Since the news about BPA in our children’s plastic, I’ve pretty much questioned everything and anything.  It takes me a little longer to make decisions on what to buy because I try to ensure I am informed about my purchases; the extra time and effort for my girls is worth it to me.

The introduction to the sippy cup for my daughter was no exception.  The stainless steel and aluminum products have become quite popular. I was a bit concerned about the aluminum - I’m pretty sure there were some effects that contributed to Alzheimer’s weren’t there?  Then after some research I find out many of the popular brands of children’s cups have an epoxy lining. Well epoxy is just another word for plastic lining, now why would I use that?    I then did my research for Stainless Steel products, knowing that stainless steel releases elements in certain liquids, I wasn’t sure if there was a benefit.  Well, it turns out two products that I have found use high quality stainless steel and most importantly, are electropolished - Kleen Kanteen and Thermos Foogo products.

So what is electropoloishing?    

Electropolishing is an electrochemical process that removes material from a metallic work piece. It is used to polish, passivate and smooth metal parts. Electropolishing provides the smooth, easy cleaning and cosmetically pleasing surfaces, demanded by this industry, coupled with unmatched non-contamination and sanitary qualities. The process reduces oxidation and contamination of stainless steel components used in kitchen, dairy and automatic food processing equipment, and descales food and beverage containers. Overall, one can expect a significantly cleaner surface that resists the contamination of bacteria and product particles.

Another advantage and the reason for my choice to use the Foogo, is that it is a line of products with many options; including a sippy with handles, a sippy without handles, a sippy-straw with flip top lid and a thermos for kids. The larger straw-flip sippy is as tall, but – and this is key – thin enough for little hands to grasp comfortably.

Although the spout and straw are made out of food grade plastic, I am comfortable with the fact that the liquid is sitting in the stainless steel cup.  I continue to use the glass bottles with sippy cup spout and as alternative options. I use the Foogo sippy cups for my younger daughter and the large straw flip sippy is great for my older daughter.  I love the fact that it helps us reduce waste and use less of disposable drink boxes.  Every little bit counts!     

There is an overwhelming amount of information and statistics on the benefits of switching to cloth diapers. In fact if you Google ‘benefits of cloth diapers’ there isn’t enough time to review the number of hits that come up. What they don’t tell you is how to make the switch. It’s not as simple as people may think; well it wasn’t for me.

It was Saturday, that was the day I decided to switch to cloth diapers. I felt good when I bathed my daughter and put on her adorable organic cloth diaper, after all it was better for her and the environment right? We had planned a family day at the water park. I packed the diaper bag, snacks and drinks for my older daughter and off we went to enjoy a beautiful hot and humid summer day (hot and humid, see where I’m going with this?). A short time later Liya needed a diaper change. No big deal (I thought). I had my cloth diapers and chlorine free biodegradable wipes. I will just do a quick diaper change. Oh my! Diarrhea – a side effect of the antibiotic she was taking for her ear infection. Well that’s not pretty! In fact, it was pretty disgusting! Wait a minute (the wheels are moving now) how do I wash this diaper out? Where do I put this diaper to soak – we won’t be home for another few hours? What should I put it in? At the time I found an a few old plastic bags in the car, did my best to clean the diaper using most of the chlorine free biodegradable wipes. The wipes ended up in a plastic bag and in the garbage. Well that wasn’t very green now was it? I put the dirty diaper in the other plastic bag tied it and put it in the trunk of the car. BTW, not the nicest smelling when I got home later that day to wash it out. Well that was fun, must try that again sometime.

Please don’t misunderstand, I’m not trying to discourage people from becoming more eco-friendly. In fact despite my disastrous attempt at switching to cloth diapers we still use them. I was merely trying to explain that due to the convenience of disposable products I had become accustomed to, I lacked the foresight to properly prepare for cloth diapers. I’m much better now; I have a reusable canvas bag that I use for dirty diapers while I’m out and about. I throw the bag in the laundry with the diapers. My family and I still have a long way to go before I can say we have met my initial ‘green ideal’. We’ve taken some small steps and it’s all taken some time. I’ve made a decision to buy organic whenever possible, or I make the effort to buy at our local farms or farmers market. I’ve made a conscious effort to use all-natural products. I feel better knowing that I am not exposing myself and my children to unnecessary chemicals. My message is really about making a difference as a whole. If we each make a few organic, eco-friendly choices I truly believe we can make a positive impact on our health and our environment.

A thought… the average child uses over 5,000 diapers during the 30 month period before toilet training, contributing to a total of over 16 billion diapers or 2.7 million tons of single use diapers requiring disposal each year. If we as parents used cloth diapers 1% of the time we would reduce the amount by 160 million diapers each year. If you are considering switching to cloth diapers but are hesitant, use them only at home. Every little bit helps.