How to have an green/ethical baby?

ailuro2

You can still have curries, it's just you'd need industrial strength washing powder to clean the nappies the next day. Not very green.:p

Lillibet_2

Just curious why people feel you have to have several different pushchairs/prams/buggys as a baby develops? I bought a Britax travel system, (although I hardly used the car seat on the pushchair as I liked my son to lie flat when he was very young). It is birth to approx 3 years. He is now 1 year & we are still using it & I don't anticipate we will need to change it for a different one in the next 2 yeaars. It goes flat for when he is asleep and we used this when he was very young, you can adjust the seat to various angles from flat to bolt upright & everything inbetween. It is a bit bulky in the car but I figure if you travel with something this big when they are young you don't need to switch to something smaller just for the sake of convenience or just becuase you are able to. It is a lifesaver when we are out, not just shopping etc (big basket means less bags to carry) but we take it to friends houses on visits etc 'cos he can safely & comfortably sleep in it. The only thing I can think of where it wouldn't be suitable is on a plane & I would recommend a cheap buggy for that. The cost of my birth to 3 years travel system? £75 delivered on ebay, ex display model with rainhood & cosy toes thrown in for free. We have actually been given an old umbrealla buggy. Why people like these is beyond me, OK they are light & small but look totally uncomfortable & my son can't wait to get out of it!

I used a babybjorn sling occasionaly when he was newborn until about 4 months (they say good until 9 months, well even my hubby found him a strain on his back at 5 months) so we ditched it (well, re-sold it on ebay where it came from!). I have been given an American sling for 1-3 years which places Spud over my hip, haven't tried it yet but can't help wondering what the impact of carrying such a heavy weight around on my hip for any length of time would be?

Anyway, long live the birth to 3 years pushchair:D

arkonite_babe

charlotte664 wrote:

I have found an Eco-Crib in Mothercare!

Basically a cardboard crib, so when baby is grown up, you tell her/him that mummy and daddy really did make them sleep in a cardboard box!

http://www.mothercare.com/invt/lz3103&bklist=

It also comes apart and flat packs, so makes it an ideal travel cot too!
Only up to 3 months though.

This is my other half's take on the eco cot in Mothercare :rotfl: :rotfl:

Be even more user friendly, open the largest drawer in your bedroom, spread out the clothing within round the sides creating a lushiously soft fresh smelling environment (care of our fabric softener) place child in centre of drawer, totally reuseable, totally warm and cosy and 100% recyclable.
Cost = £0

Men :rolleyes:

boysmum3

Great to hear others giving breast feeding advice - i've fed all 3 of mine (still feeding number 3 aged 16 months) - be great to add up how much money we have saved over years as well as environmental savings. My one regret is i use disposable nappies - but if i can persuade OH to go for number 4 (wish me luck!!) i will give them a whirl.
I want to reinforce earlier advice - don't let any body tell you you can't breastfeed or that 'you may not have enough milk'....load of rubbish.
And overall remember its not 2nd hand it is recycled.............

conradmum

Lillibet wrote:

Just curious why people feel you have to have several different pushchairs/prams/buggys as a baby develops? I bought a Britax travel system, (although I hardly used the car seat on the pushchair as I liked my son to lie flat when he was very young). It is birth to approx 3 years. He is now 1 year & we are still using it & I don't anticipate we will need to change it for a different one in the next 2 yeaars. It goes flat for when he is asleep and we used this when he was very young, you can adjust the seat to various angles from flat to bolt upright & everything inbetween. It is a bit bulky in the car but I figure if you travel with something this big when they are young you don't need to switch to something smaller just for the sake of convenience or just becuase you are able to. It is a lifesaver when we are out, not just shopping etc (big basket means less bags to carry) but we take it to friends houses on visits etc 'cos he can safely & comfortably sleep in it. The only thing I can think of where it wouldn't be suitable is on a plane & I would recommend a cheap buggy for that. The cost of my birth to 3 years travel system? £75 delivered on ebay, ex display model with rainhood & cosy toes thrown in for free. We have actually been given an old umbrealla buggy. Why people like these is beyond me, OK they are light & small but look totally uncomfortable & my son can't wait to get out of it!

I used a babybjorn sling occasionaly when he was newborn until about 4 months (they say good until 9 months, well even my hubby found him a strain on his back at 5 months) so we ditched it (well, re-sold it on ebay where it came from!). I have been given an American sling for 1-3 years which places Spud over my hip, haven't tried it yet but can't help wondering what the impact of carrying such a heavy weight around on my hip for any length of time would be?

