Dream It / Do It: Eco-Friendly Baby Gear

An all-natural line called vedaPURE is the brainchild of Harvard-educated pediatrician Natalie Geary, who believes in ayurvedic practices. The line was inspired by the 6,000-year-old Vedas (but did account for inflation). Her chic tubs of sweet-smelling stuff include vedaBaby Diaper Balm, $40, and Shampoo & Body Wash, $40. There's a vedaMAMA line for pregnant and post-pregnant ladies, too. Baby products from Erbaviva, from $10.99 to $25, get high marks for the high percentage of organic ingredients they use, and their diaper cream gets an A+ from Treehugger. They're made in California and even donate a portion of proceeds to the Worldwide Orphans Foundation.

Babies don't need a lot of products at first, and in fact many can irritate their skin. Remember that part of being green is not buying new stuff. Try to scale back on the lotions and potions to save money and landfill space, as well as avoid a rash or two. You can buy California Baby's Calming Bodywash in bulk (meaning less packaging waste over time) for $17.99 for 17.5 ounces. And if you need diaper rash cream, Weleda makes a Calendula version for $8.

Purchase the Beaba Babycook, $149.95, and know exactly what your baby is getting to eat. Cookbooks like the Organic Baby and Toddler Cookbook, $15, Top 100 Baby Purees, $16, and Superfoods for Babies and Children, $24.95, will give you plenty of recipes to try. (And since you'll be saving the manufacturing, shipping and energy costs of buying jars of food at the store, this "dream" could actually be a nice long-term "reality.") If you prefer your baby food à la carte, Tasty Baby uses 100% organic, gluten-free ingredients packaged in BPA-free recyclable containers printed in veggie ink. And its co-founder, Shannon Swanson, was trained at Le Cordon Bleu. Find their products at Amazon, $39.90 for six 10.5 oz. boxes, plus free shipping.

The inconvenient truth is making your own baby food is still your best choice if you're trying to shrink that carbon footprint to baby-shoe size. Instead of the fancy Babycook, try either the Kidco Babysteps Electric Food Mill, $32.99, or their Food Mill with Carrying Case (hand-operated), $14.99. Then, if you haven't already, scout out your local Co-op or Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) options for organic fruits and veggies to prepare. Or pick up some pre-made organic baby food at whole foods: Earth's Best (around $4-6 for a six-pack of jarred food; use this coupon for $1 off ten jars of baby food) and Plum Organics (boxes range from $3.49-3.99) are favorite brands.

BumGenius 3.0, $17.95 each, and FuzziBunz, $17.95 each, are the two most popular cloth diapers. Both feature what is essentially a cloth outer diaper with removable, washable inserts. They snap shut with the ease of a disposable, claim to reduce diaper rash and, in terms of self-righteousness potential, are the equivalent of pulling up alongside a Hummer in a Prius at a stoplight.

At Diaper Swappers, you can find used cloth diapers (yes, they've been laundered) for a fraction of the price. You'll also be overwhelmed by the amount of parenting and diapering advice among all your new "friends" at this site. The Hybrid Reality: gDiapers, $26.99 for a starter kit including two diaper covers with liners and 10 flushable inserts, are a good compromise if you share a washing machine with an entire apartment building. The outer diaper — aka hiphop-sounding "little g pants" — is reusable and washable, but the insert is flushable, plastic-free and biodegradable.

Bisphenol-A, a potentially hazardous compound used in many plastics, may hinder your child's development. There are bills under review in Congress to ban the use of BPA plastics altogether. Even mass retailers like Walmart and Babies R' Us have refused to carry baby bottles containing the pesky stuff. You can easily find BPA-free products in your price range. Those receiving the biggest raves from parents include: Dr. Brown's (Newborn Gift Set, $17.99 for 5 bottles plus accessories), BornFree (Gift Set, $38.24 for 5 bottles plus accessories), Green to Grow (Welcome Home Set, $54.99 for 4 bottles plus nipples and blanket) and Thinkbaby ($15.99 for a TwinPack of 9 oz. Bottles).The best deals are from Playtex ($15.19 for 3-Pack Ventaire Crystal Clear Nurser, 9 oz.) and Evenflo (just $2.99 for a 3-Pack of 8 oz. Clear Bottles). You can also try glass bottles wrapped in protective silicone, like the Silicone Sleeve Glass Baby Bottle, 8oz., $12. And don't forget your Klean Kanteen Sippy Cup, $19.95, for a little further down the road.