Eco-Friendly Ways to Celebrate Baby's First Holiday

 

One of the joys of new parenthood is celebrating those first holidays. Whether it is your baby’s first Hanukkah or Christmas, I’m sure you’ve already begun the picture taking, party planning, and celebrating of the season. Before you start shopping this year, however, I highly recommend watching Annie Leonard’s The Story of Stuff, for a big picture look at how our consumption affects our environment and therefore your child’s current and future health. As you look toward gifts for baby, remember it starts early – “it” being this training of our children and how “stuff” ties in to the holiday traditions. I’ll never forget Corbin’s first Christmas outfit and the first year he figured out the joy of opening presents - so I’m realistic about the joys of gift giving and receiving - but I do think we can instill a sense of responsibility at the same time.

First and foremost, what people will remember most about you (and sharing the holidays with you) is not what you did or what you gave, but rather, how you made them feel when you were together. Your kids are no exception. Things don’t have to be perfect. Good enough can be great. The fact that your mother-in-law gave you another sweater you don’t like doesn’t mean she doesn’t get you - she just wants you to be warm and feel happy. Be in the moment. Drop your shoulders. Unclench your jaw. Forgive Aunt Edna. If you are going to shop, support sustainable companies and products.

As more and more of us realize the importance of non-toxic, fair trade, and naturally produced items, the more supply increases - so this year brings even more options for supporting sustainable companies and goods. Here are some quick tips, and a few of my favorite things...

GIVING

• For older kids and family members, give experiences rather than stuff: gift certificates, movies, dinners, spa treatments, babysitters.

• Support wildlife preservation with adopt-an-animal type programs.

• Look for ACMI AP certification for non-toxic craft supplies.

• Plan your gift shopping in advance and consolidate trips.

• Support local companies. Many factories and artisans have in-house sales before the holidays.

• Go dumpster diving. (This is what my sister’s mother-in-law calls her antique shopping.) One person’s trash is another’s treasure.

• Support certified organic, sustainable, and Fair Trade companies.

• Plastic toys containing phthalates will be illegal on US shelves come February 2009, but many are still for sale this year, so your safest bet is to just keep your baby away from plastic toys.

• Choose FSC certified wood toys.

• AVOID: pressed wood toys (made with toxic glues), pretend metal jewelry (often contains lead), and lights and sounds (often contain batteries with mercury).

Cradle note: For a few of Ecomom’s favorite holiday gifts, visit the EcoMom Market.

Top picks include:

Bowling Buddies - Because every baby likes to knock stuff down.

1st Goose - Lana’s organic cotton and wool stuffed goose.

Organic Playdough - You gotta have organic playdough. Set by Clementine

Lion puppet - Because finger puppets entertain our babies for hours on end.

Calendula Remedy Oil by Farmaesthetics - Because you’re tired, baby is new, and there are bound to be booboos.

Adopt A Gorilla - with The Dian Fossey Gorilla Foundation.

Baby Doll - This cuddly first baby doll comes in black, white, boy, or girl.

AND A FEW MORE GREEN HOLIDAY IDEAS IF YOU LIKE...

SAVE ENERGY
Yours, mine, and ours.

• Shop locally.

• Invest in LED light strands and save money on energy costs for years to come (and reduce your carbon footprint). HINT: LEDs last for a long time, and based on personal experience, it seems young children prefer colored lights, so if you’re planning for the future, opt for colored, even if you prefer white. I’ve had to let go of some control issues with this one!

• Use soy candles to light your holiday dinners and keep toxic fragrances out of your child’s home atmosphere.

• Turn off and unplug all appliances and power strips to save money and reduce CO2 emissions.

REDUCE WASTE (and waist)
Americans throw away 25% more trash during the Thanksgiving to New Year's holiday period than any other time of year - amounting to an extra 25 million tons of garbage in our landfills.

Cards:

• Opt for e-cards, or those made with recycled paper.

• Save cards you receive and repurpose as gift tags next year.

• The 2.65 billion Christmas cards sold each year in the U.S. could fill a football field 10 stories high. If we each sent one card less, we’d save 50,000 cubic yards of paper.

Wrapping and Shipping:

• Instead of wrapping gifts, plant clues and make it a treasure hunt.

• Natural craft paper and used brown paper bags can be decorated with pinecones, boughs, children’s artwork (and recycled afterward).

• Make the wrapping part of the gift (a wooden toy tucked in a new hat and a bow-tied scarf, for example).

• Re-use packing cartons and shipping materials such as peanuts, wood shavings, shredded newspaper, and bubble wrap - or take to a local shipping store.

• When shipping, purchase gifts that won’t require extra packaging and are light in weight to reduce fuel use.

• Pillowcases and cloth bags make great wrapping.

Entertaining
Your baby won’t mind if you choose to stay home (and perhaps you could use the rest). Don’t overdo it your first year as a parent. Keep it mellow and enjoy watching your baby just be. But if you still want to throw a party. . .

• Use real plates and utensils rather than disposables.

• If you don’t have enough silverware and table settings, borrow from friends or rent.

• As always, shop local and organic.

• Save leftovers in glass containers and freeze for after work meals next week.

• Compost food scraps.

• Practice portion control. Approximately 28 billion pounds of edible food are wasted each year - that’s over 100 pounds per person. Buy less. Waste less. Save money. Save calories.