Inhabitots

DIY Valentine’s Day Crafts: Spread the News and the Love

Valentine’s Day is a wonderful opportunity for kids and parents alike to show their loved ones how much they really care. I think that lovingly handmade cards and decorations say so much more than their expensive store bought counterparts. Crafting Valentines out of newspaper is a great way to celebrate the holiday with your kids, while simultaneously teaching them a lesson about creative recycling and loving the earth with their actions.

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HOW TO: Make Your Own Wrap Baby Carrier

When my daughter was an infant, I used a purchased stretchy wrap baby carrier exclusively. After she outgrew that wrap, we used a sling that was great, but lately I’ve felt the need to be able to carry her on my back, especially when she’s feeling clingy and I need both of my hands free to do something. Before purchasing a lovely but expensive woven wrap, I did a little research, and was delighted by how easy wrap carriers are to make! Use the following instructions to make your own wrap baby carrier.

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Label Loving Tots Will Adore Blankiez by Keptin-Jr.

When my kids were babies, they used to spend more time playing with the boxes their toys came in than they did playing with the actual toys! By the same token, many babies also enjoy the labels on their plush toys just as much, if not more, than they enjoy the toys themselves. With this in mind, Keptin-Jr. created Blankiez, a 100% organic cotton, terry toweling, eco-friendly toy blanket that has multicolored labels around all four edges.

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DIY No-Sew Doll Carrier

When my daughter started carrying around her very first baby doll, she wanted a baby carrier so that she could hold her baby in the same fashion as she has seen my sisters and I carrying our babies. When I checked my local stores, I discovered, much to my dismay, that doll carriers are hard to come by in Nebraska. Several wonderful online shops offer doll carriers, but my little girl wanted one immediately. I put my thinking cap on and came up with a very easy, no-sew DIY doll carrier that my daughter loves… and you can make one too!

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DIY Eco Craft: Recycled Piggybanks

If your kids are anything like mine, their eyes shine every time they find a penny on the ground. As an adult with bills to pay, I sometimes forget what it was like to be a child, and how magical a found penny or earned quarter can be. No wonder kids love piggybanks so much! My daughter and I recently made this sweet pink bank to hold her precious pennies. It was easy and fun, and it’s made from recycled materials. With a couple of days and a few scrounged items, you can make one too!

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Eco-Gift Idea: HaPe Bamboo Games

HaPe International is the maker of a great line of all natural bamboo games that were developed by designers, teachers, and technicians from over 15 different nations. I have personal experience with these games, and I can say with certainty that they make wonderful Christmas presents!

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DIY CHRISTMAS: How To Make Your Own Appliqued Shirts

Appliqued shirts are all the rage in children’s clothing boutiques, but as cute as they are, they often cost a pretty penny, and if you want a one-of-a-kind design, it’s going to cost even more! Luckily, appliqued shirts are very easy to make, and they’re a great way to extend the usefulness of clothing and recycle old, worn-out garments. They also make great holiday gifts!

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THANKSGIVING ECO-CRAFT: ‘Thank You’ & Place Cards

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, and counting the earth among our greatest blessings, why not teach your kids about recycling and preserving the planet to celebrate gratitude? Tailor the following ideas to your family’s preferences to help your children make some very cute, completely recycled thank you cards and place cards that your family and friends will love!

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THANKSGIVING ECO-CRAFT: Homemade Gratitude Journals

One of the most important lessons a parent can teach a child is the gift of gratitude. Our children typically learn lessons about thankfulness by watching us; but it never hurts to employ a hands-on technique that makes learning this incredibly important virtue a great deal of fun! Bond with your kids by creating these recycled gratitude journals out of everyday items you probably have around your house.

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GREEN & CLEAN: Eco Parenting While Toting Tiny Travelers

Traveling with babies and toddlers is typically a bumpy ride, filled with many surprises. Our precious cargo require so many necessities on the open road, and following the ‘green’ path can be difficult when away from home. The easy-to-tote Green and Clean line of products from Classy Kid, Inc. offers eco-friendly biodegradable products including toilet seat covers, coloring placemats, and changing table covers, which will help keep both your child and your conscience spotless, whether you’re traveling across the globe or just jaunting across town.

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100% Organic Cotton Nursing Gear by Under the Nile

Breastfeeding is an inherently ‘green’ endeavor, but finding 100% organic cotton nursing wear and accessories to complement this eco and baby friendly choice is often a difficult task. Once I stumbled upon Under the Nile’s wonderful line of organic Egyptian cotton nursing wear and breast pads, I knew I had come full circle in my dedicated mission to ‘green’ my breastfeeding regime.

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Elle Macpherson Nursing Bras: Fashion fuses with Function

Breastfeeding moms know that when it comes to finding a fashionable and flattering nursing bra, the pickings are rather slim. Most nursing bras look extremely matronly, or fit in a way that causes breasts to look strange. With regard to the few appealing nursing bras available, many are uncomfortable, or don’t open easily with one hand, rendering them impractical, or even impossible to use for their intended purpose. Elle Macpherson has, thankfully, designed a comfortable, aesthetically pleasing, feminine nursing bra, which has restored my faith in the lingerie industry. Her lacy La Mere and Maternelle nursing bras are proof that moms can now be sexy and stylish in their breastfeeding endeavors.

