One area that many overlook on their journey to go more green and natural is family planning. Few us likely have the emotional and physical strength as well as the resources to go through life without trying to prevent pregnancy at least at some point in our lives.

So what is the greenest and most natural way to prevent pregnancy? This is one area where I gravitated to the more natural options even before my natural family living journey actually began. I had strong opinions about some of the more mainstream birth control methods. Let’s look at some of the options and I will tell you what I decided upon..

Chemical Contraceptives- When my future husband and I discussed birth control methods and family planning for the first time we found we were on the same page as far as family size was concerned. We were not on the same page about how we would prevent pregnancy though. The most common method it seems for young women, then and now, is oral contraceptives or other chemical-hormonal contraceptives like the IUD, various injections, the patch, and internal rings. My husband assumed I would not have a problem with these methods but he was very wrong.

I wasn’t trying to lead a natural or green life yet but I knew with 100% certainty that I would NOT take hormones or use chemical contraceptives. I wasn’t going to introduce these things into my system and mess with my body in that way.

These contraceptives have many side effects, they increase chances of serious diseases like cancer, and using them supports the corrupt and powerful pharmaceutical industry. All of this makes them a not-so green choice and for me an unacceptable choice.

I wasn’t on board with copper IUDs either. While copper itself is natural… unless we are born secreting it in our uterus then it is not “natural” for birth control, at least for me. The most common side effects are heavy and prolonged bleeding and loss of sex drive. Niether of those potential side effects was acceptable to me but this option is way better than the hormonal ones.

Barrier Methods- Barrier contraceptives would be condoms, diaphragms, cervical caps, sponges, and spermicides. I have no personal experience with any of them other than the sporadic use of condoms over the years… usually a couple months after birth when I didn’t want to take the chance that breastfeeding alone would prevent pregnancy. They are not-so green in that they create waste and they are not-so natural in the materials they are made with but they are important in the grand scheme of things (STDs).

There are greener options too. Sheepskin condoms are biodegradable and vegan condoms do not use animal products like many conventional condoms. The Sheepskin condoms do not protect against STDs though.

Sterilization - If you are positive you don’t want to have any children or have any MORE children then this is a good route to go. My husband and I opted for him to have a vasectomy this year so our baby making days are over. I actually wanted to be the one to get sterilized but after my abdominal surgery (cancer) I had too much scar tissue to make a laparoscopic surgery possible. They would have had to cut me open again to get at my tubes and another major surgery did not sound appealing.

For anyone thinking about doing this, the best time to have it done is after the birth of your last child. Typically they ask after baby number three if you want to have it done. I said no when they asked because they caught me by surprise. I hadn’t even thought about it or discussed with hubby and I ended up wishing I had said yes.

Incidentally I also found this to be a controversial method. When I shared that my hubby and I had opted for sterilization we got some nasty comments from deeply religious folk who thought we were hell bound for discarding the gift of fertility. I never knew it was such a hot issue until that time.

Natural Family Planning- Also called NFP and the fertility awareness method. This is the primary method that my husband and I used. It is by far the most natural and green choice and it is IMO actually VERY easy. Using NFP my husband and I had 3 babies over an 11 year period and none of them were accidental. Of course that is not to say they were planned either… one was and with the other two we were aware that their conception was likely and we were okay with it either way. When we wanted to prevent pregnancy we did and only rarely used condoms when my cycle was a question mark… like after birth, during breastfeeding.

Basically Natural Family Planning or NFP limits sexual intercourse to naturally infertile periods or portions of the menstrual cycle when pregnancy is unlikely. Various methods can be used to identify whether the woman is likely to be fertile and this information is used to either avoid or achieve pregnancy.

The two main methods are calendar based NFP and symptom based NFP or a combination of both. Using the calendar method you would track the days of your cycle on a  calendar (or Cycle Beads) and based upon an understanding of how the reproductive cycle works you would engage in sexual activity accordingly…. or not.

The symptoms method tracks various symptoms of a woman’s cycle… body temperature, cervical mucus, breast tenderness, ovulation pains, etc. Some people use fertility monitors or urine analysis strips to determine their fertile times but I never did.

I used a combo of both systems with an emphasis on the symptoms based. I was bad at remembering to track my cycle via a calendar. But I found it easy to discern fertile times by tracking cervical mucus and ovulation pains. I knew my body pretty well and I remember the month we conceived my daughter. I mentioned to my husband that the cervical mucus says this is a good baby making day. While we hadn’t been trying to have a baby we didn’t see any reason to try and prevent it either… we ended up with a beautiful daughter 9 months later.

With our youngest son it was similar. I was about to go on an extended vacation with our two kids and since I wouldn’t see hubby for over a month we celebrated before my departure. I knew, thanks to the texture and color of cervical mucus that I might come back from vacation pregnant and I did. I knew that if I wanted to avoid pregnancy I could abstain or use a condom. It was easy, for me at least, to track my fertile and infertile times and plan accordingly.

