How to Create an Eco Friendly Diaper Changing Station

Turning your baby’s diaper changing station into an eco friendly area is pretty easy to do. Yes, there are nifty products available to help you with the ‘green’ makeover, but spending a ton of money on environmentally safe baby gear is absolutely not necessary. In fact, depending on your usual diaper changing practices, you may even end up saving money by going green.

Interested in creating an eco friendly diaper changing station? Here are the simple steps I took to ‘go green’.

Things You'll Need:

* cloth diapers, wipes
* a safe changing area
* a waterproof mat

Intructions:

1. Choose a comfortable area to designate as your diaper changing station.Really, you can skip the expensive diaper changing furniture purchase. The floor (which is the safest place), a bed, or a couch works will all work just as well. Just have a waterproof mat handy under your baby to avoid dirtying the changing area. And besides, if you have back problems, the twisting you’ll have to do with the typical diaper changing furniture could wreak havoc on your body.
2. Unplug the electric wipe warmer.Yes, that electric wipe warmer can be a nifty product to have for your baby’s diaper changing station. But then again, so is your hand. Using the heat from your hand as a natural wipe warmer is more eco friendly than using up electricity for the plug-in variety.
3. Have cloth diapers and wipes handy.The thought of a lifetime of my baby’s disposable diapers and wipes sitting in a landfill was enough to get me to switch to cloth. If going the cloth diaper route is not for you, then maybe try just switching to using cloth baby wipes dampened with water. Every eco friendly change, no matter how insignificant it may seem, helps out in the long run!
4. Skip the baby powder.Talcum powder usage in a diaper changing station is dangerous if the fine particles of the powder find their way into you or your baby’s lungs. Instead, gently use a clean cloth to pat your baby’s bottom dry and use diaper cream if need be. As a mother who has avoided using baby powder on her kids, I can attest to the needlessness of putting this product on a baby’s bottom during diaper changes.If you feel strongly about needing to use baby powder, then make the more eco friendly switch to cornstarch. It’s less irritating to a baby’s lungs.

-motherearth