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Cold Weather Babywearing: The Peekaru Original

As the weather is getting chillier, are you contemplating the old ‘baby carrier versus coat dilemma’? It can be hard to keep both yourself and your baby warm in a baby carrier when the weather turns nippy. Thats why I love the Peekaru baby carrier fleece . I always get excited over revolutionary baby carriers or babywearing accessories; and when I discovered the Peekaru Original from TogetherBe, I had to get my hands on one immediately. Not only is this baby carrier cover a totally nifty, useful accessory for keeping warm, it’s also eco-friendly! The Peekaru Original is soft, very warm, and made out of approximately 85% recycled plastic bottles. The manufacturing of each Peekaru saves approximately 25 bottles from going into landfills.

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The Art of Babywearing: Safety Guidelines

Babywearing is more popular than ever, due to an ever-increasing interest in natural parenting. Wearing your baby in a sling, wrap or carrier is a wonderful way to keep him close and still have your hands free to take care of necessary day to day tasks. Like any other child care product, however, baby carriers should be used with common sense and security in mind. The following guidelines will help ensure that you are wearing your baby safely.

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Guide to Baby Carriers: How to Tote your Tot

The art of baby wearing has been practiced since ancient history; but it was only recently that this age-old parenting skill really blossomed, thanks to an ever increasing array of carrier options, and the rise in popularity of attachment parenting in Western culture. Now, there are so many baby wearing options on the market that attempting to sort them all out may be mind-boggling. I’d like to share a few of my favorite carriers with you, to help take the guesswork out of your search for the perfect way to tote your baby.

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ALCHEMY MESSENGER: A New Take on Diaper Bags

I have long felt that messenger bags make the very best diaper bags. They’re the perfect size, with plenty of pockets for stashing binkies, wipes, bibs, and basically every little piece of baby paraphernalia that needs to be toted around on a daily basis. Best of all, messenger bags allow parents to look sleek and sophisticated, instead of frumpy or cutesy.  Now, with the Urban Bag from Alchemy Goods, you can have a hip diaper bag that’s also eco-friendly and unique.

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Make a Customized Silhouette T-Shirt Of Your Kids

Kids grow up quickly; so I’m always looking for new ways to celebrate these fleeting days while my little ones are still small. Recently, I came up with a fun project that captures a moment in a child’s life, and creates a unique fashion statement. Here’s how to make a customized silhouette T-shirt that features your precious tots.

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Home Laundering Cloth Diapers

In today’s tricky economy, things are getting more expensive and costly all of the time. A great way to save money for the family is by home laundering your baby’s cloth diapers. We are all for the DIY spirit when it comes to doing-it-yourself with eco-friendly methods. Granted not everyone has the time to do household chores from start to finish, but if home laundering is something you want to fit into your busy parenting schedule, consider the following helpful tips to make the most out of your green laundering experience.

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Getting Started with Cloth Diapers

As a continuation of our ongoing series on cloth diapering, we thought that we would share some simple tips for new (perhaps sleep-deprived) parents on getting started with cloth diapers at home. If you’ve made the decision to use cloth diapers, and you have all the supplies you need, it’s time to get started! Have no fear, the following tips will help you on your way to cloth diapering with true ease!

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9 Cloth Diapering Must-Haves

In our ongoing efforts to try to make cloth diapering a breeze, we have put together some simple guidelines for essential items that might make the diapering process a bit more eco friendly and manageable. Hooray, if you have decided that cloth diapers are right for you! Now it’s time to get busy and stock up on the basic nursery items that you’ll need to make the diapering process easy and fool-proof for everyone involved!

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Finding the Right Cloth Diaper for You

Let’s face it, we are all trying to do the right thing these days, both as parents and as environmentally conscious consumers. For some, disposable diapers is the best route to go, for others – cloth diapers are the obvious choice. We are certainly not about preaching ‘the diapering gospel’ here at Inhabitots, but for those of you who opt for cloth and are confused about which cloth diaper to buy, here you go!

I have had the opportunity to test several different types of cloth diapers, and I have put together the following list of benefits and drawbacks of each of these options, along with my personal brand choice for each category.

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5 Eco Friendly Reasons to Choose Cloth Diapers

Mention the word ‘cloth diaper’ to a modern, harried urbanite and you are likely to be met with a look of shock and horror. When I tell my friends about cloth diapering, the response is usually, “But isn’t that SOOO messy and time consuming? All that laundering and poop scraping?” Despite a prejudice in our culture towards the quick-fix disposable, cloth diapers are really the only green choice when it comes to diapering. Not only are cloth diapers healthier, more economical and eco-friendly than their plastic cousins — but their ease of use and convenience has significantly improved over the last decade. Here are five great reasons to go cloth:

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