All in all I think NFP is the greenest and most natural way to handle birth control followed by sterilization. Barrier methods definitely have their place and we have greener and more natural options in that arena too. I can’t get behind hormonal and chemical contraceptives for health reasons and will be advising my own daughter to steer clear but to each his own right? What is your take on this issue or your experience with any of the methods I have discussed? Comment and share your stories and tips.

Recommended Books:

Honoring Our Cycles: A Natural Family Planning Workbook

Taking Charge of Your Fertility: The Definitive Guide to Natural Birth Control, Pregnancy Achievement, and Reproductive Health

NFP Tools: Cycle Beads

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Guest post by Lisa Cain, co-founder, Babyfood101.com

One thing that new parents need is time. It is a rare commodity when you are working, parenting, and getting very little sleep. If you are parenting a 6 month old or older, you now have the added responsibility to feed actual food to your baby. We suggest making some baby food from the dinner you will make for yourself.

It is probably time to put the take-out menus back in the drawer and use your kitchen again.  You know which room I am talking about, the one with the large cold box and the other box that heats things up in seconds.  There should be something called a stove in there and (hopefully) some pots and pans.  Your mission is to start to eat the way you would like to see your child eat when he/she grows up.

Why start cooking now?  Well, many research studies have shown that the biggest factor determining the eating habits of children is the eating habits of their parents.  You eat fast food, your child will eat fast food.  You eat brown rice and tofu, your child will eat brown rice and tofu.

The problem is, at the end of the day when we are all wiped out, the last thing we want to do is cook.  Usually at 5:30 or 6:00 PM, your child is really cranky.  It take self discipline and planning to cook.  But you can do it!  Not only that but you can have your “perfect” parenting moment where you feed your homemade baby food to your baby.

Cooking homemade baby food is actually really easy.  The key is to just plan meals for yourself that will incorporate some of the foods that your baby can eat, and then feed some to your baby.  You do have to go shopping and cook, but, with some planning, it should take you less time than waiting for the pizza delivery.  Cooking a meal will be less expensive and more satisfying.

Below is an example of cooking for yourself and baby.  This recipe includes a super easy pasta recipe for adults, a kind of grown up macaroni and cheese.  It also includes 2 foods that you could serve to an 8 month old baby: spinach and ricotta cheese.

Shopping List:
1 pound penne pasta
1 10 ounce package frozen spinach
15 ounces whole milk ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

For Baby:
Serve ricotta cheese right out of container.  For spinach, thaw and mash to baby’s current favorite consistency.

For Parent:
Cook pasta and spinach to package directions.   Squeeze water out of spinach.   In a large bowl, mix pasta, spinach, 1 cup ricotta cheese, and parmesan.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Check out more recipes like this at http://www.babyfood101.com

Well, I have been saying it since 2004… cloth diapers are making a HUGE comeback. That was the year I started a cloth diaper business and it took off like a rocket from day one. In 2006 when I was sick of being holed up in a sewing room and was stuck with the decision of expansion or quit… I chose to quit the business and sell it. I had no desire to be in a service business for the long term and I have never regretted selling. I am very happy to see a passion of mine get the attention and accolades it deserves though.

A recent article from The Big Money has the cloth diapering world buzzing. Apparently the recession has spurred parents to try cloth diapers in record numbers. The cloth diaper industry which always had a steady growth is now exploding as parents who have limited cash can’t stomach spending any of their hard earned dollars on what is essentially… garbage. That is what a conventional, disposable diaper is…. a portable potty destined for the trash heap. Cloth diapers on the other hand are an investment and a cheaper one at that.

At a time when most of the economy is in the toilet, the cloth-diaper business is booming. Cloth diapering has long been a countercultural lifestyle choice, reserved largely for deeply committed environmentalists. It became more popular in the past couple of years as green went from crunchy to hip.

If you haven’t given cloth diapers a try I urge to to take that leap. And don’t fall prey to the cloth diaper myths that abound. Just a couple weeks ago I was talking to a friend on the phone and I brought up cloth diapers and I could almost hear a gag over the phone. She proceeded to tell me that she could never dunk diapers in the toilet and swish them around and then put them in a bucket that would then smell up the whole house.

I am baffled by the people who think you need to dunk diapers in the toilet. WTH? I never, ever dunked a diaper. I also never, ever had a problem with smell and I used a wicker basket with no top to store dirty diapers until wash day. When I lived in Arizona I could also easily go a week without washing diapers. In Ohio, with its more humid climate, I had to wash every 2 days but that was because of mildew, not smell. 8 out of 10 objections to cloth are usually just a matter of false perceptions.

I won’t re-invent the wheel and tell you all the reasons I love cloth. Just check out some of the stuff I have written already.

The Green Diaper Smackdown

Green Baby Diapers

Although eczema and cradle cap are not life-threatening, moms want their baby’s skin and scalp smooth and free from itch and rashes that can be uncomfortable.  Since baby’s skin is sensitive some medical formulations or conventional treatment products may have adverse effect on the baby’s skin; it is best to learn how to treat baby eczema and cradle cap naturally. 

