Family Guides

This post has been sponsored by Earth911.  All opinions are my own.

Providing a safe and healthy environment for my children is the main reason I made the decision to live a green lifestyle.  For me personally, I started to second think every purchase I made because of my children.  My standards for products and food raised once I factored my child would be exposed to it. When I started this lifestyle I was overwhelmed with all the changes I needed to make and I relied on information from the internet and resources like Earth911, they have been a trusted source of eco-friendly news and information for 20 years. 

One of the best tips I can give anyone wanting to live a more eco-friendly lifestyle is to utilize responsible and eco-conscious businesses, like Earth911’s YouChange™ marketplace.  YouChange™ marketplace has done the hard work for you by vetting the most sustainable products for your everyday living. 

You can confidently purchase products for your home and family from YouChange™ marketplace because their team team carefully selects products from companies providing the most eco-friendly products available from baby to household items to clothing and everything in-between.  They really want to help you live a more environmentally responsible life.

If you desire to become a green parent finding a reliable place to purchase your products is a great start but you will also need to start making healthy choices involving food, diapers, toys, soaps, cleaning supplies used and more . I provided a few tips for eco-friendly parenting and I suggest to tackle one area at a time and go at your own pace. 

A few tips are specific to babies but remember it is never to late to make changes to benefit your child and home.

1. Shopping from reliable and trusted stores–   By shopping at a trusted and eco-conscious stores, like YouChange,  you will easily find eco-friendly products to support your green lifestyle.
2. Eco-friendly Diapering– You can make a huge impact on the environment by opting for cloth diapers or disposable diapers made from natural and eco-friendly materials.   Reduces your baby’s exposure to chemicals found in traditional disposable diapers by opting for modern and easy to use cloth diapers.
   • GroVia Cloth Diapers is what makes up most of my cloth diaper stash.
3. Bath & Skin Care– Remember what you put on your body goes into your body.  Choose products made with natural and organic ingredients.  
   • Earth Mama Angel Baby smells great and is one of my favorite products to use on my boys.
   • Kid’s “Sprout” Bamboo Toothbrush from WooBamboo are great eco-friendly toothbrushes and very affordable.
4. Healthy Diet- Choose certified organic and non-GMO foods. You can greatly reduce your child’s exposure to pestisides by selecting organic foods.  If you have a a little one you can consider making homemade baby food from organic produce to save money.  
5. Toxic-free Tableware-  Eliminate unsafe plastics from your feeding supplies in your kitchen.  Choose bpa-free plastics, glass or stainless steel safe bottles, sippy cups, plates and utensils for your child to eat with.
   • I have a collection of stainless steel plates and Re-Play recycled tableware sets. 
6. Safe & Non-Toxic Cleaning Supplies– Replace cleaning products with eco-friendly and non-toxic options or make your own. 

 

By making these changes you will be providing a healthier and less toxic environment for your children and at the same time doing good for the Earth!   The small changes you make will make a big difference.  You have the power to create real world change one purchase decision at a time, and YouChange has made it easier for you to do so. 

Earth911’s YouChange™ goal is to promote sustainable and ethical consumption, making it easy for consumers to ‘vote’ with their dollars.

Learn more about Earth911 and YouChange HERE.

Connect with Earth911 on:

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Disclosure: I was compensated for this post. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. 

 

Are you wanting to make this Halloween better for the planet and your kids?  I want my kids to enjoy Halloween but I also want the Halloween experience to be Eco-friendly.  This year we are going to have our greenest Halloween so far with 5 easy tips 

I’m sharing with you what I have done and plan to do this Halloween. I hope this inspires you to have a more Eco-friendly Halloween!

1. Reuse Costumes:

This year my 4 year old and 18 month old will be wearing old costumes and my 7 year old will be an army man dressed in camo pants and shirts I found at the thrift store.  My boys have many costumes to pick from because once I buy a costume I like to hold on to it for dress up and to reuse for my younger boys.  If you do not have hand be downs to use for your child consider checking out thrift stores, resale shops and ebay.  Also, I have heard of people organizing Halloween swap parties and events.  Check to see if there is a Costume Swap Event in your area. 

2. Safe and Non-toxic Face & Body Paints:

Certain costumes are not complete without face or body paint. For instance, my son just has to have face paint for his army man costume. If you have to use face paint be sure you are using paints that have non-toxic ingredients.  I  am making a homemade face paint for my son this year but their are safe body paints available to buy. 

• Use Homemade Face Paints (link to Mommypotamus DIY recipes)
• Purchase Safe and Eco-friendly Paints
  

3. Eco-friendly and Reusable Trick-0r-Treat Bags:

Please avoid those plastic one-time use Trick-or-Treat bags.  Instead, use a bag that can be used year after year or even throughout the year.  This year my boys will be using Chicobags Halloween Bags that can be used for trick or treating or for when I go to get groceries!  I love Chicobags because they hold up to 25 pounds and when not in use can tuck back into their attached pouch and fit in any bag!  I got my boys the special edition Halloween Chicobags (3 pk on sale for $14.99), but you can use their solid colored shopping tote if you plan on using them year round.  I really don’t mind sporting a Frankenstein or Skull bag year round at the market!

