| Deciding to have a child was a big step for us – as it is for most couples. In addition to the typical topics couples discuss when they talk about having kids, one topic we kept coming back to was the endless consumption that seemed to surround raising children. Two to three (or more) years worth of diapers, plastic at every corner, equipment for every possible task, it just seemed so excessive for our values. Then one day I realized children didn’t ‘need’ all these things to survive and for those things they did need there had to be alternatives to the plastic and the disposables. Once we made the decision to have kids, I began the search for environmentally friendly products for the baby-to-be. When looking for a product, one might say I would get (and still get) a bit obsessive. I would spend hours searching the internet for the most eco-friendly product out there. I looked at the materials used in the product. Were they natural products such as wood or bamboo or a recycled man-made product such as fleece from soda bottles? Were the paints and finishes non-toxic? What chemicals were used in its production? How was it produced? Was it organically grown and/or sustainable harvested? How far did the finish product have to travel to get to me (gas use, pollution)? Although I could find products that fit my requirements, I couldn’t find all the products I needed on one site. I knew I wasn’t the only person out there searching for the safest products for both their children and the environment; but the time required to do all of this product research is prohibitive for many people. So I thought, if I am already doing all of this research for my family, why not create a website with these products that I found. A site where you could be confident that someone had already done the research that you just don’t have the time to do, to make sure each of the products you need were eco- and child-friendly. That’s what I would have liked; so that is what we have done. |