best infant toys 2009 image
FrumieWife
My husband and I want to start a family soon and are hoping to get pregnant in late 2009. We care about the environment (which is a concern in our every day life together) and feel that one way we can help is by using cloth diapers, homemade wipes, and other more environmentally friendly products. I am also concerned about toys that are ethically sound.
My mother is completely the opposite of me (something I have been dealing with for some time). While I advocate for the use of environmentally-friendly products, I do not ever look down upon those who do not use such items. Each person makes his or her own decisions about what is right for his or her own life. My mother not only looks down upon me for thinking about such products, she actually talks about them as stupid! She thought I was insane for even bringing up the topic. I tried to explain to her that every single disposable diaper ever used is STILL siting in a landfill, unable to decompose for many hundreds of years. She still said that it was all a lie.
Anyway, you all probably get the gist of this...
So, how can we help her understand that this is important to us? She said that no one in her family would purchase clot diapers for the shower (which is fine, we won't even have a registry...we don't need a ton of help with baby stuff). I am not as concerned about the practical aspects (purchasing items we agree with)...I am more concerned about the philosophical and emotional aspects of how this is going to work!
Any ideas? Any one else gone through this?
Yes. I am aware of the usage of water. I actually wrote my dissertation on this very thing!
Thanks!
Answer
I actually contacted my local landfill to find out what happens to disposable diapers. What is left of them is just the tab that is used to close them. They have made huge strides in environmental education for all involved, producers and consumers and have it down to a fine art. You can go the cloth diaper route if you would like but have you thought about the huge amount of water you're going to be using to clean that many diapers?
Parents have their own views and will continue to express them. What i've found to work best is to listen to them and make them feel that their ideas are being at least considered and do what you feel is right. its your child and your life.
As for the toys bit, most infant toys don't really have a chance to be unethical. They're developmental toys and amazing for your small child. As the child grows older as a parent you choose to surround them with whatever you see fit. About a month ago i was at my aunts house and her daughter was watching the Alvin & the chipmunks movie, I was absolutely horrified when a song that said "Don't you wish your girlfriend was hot like me, Don't you wish your girlfriend was a freak like me..." came on and she began to sing along. Just because you are given a gift doesn't mean that you have to provide it to your child. Say thank you and at the next good will drive you come across donate it.
I actually contacted my local landfill to find out what happens to disposable diapers. What is left of them is just the tab that is used to close them. They have made huge strides in environmental education for all involved, producers and consumers and have it down to a fine art. You can go the cloth diaper route if you would like but have you thought about the huge amount of water you're going to be using to clean that many diapers?
Parents have their own views and will continue to express them. What i've found to work best is to listen to them and make them feel that their ideas are being at least considered and do what you feel is right. its your child and your life.
As for the toys bit, most infant toys don't really have a chance to be unethical. They're developmental toys and amazing for your small child. As the child grows older as a parent you choose to surround them with whatever you see fit. About a month ago i was at my aunts house and her daughter was watching the Alvin & the chipmunks movie, I was absolutely horrified when a song that said "Don't you wish your girlfriend was hot like me, Don't you wish your girlfriend was a freak like me..." came on and she began to sing along. Just because you are given a gift doesn't mean that you have to provide it to your child. Say thank you and at the next good will drive you come across donate it.
Why do so many people assume that other countries need US consumers to buy their goods to thrive?
interdepen
Please read all of the details before answering the question and tell me what you think of my own thoughts on the matter please. Thank you.
Because of this, from what I understand, many people assume that countries will have to keep lending money to the US so that the US economy doesn't end up collapsing.
I don't buy into the idea that countries need the US. The US appears to be the consumer in this global system, consumers can be replaced though. If the US doesn't consume, someone else will, there is a ton of demand out there, even if prices have to be lowered or currencies revalued to a higher level.
Question written on March 22, 2009
Answer
Americans buy a whole lot of things that they don't need.
