Green mums blog - Organic and Natural baby products, cloth nappies, wooden toys, toiletries and clothing

It was my daughter’s 2nd birthday a couple of weeks ago. As I struggled to remove one of her new presents from the packaging I couldn’t help but wonder why it had to be contained within a multitude of those annoying grey plastic ties. What on earth is the purpose of them? Well, apparently it is purely for display purposes – because retailers want them to look good on the shelves. I personally think this is a terrible waste of resources.

When it comes to wasted resources the other issue with toys is batteries. Every year UK consumers get through one billion batteries and toys are the main culprit. Every year 22,000 tons of batteries end up in landfill – leaking their toxic chemicals into the soil for future generations. Do we really need toys that contain batteries?

This question led me to discover Ecotronic toys. A fantastic range of toys which will provide our children with the flashing lights, noise and action that they seem to love so much. They contain no batteries whatsoever – simply charge them up by using the wind up device. The eco phone (complete with flashing lights and sounds) is charged up simply by giving it a good shake!

The Ecotronic toys have another aspect to them which appealed to me – they are packaged with bio-degradable packaging, are easy to open and contain no dangerous ties or wires. If you want another reason to buy them, think how much you will save on batteries!

Wooden toys have remained very appealing to parents and children alike. They are hard wearing, long lasting and safe. The production process does not involve the use of toxic chemcials and, unlike plastic toys they do not contain phthalates. Ensure that the wood used comes from sustainable sources and that any paints used are non toxic.

Escor Toys – based in Bournemouth, have a lovely range of wooden toys. The company’s ethical policy ticks all the right boxes. Environmentally, the products are manufactured from managed forest beech wood, with all paints and varnishes Toy Safety tested and certificated before use. The workshop also scores highly on human rights as it employs people with disabilities, providing them with real jobs and enabling them to be independent.

Finally, for recycled toys that are sure to stimulate their imagination, why not get your child a recycled rocket ship or playhouse. Made from recycled, corrugated cardboard, your budding artist can paint and decorate these to their hearts content.

If you want your Toy Story to have a happy ending, make a difference by shopping carefully and choosing environmentally sound products

Washable baby wipes are a fantastic idea. They are perfect for using on your babies skin as you know exactly what you are using on their skin. You can make up your own lovely recipe using harmless ingredients and keep a stock of them by your changing table and in your changing bag.

If you are attempting to be environmentally friendly then washable wipes is definitely a good way to go. Even if you choose to buy wipes that contain no suspicious ingredients, you still have to dispose of that wipe. By using washables you simply pop them into your nappy bucket with your nappies. If you are using flushable liners you can then do a complete nappy change without having to even touch a nappy sack! To make washable wipes, a good material is flannelette, the type of material that cot sheets are usually made of. I tend to pick up old ones from charity shops and cut these into small wipe size pieces.

I recently picked up this recipe for washable wipes from a lovely lady at the Cornwall Real Nappy Project. I have tested it out and it is really lovely. My daughter had been suffering with a rash for a few weeks, ever since having a nasty tummy bug. Since using this recipe on my washable wipes the rash has completely cleared up.

It contains honey and lavender oil, both of these have healing properties.

Recipe

Make one mug of camomile tea. (I use the bags which are camomile, honey and vanilla)

Allow this to brew for 5 minutes.

Add one drop of lavender oil and a teasppon of olive oil.

Remove the tea bag. Add your washable wipes and let them soak up the liquid.

Transfer to your usual container for storing. Ensure it has an airtight lid so that they do not dry out.

You can make this mixture up whenever you are running short of wipes. I usually keep a small bottle of water beside my wipes so if they do start to dry out you can re-moisten them with this.

Why be aGreen Mum? Everyone has their own answer to this question. A lot of women will say ‘I’m not because I haven’t got the time or the money and anyway, what is a Green Mum?’ I suspect that that could sum up many of us and it’s a fair point. What does being ‘Green’ actually mean? It is a fairly nebulous concept but to me it means doing what I reasonably can to make the environment around me a better place. That’s partly why I started my online shop www.greenmums.co.uk, and why I try to lead my life in a way that leaves as little impact on the planet as I can.

