Years ago, when I was traveling in Peru, I became enamored with the way Andean women carried their babies – in blankets tied around their backs.

It made so much sense; after all, strollers are heavy, expensive and impossible to push up a mountain trail or crowded cobblestone mercado. The mamachas had their hands free and their young children were safe and secure, held so close to their mother’s body. I vowed then and there that if I ever had children, I’d wear them that way too.

And now that I’m a mom, that’s what I do; I wear my baby.

Easy and practical, babywearing is commonplace all over the world. The health benefits are many for both baby and mom.

Benefits for Baby:

Held babies cry much less than those kept in a crib or stroller.

Closeness to mom makes baby feel safe and secure.

Allows baby to see the world the way we do, rather than through the bars of a crib or at knee-level in a stroller.

Baby’s temperature, heart rate and breathing are better regulated when they’re close to another human body.

Proximity to mom makes it easier to get needs met.

Baby gets to bond with you, not toys and furniture!

Benefits for Mom:

Increased bonding and communication with baby.

With your hands free and your child happy, it’s easier to get things done!

Increase your core strength and get more exercise.

No need to struggle with heavy car seats or drag strollers out of the car.

Discreet and hands-free nursing.

It’s easier to play with your toddler while holding your baby close to you. Keeping both kids happy is priceless.

Your baby is closer to you, thereby easier to hug and kiss! (And isn’t that what it’s all about?)

And of course, it’s good for the environment!

Babywearing is stylish, too. Gone are the days of clunky baby backpacks. Now you can get downright sassy with the fashion, with slings coming in every kind of cloth, print and style imaginable. Mamas: wear your baby and show the world your eco-friendly, down-to-earth values, too.

The sling I use: Baby K’Tan

Highly recommended by friends: Moby Wrap and Maya Wrap

Great for dads: Baby K’Tan and Baby Bjorn

And for the crafty among you who’d prefer to make your own: DIY baby carrier links.

Many moons ago I wrote about an eco-conscious baby product company by the name of ZoLi. Now that I have a little baby of my own I’ve had a chance to try out some of ZoLi’s products and promises, and let me tell you, they deliver.

Health-conscious parents will be happy to know that all ZoLi products are BPA and phthalate-free.  (No endocrine disruptors leaching out of the plastic and into your baby’s body.) And their philosophy extends to their recycled paper and soy ink packaging.

But beyond all that, ZoLi’s products are just plain good.

The Baby Ohm ($20, above) is a light, portable, easy-to-clean diaper-changing mat that’s like a little yoga mat for baby. It’s more attractive than any of the other diaper mats I’ve seen and best of all there’s no off-gassing plastic smell to make diaper changing any stinkier than it needs to be.

For teething babies, the Munch teether ($5) is just lovely. The soft, textured silicone seems so much more pleasant to chew on than hard plastic, and it’s non-toxic (free of nitrosamine and PVC).

Parents looking for safe plastic bottles, ZoLi’s BPA and phthalate-free bottles and silicone anti-colic nipples are just what you need. And although my baby is many months away from eating solid foods, I’ve already used the pretty colored stackable snack dispenser ($15) to stow away nuts, sliced strawberries and other little snacks for myself.

Three cheers to ZoLi, a company created by eco-conscious parents, making our world a better place for babies, one product at a time.

These have to be the cutest kids ever. Not just because they’re, well, adorable children, but look at what they’re wearing! Soft, comfy, organic cotton striped clothes! If these aren’t the happiest little munchkins you’ve ever seen…well…don’t tell that to their moms.

And just what are these tykes wearing? Clothes made by Happy Green Bee, a manufacturer of Fair Trade Certified, organic cotton children’s clothing. I found them at a trade show and got sucked into their happy little hive. Not only was it the bright, fun colors that attracted me – but the softness of the clothes, as well. And don’t be intimidated thinking that organic cotton has to be expensive – they’ve got a great sale page too.

Now if only they made this stuff in my size.

Move over, melamine; your infamy as a contaminant in Chinese infant formula is being pushed aside by one that’s made in the USA. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has found some samples of American brands of infant formula (although they won’t divulge which) are contaminated with perchlorates – which come from rocket fuel.

How, one has to wonder, are perchlorates getting into the formula many people are feeding to their newborn babies? Improper disposal on military bases, rocket test sites and chemical plants can allow perchlorates, which affect the thyroid, to leach into drinking water. That means these chemicals may be harming you, too. So far, the EPA hasn’t set a “safe” limit for perchlorates in drinking water, but I hope this issue will force the agency to take a closer look and regulate.

