Babies + Kids: sustainable first years

I've been asked a few times how I have worked sustainability into our first-time parenting experience. This is a very good question, because babies come with many needs. But do they need all the things for those needs? That is often the perception, and emotion-driven-baby-centric marketing tactics don't make it any easier on new parents.

There are places where we have fallen through the cracks, not had the energy to pursue something, or just not had the cash up front for a more sustainable option, as I will explain.

Since Ira was born, some of our sustainable baby plans worked and some just didn't.  I've made a list of the biggest categories that influenced our decision making when it comes to baby/toddler stuff and things.

Yep, I really did just wasted a perfectly good diaper for this picture. 

As a marketer myself, I explore the question of what we think we need daily, and often just opt out of the things that don't fit our philosophy and lifestyle. We try to put our money where our mouth is and support sustainable baby and child products companies where we can. Eco-baby products are pricier, but they are better quality, (so you don't need to replace often), have a higher resale value, have less overall impact, and the companies often have great employee and environmental standards they adhere to. I plan to talk about B Corporations here soon - it's a legal obligation a company makes to place the welfare of people and planet on an equal footing with their profit goals.

I'm keeping this post short because I think it can be a series, so here are my initial musings on this topic.

DIAPERS
I say this is the most famous and frustrating part of trying to green the baby-having experience. Cloth diapering  - it sounded glorious while pre-baby planning, but wasn't a reality for us because of financial stress at the time our son was born. Cloth diapering can have very high upfront costs, and for the quality we wanted, we just couldn't swing it back then.  If there was anything we could've have changed, this would be it. We chose to support greener companies where we could, from Honest Co. and Seventh Generation.

So what else did we do to offset our disposable diaper decision?

Almost everything else.

TOYS + CLOTHES
We aim for quality over quantity, and simple beauty in Ira's toys and surroundings. We spend so much time outside, it often eliminates the need for many indoor toys. Those we have I rotate every two weeks so there aren't many out and it keeps him engaged (usually). He doesn't have more than five or six outfits at any one size, and we often buy them second-hand. He doesn't have more than two pairs of shoes in one size. I plan to keep it the same way if we ever have a girl.



Keeping plastic out of our toys is another area of interest for me, and a daily challenge because of its ubiquity. I am following a combination of Waldorf and Montessori principles for Ira's early childhood world. We opt for wooden toys, or cloth, and especially love the beautiful, long-lasting toys by Grimm's Wooden Toys, and from the website Bella Luna. These are open-ended and simple. We also have found good options from IKEA and Target when we aren't able to spend more on something.

Having a few well-made and lovely pieces really does go a long way in teaching kids respect for their things, and also have a special magic unique to toys made from natural materials. We do get gifts from loving family members that don't meet these requirements, and all you can do is be gracious and store it for another time, or donate to someone who would enjoy and need it more than us.

Below is Ira's playroom off the kitchen. The American-made table is by Sprout Kids, a small business creating sustainably-sourced kids furniture in Utah. Priced at $100, it has no metal parts and snaps together like a puzzle. It is so strong that I can even sit in it. I would love to support more USA-made children's companies, and plan to share more here as I find them. If you'd like to support Sprout, you can use my LINK, and I earn 10% commission for your order.

Not having much out means not much to clean up. 

Waldorf-inspired: a nature corner of seasonal finds from the yard. Montessori tip: keep artwork at a child's eye-level so they can enjoy it!

FOOD
Ira has one wooden plate and a spoon and fork set. He drinks out of little glass Oui! yogurt jars I stash in his play kitchen. Yes, he's broken one by just missing the table, but I've been amazed at how careful he is with them most of the time. We do use plastic for travel and childcare situations.

+ ACTION ITEM +
The biggest action you can make is asking yourself how much you really think you need a baby thing. Chances are if you don't end up needing the thing after a few weeks, your little one will quickly bypass the stage you thought you might have needed it in, like the little shooting stars they are.

Little IKEA kitchen of real dishes - I keep art materials and other supplies that still need supervision on the open-shelves above. That's a chalkboard wall we painted on the back of the lower cabinet for scribbling.

Meet WillaCat.

Cody and I have a small gray cat in our midst. Since August 14th, we've been cat parents to Willa Percolator Green, and it's a decision that was definitely the right one.

We both grew up with pets (mostly dogs) and have been looking for a cat we felt fit us since this January. A cat was our top choice for a number of reasons, mostly because we knew we'd be at work a lot and cats do a great job of entertaining themselves, or this one does anyway. So far the house hasn't been destroyed!

Willa is/does the following various and sundry cat things:

• purrs often and loudly (hence the name Percolator)
• is amazingly friendly when we have people over 
• sports four white socks and a tuxedo vest
• observes with bright green eyes and rather sharp claws
• balances her time between being affectionate and being aloof

In short, she's a pretty great cat.  While I was shooting another project a week ago I got some shots of her - black and white felt right for this, so here you are!

