Raising a green baby is a funny title, admittedly. Of course we are not suggesting you do anything that will make the complexion of your newborn's skin become green. Now that we've gotten all that out of the way, let's discuss what it does take to raise a green baby, environmentally speaking.

Probably the first important area where the main issues arise concerning using environmentally sound alternatives to raising your baby according to green living principles is diapers. Disposable diapers are unhealthy for the natural environment, period. They sit in landfills for a really long period of time and they essentially never biodegrade. They are a poor solution for a more "convenient" society. Now, there is an argument that cloth diapers have an almost equally bad effect on the environment, but this relates to a different aspect of the cloth vs disposable diapers debate.

The argument against using cloth diapers is that they require a lot of energy to clean. The negative impact of using a cloth diaper is almost totally connected with the process of cleaning, or laundering, that diaper. Well, this grievance is most likely well founded. You see, it does require plenty of energy to wash a cloth diaper. I imagine it is reasonable enough to say that nearly all of that energy is used in machine drying. So, the idea is to utilize cloth diapers instead of disposable diapers, because of the waste impact and to air dry those diapers rather than machine drying. This compromise most likely results in the best green parenting solution available for green baby diapers.

Now, there are more ways in which to raise a green baby, as well. Baby foods are a strong factor when it comes to raising a hale and hearty eco-friendly baby. Making homemade organic baby food isn't all that hard. All it comes down to is creating puree and all puree comes down to is putting cooked organic foodstuff in the food processor. It is much better for your tiny tot to eat homemade pureed foods and healthier for the environment to avail yourself of locally grown, organic food to prepare your baby's puree.

If you want to keep your baby healthy, one of the ideal ways is to outfit your child in organic clothing. Today's baby clothes are packed with noxious chemicals such as formaldehyde and extra substances to keep them fire retardant and water resistant. Using organic clothing will keep these chemicals out of your baby's system and possibly steer clear of disease and illness that can be caused by so many of the substances used in non-organic baby clothing. Just think, Benzene, Ammonia, and Ethylene Glycol are used in baby clothes as finishes.

Until a short time ago, not too many people thought about the necessity of eco friendly toys for baby. That was until American toy manufacturers discovered some of their baby toys had been made with lead paint and other dangerous solvents by their overseas facilities. Just like baby clothes, baby toys can frequently be made with compounds that you genuinely don't want your baby exposed to at a young age, or possibly any age for that matter. Be careful about your baby's toys and look into the materials used to craft them, or purchase green toys from manufacturers devoted to using only innocuous organic materials in the production of their toys.

Green Parenting Tip: When buying green toys for your baby, consider buying only the following:

toys shipped in environmental packaging such as recycled corrugated boxes
toys crafted from natural, sustainable, recyclable, biodegradable and/or recycled materials
toys made from recycled materials such as recyclable plastics
toys made from sustainable woods
toys that contain no traceable amounts of Phthalates or BPA

There are loads of other areas where you can focus your awareness to raising a green baby. Practically everything that your baby eats or drinks or comes into contact with can have a green option that will be healthier for your baby and the environment.

Martin Aranovitch & Byron Dixon are committed to green living, sustainable issues and environmental education. Visit FreeTipsForGoingGreen.com to receive free green living tips delivered to your inbox on ways to go green, save money and help the planet, or shop for green, environmentally friendly, organic, natural, sustainable and ethical products and services at BigGreenWeb.com Green Business Directory.