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Health & Fitness

Striving to be Eco-friendly Parents

What kind of consumer parent are you?

Personally, I have always been interested in adopting more earth-friendly, consumer habits but being conscientious about it was difficult.  After my oldest daughter was born, my husband and I would have frequent conversations about purchasing more eco-friendly/organic products; but this was difficult on a tight budget.  We had to make some choices.

We decided to use cloth diapers, we bought organic baby food and a few organic bath products.  We were “those parents” who used organic shampoo and soap but followed it up with store-brand baby lotion.  We bought organic milk, but purchased non-organic fruit and vegetables to make homemade baby food.  Were we hypocritical?  No, we were realistic.  With a tight budget and a growing family we were faced with making compromises. 

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Originally, we did not plan to buy sustainable or eco-friendly tableware products for our kids; this was not on my wish-list of green products. But after discovering how difficult it was to find flatware that met our toddler’s needs, we began looking beyond the big box stores. We found an amazing long-lasting set of biodegradable tableware made by the Cornflower company. Using leftover field corn grown in the US, Cornflower makes earth-friendly utensils and dishware. Not only are they irresistibly cute, they are extremely sturdy and dishwasher-safe in the top rack. All of Cornflower’s products are non-toxic, BPA-free, PVC-free, phthalate-free, and do not contain plasticizers or heavy metals. 

Another great aspect of Cornflower’s biodegradable products is their affordability. These are boutique items, sold at every day prices. Additionally, the quality and durability of the dishware means they have a long lifespan (approximately five years). The dishware can easily be used from child-to-child, and unlike petroleum-based products, they will ultimately biodegrade back in to the earth.

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I was extremely excited when I found the Cornflower company, but disappointed when I discovered the products were only being sold in Asia. The biodegradable products are made with raw materials from the US, however they are manufactured in Taiwan. After many serious conversations with my husband, I decided to invest our savings in a small online business to sell the tableware here in the US. After careful research and preparation, I started up ecoSweetie™. ecoSweetie™ is a green-minded company with the mission to provide eco-friendly products for you and your home. Our goal is to offer alternatives to earth-toxic products and provide a more sustainable environment with reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

On the ecosweetie.com website, we offer Cornflower’s adorable tableware at affordable prices. Currently available are baby spoons, animal-themed fork and spoon sets, shark teeth kid-safe knives, fish-shaped bowls and plates, and detailed dishes that come in 3 different sizes.

ecoSweetie™ is here to help you strive to be eco-friendly and help make mealtime fun for you and the kids, all while keeping your eyes on your budget. We know how hard it can be to live a eco-friendly and green life, and we believe little steps here and there help us get closer to keeping the earth happy, our kids healthy, and ultimately produce less waste on our planet. 

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