The layout of the book is very easy to use, the cover is adorable, and there is a lot of good advice in there. Lots of time went into making cost comparisons between eco-friendly methods and conventional methods, and there are great resources at the end of each chapter where more information can be found. However, this book is really geared towards the novice environmentalist... someone who currently doesn't think about living sustainably. For those of us who make a conscience effort in our daily lives to reduce our environmental impact, a lot of what they write about is a no-brainer....
The beginning of the book focuses on really only buying what your baby needs (instead of what the babies-r-us registry tells you what YOU need), which is actually great advice. I think many people get so wrapped up in the preparations for their new arrival, that the gear becomes a type of meditation, and the soon-to-be parents don't really think about the mass amounts of stuff they are accumulating. The book also focuses on buying as much used gear as possible... maybe questionable for car seats and cribs (they talk about the pros and cons of used in detail), but for everything else.... yes! Baby clothes.. yes! Your baby will spend most of their first few months nursing, pooping and barfing. The little clothes are really cute, but they are just going to stain them and grown out of them in the blink of an eye. Take whatever hand-me-downs you can and save the new clothes for special occasions. Bouncers, exersaucers, swings... these things are all great to have, but in actuality you only use them for a few months. Can you borrow from a friend? Buy used? We have lent out many of our baby items in between Finn and number #2.... our exersaucer, which we received as a gift, is currently being used by our 3rd set of friends after Finn used it. We will get it back when #2 is ready and then we plan to pass it along again. So that hunk of plastic can be used by a whole slew of babies, keeping more plastic from being purchased and keeping that plastic out of the landfill.
The book also encourages buying higher-end items when you do buy (if you can afford them). They make a great point that an item that is well made can be resold or passed down through many children, while your cheapo buys will likely fall apart within a short time. And obviously, if you can afford to buy organic mattresses and bedding and clothing, those choices are much healthier for baby and for the environment. Most of us can't afford to go organic in everything we do purchase, but it is worth considering if you can.
The book goes into detail discussing why cloth diapers are better for the environment (and your pocketbook!) than disposables, and then gives a run down of different cloth diapering options and some basic how-to's. Great information for someone thinking about this for the first time. The book also talks about the benefits of breastfeeding and making homemade baby food (along with some basic recipes).The book concludes with some other tips and challenges, like finding greener daycare options, painting with low VOC paints, and using homemade cleaners (which are safer and cost much less).
As already mentioned, the tips found in the book are pretty basic, but in all actuality, I think that it where most of our society is currently at. And, for those of us who already do try and live more sustainably, it serves as a good reminder. The problem, as I see it, with these types of books, is that the majority of the people who would be inclined to come across and read this book are people who are probably already aware of a lot of what is discussed within the pages...This book has great, basic, information. Now it just needs to get into the right hands. Pin It Now!
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