Title: Green Mama
Author: Manda Aufochs Gillespie
Publisher: Dundurn
Publication Date: June 2014
ISBN: 9781459722958
Synopsis from Goodreads:
Manda Aufochs Gillespie, The Green Mama, shares what today’s science and Grandma’s traditional wisdom tell us about prenatal care for mothers-to-be, breastfeeding, detoxifying the nursery, diapering, caring for baby’s skin, feeding a family, and healthy play — redefining the “basics” of parenting for today’s world. With an upbeat tone, stories of parents who have “been there,” real-world advice for when money matters more, and practical steps geared toward immediate success, The Green Mama engages and guides even the busiest, most sleep-deprived parent.
In the months before my due date, I’m trying to educate myself and read what I can on what it means to be a parent in this day and age. I’m learning what resources are available to me and what I and my husband are able to do to best provide a safe and healthy environment for our little baby to come. Green Mama is a great starting point for learning about resources that are available to parents today to set them off on a path to healthy and eco-friendly home, free of chemicals and full of nutrients, to bring the new little one home too. This book provided me with a great foundation for understanding things like cloth diapering and how to choose the right mattress for your crib. It was an introduction to breastfeeding and caring for your baby’s skin. I feel more confident in knowing what options are available to me as a parent-to-be in what is a crowded landscape of products, goods, and services.
One of my favourite things in this book was the consolidated list of resources for parents choosing to use cloth diapers. This is a choice my husband and I made to reduce our environmental impact and to reduce the waste output of our household with this major coming change. It’s been hard to learn, but having this easily accessible list provided options for us, not just in our own province, but even within our own city.
Every parenting book, no matter the topic, author, or publisher, must be taken with a grain of salt. I will not be following all of Gillespie’s recommendations, but I will share with you that this book was a great resource and a fantastic place to start for learning about various option and concerns that new parents are facing. I will continue to read other parenting books and articles to make sure that my understanding is as well-rounded as it can be, but I’m glad that this is where I chose to start and would highly recommend Green Mama to first-time, and repeat, parents.
Worn Pages and Ink 