While I was setting the business up I undertook lots of research so that I was positive that the products I was selling were what they claimed to be. This research led me to some alarming facts about the amount and type of chemicals that our babies come into contact with every day. One thing I didn’t realise is that a babies skin is 5 times thinner than that of an adults. When you take into account the fact that our skin absorbs 60% of what we put on it, it makes you think about the products that we use on our little ones on a daily basis.

There is a wide range of organic clothing available for babies at the moment, mums are beginning to choose cotton which has not been exposed to chemicals during the production process. Whilst wearing organic clothing may not directly affect your baby’s health, what it can do is to improve the lives of farmers and their families in developing countries. Conventional cotton farming uses a quarter of the worlds pesticides and, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) 20,000 deaths occur every year due to pesticide poisoning in developing countries.

Organic cotton clothing may cost a few pence more but with organic material you are getting a softer, stronger, better material – this is one of the reasons why we choose organic cotton.

Like many parents, we live on a tight budget and can’t always afford to buy organic food. We do try to grow our own as much as possible, although space is limited at home due to an enormous amount of children’s play things strewn all over the garden!

What we always try to do though, is to recycle anything and everything. Clothing usually comes from the charity shop or second hand sales and we always pass on what we no longer need rather than just sending it to landfill. A lot of people think that to be a Green Mum will cost you more, but it can actually save you money so this is not really the case.

We are lucky that our local council have a very good recycling facility so anything made of plastic, metal, paper or card goes straight into the green bin outside our back door and is left for the dustmen once a week. It did take a little time to get used to doing this, after all you do have to wash all those empty baked bean tins and milk cartons before you recycle them so it’s all extra time in an already busy day. I have to say though, at the end of the week when we see how much we’ve collected it does make me feel quite good.

Our biggest contribution towards being green has been using cloth nappies for our daughter Lily. A friend of ours first suggested using these when I was pregnant and I thought she was mad! ‘Why would I want to wash all those dirty nappies when I could use disposables’ was my first thought.

Fortunately I did do quite a bit of research into this before making a decision and I did decide to use cloth nappies from the moment she was born. I was amazed at how easy it was to use them, they are so simple to put on (none of those fiddly safety pins of years ago) and I wash them twice a week. The dirty nappies go straight into a lidded nappy bucket so you don’t get any nasty smells.

In an effort to be even more environmentally friendly, I wash nappies using environmentally friendly laundry detergent which contains a natural soap from soap pods. I also use eco balls which do not use any detergent at all and are especially good if someone in your family has sensitive skin.

I have become so passionate about using cloth nappies that I now try to spread the word as much as I can. I enjoy showing pregnant friends how easy they are to use and potential parents are always excited by the thought that they can save £500 by not using disposables, let’s face it, having a baby is an expensive affair!

As part of my business I offer free cloth nappy advice to anyone who needs it. When I was first using them on Lily I had quite a few questions in the early days and I was lucky that I had a friend who I could ask. I’m aware that not everyone has this support so a little impartial advice at the end of the phone is always a bonus. I’m also working with the local council to offer free nappy trial kits to new parents. Parents can use the kit for one month to see how it works for them. This has already been trialed in other parts of the county and the feedback has been really positive.

The average child uses 5000 disposable nappies from birth to potty training and these nappies take hundreds of years to rot down in landfill sites. If choosing cloth nappies over disposables is the only choice we make as green parents, it’s still a huge difference that we can make to the environment.

Here are 10 tips to being a green parent, you may have some of your own which are not in this list, if you do, please let us know so that we can add them and maybe have 20 top tips! These are not in any particular order and of course if you just manage one or two you can make a huge difference.

Choose cloth nappies.

Cloth nappies are comfortable, reliable and save you money - around £500 per child, possibly more if they are used for subsequent children. Disposable nappies contain chemicals and gels which are in constant contact with babies’ delicate bottoms. They are then disposed of in landfill sites and take hundreds of years to rot down. By using cloth you are saving money, protecting your babies skin and helping the environment!

Use environmentally friendly laundry cleaners.

There are now a number of products on the market which contain only natural ingredients which biodegrade without harming the environment. By choosing carefully you can be sure that you are not washing harmful chemicals down the drain aswell as protecting your child’s skin from irritants.

