Going Green While Pregnant: 100 Ways to Help Your Baby & the Earth

As an expectant mom, you probably want to do everything you can to give your baby the best start possible. That means following your doctor’s orders, staying healthy, and avoiding hazards that can harm your unborn baby. But did you know that going green during pregnancy (and beyond) is another great way to support the health of your child? Read on, and you’ll find 100 ways to go green and be more healthy for your baby at the same time.

General

These are just a few of the things you can do to be green and healthy in pregnancy.

1. Don’t go overboard on gear: Only buy what you really need to cut down on baby stuff.
2. Start an eco-friendly baby registry: Register on eco-friendly sites to get your little one’s life started off green.
3. Learn about breastfeeding: Before your baby comes, learn how you can get prepared to breast feed– the greenest and healthiest way to feed your baby.
4. Use reusable bags: Keep reusable bags in your car for last minute baby item runs to the store.
5. Avoid all toxins: Stay away from smoke and other toxins.
6. Cut down on plastics: Plastics often contain harmful chemicals, so stay away from plastic bottles and more.
7. Have an eco-friendly baby shower: Ask for an earth friendly and all natural baby shower.
8. Take a green babymoon: Visit a resort that offers green babymoons.
9. Choose refurbished electronics: If you’re buying a new camera to catch your baby’s life, reduce e-waste by buying used or refurbished.
10. Use eco-friendly pregnancy tests: Look for pregnancy tests that offer less waste.
11. Get baby books from the library: Instead of buying new baby books, just check them out from the library.

Nursery

Keep these green, safe tips in mind when creating your child’s nursery.

12. Buy used furniture: Buy furniture from Craigslist or garage sales to repurpose old items.
13. Reuse baby linens: Accept recycled baby linens from friends and family-used fabrics will have most harmful finishes laundered off.
14. Finish painting early: Give your paint plenty of time to dry and let off gas by finishing at least 8 weeks before bringing baby home.
15. Buy "normal" furniture: Get regular furniture that will grow with your baby’s needs.
16. Paint low-VOC: Look for low odor, low VOC to cut down on chemical exposure from paints.
17. Don’t get new carpet: Avoid the VOCs that come with new carpet by sticking with your old carpet or using a sustainable hardwood.
18. Avoid fire retardants: Stay away from nursing pillows, furniture, and electronics that have fire retardants.
19. Use green furniture: Find eco-friendly furniture: Look for furniture that’s made with sustainable parts.
20. Go organic for your mattress: Choose an organic crib mattress or a wool cover for your baby’s crib.
21. Use organic cotton bedding: Choose natural and organic fibers for your baby’s bedding.

Beauty and Skincare

Pregnancy is a great time to reassess the chemicals that are present in your beauty and skincare routine.

22. Avoid hair dyes: Hair dyes can contain harmful chemicals, so wait until you’re no longer pregnant or stop dying your hair altogether.
23. Use coconut milk for moisturization: Coconut milk makes a great alternative to moisturizers.
24. Read the label: Check out the labels of personal care products to find parabens and phthalates.
25. Use olive oil: Olive oil can be used for moisturizer and deep conditioning your hair.
26. Buy lead-free lipstick: If you wear lipstick, be careful that you’re not using one that’s got lead in it.
27. Try highlights or lowlights: Highlights and lowlights are safer than a full dye job because they don’t touch your scalp.
28. Go fragrance-free: Fragrance-free products may lessen your exposure to phthalates.
29. Don’t tan: Inhaling particles of spray in sunless tanning can be harmful, and tanning in a bed or in the sun can dangerously elevate your body temperature.
30. Use caution with foreign chemicals: Some cosmetics from other countries can contain lead.
31. Look for safe cosmetics: Check out safecosmetics.org to make sure you’re using safe cosmetics.
32. Wait until the second trimester for dyes: Hair dying during the second and third trimesters is safer than the first.
33. Look for an all-natural stretch mark solution: Whether it’s organic cocoa butter or natural oil, protect yourself from stretch marks without all the chemicals.

Food

Follow these tips to ensure that the food you’re eating is healthy and sustainable for your baby and the Earth.

34. Eat locally produced food: Find food that’s fresh and local for a greener diet.
35. Use iodized salt: Iodine can help buffer against chemicals in pregnancy.
36. Don’t microwave food in plastic: Avoid microwaving your food in plastic containers.
37. Filter your tap water: Instead of buying filtered water, use a refillable bottle and a filter.
38. Go without added hormones: Milk and meats should be produced without added growth hormones.
39. Buy produce in season: Seasonal produce will be fresher and require less chemicals to create.
40. Make your own meals: Cook fresh and limit packaged foods when you’re making your own meals.
41. Go organic: Look for organic produce, especially for thin-skinned fruits and vegetables that easily absorb pesticides.
42. Avoid canned food: Canned food is often found to have BPAs, a toxic chemical.
43. Don’t eat for two: You don’t really need to eat for two. Eating too much can be wasteful and harmful to your weight.
44. Store food in glass: Glass offers a safer way to store food.
45. Eat fresh, whole foods: Stick to eating food in as natural a state as possible.
46. Drink organic decaf coffee: Make your coffee healthy and decaf.
47. Choose fruits and vegetables wisely: If you can’t always go organic, choose fruits and vegetables that you can peel.
48. Use safe cookware: Teflon and other nonstick cookware often emits toxic chemicals at high temperatures.
49. Make your own baby food: You can make baby food ahead of time and freeze it in portions.
50. Drink water: Drink water instead of other types of beverages.
51. Stay away from processed foods: Processed foods are likely to have too much fat and sodium, so stick to natural, whole foods whenever you can.
52. Cook with stainless steel: Cookware like stainless steel, iron, or copper coated pots and pans are safer than others.
53. Seek out sustainable fish: Sustainable, low mercury fish offers excellent nutritional value.