Ideas for Trick-or-Treat Bags:

• reusable Halloween bags
• reusable grocery bags
• backpacks
• pillow cases

 

4. Give Better Treats or Prizes:

One of the scariest part of Halloween for me is what is inside my child’s trick-or-treat bag.  I would love to find all organic and non-gmo snacks in there but sadly that is not the case.  My house will be one of the houses giving out candies the kids will still like but are not filled with all those scary ingredients.  You can check out the Non-GMO projects page of verified Candy, Chocolate, Desserts & Sweeteners here. 

• Candy and snack ideas: (amazon affiliate links)
  • YumEarth
  • Annie’s Homegrown
  • Glee Gum
• Give stickers, pencils or other non-food items as a treat

If you are giving out non-food prizes you can participate in the Teal Pumpking Project, which indicates you have treats for kids with food allergies! I think this is great way to support and raise awareness for food allergies.  I will be putting a teal pumpkin on my porch this year!

5. Trade your Child’s Halloween Haul:

Every parent is different when it comes to how much you let your child indulge on Halloween.  I heard about the Switch Witch from Mama Natural this year and I will be switching their candy this year using this idea.   I hate just throwing away their candy because it feels very wasteful and I know people who have no problem eating it so my husband will take the candy to work for his co-workers. 

Ideas to trade your kid’s candy:

• Have a visit from the Switch Witch   (Link to Mama Natural)
• Halloween Candy Buy Back. Find a participating Dentist in your area here. 

 

How are you going to have a Green Halloween this year?

 

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. 

Are you thinking about a gift to give your child’s teacher?  I have been looking for good gift ideas that are eco-friendly and organic for my son’s teacher this year.  I also have a free printable you can use to go along with your gift.  

Here is my list of ideas. I am putting together a little gift bag full of most of these goodies!

1. Something Sweet! YumEarth Organic Candy

YumEarth Organic products are made with natural and vegan ingredients moms approve, YumEarth Organics Fruit Snacks are a back-to-school snack choice with a taste kids love and teachers too!

YumEarth candy and fruit snacks are a product I have stocked for my boys so I just added them to our teacher’s gift bag!

YumEarth Organics Fruit Snacks contain no artificial colors or flavors, no high-fructose corn syrup and no major allergens, such as gluten, tree nuts and dairy. YumEarth Organics Fruit Snacks capture the “fruitastic” flavors of real fruit by using organic fruit juice, fruit extracts and natural ingredients. Each serving provides 100% of daily vitamin C and has less than 75 calories. 

  

2. Toxic-free Hand Sanitizer or Lotion

In my home we use toxic free products and I like to give gifts that I would actually use.  You can get toxic free hand sanitzers and lotions from The Honest Company and The Health Home Company, or you can make your own if you use essential oils.

3. Organic and fair-trade Tea and Coffee

I purchased a glass bottle of organic Sweet Leaf for $1 at the grocery store. You can also purchase tea packages on Amazon for a good price.

 

4. Plastic-free mug or bottle. 

I think stainless steel or glass with a silicon sleeve would be good options for a teacher. They won’t have to worry about them breaking or leaching toxic chemicals like plastic containers.

   

5. Fun and Unique Items for Teacher’s Desk

OK, technically this one may not be eco-friendly but will make for memorable gift!

What gifts do you like to give your kid’s teacher?

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.  rays of bliss received some of the products mentioned above for free. YumEarth sent me one free 10 pack of fruit snacks in exchange for sharing them as a back-to-school snack choice.  I do regularly purchase YumEarth products and have them in stock in my pantry.  Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. “School Tree Image courtesy of kanate/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net”

1. Use Safe Sun Protection

Here are quick tips from EWG:

•First Check out your sunscreen rating at EWG’s Guide to Sunscreens. The rating reflects the hazard of the combined ingredients. The lower the rating the better.
•Since children are more sensitive to chemical allergens test a small spot on their wrist first.
•Apply plenty of sunscreen especially if swimming or sweating a lot
•The best defenses against getting too much harmful UV radiation are protective clothing, shade and timing (not midday)

2.No Disposable Swim Diapers

Opt for reusable swim diapers instead. They are reusable, they do not get waterlogged and no chemicals! They are designed to keep solids (poo) from getting in the pool, but do not absorb water so urine can get out. You may want to add an absorbent cloth diaper insert when babies out of pool. You can get swim diapers for as cheap as $10 dollars. Target even sells Charlie Banana Reusable Swim Diaper in store! My 3 year old is potty trained now but I still can use his 24 month size iplay swim diaper!

3.Stay Hydrated without Plastic Bottles

Instead use BPA free water bottles. We use Brita water bottles with filters, and the kids love their Reduce Kids Water Bottles. The Reduce Bottles come in a variety of themes and are all BPA free. Not only are you reducing your kids exposure to possible chemicals in plastic bottles but also it’s better for the environment!

4.Use a safer or homemade Bug Spray

Again reduce kids and your own exposure to chemicals like DEET.

Here is a Guide to Bug Repellents for Kids from Parents.com.

Check my post for Homemade Bug Spray Recipes HERE.

5.Have Summer Fun with non-toxic Homemade Bubbles!

Non-Toxic Homemade Bubbles Recipe

1 Cup Warm Water

2 Tablespoons Natural Dish Soap (like Honest Company or 7th Generations)

1 Tablespoon Glycerin

1 Teaspoon White Sugar

Mix all ingredients in a container. Let stand uncovered overnight for best results.

We used pipe cleaners to make the bubble wands! My boys had so much fun just making different shapes with the wands.

Hope you have yourself a Green Summer!