The Life Changing Magic of Organizing Closets

If you read this title you probably either got a thrill of excitement, "Oh yes I love organizing! She cares about that stuff!" or you thought, "Oh S**t, she cares about stuff like that?! Goodbye blog!"

Let's be clear, I do not hate or love organizing. I love being home that feels clean and energizing and represents who you want to be. That is this spirit of a post like this :)

This spring my mother sent me a copy of The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up. It's well-written, easy to read and super doable! It teaches you to look at the items you live with as pieces of your happiness, or your constant stress.

I found out how to personally use the author's info on my closets, the ubiquitous catch-alls and "just shut the door, no one will see" areas of our lives. If you're hiding crap in closets, prepare for inner stress that is oh-so real.

There aren't before pictures here which I know is a little lame, but just imagine a nasty full closet of cleaning supplies, office supplies and everything else. I also bought nothing to help me organize. I already had the organization helpers that you'll see in my phone pics here, I just repurposed them! Though in the end, I did buy a little old shower curtain as a reward after two Saturdays spent doing this project;)

Disclaimer: something that made this great was having the help of a little gray cat. More on her soon!

I put WillaCat to work sorting binders...and wooden figurines.

First up, the office closet!
This guy is from our office area, and has been used for everything from wedding clothes to camera gear and odds and ends that have no home on my desk. I used a clothes hanging device that let me stow the bulkier pieces like a few odd books and my camera gear. I also sorted through an entire recycling bin's worth of paper that was in here!

I used a bookshelf to house the baskets and books. 

All my craft items are in the blue bins, and I like to save cardboard boxes for shipping.

Making space in the closet also made a space for things I really need that were taking up so much space on my floating shelf. Now I only keep over my desk for what inspires me.

Cleaned-off shelf! Life changing, lol.

Second, the hall cleaning closet.
This is a simple shoe holder attached to the door. I got all the cleaning supplies off the shelves that we desperately needed for sheets and towels, and popped them right into to this thing! Yes, there are some un-sustainable cleaners in there, but we inherited those. Someday it will be full of Method and homemade good things.

Last and perhaps the most annoying, the bathroom vanity drawer. In our small bathroom, this drawer belongs to me. I just have more stuff than Cody that I need in the morning. It was swimming in bobby pins and crud  I never used including a too-big makeup bag. Now both bags contain exactly what I need to get ready quick.

I hope this inspires you to take some action on some home projects that have been bugging you. Just git'r'done!

Oh, and here's a peak at our sweet shower curtain that was my reward. It lets so much light in!

Peeping out of the toilet basket is Squeaky Green, a book by Method on all things environmentally friendly for cleaning your home.

Home style: Lessons learned from a small bathroom

We love the open-space feel of our little 1960s duplex, but boy is our one bathroom small. We're talking wee tiny! It's adorable, but storage space gets tricky fast.

This has taught us to minimize to what we actually need, and I tell you, it feels great. Mr. Einstein said it: "the measure of intelligence is the ability to change." (He'd roll over in his tomb if he knew what this post was about.) Drumroll.....it's bathrooms!!

I was lucky to have my own bathroom as a kid. It had tons of cabinets and I filled those things up with every kind of lotion and potion my that sounded like a miracle for solving pre-teen body-image issues. I aim to never have that much crap again! Whenever I visit my parents and see those still half-empty bottles of overpoweringly-scented glitter lotion (yes, still there), I physically cringe.

Having a small bathroom encourages us to only get what we need and use the most, there just isn't room for impulse buys. I've actually really enjoyed narrowing down my own personal care product needs to simple, good things that nourish my skin and hair and don't clog our virally non-existent shelves and cabinets with more than I need.  I still like trying new products, so we purposefully don't buy large bottles that we'll get sick of before we run out. (Recycle those bathroom plastics when they do run out!)

The previous owner and I flipped the space over the summer, painting the bright pink wall tiles white, and installing a new tub and vanity. I also painted it a very calming, warm gray tone that lets little colors pop out around the room.  I love this very-important-room, and wanted to share some of the ways we've adapted to it.

This is the entire space. You can turn on the shower and sink whilst sitting on the throne.

Keeping the pretty (but useful!) stuff on the glass shelf over the toilet. The pink catch-all was my grandmother's, and I store bobby pins in a washed-out jam jar.

This setup of buckets and hooks from IKEA was what my friend/landlady used when she lived here, we've kept it around since it's the perfect way to keep most-used items on hand.

I've pretty much absorbed all the space in the drawer with my makeup and brush, but hey - Cody only needs about three things for his upkeep!

Our under-sink storage are his and hers baskets wit bulkier, less used items.

Lights! Camera! Teeny bathroom - go!


Experience is the best teacher when learning to live small. What are some positive things you've learned from tiny bathrooms?