Published on November 19th, 2008
I saw this headline on a news feed and was immediately enraged. Turns out it was simply a blog post written by a Mom whose two-year-old was demanding to go outside in her flimsy bathing suit cover-up.
It did however; touch a nerve since I have been recently aware of how the girls in my son’s 1st grade class tend to dress. On Halloween, we had a sexy, short-skirted super girl. On any day of the week, we might see barely covered tummies and dresses worn sans shorts and considered suitable for hanging upside down from the monkey bars.
With Christmas coming, dresses at such popular mainstream retailers as Macy’s border on the absurd. This might just be me, but, I find it hard to understand why parents agree to sexually provocative outfits for their young girls.
This article in the L.A. Times, Sexy Halloween Costumes For Little Girls, quotes author, Diane E. Levin, a professor of education at Wheelock College in Boston and co-author, , of “So Sexy So Soon: The New Sexualized Childhood and What Parents Can Do to Protect Their Kids.”
Since television was deregulated in the early 1980s, marketing strategies have taken over all aspects of kids’ lives. From bedsheets to clothes and shoes to the lunch box they carry — they’re all linked to media, to popular culture. The message is, this is what’s desirable, this is what you should be.
And look at what they were offered: For boys, there was GI Joe, He-Man, Transformers, Ninja Turtles, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. For girls, there was My Little Pony, Care Bears, Disney’s princesses. Gender roles were very much part of that marketing. There was a whole new escalation in gender division when children began to become a market.
Kids are trying to figure out from an early age, “What does it mean to be a girl, or to be a boy?” They look at the most dramatic examples they can find to figure that out. Marketers are making it the most extreme they possibly can for that reason. Sexy is part of that marketing to girls — just as macho and violent has become the way to market things to boys.
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Published on November 18th, 2008
I am a baby wearing advocate, and no, I never needed to take Motrin as a result of baby wearing. I understand baby wearing is not for everyone, but I loved wearing my children and wore them year round on my daily hikes. In the winter, I would try to bundle them up, and I felt my body heat was keeping them warm, but I wish I would have had the Peekaru.
What is a Peekaru? Peekaru is essentially a fleece vest you wear over a soft baby carrier, such as a Baby Bjorn or Ergo Carrier. The fabric is stretchy, so it fits comfortably over you and your babe, and best of all, the fleece is made from 85% recycled material!
Made from 85% recycled high quality Polartec fleece, each Peekaru Original saves approximately 25 plastic bottles from reaching the landfill. In addition, Polartec fleece is Oeko-tex Standard 100 “for textile products of all types which pose no risk whatsoever to health.” Feel good knowing that while you are holding your baby close, you are also helping the environment.
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Published on November 11th, 2008
Have you ever tried to put tights on a baby? It is not an easy or practical chore, especially considering the number of time tights need to be pulled down for diaper changes. An alternative to tights for cool weather dresses is baby leg warmers/leggies.
BabyEarth.com, a great resource for green children’s products and information, offers parents Baberoo Certified Organic Leggies. These leg warmers are soft, affordable at $12, and one size fits all. Due to the stretchy nature of the Leggies, one pair will last your child a long time from infancy to year five! Leggies can also be worn on a child’s arms for extra warmth, and they are great for crawling. Read the rest of this entry »
Published on November 10th, 2008
Generation Green: The Ultimate Teen Guide to Living an Eco-Friendly Life
by Linda Sivertsen and her teen son, Tosh, is a great guide to help teens go green. It offers practical advice in an easy to read manner that doesn’t preach or talk down. This is a great way to get your teen on board about going green . Read the rest of this entry »
Published on November 9th, 2008
Halloween is over and the winter holidays are approaching. Whether you celebrate the Winter Solstice, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, or another winter celebration, the coldest season is typical a time for exchanging gifts. Although I am sickened by the consumerism associated with the holiday season, I do like to give gifts. Of course, a handmade gift always comes from the heart and has special meaning.
Our 2008 Eco Child’s Play Green, Eco-friendly Toy Holiday Gift Guide is comprised of our favorite products we have reviewed during the course of the year.
