How to have a green baby

Green food preparation
Breastfeeding
For newborns, the best food environmentally, and the healthiest, is breast milk. It has all the nutrients the newborn needs and is easy to make -- you can do it in your sleep! It must also be said that not all women can breastfeed and they shouldn't feel guilty or inadequate. Problems with milk supply, inverted or cracked nipples, having to return to work and many other factors can make a mother unable to breastfeed.

Breast milk is particularly important in the development of a baby's immune system. Children who were breastfed as babies for at least their first six months tend to have lower incidences of allergies and asthma. They also tend to be healthier, as breast milk carries immunity from the mother to the infant.

A common misconception is that women's nipples are not sterile and are therefore dirty, making breastfeeding unhealthy for the child. Breasts do not have to be sterilized. A simple wash with soap in your normal shower is all they need.

Sterilizing bottles and bottle nipples
Sterilization of bottles and bottle nipples, however, is an issue. Even breastfeeding mothers will generally start introducing solid foods into a baby's diet at around four to six months and may want to sterilize plates, bowls and utensils.

There are two basic methods of sterilization. Heat, whether by dry heat, boiling or steam, uses a physical method to kill bacteria. Chemical sterilization uses a chlorine solution (usually sodium hypochlorite) that is toxic to the bacteria to kill them. Sodium hypochlorite for sterilizing infant feeding equipment is sold as water-soluble tablets or as bottles of concentrated solution. This method can't be used with metal objects, as they tend to corrode in the chlorine solution.

It is always better to avoid using chemicals. Chemical sterilization leaves chlorine and dioxin residues, even when rinsed with water. Any concern over the energy used in heat sterilization is far outweighed by the greater concern with dioxins and the health problems they are suspected of contributing to.

To sterilize using heat, the items should be subjected to 95 C heat for around two minutes. Immersing the items in boiling water, or using a steam-sterilizing machine or a microwave sterilization kit, can do this. However, take care with boiling and microwave sterilizing: both can melt some plastic objects.

Click here to learn about making your own baby food.

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Excerpted from Greeniology: How to Live Well, Be Green and Make a Difference by Tanya Ha. Copyright 2005 by Tanya Ha. Excerpted with permission by Penguin. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced without permission in writing from the publisher.