Image: Alessandro Perilli

There’s so much to think about when raising your children green in a brown world. Food, clothing, shelter ““ these are just the beginning. What do you do when your child comes home with lice? How do you regulate TV and internet? Any conscious parent will want guidance for these issues in raising their child as holistically and organically as possible.

Lynda Fassa, author of Green Kids, Sage Families provides over 240 pages of such guidance. And the author has taken into account your busyness as a parent and provides useful information in bite-sized chunks that are accessible and fun to read. You can literally flip through this book and pick out what you need in the moment for healthy snack ideas, easy green home improvement, school-related issues, and arts and crafts for toddlers to teens. (Check out Lynda Fassa’s Green Babies, Sage Moms if you’re a new parent of a little one).

Here’s some of what you’ll find out in this book:

How to host an eco-friendly party
The truth behind food labels
Conscious consumerism for teens
Easy, homemade bath and body products for kids
Ideas for family meal plans
Green ideas for the holidays
Toxic products you absolutely must not allow in your house

Green Kids, Sage Families is a well-rounded read, with plenty suggestions for those on a budget (as many families are) and lots of expert guidance from green CEOs, businessmoms and other “green gurus” with real world experience to help your family thrive organically in the real world.

Mmmm. I just finished a few cookies from the Immaculate Baking Company called Sweet Georgia Brownie Triple Chocolate Chunk, and boy, were they good. Known for their creative flavor combinations, like Key Largo Lime, Leapin’ Lemon and Pumpkin Gingerlies, all are made with natural ingredients, are 70% organic and are kosher.

Immaculate founder Scott Blackwell, also a folk art collector, decided to combine his love of food and art and created the Folk Artist’s Foundation to help deserving folk artists maintain the integrity of their lifestyle and the sincerity of their unique vision by providing encouragement, support (financial and otherwise) and exposure.

Blackwell also founded the Soul Food Fund “artreach” programs to inspire kids of all ages to stretch their imaginations. The fund provides artists with materials for their craft, contacts between artists, collectors, galleries, and museums, and holds events that unite folk artists with children of all backgrounds. Each bag and box of cookies features an original work of folk art and a short bio of the artist. Now there’s one cookie company we hope will never crumble!

Earthy friendly toys are hot, which is no surprise considering they’re better for the environment, teach a life lesson, and are often sturdier than the chemical contender. We chatted with manufacturers and parents, scoured the Internet and searched through catalogs to bring you a few of our favorites for the holiday season and beyond.

The Bug Balance Game
Ages 3+
$17.95

Roll the dice to see which colored spot your bug belongs in, then place it in the tree. Three different size wooden bugs teach kids about weight and space. The Bug Balance Game is made from recycled rubberwood and painted with eco-friendly vegetable based paint. And of course packaging is produced from recycled paper.

Renewable Energy Science Kit
Ages 8+
$49.95

Let kids learn why wind is one of the most promising sources of clean renewable energy available today by building a working wind turbine and learning the physics behind it.Power harnessed will create energy for 20 experiments such as generating electricity to light an LED and charge a battery.Ӭ Renewable Energy Science Kit comes with 32-page experiment manual.

Arctic Playset
Ages 3-6
$26.49

Even preschoolers are sure to have heard a whole lotta talk about the Arctic region during this year’s presidential election. Learn about what is native to Alaska with the wooden arctic exploration playset
which includes an 8″x5″ portable Velcro-closure igloo and 12 chunky wooden figures that average 3″-4″ in size. Handcrafted in Sri Lanka out of environmentally-friendly rubberwood.

Modeling Beeswax Sheets
$24.90

A clean way to play and be creative, Stockmar Modeling Beeswax Sheets become pliable when warmed by hand or placed in warm water. It doesn’t smear or crumble, and colors won’t bleed. Set includes 15 slices of modeling beeswax in assorted colors. Can be used over and over again.

Assorted Fruits & Vegetables
By Plan Toys
Ages 3+
$18.99

Whether your little one is part of the raw movement or prefers his food cooked, he can practice cutting apart the Velcro fruit and vegetables with the smooth wooden knife, then put them back together again. Eight pieces include an apple, pear, lemon, orange, banana, cucumber, mushroom and carrot. Made of chemical-free recycled rubberwood and finished with non-toxic water paint.

Make your own eco-friendly toys!
Prices vary on Amazon from $1.24. to $30.

