Ask The Green Mama

Baby potty training help for a 19-month-old

Hey, quick green mama advice? Our cloth diaper service is $36/week. That’s a lot. Abe is now 19 mos, we do a lot of “nekkins” time at home, during which he pees on the floor and points to it and says “Pee pee!” He’s also beginning to say “poop” when he either needs to or has already. But he will not sit on the potty, and has not sat on it since he started walking. I caught him trying to sit on it the other day when he was playing by himself in his room, but other than that, nada.

I’m trying to tighten up the budget and about this close to cancelling diaper service. Would you try to convince me otherwise, that the cost is worth it, or will it not make much of a difference in terms of EC at this point? (I know the enviro factor is better, but when we’ve traveled and used 7th gen I can leave 1 diaper on for hours, way longer than with cloth, so I only use a few per day).

Are fairy tales still relevant today?

I read my son Thumbelina tonight—our first foray into the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tales—and I found that I kept skipping sentences that I felt were sexist, exclusionary, not age-appropriate or not resonant. And this one is pretty benign….  How can we sustain the wonder and the spell of fairy tales for our children while still being aware of gendered stereotyping, exclusion and other negativities in the fairytale trope. How did you deal with fairy tales?

How do I find a nontoxic baby crib that doesn’t cost a fortune?

Hi! I have your book and remember reading about recommendations for nontoxic baby cribs. However we are moving and I can’t seem to locate the book right now! We are expecting a little one in a few months and I’m trying to find a non toxic crib, but so far I’ve only found ones that are over $1000. Are there any options that are less, but still safe?

Thanks.

My child has cavities, why and now what?

I eat well, take my kids to a naturopath, and make them brush and floss everyday. Yet, both my kids have cavities: loads of them. To make matters worse, all of the dentists that I have visited want to put amalgam fillings in their mouth. Help!

How do I live with lead paint & a young child?

I have a toddler and I recently purchased a 1937 home. After reading about lead paint hazards and noticing some areas with slightly deteriorating paint, I am now having second thoughts about my purchase and am going crazy chasing my toddler around the house.

Unfortunately, I did not do a lead inspection during the home inspection process, as my realtor said “all homes built before 1978 have lead paint so there is no point in doing an inspection.” Of course I would like to find the areas that have lead now, so I know what I need to address and where my “hot spots” are, but was wondering if I could rent an XRF gun and do this myself to look for lead paint in the home? I know people do this to look at toys, etc, but can it be done for the interior and exterior of a house–in lieu of having a formal inspection–and, if so, what companies/brands should I look for?

Thank you.