Three Simple Changes You Can Make to Live a Healthier, More Organic Life

baby being fed with a spoon

When I had my first child in 2008 we decided to use cloth diapers as a way to save money; however, the longer my child was in cloth diapers the more aware I became of the health benefits for him using cloth diapers. Sure, I'd love it if you did give it a try; I think you'd find that it's easier than you think! I do understand that it can seem a bit daunting to add cloth diapering into your household routine. But you can make other small changes that will have a positive impact on the life that you're living right now and the health and well being of your child's life.

  1. Consult the Environmental Working Group on what products are safe to use on your baby's skin. A baby's skin is so new and sensitive that I like to look up the products that I plan on using on my child in the Environmental Working Group's (EWG) Skin Deep Database. The database is easy to use with a simple rating system that incorporates the same colors that a traffic light uses. Green means little to no harmful ingredients. Yellow means use with caution. Finally red means either stay away from the product because it has ingredients in it that are known to be harmful or the company would not give EWG the ingredient list so they cannot analyze the data.
  2. Look for USDA organic baby food or make your own. We try to practice the dirty dozen when it comes to our produce. You know, we try to buy organic produce that are the dirtiest when it comes to pesticides: Apples, Celery, Sweet bell peppers, Peaches, Strawberries, Nectarines, Grapes, Spinach, Lettuce, Cucumbers, Blueberries, and Potatoes. My sister, Laura, made the majority of her baby food when her son, whom she lovingly refers to as Triple A, was an infant. I did the same for my son when he was an infant because I had more time but as a mother of three I simply choose to not spend my time preparing baby food for my youngest daughter. The reason why is because I know there are brands out there that I trust like Gerber® Organic who have healthy organic baby food and it's already made. Because of Gerber® legacy and because their organic baby food is certified USDA organic, I know that the food I'm putting into my baby's belly is safe and made with 100% non- genetically modified organism (non-GMO) ingredientsGMO is a buzz word and it means that an organism's genetic material has been artificially manipulated through genetic engineering. Plus, a brand like Gerber® has more interesting food combinations than what I can come up with on my own with their 3rd Foods®. With combinations like Apples, Kale & Figs, Bananas, Beets & Pomegranate, and Apples, Purple Carrots & Blueberries with Yogurt I know that my baby is getting a wide range of flavors to help expand her palate naturally.
  3. Try using vinegar as a household cleaner. Why? It's a safe way to clean your house and it does a pretty good job! Vinegar is non-toxic so using it to clean surfaces like the floor makes sense when your baby is crawling like mine is.
See? It's not so difficult, is it? How are you living a healthier and more organic life? Do you have any tips?

Written by Elizabeth Morgan (aka Bert), who lives in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota with her husband, three kids, and a dog.

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