Natural Baby Baths for Eczema
 
Because baby’s skin is tender and sensitive, moms should treat cradle cap and eczema naturally to prevent secondary side effects and allergies.  Some emollients when applied cause the eczema to flare up.

Natural remedies are safer and kinder on the skin and they are cheaper too.  When treating your baby of eczema, relieve the itch first to prevent baby from scratching and making the condition worse.  The skin condition is so itchy and your baby will relentlessly scratch the affected area until the skin breaks and the eczema weeps and bleeds.

Prepare baby’s organic porridge oat milk bath by soaking a cup of oats powder in lukewarm water.  The milk of the oats moisturizes the skin and prevents more eczema.  You can process the oat in a food processor or coffee grinder or simply make an oats ball.  For the ball, wrap a cup of oats in cotton cloth and tie the cloth at the ends.  Let the oat ball or powder sit on the bath for 30 minutes before bathing baby.   

The treatment should not be given to babies with contact dermatitis as this will only worsen the rashes and increase the itching.  Still avoid using soaps even if it advertises as baby-mild or baby safe.

Also, protect baby’s skin by treating baby’s new clothes to a baking soda wash.  This will eliminate chemical residue that can cause irritation to baby’s very fine and sensitive skin.   

If you want the ease of pre-formulated products check out Earth Mama Angel Baby natural lotion and baby wash. They are gentle and natural.

Baby Oil for Cradle Cap

There is no known cause for cradle cap that pops up on baby’s scalps during the first two months.  It starts as a red scaly rash on the scalp that quickly piles up to develop plaques or layers appearing like scabs on the scalp.  This spreads to areas with oil glands along the eyelids, eyebrows, nose creases, behind the ear, groin and under the arms.  Thankfully, this is not itchy and will disappear but will cause hair loss.  It is also known that children who develop cradle cap can develop eczema later.

It is never advised to forcefully remove the plaques as this will cause the scalp to bleed and develop secondary infection.  Mothers agree that the best and safest way to remove cradle cap is to massage baby’s scalp with warmed almond oil, natural baby oil, or with extra virgin olive oil.  This is best done before baby’s bath.  After patting baby’s scalp dry, gently comb baby’s hair with a soft brush to remove the loosened plaques or scales.  

Related article with more ideas: Natural Remedies for Baby Eczema

A reader recently asked me if I thought she should go to the expense of getting an organic wool mattress for her little one arriving soon. Money was a BIG concern for her but she didn’t want to risk her baby breathing in harmful chemicals. Of course I cannot make that decision for anyone but I faced the same scenario three years ago when I had my third child.

I already had two crib mattresses and I didn’t want to be wasteful by buying a new one when I had two already. Of course the two I had were most likely filled with plastic and had a plastic cover. But since they were a couple years old I wasn’t very worried about off-gassing anymore. So I ended up using 100% wool army blankets that I got from an estate sale and I made a mattress cover with them. Then I topped the wool with organic cotton crib sheets.

I am happy with the compromise since I feel my son had a safe place to sleep and I didn’t have to buy new or spend $500 on an organic crib mattress. BUT this was my third child. If I could go back in time and get a do-over I would buy a nice organic crib mattress from the beginning and hand it down to subsequent babies.

Now of course you may be wondering why I had/have a crib in the first place since the eco friendlier option would be to co-sleep. Well, I wasn’t very green when I had my first child so I did buy a crib and mattress and then later we had a toddler bed that needed a mattress. Neither of these things got very much use since we did co-sleep with our first two kids.

My third child though did not want to co-sleep. He started out in my bed but he would fuss and flail around if anyone else even moved in the slightest. So I tried putting him in another bed with pillows around him and he slept like a lamb. He actually slept better on his own. He was my first child that would just lay down, stick a thumb in his mouth, and go to sleep the moment his head hit the pillow… IF he was in there alone… otherwise he would fuss.

At three years old he is just NOW starting to want to co-sleep and has been in my bed for a month now. But I digress… I would encourage any parent to wait to buy a mattress until they really know if they need it. If they cannot afford a pricey organic or natural crib mattress then they CAN make do with wool mattress pads and organic sheets. And if you really want to make the investment in a good mattress I have really come to like Natural Mat. In particular I like the Coco Mat. It is a breathable and natural organic crib mattress filled with coir from the only certified organic coir plantation in the world. Coir is made from coconut husks which are coated in natural latex to make a supportive and breathable fibrous layer. The coir is then wrapped in lambs wool which is bathed in a mixture made from extracts of lavender, lemon and eucalyptus making it completely anti-dust mite as well as maintaining the excellent thermal insulating properties of natural wool. I have a cut section from the Coco Mat and I wish they made King size cause it would go on my wish list… I will need to replace my mattresses soon.

Just look at it above. Does that not look amazingly natural and comfortable??? It passes strict US Fire Retardants standards without having to use toxic fire retardants. AND this is a big bonus… every element of the Natural Mat mattress is biodegradable and compostable.