Anyway, long live the birth to 3 years pushchair:D

I don't think I was saying you need several prams, pushchairs etc. But for a v. young baby a typical pushchair isn't suitable as the baby needs to lie flat. So if you have a sling for the first few months you can buy a normal pushchair and get away without having something for the lying flat stage. You can get an ordinary pushchair considerably cheaper than a travel system (esp. second hand), and this will last them the rest of the time that they need one. I don't really like travel systems, mostly because they're marketed as the 'must have' buy but also because they encourage letting the baby sleep in the car seat which is bad for them.
A good sling is invaluable in the early stages anyway, in my experience, so you're killing two birds with one stone. I repeat, though, I am NOT talking about a Baby Bjorn or a Snugli! These are very badly designed.
Money saving is so important for first time parents. So much expensive stuff is marketed at them and they're made to feel as though they're bad parents if they don't buy the 'best' of everything. Yet the truth is that the baby has no idea and doesn't care whether its wearing Dior or fourth time hand me downs! I'm sure they would far rather the money saved was put in a savings account for when they go to university.

littleredcorvette

Quote:
Be even more user friendly, open the largest drawer in your bedroom, spread out the clothing within round the sides creating a lushiously soft fresh smelling environment (care of our fabric softener) place child in centre of drawer, totally reuseable, totally warm and cosy and 100% recyclable.
Cost = £0

Actually I remember my mum telling me that when my sister was a baby (47 years ago) the Health Visitor (or whatever they were called in those days!) told her that instead of a cot, she could use a drawer in the bedroom for the first couple of weeks!

Not sure if they still use the same advice these days

Iffy'swifey

Obviously breast feeding and cloth nappies...

On the cloth nappies theme, don't bother with baby wipes or even cotton wool (both disposable), instead by reusable wipes (that you can wash with your nappy load) and dunk them in a soloution of cold chammomile tea with a drizzle of olive oil and a few drops of lavender and/or tea tree oil - cheap as chips and great for calming red skin. You can also buy nappies that have been hand made from recycled clothing. I've tried http://www.phoenixnappies.moonfruit.com/ and they're excellent.

Use wool nappy covers - they don't require much washing, are chemical free and great for baby's skin.

Make your own barrier cream - mix vaseline or ultra eco friendly petroleum free jelly with a little olive oil/sweet almond oli/oil of your choice and a bit of chammomile oil - very cheap yet effective.

Buy community traded shea butter and cocoa butter for general use on skin, particularly dry areas. A little goes a long way.

Wash baby's clothes and bed linen in soap nuts - very cheap and very gentle so very unlikely to irritate baby. If not co-sleeping, then place clothes that you have worn into the crib/basket or whatever -baby will much prefer the comforting smell of you than the alien smell of fabric conditioner (we are the ones who think it smells nice, not them)

By second hand clothes, recycle their outgrown clothes or make them into something new, such as a rag doll/taggie type toy - they love them. You can even turn your old clothes into new clothes for them. I had a couple of old skirts made into complete outfits for my little girl!

Buy ethical toys that are community traded. Shops I know of are http://www.toykind.co.uk/ and http://www.anara.co.uk/index.php (both are family fun so you will be supporting families to provide care for their children rather than being farmed out to nursery.

Get an organic fruit and veg box delivered every week and make your own baby food from that - freeze up batches so you use less time and energy cooking.

There are a lot more, but my mind has gone blank

louise9299

I have seen in Tescos and other places a 'green parenting magazine'. I can't remember what it was called but it was with all the other parenting magazines and looked very good.

kittiwoz

I think I was a pretty green and ethical money saving baby. A lot of my stuff such as toys, my cot, my pram, my pushchair and my stroller were secondhand and subsequently passed on to my brother. A lot of my clothes were hand made, particularly by my grandma who was a great knitter. My dad made my crib and playpen. I was in terrys and my parents made my baby food with a mouli mill. I had a rag doll made by my aunt too. I like that I had so many things made for me by people who love me.

jo_b_2

SusanCarter wrote:

Hi, just wondering if people have any tips onhow to be green/ethical when having a baby?

Don't forget the issue of investing/saving for the baby.

There are ethical savings accounts and Child Trust Funds that might sit better with your own views than traditional banks.

http://www.thechildrensmutual.co.uk/cis/default.aspx?page=0