Reduce and Recycle

Try to reduce the amount of waste that you use as a family. Try to avoid using plastic carrier bags which do not biodegrade, instead purchase a ‘bag for life’ from your local supermarket and re-use this each time you shop. Recycle all the waste that you can, including glass, plastic, paper, card, and clothing. Take unwanted toys to charity shops or toy libraries. Make use of websites such as www.freecycle.org

Choose Fairtrade products

Choose your products from manufacturers who practice ethical principles such as guaranteeing a good wage and working conditions for employees.

Buy organic products A baby’s skin is 5 times thinner than that of an adults, making it far easier for dangerous chemicals to be absorbed into their bloodstream. Look carefully at the products you use on your babies skin try to use organic products when possible. The benefits of eating organic foods has been well publicised over recent years and organic baby products are now readily available in most stores.

Choose your baby’s toys carefully

Toys made from plastics use non renewable resources which are also difficult to recycle. These toys can contain potentially harmful chemicals which can leak into the soil at landfill sites. Wooden toys, produced from sustainable sources are a lovely, natural alternative and the production process does not involve the use of toxic chemicals.

Buy organic cotton

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), 20,000 deaths occur in developing countries each year from pesticide poisoning, many of these are attributed to cotton production. Due to the huge amount of pesticides and insecticides used on the land, the soil fertility is damaged. As a result, farmers are forced into buying more chemicals to encourage their cotton plants to grow which sinks them into debt. By farming organically, cotton farmers have reported that they do not have to get into debt. Alternatives to pesticides are used and farmers have substantially higher incomes, allowing them to educate their children and gain access to health care.

Be an organic gardener - use water butts to collect rainwater. Make your own compost and leafmould and encourage a wildlife friendly garden encouraging natural predators to control your pests.

Save energy - switch off appliances when they are not in use, install your own draught proofing, install energy saving lightbulbs. For lots more tips and advice check out www.energysavingtrust.org.uk Reduce your carbon footprint. For more information, and to calculate your carbon footprint, go to http://actonco2.direct.gov.uk/index.html

In the lead up to Christmas I’ve been looking into fun stuff to do with Lily.  I thought I’d share these with you, most of these are perfect for a rainy day like today!

Make your own Christmas cards.

Kids love to stick, paste, paint and colour so in the lead up to Christmas gather as many card making materials as you can find. Crepe paper, cotton wool, glitter, wrapping paper – even old photographs of your family will give you all the ingredients you need for a happy afternoon.

Christmas breakfast

On Christmas day make breakfast that little bit special with Christmas tree shaped toast! Just use shaped pastry cutters.

Shoe Box appeal

Fill a shoe box with small toys and gifts for another child. You can take these to your local church who will make sure it goes to children who may not receive any other gifts. Help you child to think about what should go into the shoebox and maybe include a photo so that on Christmas day the recipient will see who has sent them a gift. Don’t forget to put a suitable age for the child on the box so that it can be delivered appropriately. The box can be decorated in tinsel, glitter and all things sparkly, or simply wrap it with Christmas paper. This activity will really teach your child the joy of giving.

Make some Christmas gingerbread.

Make your gingerbread mix (or buy some of the packet mixes from the supermarket!). Use pastry cutters to make all sorts of christmassy shapes. Cook them in the oven and then leave them to cool.  Decorate with icing sugar and then sprinkle with sugar balls or hundreds and thousands. Wrap these in clear film and ribbon to give as presents or just eat them right up!

Make some decorations.

Paint some pine cones a lovely gold or silver, collect some holly, make silver bells for the tree from egg cartons. Make an angel out of paper doilies and card – why not use a photo of your little angel as the face! Be sure to keep these handmade decorations in a special place, so that you can get them out year after year.

Santa Signs

Make some signs for Father Christmas saying ‘Santa, please stop here’ with a sign pointing to your child’s bedroom.

Decorate your own wrapping paper.

Give your child the opportunity to use their artistic talents. Use pastry cutters dipped in paint, cut potatoes into shapes and paint with these, use finger painting and stickers – anything you can lay your hands on to design a lovely personal finish for your gifts.If you have any other activities to share, please add a comment.