Do you buy organic and "green" products for your children?
Sep 08, 2010 in
FAQs
I just read an answer to a question what to get my 19 mos old for Christmas. The first answer had a ton of links for organic and green type toys. They are SO expensive! If you do buy these products do you feel justified spending the extra money? Do you feel guilty for buying them regular products and not the "green" products? I am just curious how other parents feel about this. Thank you!
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8 comments
sweetjadedtears on September 8, 2010 at 12:08 pm
Asfar as food goes,I try to buy things that are local and pesticide free. But in all honesty, if the regular fruits and veggies look better, I’ll buy those instead. I try to buy products that will last a long time that the kids can play with for a long time and that will last for years. My husband also likes to make them wooden toys (they’re still toddlers, so they’re easily entertained) so we know that there aren’tany chemicals or anything in them.
But like a previous poster said, kids are gonna chew on everything and you can’t be certain that another house is gonna try to be as green as you…so don’t feel guilty for not buying your kids organic and green products. I just try to make sure I recycle the waste and buy smart.
hope this helps
❀Bugsey❀ on September 8, 2010 at 12:08 pm
nope.
regular toys are fine. you cant stop them from touching and chewing on every toy out there.
if your child goes over to Billy’s house are you going to ask the mom "are your toys organic? …… no? ….. well then my kid just cant play here!" . lol
Ms. Rahi on September 8, 2010 at 12:08 pm
Foods, absolutely.
Clothing, when I find it and like it, and it’s not a ridiculous cost.
Toys? Well, with the first one I did. Then I saw what children DO to their toys. Now on number three, I just look for durability (preferably materially AND intellectually durable) and fair price. I tend toward educational toys (Montessori etc.) which are already pretty high priced. I do what I can. Keeping a ‘green house" and healthy, often organic foods is already expensive. We keep kosher as well, and that food can tend to run higher, so I think our grocery bill runs about twice what it would be if we didn’t. It all has to be in balance. If you’re not buying a ton of toys which will ultimately be abandoned, and focus on quality instead of quantity, that’s the best most people can do. We have a pretty good income, certainly higher than average, and I can tell you if I started dumping money into all ‘green’ toys as well, my husband would have a *fit*.
I think you do the best you can, and teach your child from an early age to consider the impact of their purchases on the environment. If western culture were a little less ‘quantity of stuff’ oriented and more interested in education and long term effects on the earth, there wouldn’t NEED to be such a huge market for senseless, quasi-disposable toys.
ALISHA D on September 8, 2010 at 12:08 pm
No i don’t feel guilty at all. As long as my daughter is happy that is all i am worried about. Why would i want to pay over the odds on a toy just because its organic. They have no more enjoyment in them than they do normal toys.
iamhis0 on September 8, 2010 at 12:08 pm
Yes, i do. We have all wooden and organic toys for our children. We also buy natural, chemical free, and organic in things such as soaps and other cleaning products. it can get pricey, depending on what and where, but I feel much better knowing I am making better choices in what my kids are exposed to in our home. i know that they will be exposed to other things at other peoples houses or in public, but I am OK with that. My choices are not only for my children’s health, but for environmental reasons as well. If I can reduce waste and my children’s exposure to certain things simply in my home, where they spend most of their time, then I know I am making difference, no matter how small it may seem.
♥Ava's Mommy♥ on September 8, 2010 at 12:08 pm
Food- Yes.
Clothing- Most of my younger kids wear a ton of cotton. Just b/c it’s so versatile.
Toys- I would love to say yes, but I can’t.
KnowItAll on September 8, 2010 at 12:08 pm
No, I do not buy green for myself or my children. I like preservatives. They taste good. It should not cost more to go green, in my opinion. If the green movement people want more people to join, they’re going to have to make it more affordable.
philitree on September 8, 2010 at 12:08 pm
Whenever possible, yes. Then I don’t have to worry so much about what they are chewing on.