Free Do It Gorgeously: How to Make Less Toxic, Less Expensive, and More Beautiful Products by Sophie Uliano Page A

And all her nightgowns had to be 100% organic.
    A few years further down the road, after having delivered numerous trash bags full of old clothes to the local thrift store, I began to realize the absurdity of my ways. I remembered a great friend’s advice from years back when I’d been going through a period of terrible financial insecurity: “You don’t really need anything,” she reassured me. “The baby can sleep in a drawer with somecozy blankets, and all your friends will give you hand-me-downs.” At the time, I’d wanted to say, “Get real, ” but now I wish I could wind back the clock, as I get palpitations just thinking about how much money I could now have sitting in my savings account!
    Since living green is about using as few resources as is humanly possible, the road is narrowing on how much new stuff I buy for my daughter. I want her to realize the importance of leaving a light footprint and to be grateful for every little thing she has. Eco-friendliness aside, the need to save money has become paramount for me and countless others, so it makes sense to get going with the DIY in the baby/child department and realize that you can do it really gorgeously, too.
    You’ll be amazed at how much money you can save by making your own. There’s no need to buy any expensive bath or body products for your baby or child. Making your own baby skincare products and baby food from scratch is not only better for your child’s health, but it’s also easier on your wallet and the planet.
    I’ve found it incredibly satisfying to make all the projects and recipes in this chapter myself. I can promise you a rather warm and fuzzy feeling when you are able to stand back and survey the fruits of your hard labor. Many things you make for your baby/child will become heirlooms that they’ll treasure forever and probably pass on to their own children, so it’s time well spent.
    New Baby
    So you’re pregnant or someone very close to you is. How can you start with this DIY thing? What can you actually make that will be of use or save you a ton of cash? Here are some suggestions that will help you to prepare for a new baby, or transform your existing baby/child room into a nontoxic sanctuary. To feather your nest yourself is unbelievably rewarding.
    Nontoxic Nursery
    It’s staggering how many synthetic toxic chemicals we are exposed to every day. It’s never one chemical at a time, either—it’s a veritable cocktail of chemicals that become part of our “body burden.” This unfortunate term refers to the synthetic chemicals that persist in the body—some never go away. These chemicals start out in the environment, make their way up the food chain, and end up stored in our fat tissue. This is why we can unwittingly pass them on to our babies when breastfeeding.
    It’s impossible not to come into contact with many of these chemicals. However, we can minimize our exposure, and this is really important for our babies—who, due to their size and developing systems, are much more at risk for toxicities. Whether you are expecting a baby or already have one, I strongly recommend creating a nursery that is as nontoxic as possible. The ideas here will also work for any child’s bedroom. You can do it all yourself, and it won’t be expensive, either.
    PAINT
    If you live in an old home that still has layers of old paint, it’s worth checking for lead. You can purchase a simple lead-testing kit from your local hardware store, or try the Lead Inspector test kit from Abotex (www.leadinspector.com), and get testing. I tested everything when I got my kit—even the soil in the front and back of my house. If you detect any lead in the paintwork, you will need to remove all the old and chipped paint and start from scratch.
    Choose low-VOC or non-VOC paint. VOC refers to “volatile organic compounds” that can give off toxic vapors and, even after drying, can “off-gas” (emit gaseous pollutants). Most home improvement stores now