We would love for our readers to make further suggestions of eco-friendly gifts by leaving comments to this post.
Safe, Green Gifts for Baby
- Sophie the Giraffe: This très chic teething toy is made out of natural rubber and finished with non-toxic paint. Sophie is handcrafted in the French Alps and has been a favorite among infants since the 60’s. A definite throwback to my days (and beyond).
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Published on October 29th, 2008
For years now I have been thinking about ways to lessen the excess and mass marketing culture that has been a trademark of the American Christmas season. Last Christmas, I wrote about ways to green your Christmas, and buy less stuff. When you think about the facts, it is truly appalling: Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, Americans produce an extra 2 billion pounds of garbage PER WEEK. And how about this one (I am guilty as charged-) enough holiday cards are sold every Christmas season to fill a ten story football stadium. And one of my favorite ones, which lets me know how important purchasing natural, U.S. made wooden toys is: If every child under six received a quality wood toy instead of a plastic one, 17 million tons of plastic in the landfill would be spared.
You’ll find those facts in the new book, Green Christmas: How to Have a Joyous, Eco-Friendly Holiday Season by Jennifer Basye Sander and Peter Sander with Anne Basye. This little book is packed with ideas for how to have a less stressful, more meaningful and altogether greener holiday this year.
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Published on October 23rd, 2008
Ruth!
Congratulations Ruth, why don’t ya’ll go on over there and give Ruth a read today, she’s got the beginnings of a very interesting and well written blog.
Thank you all so much for entering.
Published on October 22nd, 2008
I was happy when I got an email about PVC free raingear for kids. So much of the raingear available is made from thick PVC, and you can smell it. Gortex is made from the chemicals used in Teflon. So what’s a green parent to do?
PVC (also known as vinyl) is also known as the poison plastic, and is bad for the environment and for our kids. PVC often carries lead (such as in some baby bibs), and uses a number of troublesome chemicals called phthalates to make the plastic soft. These phthalates are endocrine disruptors which have been linked to problems in the development of the male reproductive system and the brain development of infants.
Here is a link about the enviornmental problems that begin with the manufacturing of PVC.
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Published on October 21st, 2008
I’ve always been attracted to the lotus blossom, and I used to embroider it often on the clothes I made and sold. Lotus Blossom Style shares my affinity for this flower, because it represents their mission as a company. The lotus flower is a “sacred plant which symbolizes coming into your potential” and “represents the journey from unconscious to the conscious.” One of my goals as an eco-parent is to raise conscious children, just like Lotus Blossom Style wishes to inspire their customers to be all that they can be.
The Baby Buddha Love Onesie is made from organic cotton. Organic cotton is healthier for baby and the planet.
We all absorb chemicals through our skin and through our environment. Babies and young children’s skin is thinner than adults and therefore more sensitive to these chemicals. Choosing organic cotton safeguards your child from the pesticides, insecticides and other toxins used to grow and manufacture conventional cotton products and helps transform the marketplace into a healthier and more conscious one for ALL.
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Published on October 16th, 2008
If you live in the Pacific Northwest, you can’t let rain stop you from going outside. My family hikes, gardens, and frolics in the continual rain of the winter months. Outfitting my kids for our wet adventures is a challenge until I discovered Natural Pod’s Puddlegear rain gear.
Natural Pod is a Canadian company specializing in natural items for play and daily living that are mindful, creative and inviting for your family. Like many parents that recognize nature itself is the best natural toy, Natural Pod wants your children to enjoy the outdoors year round. Just consider this great description of Puddlegear rain gear:
To kids, rain is a just another toy, offering unlimited opportunities for splashing fun. We think that’s a great attitude. These clothes are perfect for playing in. They are attractive, sturdy and designed for children’s need for freedom of movement. Naturally, all of this clothing meets every possible quality and safety requirement. Puddlegear raingear is made in Europe by Abeko. A Swedish company that has been known for quality and function down to every last button and seam for 60 years . And kids think its cool too!
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