photo credit: tiffanywashko

Cloth diapers have been the only choice mothers have had for centuries. With the arrival of the disposable diaper in 1940, parenting was turned on its head. Parents were freed from the constant need to wash and dry diapers ever day, instead they could simply toss out a used diaper and put on a fresh cleaning one. However, many parents are now returning to cloth diapers for environmental and health issues. Are cloth diapers really better than the disposable ones?

The average child will go through almost 6,000 diapers in their lifetime. That is a lot of dirty diapers, all of which will eventually find their way into a landfill. These diapers can take up to 500 years to fully decompose, slowly leaking chemicals into the ground as they do so. Cloth diapers, however, are washed and reused several times before being retired. Less trash and fewer chemicals making their way into the world is always a good thing.

Many people who are against cloth diapers point out that the amount of water used to wash diapers could be harmful to the environment. This would be true, if it were not for the fact that disposable diapers also require large amounts of water in the manufacturing process. This water is also filled with bleach and excess chemicals that are used in turning wood pulp into a white, paper diaper. Many of the detergents used to wash cloth diapers are considered safe for the environment when they are washed out, the same cannot be said of the disposable manufacturing process.

Cloth diapers not only have a positive effect on the environment, they can also have a positive effect on children’s health. Each of those 6,000 diapers that a child wears contains significant amounts of harsh chemicals. These chemicals are against your child’s sensitive skin each day, and have been linked to cancers in some studies.

Dioxin, a chemical byproduct of the wood pulp bleaching process, can be found in disposable diapers and is considered a cancer causing agent by the Environmental Protection Agency. The chemicals used to increase absorbency have been known to cause skin irritation, rashes, and pinpricks of blood in the genital area. Cloth diapers contain none of these dangers.

Parents who choose cloth diapers are not facing the same concerns that older generations had. New diapers are available in a vast assortment of styles and options. Some have thin plastic layers to prevent leaks, others allow space for removable inserts that add absorbency and protection. Cloth diapers can be purchased with snaps, Velcro, and simple plastic fasteners. Modern cloth diapering parents have a world of options to choose from.

photo credit: lilivanili

I am trying to cut out meat from our diet. Maybe not entirely out, and I’m still not ready to give up milk and cheese, but replacing many of the typical meat dishes with vegetable ones. This is a two-part idea, based on both my desire to stay away from cruelly treated meat animals and to keep the man I love living for a few more years.

So I plan out a vegetarian menu, I buy the food, I cook the meals, we all eat it as a family. Sometimes it’s a hit, sometimes it’s not. But I try to always make it as healthy as possible. So when I found out that there was a parenting poll about feeding kids a vegetarian diet and that most of the people who responded thought it was cruel to do to kids, I got a little peeved. How in the world is making an effort to feed your kids a balanced diet rich in fruits and vegetables cruel? When did fruits and vegetables and beans and grains become close to child abuse?

Multi-Minding Mom was the first blog I read talking about this horrible poll, and she made some great points about feeding kids and giving them food choices.

What is cruel is feeding your child a diet of highly processed foods, laden with fats and refined sugars, high fructose corn syrup, and dare I say free-flowing juice boxes.* Cruel because not only is there a correlation between negative behavior and highly processed food, but you are also setting them up for a lifetime of obesity and a higher chance of becoming a Type 2 diabetic. There are even instances of children being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes which should never happen

So what is so cruel about feeding kids a vegan or vegetarian diet? What exactly is the cruelty of it? Do they assume the food is awful, that the kids could never enjoy it, that there is just no flavor without meat? If so they must really be bad at cooking. Even before I started changing our diet, my kids were already in love with eating fruits and vegetables. There’s usually not a day that goes by without them begging for a green smoothie for a snack. Do they think kids absolutely need meat for a healthy diet? Have they not seen the approved Food Pyramid where meat, nuts, seeds, and beans occupy a small space together. You can get protein from all of them, not just meat. Protein does not have to come from animals only, especially with today’s advances in fake-meat.

At 6 1/2 months my baby has taken an interest in food. She leaves forward, swipes at food on the plates, mimics our eating, and stares in deep concentration as we move forks and spoons to our mouths. So we decided to give her a taste and see what she thought.

It was an overwhelming success.

Homemade mashed potatoes are fun to smoosh around with her tongue while smiling. Mashed peas are an interesting taste sensation. But bananas, oh bananas, are the clear winner. As soon as she gets a taste she grabs the spoon from my hand and doesn’t let go until she has licked it clean. A little mashed banana mixed with a bit of water makes her a very happy girl.

With my desire to feed the family whole foods we are skipping the jars of baby food. Most are swimming in preservatives and added sugar, things so baby should eat. It’s also more of a hassle to keep track of half-eaten jars stuck in the fridge. Instead we just feed her a bit of what we are having. Baked potatoes for dinner meant mashed potatoes for her. Bananas for a snack for the boys meant she got to try bananas as well. No additional work required.

When she is a bit bigger and eating on a more regular basis I plan to pre-make and freeze homemade baby food for her. It’s fairly simple, all I need is an ice tray and a good freezer. That will make it easier when we are eating dishes that she can’t be a part of yet. It will also be easier on the rare occasions when we go out to eat and I can’t be sure of what is and isn’t in the food.

Of course she’s still breastfeeding on demand, so food isn’t really an important part of her diet right now. If she acts like she wants some then I offer it to her. I know there’s a bit of a cultural push to get infants eating solid foods as soon as possible, but I’d rather take it slow and let her eat at her discretion.