Robert W. Sears - HappyBaby: The Organic Guide to Babys First 24 Months

The Happy (and Green!) Family

The Healthy Baby: Looking at Baby Through a Green Lens

The Happy Mama: How to Take Good Care of the Caretaker (That Means You)

The Happy (and Well-Fed!) Baby

Really Homemade Baby Food: Babies, Breast Milk, and Bottle-Feeding

Still Eating for Two: What Mama Eats, Baby Eats

Your Hungry Baby: Starting the Solid Food Adventure

Whats on the Menu? Growing Healthy Babies from Healthy Foods

The Airplane and the Hangar: Mealtime Challenges and Practical Solutions

The Green and Happy Home

Kid Stuff: Green and Healthy Products for Your Happy Baby

A Happy Home: Making a Clean and Green Home for Baby

More Happy Habits

Check, Please: A Checklist for Baby and Toddler Wellness

C ongratulations on being blessed with lifes most precious gifta brand-new baby! You have begun a new and exciting phase of your life and are ready to embrace the challenges and rewards to come. Having a baby can throw many aspects of your world into chaos, but it also brings some things into focus. Looking at your tiny vulnerable child probably makes you want to do all in your power to keep her safe and healthy. But as a parent today, you might feel overwhelmed by all the potential dangers lurking in our world which can get in the way of raising a happy baby. Toxic plastics, dangerous toys, mysterious illnesseswe have good reason to be concerned, and good reason to make Babys health our number-one priority.

We wrote this book because we want to share with you our way to make the daunting task of protecting Baby a little simpler. Heres how: go green. Call it green, call it eco-friendly: whatever you call it, were talking about healthy choices that are not only good for the planet, but also good for Babys health. This Organic Guide will help you be a greener parent. From breast milk and organic first foods to all-natural baby toys and cleaning supplies, well help you navigate Babys first two years.

And really, were not just talking about Baby. Much of our advice will help you make changes for yourself and your spouse as well. We know that you want to live a long, healthy life. You dont want to just be a mother, but a healthy, active, energetic, and positive Mama. Well help you get therechapter 2 is devoted to your health and well being! Even better, how about being an active grandparent someday, free of chronic illnesses, physically fit, and energetic. Plus, by adopting a healthy eco-friendly lifestyle when Baby is young youre teaching her how to grow up to be an eco-friendly parent herselfanother way your actions will make the planet better for your grandchildren and future generations.

We know that many parents decide to simply ignore many of the issues well discuss in this book. Rather than taking steps to avoid chemicals, they choose to accept them as an inevitable part of our modern society; their babies will have some exposure to the toxins in our environment and thats that. Because these parents do not notice the effects of these so-called toxins on their own health, they figure Baby will be just fine. Ignorance is bliss, right? Except that babies, as we will discuss, are much more susceptible to toxins than we are and most products approved by the Food and Drug Administration are actually approved for adults without babies in mind.

Well, we know that you are reading this book because you do want to take steps to improve your babys, and your whole familys, quality of life. You do want to make the effort. We want to help. As a pediatrician, author, speaker, and father (Dr. Bob), and as a mom and dietitian (Amy), we have the joy of working with parents and children in our professional lives. We also have the responsibility of committing to these changes in our own lives and making sure this passion rubs off on our own children. We created this guide so that every parent across America would have the tools they need to change themselves, their children, and their world for the better.

We realize that after reading just a few pages about going green you may feel in over your head. You are not alone. Many new parents feel this way. But it doesnt have to be so hard. True, some of the green lifestyle choices that well discuss will take some getting used to. But on the other hand, going green is often as simple as choosing an organic apple instead of a conventional one. Or recycling a food package, or spraying an all-natural solution on your kitchen counter instead of a blend of toxic chemicals. Lets make a deal: if you promise to read this whole book, we promise to make going green doable. Becoming a more health-conscious parent will take effort, but we will organize and prioritize it for you in a way that will allow you to succeed in this most important endeavor. Your children, and their planet, are worth it!

Robert W. Sears, MD, FAAP

and

Amy Marlow, MPH, RD, CDN

Looking at Baby Through a green Lens

W hen it comes to keeping a new baby healthy and happy, all parents want to do their best. But figuring it all out, well, that can get a little perplexing. With new ideas, research, and products cropping up almost every day, parents find themselves overwhelmed and still asking the basic questions: What do I feed her and when? How can I protect her at home and away? What toys are safe? Am I doing all that I should be doing?

In this chapter were proposing that you can help make sense of it all when you actually broaden your vision to include not only Baby but also her planetwhen you start looking at Baby through a green lens, so to speak. Many of the behaviors and lifestyle choices that are eco-friendly are good for your health, too. If you strive to be a green parent youll not only minimize your impact on natural resources and protect and preserve the planet, but also minimize your and Babys exposure to toxic substances. We think its one of the best ways to protect Baby and keep her healthy today and for years to come.

This chapter is meant to give you some background information about how taking steps to protect the planet will also benefit Baby. The rest of the book is meant to provide you with the how-to information you need to actually take those steps. In this chapter, well introduce you to what it means to go green, why it is so important, how various aspects of a green lifestyle will benefit Babys health, and well suggest a good place to start: your kitchen.

Getting Started: Different Shades of Green

We want to help you find a green approach that works for you and your family. As you read, keep in mind that you dont have to change over every facet of your lifestyle at once and theres no right or wrong way to go about it. Thats why well provide you with different shades of green throughout the bookthe palest green kinds of changes that you can make if youre just getting started, habits and behaviors that are a little greener, and then the lifestyle choices that represent the deepest shade of green for Mamas who are ready to take bigger steps. The idea is for you to pick the shade of green that youre ready to be, and once youre comfortable, to move on to a deeper shade. Even small steps toward a greener life will benefit Baby. And the one thing that is certain is that you should start your familys greening as soon as possiblewhether youre reading this while pregnant or if Baby has already arrived.