Green Shopping with Green Mama’s Pad

When trying to shop for green things for our kids, it can be completely overwhelming. There is so much out there, where do you start? Well first and foremost, you are going to bring you reusable shopping bags with you! Just say no to yucky plastic bags and bring your own to go shopping. What, you don’t have any? No problem! There are tons of great bags out there, so here are a few to look at: ChicoBags, Envirosax, and Flip & Tumble. OK now that you have your bag, let’s do some shopping!

Feeding Supplies
I thought it was important to start here so we can cover BPA in bottles, cups, etc. Bisphenol-A (BPA) is a synthetic estrogen used to harden polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resin. Some of the risks associated with BPA include prostate and breast cancer, higher rates of miscarriage, immune system dysfunction, testicular abnormalities in boys and puberty in girls younger than eight years old. This has been in the news a lot in the past few years due to BPA in bottles and sippy cups. Most baby bottle manufacturers have since removed BPA from their products. So when shopping for any feeding and drinking items, this includes bottles, sippy cups, utensils, bowls, plates and even pacifiers, look for packages that are labeled BPA free. A great site to check out is The ZRecs Guide where you can find BPA information all of these types of products. If you are still unsure, check with the manufacturer. We have been switching to stainless steel sippy cups like The Safe Sippy and I have been very pleased.

For older kids who may be in school, there are so many great eco-friendly options for packing lunches. I know there are only a few months left in the school year, but with summer comes trips to the park and beach and maybe even camp! So ditch the plastic sandwich baggies and try reusable stainless steel containers like LunchBots. They are the perfect size for a sandwich or other yummy foods. How about an entire waste-free lunch kit? Kids Conserve kits have everything you need: napkin, water bottle, stainless steel containers, fabric sandwich bags and a cute bag to carry it all in

Toys
Are you trying to cut back on the plastic toys with flashing lights and obnoxious sounds? Looking for things that spark the imagination? Me too. My favorite online toy store is Oompa Toys. They have wooden toys, organic dolls and so much more. I’ve ordered toys for my twins from there and I was extremely pleased. They have a huge selection of wood and fabric play foods and I’m hoping to get some for their 2nd birthday that is coming up. How about something made from recycled materials? Green Toys has trucks, a tea set, a tool set and other neat toys all made from recycled plastic milk jugs! You also need to check out Sprig Toys. Their toys are made from recycled wood and reclaimed plastic. Even though some of the toys have lights, there are no batteries required. I love that. Oh and I almost forgot Boon

Clothing
In my experience, organic clothing can be a bit pricey. Its hard to justify spending the extra money on kids clothes that they will outgrow in a year. But traditional cotton is grown with a lot of pesticides, so if you can buy organic, do it. Fortunately, major stores like Target are now carrying organic clothes, which should help with the price. Just go to their site and search for “organic clothes” and you will see a bunch of items come up. Walmart has even added some organic shirts to their lineup, you can find some as low as $4.00! Now that is a price I can afford. There selection is very limited, but I’m hoping they will get more soon.

Bedding & Room Decor
For crib bedding Pottery Barn Kids has some cute choices. But once again there is the price factor. Babies R Us has some less expensive options as does Walmart. One thing you also want to look for at these two stores are organic crib mattresses. According to Naturepedic, “Nearly all crib mattresses in use today contain polyurethane foam, vinyl (PVC), phthalates, chemical fire retardants or barriers, and an extensive list of added industrial chemicals.” Such chemicals have been associated with health problems and childhood disorders. And the room wouldn’t be complete without green décor! Saplings has lots of eco-friendly décor including reusable wall stickers that are PVC and phthalate free.

So I think our reusable shopping bags are pretty full now, don’t you? Hopefully I’ve given you some good places to start and before you know it your bags and house will be full of eco-friendly stuff! Thanks for shopping with me, I hope you had fun!