An Early Friday Find: Going Green with Baby

I couldn’t wait to announce this week’s Friday Find. For the past six months, I have been hard at work writing a book!

Itsabelly's Guide to Going Green with Baby is the first book to provide a simple resource for evaluating eco-friendly baby gear and to learn more about organic and natural family living. We offer mom-tested product reviews and tips to raising a healthy baby and creating a happy planet. The founders of Under the Nile, gDiapers, TheSoftLanding.com and Earth Mama Angel Baby provide insight on why choosing organic and natural baby products is important to creating a healthier lifestyle. Going Green with Baby features personal product recommendations from eco-minded moms Jennifer Lo Prete and Melissa Moog. Jennifer is a writer and mother of two that has long practiced green living. Melissa is mom to a toddler, writer and the founder of Itsabelly Baby Concierge, a premier baby planning agency that specializes in going green with baby.

Going Green with Baby will be released in the Summer of 2008. To pre-order your copy, please send us an email to info@itsa-belly.com or call us at (503)799-5719 with your name and contact information. We will contact you when the book is available for purchase. Wholesale inquiries are also welcome.

A Peek Inside...

• Plan your baby registry with the best mom-tested reviews of over 300 eco-friendly baby products. We cover all your baby’s needs from slings to strollers, non-toxic bottles to safe skin care products, organic baby clothes to eco-friendly diapers and sustainable nursery furniture.
  
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• Learn why going green with baby is important for a healthy baby and happy planet. Our panel of eco experts weighs in on the importance of organic apparel, sustainable wood, non-toxic feeding products and natural skin care products.
  
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• Discover our simple eco-mom tips to raising a healthy baby and protecting our planet.
  
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• Decipher the meaning and standards behind eco-labels. What does organic mean anyway? We make your trip to the store easier with a useful guide to common eco-labels and organic certification standards.
  
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• Gain valuable tips on going green on a budget. From our own experience, it may not be financially feasible to turn your household completely organic. We give you tips on how you can make green choices that are right for your family.
  

Friday Find: Bum-Ware Cloth Diapers

As a cloth diaper addict, I have tried to curtail my purchases over the past year. I kept telling myself that my youngest would learn to use the potty anytime just like his sister went diaper free at 15 months (Lautaro is now 26 months). Well, as any mom of two will tell you, each child is totally different. And I am finding out that teaching potty use to a boy is a little trickier than teaching a girl, for me at least.

Using toddler-sized prefolds with a cover seemed too bulky for size 2t clothing. Today’s clothes just aren’t cut for cloth diapers. I feel guilty that I have been using Seventh Generation or Tushies disposables while out of the house. So, I finally accepted the fact that I should buy some new cloth diapers. After all, buying disposables is expensive! I did lots of research on toddler-sized trimmer cloth diaper options on Diaper Pin and the Born to Love cloth diaper Yahoo forum. Lautaro is about 35 pounds, which is where most cloth diapers seem to have as their max weight suggestion. I received rave reviews for Bum-Ware diapers.

I learned that All in Ones seemed to offer the trimmest option for cloth diapering. An All in One (AIO) is a cloth diaper that works like a disposable diaper in terms of ease of use and style. The diaper and cover are sewn together making the diaper one piece, hence the name All in One. Using a cloth AIO is definitely faster for changing a squirmy toddler! Bum-Ware is the highest user-rated All in One diaper at the Diaper Pin.

I am delighted with my purchase of Bum-Ware Easy All in Ones. After measuring Lautaro, I ordered a large (23 to 40 pounds) AIO in orange and another in Saturn blue. The inside lining is cozy and soft. The diaper is extremely trim – fits well under all Lautaro’s pants. You can’t even tell he is wearing a cloth diaper compared to a disposable! The diapers are very absorbent and we haven’t experienced any leaks. The diapers wash well and dry within one cycle.



Bum-Ware AIO Features

• Hook and loop fasteners for a perfect fit.
  
• Serged for superior durability.
  
• Hidden elastic around the legs to keep everything in.
  
• Two inner body layers of cotton flannel.
  
• Four layer flannel soaker pad or contour snap in soaker, your choice.
  
• Polyurathane laminate (PUL) outer.
  
• Fold back laundry tabs to prevent diaper chains.
  
• Fully washer and dryer safe.
  
• Each diaper comes with a 4 layer flannel contour doubler
  
• You can customize your Bum-Ware diapers with a wide selection embroidery designs.
  

In 1998, the creator of Bum-Ware diapers, Izabela first fell in love with cloth diapering when she worked as an Early Childhood Educator at the YMCA in Ontario, Canada. “A few of the infants and toddlers were in cloth diapers, and I was blown away by their cuteness, but mostly by their reusability,” said Izabella. “I am into anything that’s environmentally friendly.”

Friday Find: Mushroom Pate Recipe

Photo courtesy of FreeFoto.

A wonderfully simple and sophisticated cracker spread for parties. This recipe originated from one of my friends in Washington D.C. I have added cumin and coriander to the recipe to add more flavor depth. If you do not like those spices, you can eliminate them and the spread will still taste great. Friends and family have told me that I am not allowed to attend their parties without this spread! 

Ingredients:

• 16 oz mushrooms – cleaned and de-stemmed. You can use regular button/white mushrooms or a mixture of different types. I like to do half button and half crimini.
  
• 1 medium yellow onion
  
• 3 tablespoons butter
  
• 8 oz cream cheese
  
• Salt & pepper
  
• Ground Cumin
  
• Ground Coriander

1. Clean and de-stem mushrooms.
   
2. In food processor, chop mushrooms and onion to small pieces.
   
3. Heat sauté pan on medium heat and melt butter. Add the mushroom and onion mixture and sauté until all the liquid evaporates. Season with cumin, coriander, salt and pepper to taste.
   
4. Add cream cheese and stir well to incorporate into the mushroom/onion mixture.
   
5. Spoon the mixture into a shallow baking dish and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees F. Serve warm with crackers. I prefer water crackers.

Thanks to my Dad for suggesting this week's Friday Find.

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