Greening Your Child’s Wardrobe
Topics: kids clothes, green wardrobe, environment, environmentally friendly clothing
Kids are expensive. No one can argue that. But they can also be tough on the environment, especially with how fast they go through clothes.
There are a few things you can do so that your kids’ clothing needs don’t overwhelm your budget too much as you take the environment into consideration.
1. Go used.
In my family we do a lot of hand me downs. This is easiest with infants and toddlers, of course, since at those ages the kids don’t care too much about what they wear.
But hand me downs get more challenging as kids get older. For one thing, kids tend to stain or otherwise damage clothing more as they get older. More challenging is that a sense of fashion often begins to develop.
Fancier dresses are particularly easy to find used for little girls. My daughter has rarely had a brand new holiday dress, but you wouldn’t know it to look at them. Many holiday outfits get worn once or twice by a child before they are outgrown, so the selection in resale shops can be quite attractive.
When hand me downs aren’t sufficient, thrift and resale shops can help fill in the gaps. These are still great sources for used clothing, and sometimes even clothes that have never been worn. You can even find things that are currently in style or have the right brand names when that’s an issue. Or just talk to the kids about why brand really shouldn’t matter, whichever suits your parenting style.
And of course, any clothes that are still in wearable condition you should hand down or send to the thrift shop when your kids are done with them.
2. Set aside play clothes.
My kids can be really, really hard on their clothes. So are most kids. What can really help is to pick some clothes that are quite simply going to be ruined. These are the clothes the kids can do messy art projects in, play in the dirt or otherwise play rough.
3. Master the art of stain fighting.
No matter how carefully you try to protect the good clothes, stains happen. Kids are often just messy creatures.
There are of course the usual stain fighters available at the grocery store, but there are many more natural products you can use as well. You can buy products at natural food stores that do a fair job of stain removal, or look in the kitchen cabinets.
A product I like to use is Simple Green. It’s available at many grocery or Target-type department stores. It’s nontoxic and biodegradable, so meets a lot of my standards for a good cleaning product.
Liquid dish soap does fairly well on a lot of stains, for example. You can combine it with baking soda to make a paste and have it sit for a while if you need a little extra power, but for most of my daughter’s clothes, I just do a presoak in the kitchen sink with dish soap and water. It helps give the dirtier clothes a fair shot at coming clean.
Sunlight can also fade a lot of stains. This is great to know if you already have a clothesline.
White vinegar is also good for many stains. Many people also use it with their detergent in the washing machine. The scent fades away as the clothes dry.
For many stains, the key is to make sure that you catch them before the first time through the wash, and most especially before any time in the dryer. Heat can set the stains.
4. Buy organic if the budget allows.
Considering the cost of most organic clothes, this really won’t work for every family. But it’s worth mentioning. Besides, I figure that using used clothes means your clothes are pretty green right there.
5. Think about how many outfits the kids really need.
I’ve struggled with this one often enough myself. A lot of the problem relates to underestimating how many outfits grandparents will give as gifts. These things add up so fast. I’ve learned to really limit how much I buy in advance of need.
Your kids’ clothes closet may not be the first place you think to look as you work towards a more environmentally friendly life, but it’s a great place to work on making a difference. Some of the greener options even save money, which is near and dear to many a parent’s heart.
Stephanie Foster blogs at www.greensahm.com about how stay at home moms can help the environment. Get more tips on going green with your kids at www.greensahm.com
Previous Articles Highlighter:
Foreclosure Pitfall: Private Investors May Cost You Your Home (1)
The real estate business is shaky, at best, and you do not want to be in the middle of the storm when it comes. Recovering from your hardship is much easier to do when you make smart decision, and leave the bad ones to someone else.
How To Choose The Right Formula Drifting Tires For Your Vehicle (2)
This is because the company focuses on making tires just for car racing, whether it's traditional racing or Formula Drifting racing. So, don't look into Maxxis Tires if you need a set of tires for your regular vehicle.
A Great Tool For Increasing Your Personal Productivity (3)
Even if you don't complete the first five items on the first day, the day will not have been a failure. All that matters is that you got some of the items done.
Having A Couple Of Home Based Businesses Can Make You Rich (4)
Or to put it in layman's terms, the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. The reason the rich get richer is not because they have some secret mutant power but it is because they have the vision and the courage to see and to take action in times of chaos.
Creating Spin-Off Websites For Internet Income (5)
Visitors to the Internet love to respond to the content of Internet web pages and spin-off sites are the best way for them to do so. These spin-off sites will improve the amount of traffic that flows to your site, increase the amount of people who link to it, and ultimately build more income for your financial needs.
Foundation Skills For A Successful Career (6)
One important skills that is needed for choosing a successful career is your ability to follow-up your applications and contacts. For a job seeker, you would probably need to submit application to more than one company to secure a position.
What Is Digital Infrared Photography? (7)
Now, some may wonder what is so special about photographic imagery that has sensitivity to infrared light but this is because they are not aware of the multitude of benefits that such imagery provides.
Pet Playpens Are Catching On (8)
From rabbits and ferrets to pot bellied pigs, there are several styles of playpens that may be just right for your particular pet. One model we looked at was very similar in design to the playpen crib combination we bought for our granddaughter.
Keeping In Touch With Some Basics As To How Banks Operate (9)
There is nothing to stop a bank to set aside more than the required minimum, meaning having excess reserves. It is not particularly rewarding for banks to do this, since they get no interest on that money, albeit they can channel it out on short and overnight terms to banks which need to maintain their minimum reserve ratio.
Some Scams You Will Find Within Home Based Businesses (10)
A business is a business, period. And all businesses require work. The only difference with a home based business is the startup is normally only a couple of thousand of dollars, where other businesses can start at $30,000 dollars just for your initial investment.
Newer Articles Highlighter:
How To Find The Proper Engagement Gift (1)
Why not share the idea with friends to help the couple with a pre-wedding getaway, to a destination of their choice? There are so many ways you can give the perfect gift to a newly engaged couple.
How To Perfect Your Putt So You Are Putting Like A Pro (2)
When you putt you wont need to hit the ball as hard as you can anymore you will need to hit the ball less so you can make it nice and easy into the hole in which you are putting.
The ECOnomics Of "Green IT" (3)
This report can serve as a good model for companies wishing to move to a higher level of eco-friendliness. "It's a function of [what] any organization needs to do good planning and implementation of best practices that currently exist, Andrew Fanara, head of the EPA Energy Star development team told reporters.
Be More Available To Your Customers (4)
To be open more hours is often little more expensive than adding a few more employees. Nonprofit organizations with enough volunteers may only see some added utility costs. The exception to this rule of thumb is if perishable items are involved where low volume may mean throwing out lots of materials or finished goods.
Options Trading Mastery: Time Decay And Volatility Trading Opportunities (5)
Now that you have picked which at-the-money strike you are going to sell and you have picked your anticipated stock position, you still have a decision to make. Do you do the call vertical spread or the put vertical spread?
Taste The Difference At Florida's Finest Restaurants (6)
alta mar: alta mar is located on miama beach florida. a sea front view ensures a lovely view whilst easting. i loved this restaurant had a fantastic time and the service was outstanding.
How To Purchase Gemstones On The Internet (7)
Hopefully, you will make many wise gemstone purchases in the days, months and years to come. There are many types of gemstones available in the market today and you owe it to yourself to get the facts FIRST before making any additions to your gemstone collection.
Making Money The Old-Fashioned Way Or What (8)
Before picking a product, take some time out to determine who you are and how your earnings potential can be influenced by a proper understanding in this area. John McQueen is an author, Internet entrepreneur and web site developer who has developed his article directory into one of the largest on the Internet.
Will The Complete Accounting Software Work For You? (9)
In conclusion, if you are looking for a value enhanced advanced level business accounting software for your business, and then complete accounting tools is what you will need. It remains quite a complete investment.
Star System Of Hollywood Movies (10)
Some of the popular magazines of the time were the Motion Picture Story Magazine and Photoplay. They focused on movies stories but later they began to focus more on the actors catering to reader's tastes.