Health

Improve your own health as well as your baby’s and the Earth’s by following these tips.

54. Go lead-free in calcium: Get your calcium in a lead-free supplement.
55. Keep yourself healthy: Your health is important when you’re pregnant, so stay fit, keep a healthy weight, and watch your blood pressure.
56. Try prenatal yoga: De-stress and exercise with prenatal yoga.
57. Don’t give up your vegetarian diet: If you’re already on a vegetarian diet that meets your nutritional needs, you don’t have to give up on it, as long as your doctor approves.

Maternity Clothes

These tips offer a great way to feel good about what you’re wearing.

58. Find natural maternity wear: Organic cottons, bamboo, and hemp make great options for Earth-friendly maternity wear.
59. Stop dry cleaning: Dry cleaners can include toxic solvents.
60. Don’t wear maternity clothes: Shop in your own closet and wear empire waist tops, long dresses, and skirts to stretch your maternity wardrobe.
61. Rent maternity clothes: Instead of buying something formal to wear once, rent something nice.
62. Accept hand me downs: Ask friends and family for their old maternity clothes that you can borrow.
63. Use a green laundry detergent: Wash your maternity clothes in a laundry detergent that’s Earth-approved.
64. Shop consignment stores: Gently used prices and repurposing old clothes make consignment stores a winner for clothes.

Household

These tips will help you go green around the home for your baby.

65. Keep your air well-ventilated: Open windows at home, work, and in your car to get some fresh air.
66. Create a garden: Eat fresh at home, just be sure to avoid chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
67. Install energy efficient products: Products like energy efficient light bulbs, dimmers, timers, and sensors can save electricity and be more convenient for your baby.
68. Test your home for toxins: Find out if your house has lead paint, radon, or other toxic chemicals.
69. Leave shoes at the door: Shoes can track pollutants inside, so be careful to leave them at the door.
70. Don’t use air fresheners: Air fresheners can cause headaches in mothers as well as infant diarrhea.
71. Avoid renovating: If you have to renovate while pregnant, get out and stay out until the work is done.
72. Use baby detergent for your household: Wash sheets, towels, and other household laundry with baby-safe detergents.
73. Get rid of bug spray: Trade your bug spray for sticky traps and bait stations.
74. Avoid wood polishes: Wood polishes with nitrobenzene have been linked to birth defects and cancer.
75. Sleep on organic sheets: Keep toxic chemicals out of your bed with organic sheets.
76. Find organic garden supplies: Get rid of conventional pest sprays and fertilizers, opting for eco-friendly versions instead.
77. Don’t use wood finishes: Wood finishes can be harmful for pregnant women.
78. Avoid spot removers: Find another way to get spots out of your carpet, like steam cleaning.
79. Clean with baking soda and vinegar: This household cleaner offers a green way to get the dirt out.
80. Stay away from glues: Household glues may have hazardous chemicals in them.
81. Avoid harsh cleaners: Some cleaners may be harmful to your baby, as well as the Earth.
82. Have a garage sale: Get rid of old, earth-unfriendly items by giving them a new home in your garage sale.
83. Find a green exterminator: If you need extermination services, find a service provider that offers green treatments.
84. Use a water softener: Soft water is good for your (and baby’s) skin as well as the environment.
85. Use nontoxic home furnishings: Get rid of furniture with formaldehyde, flame retardants, and gas emissions.
86. Gather indoor plants: Clean your indoor air with the help of plants.

Babyproofing

Follow these green tips when babyproofing your home.

87. Use sustainable wood for cupboard latches: You can create latches out of sustainable wood.
88. Buy a wooden baby gate: Protect your child from the stairs with wooden baby gates.
89. Create cushions: Use old clothing and material to protect your little one against hard edges.

Baby Gear

With these tips, you can make your baby gear work for you and the Earth.

90. Use BPA-free feeding items: Bottles and eating utensils should be BPA-free.
91. Host a baby gear exchange party: Trade baby gear to get what you need.
92. Consider what you can live without: You may not need a wipe warmer, swing, or exersaucer.
93. Find a wooden high chair: Instead of a plastic high chair, use one made with sustainable wood.
94. Borrow big items: If you know other moms who have baby stuff that’s unused, ask if you can borrow their items.
95. Choose organic clothes: Pick organic cotton for your baby’s first clothes.
96. Turn to cloth diapers: Save cash, cut down on diaper rashes, and drastically reduce your baby’s environmental impact by using cloth diapers.
97. Find eco-friendly baby toys: Look for cotton or wood toys instead of plastic ones.
98. Turn old items into baby gear: T-shirts can be cut into bibs, and towels can be turned into washcloths.
99. Avoid items that will only be used shortly: Items that will only be used for a very short period of time are wasteful.
100. Seek out recycled baby gear: Hit secondhand shops to find recycled baby gear-just be sure to check for recalls and safety standards.