Get creative, recycle, and save some cash by making your own eco-friendly toys with George Pfiffner’s book Earth Friendly Toys – How to Make Fabulous Toys and Games from Reusable Objects. Use items such as toilet-paper tubes, egg cartons, magazine pages, and brown paper bags, to make 30 crafts, toys, and games like pinwheels, kaleidoscopes, masks and roller coasters. Each project is ranked by difficulty.

Sprig Rigs
Ages 3+
Prices range from $21-$65 Sprig Toys, Inc. launched its first environmentally conscious line in fall 2008 and was quickly swooped up by vendors from the mammoth FAO Schwarz to small web shops like OH-Toy. The new Eco-Trucks are made with earth-friendly Sprigwoodâ„¢, a child-safe bio-composite of recycled wood and reclaimed plastic that has visible wood “flecks” and a pine scent. They run on hand-power to generate lights and sounds ““ all are battery-free.

Keep the beat
Ages 3+
Dimensions: 13.8″x10.2″x13.3″
$49.75

This drum set, made primarily of rubberwood, has a large drum, a small drum, a cymbal, and a guiro – a traditional percussion instrument from Puerto Rico. While it comes with a set of drumsticks, kids can learn to use their hands for a softer sound. 

Make your own natural candy kits
Gum, chocolate, gummies: $9.95, $10.95, $9.95

Make your own chewing gum with chicle, sap of the Sapodilla tree that grows in the rainforests of Central America. Everything you need is included in this kit. Make your own chocolate from cacao beans which were once found only in Central and South America. (Today cacao is an important part of agriculture in the tropics all around the world.) Make your own gummies out of seaweed.
Kids can learn how cultures such as Japanese and Chinese have always relied on sea vegetables.

Wooden Pulley
$66.00
Ages 5+

This wooden pulley can attach to the ceiling, a tree, or a staircase rail for hours of imaginative play: a pirate pulling up her treasures; a mountain climber rescuing his pet; a contractor bringing up supplies to the top of a building…

Made of beech and maple wood, ecological adhesives and water-based lacquers.

Earth-friendly tea set
$24.95

Reduce fossil fuel use and CO2 emissions with this tea set made from recycled milk jugs. The 17-piece set is free of BPA’s, Phthalates, and PVC.

Paintable Puzzles
$13.95
Ages 6+ Color Me Up Wooden Puzzles are crafted of managed forest basswood and come with a water-based paint kit.

Indoor gardening kit
$29.95
Ages 5 and up

Kids can learn about reducing fossil fuel and Co2 emissions by growing their own plants. Kit includes 3 planting pots, soil, trowel and organic basil, sunflower and zinnia seeds.

EarthOpoly
$24.98
Ages 8+

Monopoly will always be a classic. But let’s face it: it’s so 20th century. With talk of carbon credits and renewable energy, EathOpoly is a great way to teach kids about the environment and pickup some tips for yourself. Players buy properties, collect carbon credits and trade them for clean air. As they travel the board visiting each impressive land form, they will learn about the planet and pick up Go Green tips from each deed card. All the paper products in the game are recyclable, ink is vegetable oil-based, and game pieces are either made by nature or are completely recyclable. Green Power was purchased for the electricity used to manufacture the paper for the box (renewable energy in the form of wind, hydro, and biogas).

Forget paying the electric company – maybe by the end of the game everyone will be off the grid!

Main image: tillwe

For those of us who haven’t succumbed to the Palm Pilot or Blackberry, it’s time to shop calendars and datebooks for 2009. I found some cool green options for your kitchen, home office or desk at work that contain images and information to raise eco awarness. Yes, you have a date with ecology. Take a look:

From Calendar Club, helpful reminders every month that our planet needs saving. The 101 Little Ways to Save the Planet is a pocket wall design, $21; The Living Green is a daily desk calendar, $14; the Deluxe Ecological calendar for the wall contains panels that put us in touch with the cycles of nature and the seasons, $15.

Soy-based inks on cotton paper are used to produce 12 gorgeous sheets of soft, seasonal illustrations in this delicate Letterpress Calendar (below) from See Jane Work, $35.

We’ve hooted plenty at EcoSalon about the artistry of the Night Owl Papergoods products, and it extends to the sustainably harvested wooden calendar (below), featuing the medallions and other illustrations of the company’s talented artists, $31.50 at Delight.

Downloaded onto your desktop, the wallpaper used as a monthly calendar enlightens little computer users about everything from Human Rights Day to what polar bears like to eat. You can find it at Eco Kids. (Shown at top.)

