Raising a baby is a wasteful process. It's amazing how many diapers one baby can go through in just one day. But giving your baby everything it needs doesn't mean that you can't do it in an eco-friendly way. Babies may have high demands, but you have to remember that their demands are simple. All they really need is food, water, shelter and love. It's easy to get carried away and buy your baby new clothing, toys, videos, etc., but do they really need all of this stuff? The newness of your baby doesn't justify buying a bunch of unnecessary items that will one day go to waste when your baby is no longer a baby.

First, begin teaching your baby an important primary color: green. When you are raising an eco-baby, you have to show, with your own actions, how to be more considerate of the environment. Demonstrate three easy steps: how to reduce, how to reuse and how to recycle.

With a newborn, it's difficult to reduce the amount of waste coming from your baby's bum, but you can at least reduce the paper products that you use to clean up those, sometimes explosive, messes. Use cloth diapers made from bamboo, which are 60% more absorbent than cotton ones. Keep a few on hand and wash them as needed. Also, instead of using disposable wipes, toughen up and use a washcloth. If you are squeamish of pee, poop and vomit, it's best to get over it now, because you won't raise a kid without getting one of these all over you at one point in time.

Show your baby how to have respect for clothing and toys by taking advantage of hand me downs. Or be strict and only purchase items like this from thrift stores. Why spend money and waste resources buying new clothes and toys for a baby who will grow out of them at a startling pace? If you're worried about the germs from thrift stores, use a mixture of water and lemon essential oil to clean and disinfect the toys.

Finally, always remember that you are your baby's role model, so present them with valuable behaviors that they can follow by example in the future. For example, after your baby is finished eating organic baby food from a glass jar, teach them how fun it is to recycle the jar in a green recycling bin. By the time you know it, your baby will be clapping and attempting to say recycle after every meal.

Raising your baby in a more eco-conscious way paves your child's future behavior. Plus, if you are feeding your baby organic foods, you are also protecting his or her health. So be creative and have fun teaching your baby all the different shades of green.