This morning I was lucky to be be interviewed for an article for iparenting.com! The reporter was asking me for tips on green living with your family, especially for easy ways to go green without spending a lot of money. Unfortunately, although prices are starting to come down, eating organic, buying organic clothing and natural skincare etc. still does cost more than conventional goods, mostly due to the high production costs of organic farming, sourcing natural ingredients and materials, and ensuring fair labour practises.

But there is a lot you can do for your family’s health and the planet’s, that doesn’t cost a fortune. I find myself doing so many things that my grandmother did: reusing plastic bags, using a reusable shopping bag, cleaning with lemon and vinegar and baking soda, trying to make food from scratch instead of relying on heavily-processed convenience food.

Since we had our Big Boy three-and-a-half years ago, I realized that I’ve found many ways to go green and save money in our household, which leaves a bit of extra to spend on what i think is really important: buying organic apples, potatoes and red peppers (to avoid the dirty dozen fruits and vegetables most heavily laden with pesticides), hormone-free meats, organic milk, and chemical-free natural skincare products.

So here’s my green tip for this week: reusable baby wipes for diaper changes. Since Big Boy was born I have tried to avoid conventional disposable baby wipes – they are wasteful and full of alcohol and chemicals that aren’t good for the environment or a baby’s sensitive bottom.

At Kai Kids, we sell some wonderful organic cotton flannel Bum Wipes made by a mompreneur I know in Thunder Bay. Or you can just use old facecloths. I’ve used the same batch of about 15 cloths for almost four years now – with many messy, dirty diaper changes, believe me – and they are still good to go with no stains! At diaper change time, I just fill a small plastic bowl with warm water, soak the cloth, wring it out and wipe. I don’t use any soap.

Then i toss the cloth into a diaper pail with some water and a little non-toxic natural bleach (made from hydrogen peroxide) or you can use some white vinegar). Every two days i wash them in hot water. And voila, four years and two baby boys later, my two have never had many diaper rashes and think of all of the money I’ve saved, not to mention needless paper products diverted from the landfill!

Now, I must confess, that when i’m out and about, in my diaper bag i do carry a small pack of disposable wipes from 7th Generation. But i use them sparingly. If you want to be really virtuous, you can put a damp cloth in a ziploc bag for diaper changes on the go. Another great product to have in your diaper bag is Kai Kids’ all-natural Organic Diaper Spray – just a little on a cloth or your baby’s bum will help get things clean and fresh and it’s very moisturizing as well.

If you have any tips on green parenting I’d love to hear them so please share them here or email me at nancy@kaikids.com