Advice on Creating an Environmentally Sound and Healthy Home for Our Children by Dr. Robert Sears

During a recent visit to Houston promoting his book Happy Baby: The Organic Guide to Baby's First 24 Months and as a special guest speaker at the Houston HEB Healthy Baby and Child Expo; I was graciously provided with the opportunity to interview Dr. Robert Sears, world renowned pediatrician, expert in green parenting, father of three, author and contributor to AskDr.Sears.com on the topic of creating a environmentally sound and eco-friendly home for our children and family.

AC Featured Parenting/Green Contributor: "If you were limited to three tips to share, what would you recommend for creating an environmentally sound and healthy home for our children?"

Dr. Sears: "Just three?"

AC Featured Parenting/Green Contributor: "Well, I know my interview time is coming to an end . . ."

Dr. Sears: "Start with a good night's sleep. I don't simply mean getting all the rest you need, but think about what you are sleeping on. It's important to get a green night's sleep too! Your environmentally sound decisions should start with your baby's crib, mattress and bedding and carry forward to every bed in the home."

AC Featured Parenting/Green Contributor: "Why should we use eco-friendly baby bedding?"

Dr. Sears: "Eco-friendly baby furniture and mattresses use more environmentally friendly manufacturing methods, sustainable "ingredients," and are chemical free. Consider this, not only does your baby spend many hours a day sleeping in this environment but as they grow they may also develop some habits like biting the crib rails. It is important that those things we expose our children to for those 12 hours of sleep as well as what they put in their mouth are safe and chemical free."

AC Featured Parenting/Green Contributor: "What are some bedding manufacturers you recommend for environmentally friendly baby furniture and bedding?"

Dr. Sears: "I recommend considering some of the baby and children's bedding and furniture from IKEA, Eco-tots, Pacific Rim, Ecobaby, and Naturepedic."

AC Featured Parenting/Green Contributor: "What else do you recommend for creating an environmentally sound and healthy home?"

Dr. Sears: "Be aware of the products you use to clean with. The chemicals used in many cleaners leave toxins in the air we breathe and on the surfaces we touch. Some families have found that cleaning green can help with conditions like allergies, asthma and skin irritations."

AC Featured Parenting/Green Contributor: "So do you recommend making your own cleaning products?"

Dr. Sears: "That is one way of cleaning green and the Happy Baby book has several recipes in it to help parents make their own cleaning products. Many of the recipes include the basics of vinegar, baking soda and lemons. "There are many green cleaning products out there, like Seventh Generation, which offer not only alternatives to cleaning, but are also manufactured in an environmentally friendly manner."

AC Featured Parenting/Green Contributor: "Last but not least, what else do you recommend for creating an environmentally sound and healthy environment for our children?"

Dr. Sears: "It is very important to find green alternatives for every baby product that you can, from teething items to playtime toys. We need to minimize and eliminate whenever possible our children's exposure to 'bad toys'. Consider all the toy recalls due to lead paint exposure."

AC Featured Parenting/Green Contributor: "Finding environmentally friendly toys is one of my challenges. What toys do you recommend?

Dr. Sears: "Try finding unpainted wooden toys to start with, the Happy Baby offers a large selection of suggested toy manufacturers as alternatives. Look for toys and products by Green Toys, Inc. and Earthmates to get you started."

AC Featured Parenting/Green Contributor: "Thank you so much for your time and advice. I am looking forward to following up on your recommendations, in more detail in the Happy Baby book, and can't wait to see how my own recipes stand up to those provided there!"

While ending my interview with Dr. Sears, I received one more bit of advice about not only creating an environmentally friendly home but keeping one; "We need to teach our children about making environmentally sound decisions so that they will know it and do it in the future. By incorporating the recommendations like those discussed in my book, Happy Baby: The Organic Guide to Baby's First 24 Months and those topics we have discussed here not only do we create a healthy environment, but teach our children to make environmentally sound decisions as they grow. We set the example, they follow in our footsteps."

More articles on living an environmentally friendly lifestyle and parenting are available here.

Want to know how to get a good night's sleep in your room and the big kid's bedroom? Consider the recommendations made in A Mattress Guide: Going Green with Bedding and Making Your Bedroom Green: It's Not Just a Color.

Lessons Learned: Clean Green Driving Tips to Save the Environment and Money

Getting to the Bottom of Green Potty Products

20 Tips for Growing Green Children

Sources:
Personal experience
Interview with Dr. Sears
Happy Baby (Paperback)