 4, and wonder if this might be possible with the combination of a diaper sprayer and the right detergent. This detergent chart is helpful, if a bit overwhelming. Initially I thought I’d try Charlie’s Soap, based on the low cost and rave reviews from many parents, until I read reports of chemical burns (is anything out there safe?!).

I think I’m going to start with Rockin Green, which appears to have incredible stink-busting powers while being safe for diapers and baby’s skin. The detergent chart I mentioned above says that it costs about $0.25-.30 a load, but the package says $0.13/load. I’m hoping for something in the middle.

Several companies make all-in-one cloth diapers sized for newborns, including Grovia and Swaddlebees, but newborns need a LOT of diapers (most people seem to say a minimum of 24), which means spending $300-$400 for just a few weeks of diapering. A lot of people seem to use inexpensive prefolds, which are basically thick layers of cloth that you pin or secure with a special fastener. These go under a waterproof diaper cover. Though many swear by this, I read enough about blow-outs to scare me away. Also, snaps and velcro I can handle, but I don’t know about pinning or snappi-ing. That might be above my skill level!

Then there are fitteds, which are kind of like all-in-ones, but lack a waterproof outer, so you use a separate cover. Fitted diapers plus covers seem to be slightly less expensive than all-in-ones. Most people seem to recommend 24 fitteds along with 4-6 covers for a newborn. After reading opinions from many parents, I found that Kissaluvs  size 0 fitted diapers consistently get rave reviews for containing runny newborn poo and folding down to avoid rubbing on the baby’s cord stump.

This is still not a cheap option at over 300 beans, but would probably be worth it if they worked well for us and we could use them with subsequent children. But if there is one thing I’ve learned, it’s that no diaper is perfect for every baby or family out there. And with my husband not totally convinced that cloth is the best route for us, this seems like a large investment in something we aren’t sure about.

Sooooooooo….

Drum roll, please!

We are going to rent newborn diapers! For $100 (plus a refundable deposit), we get 25 Kissaluvs and 4 covers to use for 12 weeks, courtesy of Itsy Bitsy Bums. The best part? They are new! I am ecstatic! The things that make me happy these days…

My husband has been great about giving me massages, but the other day he was at work (I was working from home), and I felt another headache coming on. Then I remembered a trick that I learned from a co-worker, who also happens to be a yoga instructor. You take a tennis ball, stick it in a sock (the longer the better), and VOILA! Instant back massager.

This picture does not do justice to the brilliance of this puppy! I know it just looks like a sock, but notice the rounded part at the toe (that’s the tennis ball).

Once you’ve created this masterpiece, take the sock, sling it over your shoulder (hold on to the end of the sock), and lean against a wall, working the ball up and down and around in circles wherever you feel tense. I cannot describe how much better I felt afterward. I’ve been using it for a few days, and I think this stubborn knot is almost gone. Good riddance!

Here is my first-ever Mother’s Day bouquet, courtesy of my sweet husband!

But as I started shopping for other baby necessities, I kept seeing these cute, brightly colored numbers with elastic at the waist and legs.  Not the dingy, saggy, pinned cloth that I had envisioned. I like to shop sites that have customer reviews, and amazingly a lot of these diapers had high ratings from users. I started reading. Fewer leaks, no diaper rash, easy to clean. Comments from people like me who admitted to originally being skeptical. I became intrigued.

I started looking at different brands and various mom-blogs and found a lot of rave reviews, but I quickly became totally confused by all of the terms: all-in-one, pockets, pre-folds, fitted, hybrid… My head was spinning and I was back to feeling like maybe this wasn’t really the best option if it’s this complicated just to figure out what I’d need. Then I stumbled across this overview by one diaper-savvy momma that really helped. I’m a visual person, and her video demonstrations helped everything to make a lot more sense. There are still a lot of options, but it no longer feels like rocket science.

Ultimately, I know that I am lazy. I need something that will be low maintenance, or I won’t stick with it. But I am motivated by the amount of money that we’ll save (2,000 smackaroos a year!) and the fact that it will be healthier for the Avacado and the planet.

After quite a bit of reading, I decided to go with bumGenius Elemental One-Size All-in-One diapers. They are one piece, like a disposable, which makes them easy to put on and easy to launder. The inside is made of organic cotton, which is more absorbent and less likely to cause skin-irritation than polyester. The size is adjustable, so they will grow with the Avacado from birth to potty training. And they have snaps (as opposed to velcro), which should last, so that we can use these diapers with the next little one.

Plus those bum geniuses (groan, I know) also sell this handy gadget that attaches to your toilet to make clean up easy. This may even eliminate the need for a cold rinse cycle prior to washing, but I’ll save diaper laundering for another day.

My husband is being a good sport about the cloth diapers. He says it’s worth a shot, but ultimately thinks that we’ll give in to disposables as we’ll want anything that makes our lives easier. We’ll see who’s right! I’m a competitive person, so I have this weapon up my sleeve, just in case:

No, it’s not toilet paper!  They are flushable liners that catch the poop, so that you can just plop it in the toilet. No spraying required. I’m thinking that these might be nice to have on hand for outings or whenever Nana babysits.

All of this is yet to be tested, so I’ll be sure to post an update once we’ve actually put this system to use. I am optimistic.

I found that this article lays out the pros and cons pretty well. I think my approach is going to be to see if we can live without it, but have a couple on hand just in case.

As I’ve mentioned before, I am a certified hater of all things plastic, so the idea of letting my little Apple suck on a piece of petrified petroleum doesn’t really sit well with me, even if it’s BPA free. So I was super excited to find this yummy-looking natural rubber sucker by Natursutten. Don’t you just want to bite it? PS – I did initially have some concern due to the potential of latex products to cause allergies in infants, but apparently all of the allergy-causing proteins are removed during the manufacturing process.