Stokke High Chair

When it came time to get the little man a high chair, we decided to go with a less traditional choice. We bought him a Stokke Tripp Trapp (shown above), and we've been really happy with it. He sits right at the table like everyone else, and is not off in a corner with his own tray. It's adjustable so that he'll use it for many years (eco-friendly!), and then we can pass it on because it is so well made. With the removeable rail, he was able to start using it before he could really even sit up. And in addition to eating, it's great for art projects and other activities at the table.

We were a little worried about the mess, but even that hasn't been a problem. Yes, he does make a mess, but not anymore than I think he would if he were in a traditional high chair. We also got a couple of these silicone place mats, which really help keep his stuff in one place and are easy to clean up in the sink.

Diaper Choices

A while ago (OK ages ago) a reader requested a post on diaper choices. There are TONS of good resources out there, so I won't try to duplicate them. I'll just explain our personal choices, and my view of some of the pros and cons.

DISPOSABLE
We are currently a 100% disposable diaper household. This does cause some eco-guilt among the adults in the house, but we console ourselves slightly by using Seventh Generation.

Pros:

• Easy easy easy
• Can use at day care (our day care required disposable diapers)
• Rarely if ever leak
• Not too expensive, especially if you buy using Amazon Subscribe & Save
  

Cons:

• So much waste!!
  

PARTIALLY DISPOSABLE
When the little man was born, we used G-Diapers. These are partially disposable, partially cloth diapers. We liked them, but stopped using them for two main reasons - 1) could not use them at day care, and 2) as he grew older, they tended to leak unless you changed every hour or two. They definitely did not work over night, even with two liners.

Pros:

• Much less waste, and all the waste is flushed down the toilet
• Cute cotton covers looked great with just a t-shirt

Cons:

• DO NOT USE the flushing option if you live in an old house or have touchy plumbing (you can just throw out the liners)
  
• I suspect that if everyone used G-Diapers, the sewage treatment plant would not be happy, therefore it's probably a sustainable option only if not too many people use it (which is kind of dumb)
  
• Initial investment required, and disposable liners only available at certain stores (eg Whole Foods) or online
  

CLOTH
We have not used cloth yet, but I am definitely considering going to part-time cloth diaper usage. This is an idea I got from my neighbor. It's less intimidating than full-time cloth diaper usage, but still reduces waste. Now that the little man's bowels are more predictable, we could use the cloth during the times he's only likely to pee, or times when we need to change his diaper, but it's only a short time until his bath or something.

I can't really speak to the pros and cons of this since we haven't done it yet. I can say that the initial investment for these is quite high, too, but I believe you'd save money in the long run. Here are some good websites that I will consult before choosing any cloth diapers.

• Getting Started with Cloth Diapering by Inhabitots
• Finding the Right Cloth Diaper for You by Inbalitots
• National Association of Diaper Services (find diaper service in your state)

What are your diaper experiences?

Buy Baby Gear on Craigslist

As soon as you get pregnant, you all of a sudden become aware of the gigantic baby product industry. If you're not careful, you'll end up with all manner of "must-have" baby items that will get used maybe three times if you're lucky. So when I get that urge to get my little man something else, I look on craigslist. His swing and his Bumbo were both second-hand purchases. I'm now in the market for a jogging stroller (maybe). And best of all, when you're done with them (even if you only used them three times), you can just give them away, or sell them again on craigslist, and there's no heartache. This process is not only economical, it's also very sustainable.

Papertowl Alternative

Paper towels are incredibly handy when you have a baby, for wiping faces, floors, furniture, hands, counters, etc. etc. However, after going through a lot of rolls of paper towel (I even wrongly accused the maids of using up all of our paper towel before I realized how quickly we were using it), I starting feeling eco-guilty. So when my big man was getting rid of some of his old undershirts, I cut them up into a bunch of smallish squares and put them in a drawer in the kitchen. I think I need to work on the size a little (these are too small, but I think the full size of a paper towel would be too large) but they work great and are easy to just throw in the wash with any other laundry. Woo hoo! Put some gold stars on my tree-hugger chart!