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When speaking about the future we often tend to forget a very simple fact. Tomorrow starts today and depends on – do not trust those self-help books, they tell you otherwise, but trust me, it`s just to make you buy them - what you did yesterday. In that context if you have a baby and care about not only his or her future, but also about the Planet`s, waste no time and start green-raising it. Research has proved the great importance of speaking to your little one, because babies do understand and remember what you tell them. Of course only words don`t count, the best thing is to lead by example. So here are a few examples on how to take good care of your infant and our mutual home.

Let`s start even before the baby is born. Most parents-to-be go crazy about “oh-the-baby-needs-that” and buy tons of useless stuff. Yes, it is very well marketed and millions are invested in persuading you it is an essential item and if you don`t get it, yourself is nothing but a bad parent. Be logical. Do you really think a 50 cm long, bold and toothless creature needs that much more than food, warmth and safety, both physical and emotional? Don`t give into the industry`s attempts to stimulate wrongful consumerism. No matter how many items you pile up at home that won`t make you any more ready to become a parent. So instead of spending time on creating endless lists and running around shops, take those precious moments to communicate with your partner; share each other`s concerns and work on your relationship prior to the baby`s arrival. Chances are you will be way too busy after and that will make any unresolved issues to manifest themselves. Toys

Dyes, plastics, glues are very few of the harmful ingredients in baby toys. Dust and dust mites are collected in stuffed toys. Stuffed toys can provide a haven for dust and dust mites. Some plastic toys can leach hormone disrupting chemicals. And what does the baby do with its toys? Put them in its mouth, yes. Bear that in mind next time you are tempted to buy that sweet little pink plush elephant. Quality wood and cloth toys will not use toxic paints, glues, dyes or fabrics.

Soap baths

No matter how many times the word baby is repeated on the packaging that doesn`t mean what the manufacturer wants you to think it does – that it is specially made for infants, ergo if not good, then at least not harmful for them. Truth is most products are packed with fragrance, dye, mineral oil, antibacterial chemicals, ammonia, formaldehyde, glycols, phenol, BHA/BHT and many other harmful ingredients. Look around for natural soap, made of animal or vegetable fat and an alkali such as lye. The perfumes, dyes, mineral oil and other petroleum-based chemicals that are in the conventional soaps can clog pores, irritate, and dry skin. Another very important subject is that of how frequent a baby must be washed. The industry wants you to believe that your little one needs a bath every single day, but does it really? 
Actually bathing a baby only once or twice a week is absolutely enough; of course cleaning its face, bump, hands as needed. Babies’ skin contains natural oils and washing too frequently can remove them, resulting in dry and irritated skin. And what happens then? You go for the next product in line, the lotion, to soothe the irritated skin that might have not been in that condition at all. This is how the industry works; one useless item leads to the next. Baby lotions

They do smell nice, yes. But if you care to read the list of ingredients, that very favorite smell of yours turns out to be an artificial perfume, combined with about ten millions harmful chemicals. PEG, TEA, DMDM hydantoin, quaternium-15, parabens, lanolin (unless organic), 1,4-dioxane, fragrance, coal tar colours, ammonia, propylene glycol, mineral oil, sodium lauryl sulfate are the most common. A healthy baby doesn`t need any lotion on daily basis, as the advertisements claim. Twice a week is perfectly OK, and regular olive oil is very suitable. Stay tuned for many more tips on what to avoid so as to make sure your baby grows up in a toxic free, eco friendly environment. *Just kidding, word play, couldn`t help it; most of them are yellow in the first few weeks :)