Kids received mountains of toys on Christmas and birthdays. Many parents would go to a store for regular errands, and if their child was along, they would buy a toy or two. New parents are inundated with baby products, and newly-married couples are given a lot of household goods--many of which they'll never use.
Working at a department store, I have seen parents come in with sheets of computer paper filled with a list of things that the child wants for Christmas. And that is only for one child. The parents would buy everything on that list--at least several hundred dollars worth, but sometimes several thousand dollars worth.
Wedding registries contain large lists of relatively useless items. Items like waffle irons, indoor grills, deep fryers, and fine china will rarely or never be used, but they are almost always purchased.
Baby registries contain large lists of relatively practical items, like cribs and play yards, but also contain a swing AND a bouncer, or an infant car seat AND a convertible infant to toddler car seat, or even a compact stroller AND a full-size one. And many people ignore the registries and buy mountains of baby clothes, all in newborn size, which the child will only fit into long enough to wear each outfit once or twice.
And that's just gift items. We throw out our clothing as soon as it gets a hole, even if the hole is on a seam and easily repaired. We throw out towels, sheets, and underwear the moment it gets stained, even though no one will see the stain but us. We purchase clothing that looks nice on the rack, but horrible on us and that we will never wear. We match our bedding and upholstered furniture to our curtains, walls, and carpet--so if a sofa wears out, we will go out and buy new carpet, draperies and wall paint in addition to a new sofa, loveseat, and chair set so that everything matches.
We always want the best and newest electronics. Every time someone renews their cell phone contract, they get a new cell phone, even if the old one works fine. When flat screen TV's came on the market, people flocked to buy them, even though their old tube TV's still worked fine. People line up to wait to get the newest video game system, even though they already have one that they were happy with until now.
Almost all these things are made in other countries.
We are wasteful to an extent that no one else is. This is what makes us such good consumers. And I honestly can't see people in Europe, where the homes are smaller and the environment is a bigger concern, going out and wasting as much stuff as we do, even if they have the money.
Americans buy a whole lot of things that they don't need.
Kids received mountains of toys on Christmas and birthdays. Many parents would go to a store for regular errands, and if their child was along, they would buy a toy or two. New parents are inundated with baby products, and newly-married couples are given a lot of household goods--many of which they'll never use.
Working at a department store, I have seen parents come in with sheets of computer paper filled with a list of things that the child wants for Christmas. And that is only for one child. The parents would buy everything on that list--at least several hundred dollars worth, but sometimes several thousand dollars worth.
Wedding registries contain large lists of relatively useless items. Items like waffle irons, indoor grills, deep fryers, and fine china will rarely or never be used, but they are almost always purchased.
Baby registries contain large lists of relatively practical items, like cribs and play yards, but also contain a swing AND a bouncer, or an infant car seat AND a convertible infant to toddler car seat, or even a compact stroller AND a full-size one. And many people ignore the registries and buy mountains of baby clothes, all in newborn size, which the child will only fit into long enough to wear each outfit once or twice.
And that's just gift items. We throw out our clothing as soon as it gets a hole, even if the hole is on a seam and easily repaired. We throw out towels, sheets, and underwear the moment it gets stained, even though no one will see the stain but us. We purchase clothing that looks nice on the rack, but horrible on us and that we will never wear. We match our bedding and upholstered furniture to our curtains, walls, and carpet--so if a sofa wears out, we will go out and buy new carpet, draperies and wall paint in addition to a new sofa, loveseat, and chair set so that everything matches.
We always want the best and newest electronics. Every time someone renews their cell phone contract, they get a new cell phone, even if the old one works fine. When flat screen TV's came on the market, people flocked to buy them, even though their old tube TV's still worked fine. People line up to wait to get the newest video game system, even though they already have one that they were happy with until now.
Almost all these things are made in other countries.
We are wasteful to an extent that no one else is. This is what makes us such good consumers. And I honestly can't see people in Europe, where the homes are smaller and the environment is a bigger concern, going out and wasting as much stuff as we do, even if they have the money.
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