Here’s a topic I didn’t even want to write about, it’s so potentially disturbing. A study done in Denmark, in conjunction with UCLA, has shown that pregnant women who use cell phones only 2 or 3 times a day have a much higher risk of having children with behavioral difficulties. If the young children themselves use cell phones regularly, that risk is compounded.

Skeptics might scoff at this, but when the researchers accounted for other potential factors (smoking or alcohol during pregnancy, history of mental illness in the family, etc), the results pointed even more strongly towards cell phone use as a danger. The researchers aren’t sure why developing fetuses are biologically affected by cell phones, but the numbers are there. Perhaps this is one of the reasons we’ve seen such a high rate of ADHD and autism in the past few decades? If you have information about this, please share it. We’ll keep you posted.

Image: IamSAM.

After school today, at least a half dozen parents are taking a meeting with the middle school head to speak their minds about the toll of homework stress. It won’t be pretty.

At  the prestigious K-8 private school my girls attend, they pour it on thick throughout the week, on the weekends, and over holiday breaks. And this isn’t even one of San Francisco’s so-called Motrin Schools where overloaded students need pain medication to cope with chronic head and stomach ailments.

My 12-year-old, a gifted writer and artist who skipped 3rd grade because of her aptitude, size and maturity, is more anxious than ever. “We’re getting robbed of our childhoods,” complains Sydney, chomping on her cuticles and twitching her eyes, just a couple side effects of her anxiety.

In addition to the two to three hours she faces daily in math, social studies, and religious studies, her crazed English teacher has the students completing a novel a week, part of a project called Book Search involving comparative literature. Among the tasks to complement the reading is second sourcing: Researching related topics (in Syd’s case, White Supremacy) and summarizing 1,000 word essays on the topic.

While my husband and I are in agreement that most homework is sheer busywork cast off by time-crunched teachers, we can’t do much to overhaul the curriculum. I did, however, locate some helpful coping tips from Web MD for both parents and kids battling the modern epidemic of speed learning and information overload. See if they help your family.

Watch for signs of school-related stress:

According to school counselors and other experts, much of the pressure and anxiety about school stems from the college admissions race. Younger kids feel it, too, espeically when it comes to test-taking anxiety. In the younger kids, signs of stress could be headaches, stomachaches, or trying to stay out of school. In older kids, look for cutting or expressions of despair.

Teach kids time-management skills:

In the face of unimaginative administrators, we must do our part to help our children meet demands far beyond their cognitive development.

Time-management and organization skills are crucial for fighting stress and are not often taught in the schools. Help your kids stay on track after school and at night, allowing short breaks but no TV until the work is finished. Also, make sure their binders are organized by checking in with them. Don’t assume they are old enough to take charge of all of this themselves. It isn’t anything like when you were a kid and they need loads of support. Tough love is the wrong approach.

Consider whether your child is over-scheduled:

I’ve scaled back on everything but soccer team and voice training with my girls, mostly at their urging. When will they have any down time at all if their days are crammed with acitivities and homework? They are humans, not machines.

“If parents filled their kids schedules with more sleep, down time and family time, we would not be in the situtation we are today,” recognizes Denise Clark Pope, PhD, (below) a lecturer at the Standford University School of Education. Check out her study: Doing School: How We Are Creating a Generation of Stressed-Out, Materialistic, and Miseducated Students. Don’t even ask your kids what they want. If they’re stressed out, lighten the load!

Encourage more sleep, exercise and family mealtimes:

Sleep deprivation only aggravates school stress, especially in young teens who tend to fight sleep. Experts agree most kids need at least 9 to 10 hours per night and many are getting 6 or less. Help them burn off stress with exercise (kicking the soccer ball out back). And maintain connection for cushioning stress with family mealtimes, at least 4 to 5 times a week. At my house, we use that time to go around the table and take turns talking about our day.

Watch parental pressure:

Pope says be careful asking kids how they did on a test the minute you greet them at pick up. Instead, she says inquire, “What’s the best things that happened to you today?” I just love this alternative as someone guilty of the prior line of questioning. Try to resist feeling your child cannot compete with others on a fast track if you ease up a bit in your approach.

Tips and tools to help:

Provide your child with a planner to schedule assignments; create a quiet space to study free of distractions; bump up homework to after school rather than after dinner if you are able; find a homework club at your shcool or let your child do homework with a friend when appropriate. Let these school years be fun. A childhood is supposed to be fun.

In the end, our time with our children is short. They grow up quicky and head off. It’s so important to find a balance for them so they’ll become enthusiastic lifelong learners rather than burned out head cases. It’s easier to be compassionate when you think of the long haul.