Reduce Reuse Recycle!
When we began our journey of becoming parents one thing that stayed upfront in our minds was not to let go of our passion for the triple R mantra. We began exploring our connections and the net for suggestions from diapering, to food and, everything in between. While we let go of some rigid rules out of necessity, we stuck our guns at others. This write-up is essentially aimed at new parents who are interested to do their bit and are looking for ways to achieve the smallest possible carbon footprint for a baby.
1. Cloth diapers
There are a ton of options out on the net for various cloth diapers (Bumpadum, Basics, Superbottoms, etc). I began with Superbottoms cloth diapers for nighttime use only. I suggest using cloth diapers at nighttime so that you and your baby both enjoy unbroken sleep. I was quite satisfied with its performance and did not explore other options. The cloth diaper has continued to perform well for over 10-12 hours during the night and around 3-4 hours during the daytime. However, ensure you follow the washing routine strictly as per the Superbottoms user guide.
For daytime usage, I used handmade langots for my baby (see here for design: Langot), it is a very simple design and can be stitched at home. For the handmade langots, I used squares torn from used T-shirts that no longer fit me (:( and unlikely to in the next couple of years) as inserts.
2. Underwear for potty training
After my daughter became more mobile she resisted tying the langots, I used Superbottoms, padded underwear for daytime use. They have been a lifesaver to avoid pee puddles while she gets potty trained.
3. Maternity cloths
I used reusable breast pads as against use and throw ones.
4. Baby clothes and toys
Avoid buying too many baby clothes that fit the size since the baby will outgrow them even before a single use. The same goes for toys. Believe me, babies and toddlers lose interest in toys quite fast! I bought a dozen shirts and pants/shorts and toys secondhand through Facebook groups (search word: pre-loved). I have continued to buy/get hand-me-downs for her house wear and toys from family and friends.
5. Baby food
My MIL made a very nutritious (and yummy!) malt for the baby from moong dal, wheat, ragi, barley, and sago for the first 2 months after she turned 6 months old (Fed her in one time only in the noon). is Double the quantity of ragi compared to the rest of the ingredients. All of these are fried separately until fragrant and powdered together. Add a spoonful to half a cup of water (we also added half a spoon of ghee) and cook with constant stirring to avoid lumps until it thickens under a low flame.
I later used homemade sathumaavu from sprouted grains until she turned 1. Recipe from little moppet. While cooking with the sathumaavu malt I also add an equal quantity of powdered oats and 2 tsp of apple sauce for sweetness (recipe : cook grated apple after removing its peel).
Hope this helps!
A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami
