The one thing we all have in common is Mother Earth

        The one thing that everyone has in common on Earth Day, is hashtags. I mean, Mother Earth, totally meant to say that. 
        Many Earth friendly businesses celebrate Earth Day by doing giveaways or releasing new products, like gDiapers and their new Great White gPant for Earth Day 2014 :

        Or, like Apple, raised awareness for sustainability by leading by example.

        My family celebrates the prosperity of Earth each and every day by cloth diapering. The amount of waste produced by one child from birth to potty training with disposable diapers was a sacrifice of our environment that my husband and I were not willing to make. Sure, it means a few extra loads of laundry and extra measures to ensure the longevity of all products involved, but overall it is the only choice for me and my family.
        There are many steps I intend to take to be a greener in the future with my current child and those that follow:

1. Making my own baby food.

        I love Wean Green's small glass cubes as sustainable storage for homemade baby food. More and more, I see the prices of smaller pieces of tupperware rise, but with glass, storage will never have to be replaced. They easily switch over to simple snack holders for toddlers and older children too!

2. Unpaper Towels

        The unpaper towel is essentially a roll of around 12 towels snapped together placed around your ordinary paper towel holder, made with cotton terry cloth and either cotton printed fabric or stain resistant fabric and are completely washable and completely reusable. Thinking about how many paper towels my family goes through makes me a little bit sick when I'm trying so desperately to reduce our footprint. Unpaper towels were the answer to my unasked question. I never knew they existed until I started cloth diapering, and like my diapers they are both pretty and functional. But mostly... Ooooo pretty! Imagine my surprise when my husband actually agreed to use these in place of his precious paper towels! Now to convince him on "family cloth". More on that story another time...

And finally...

3. Wetbags and reuseable trash bags

        Along with unpaper towels, I never knew these beauties existed until I discovered cloth diapering. A wetbag is the go-to waste storage for a cloth diapering momma like myself and Planetwise is my favorite brand. I own a long wetbag that hangs on the wall by my changing station by a picture hook as well as a pail liner that I use for my dirty wipes. They are completely waterproof and hold in all of the lovely odors that a child can produce. They also make smaller bags for on-the-go cloth diapers and snack bags for older children.

How are you being green all year-round?

The Moby Wrap Vs. The Ergobaby Wrap

        A good wrap/carrier should fit like a good bra, at least that's always been my opinion. Where as an over-the-shoulder-boulder-holder comes in different cup sizes, a wrap comes in many lengths.

There are three factors that you might consider in choosing the size of your wrap:
1. How you plan to use your wrap (e.g., which carrying positions you want to use)---this is by far the most important consideration;
2. Your size (height and weight)---this can play a role depending on #1; and
3. Your baby's size---surprisingly, this hardly matters at all. It's a good thing, too, because babies tend to change size rapidly.

        My very first baby wrap was a Moby, gifted to me at my Halloween-themed baby shower, and it was definitely my most-used present as I discovered the joys of babywearing. After using the Moby for Lily until she was three months old, I then found the Ergo baby wrap. 
        The main difference between the two is that the Ergobaby Wrap has a "4D stretch" material (explains the 5% spandex that Moby does not have) which is a sort of extra layer over the front of the wrap that will be up against your little one. I have heard that this extra piece of material makes for a better seat than the Moby, which means no hassle of repositioning and rewrapping. However, it is always in how well you wrap that provides a sturdy seat for your baby. 
        The weight limits of both wraps end around 35-45 lbs making them pretty equal in that respect. Both wraps claim to "grow with your baby", a definite plus for the economical mother.
        Overall, I much prefer the Ergobaby Wrap for my 11 pounder, since hug hold is her absolute favorite and she sleeps longer in the Ergobaby wrap because I don't have to unwrap and rewrap when I'm wearing her around the house.

Moby Wrap in action!

The Ergobaby Wrap:

•  The right amount of stretch makes it easy to tie right.
• Doesn’t sag throughout the day from baby’s weight.
• Moves in every direction with you and your baby.
• 95% Cotton, 5% Spandex
• Machine washable

The Moby wrap:

• Perfect for babies 8-35 lbs
• 100% natural cotton
• Machine washable
• Encourages parent/child bonding
• Adjusts to grow with your baby
• Petite and plus size friendly

I have provided several links for you to find your wrap, buy, and use it so please make use of them!


The Babywearer Chart of Wrap Styles w/ Lengths

Where to buy the Moby Wrap

Where to buy the Ergo Wrap

How to tie the Ergo Wrap (Newborn)

How to tie the Moby Wrap (Newborn Hug Hold)

Meet Me

        I thought I should start by introducing myself and my family so you know who you're messing with. I'm Rachel Gullett and I'm addicted to babywearing... well, more like being addicted to having my daughter cuddled up against me, and that seems to be her prerogative as well. I'll go ahead and say that I AM NOT one of those blogging moms who would rather go grab the camera than pull her child off of the top tier cabinets, or the type who ignores her baby's cry to finish queueing up a blog post. However, I AM one of those moms who avidly cloth diapers (gDiapers at the moment), valiantly attempted breast feeding and now confidently formula feeds, and above all else I am a babywearing momma (We use a Moby that I got as a baby shower gift)! My husband, three month-old daughter Lily, and I currently reside in Denver, Colorado after a recent move from Nashville, Tennessee (my hometown) for my husband's new career. I am a stay at home mom at the moment, after working up until a week before Lily was born, and I truly enjoy the time that it has given me with my daughter and also to pursue my writing fixation. My highest hope is that this blog will encourage the conversation on babywearing and natural parenting around the world and also support those who have lead me to make the same choices for my baby.