Top 5 Eco-Mom Tips

Being a green mommy is mostly commonsense. What are the most important actions we can take to protect and nurture our kids? Here  are my top 5:

#1 Daily Nature Date: Carve out some time every day (10 minutes will do,) to get outside with your kids and without your cell phone. Makes no difference if your little one is 8 months or 8 years old – you can always point out something that will satisfy their innately curious mind. I strongly believe that fostering a deep connection with nature is the most important step in raising a child who is mindful about his/her environment.

#2 Make sure the following foods are Organic: You don’t need to buy everything organic, as this can get pricey, however, these are the important ones – Dairy, Meat, Rice Cereal, Peanut Butter, Potatoes, Apples, Strawberries, Peaches, Nectarines, Pears, Celery, and spinach.

#3 Cook from scratch: If I could only give one green kitchen tip, this would be it! Cooking from scratch enables you to control exactly what’s in the food you feed your babies and children. Allowing your kids to watch and learn as you cook is a huge gift for them. My rule is that I cook from scratch at least 5 days a week. It saves me a lot of money too.

#4 Plastic Detox: Try to get as much plastic and PVC out of your home as possible and don’t bring anymore back in! Easier said than done, but an important one because many of the chemicals we want to avoid (phthlates and BPA,) are in plastic. Use stainless steel or glass baby bottles, and glass for food storage. Be especially wary of PVC, also known as “The Poison Plastic”.

#5 Skincare beware: We need to be really careful what we put on the skin of our little ones. Their bodies are developing and much more vulnerable to the ill effects of toxic chemicals – even in small doses. Look for Paraben-free products and avoid any item (lotions, bubblebaths, shampoos etc,) with “Parfum” or “Fragrance” in the ingredient list.

Raising my daughter green is deeply satisfying. It affects just about every area of her life. I’ve got a funny feeling that many of our kids will grow up to “Be the change” that they want to see in the world – how thrilling is that!

About the Author

Sophie Uliano is a passionate environmentalist who has developed an earth-friendly lifestyle that appeals to women who don’t want to compromise their glamour and style. She is the New York Times Best Selling author of “Gorgeously Green”, “The Gorgeously Green Diet,” and the newly released “Do It Gorgeously.”

Read more amazing tips from Sophie at GorgeouslyGreen.com