Review: Green Mama What Parents Need to Know to Give Their Children a Healthy Start and a Greener Future by Manda Aufochs Gillespie

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

What are the most pressing problems facing new parents today? As the world has gotten increasingly more complicated, so has parenting. New parents are concerned about pervasive toxins in the environment and anxious to raise their children in ways that will protect them as well as safeguard our already-fragile world. Manda Aufochs Gillespie, The Green Mama, discusses a variety of topics that affect the health and well-being of our children.You'll find help getting back to the basics, at a time when the "basics" are being redefined: clean air, nutritious food, simple play, healthy indoor and outdoor environments, and less stuff. Manda covers prenatal care for mothers-to-be, detoxifying the nursery, cloth versus disposable diapers, baby skincare, nutritious baby food, children's toys, and car seats. The Green Mama helps parents to become what they were always meant to be: experts on the care of their own children.

MY TAKE:
I've always meant to go green when it comes to raising my child, but going completely green seems too tough, expensive and inconvenient sometimes.

In Green Mama What Parents Need to Know to Give Their Children a Healthy Start and a Greener Future, parents are introduced to the concept of raising their child in a safe, healthy, chemical-free environment.

This book is one of the most useful "green" books I've encountered. For those who are already practicing most of the things in the book, this book can be used as a reference, particularly a chart of harmful compounds you might encounter, as well as their effects.

There were several concepts and philosophies I encountered here that I either tried immediately after or found out that I was doing it correctly all along. I tried to do the elimination communication thing right after reading this book yesterday, and while it hasn't been successful yet, it looks promising, even if my kid laughs at me when I do the "ehhhh" sound.

I already share the same philosophy when it comes to food. While organic is harder for me to do, I definitely don't buy or use commercially-available baby food. My husband's family warned us against using those kinds of food because it tends to make kids picky eaters when they grow up. I figured that all the chemicals and sugar would definitely do that. I'm also wary about giving my kid too much salt or sugar so I tend to give him bland things. It's nice to know that it's okay to add a little flavor, like the ones suggested in the book (butter, etc.).

As for keeping the TV exposure to a minimum, that's easier said than done in our household, but I'm glad to know that my decision to just let my child do as he pleases in his crib (free play, supervised), actually makes sense.

Thanks to NetGalley and Dundurn for the e-ARC. Publication date of Green Mama What Parents Need to Know to Give Their Children a Healthy Start and a Greener Future is on June 14, 2014.

THE GOOD:

1. There are plenty of useful information.
2. There are recipes for baby's skincare products (bum cream, baby wipes, etc.).
3. It's well-researched and really makes you feel like going green isn't that difficult and is the best option. 

THE BAD:

1. It can make you feel a little bit paranoid. 

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

You can "decode" the PLU code to decipher the food in your grocery store, If the code begins with 9 it's organic, 4 it's conventional, 8 it's genetically engineered. 

READ IT IF:

1. You're thinking about going green.
2. You're looking for a good resource for "green" parenting.
3. You want your child to be as healthy as possible. 

RATING:


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