Perhaps there is no more exciting and scary time than starting a family. But raising a baby today not only costs a lot of money but can also damage the environment. Many of the products offered for babies are not developed with eco-friendly materials in mind and can not be harmful to the environment. However, we all want the best for our children and few young mothers want to compromise their child's well-being to help the environment.

Perhaps the most damaging aspect of a newborn's environment is disposable diapers. A baby can pass through dozens of diapers each week, and because they are not biodegradable, all those bamboo based baby nappies can stay in landfills for decades.

Of course, we can all remember our parents' and grandparents' old towel diapers, but it just seems like too much work, especially for new parents juggling jobs and raising babies.

However, using washable diapers is not as difficult as many people think. They can be stored in a diaper pail and machine washed after filling. This is actually not a difficult task and will save you a lot of money on disposable diapers in the long run.

Baby clothing is one area where switching to eco-friendly alternatives can actually be better for your baby. Some ecological materials such as bamboo are heat sensitive – they help babies stay cool in hot weather and warm in cold weather. Bamboo baby clothes are just as soft and comfortable as cotton, but because bamboo baby clothes come from eco-friendly sources, they are less harmful to the environment.