How to have an green/ethical baby?

pickle

While I'm all for home birth if that's your choice and it was mine at the time, it's not always possible. Every person has different circumstances and it depends on the baby's progress in the birthing process and the patients physiology as to whether drugs and medical intervention are necessary. It's easy to generalise. As for "its about hard work and not pain". Maybe for you but it wasn't for me.

Ken-Dodds-Hairy-Knodule wrote:

elimination communication isn't impossible at all, there are quite a few people doing it very successfully.

Why on earth would you want to focus your attention on your baby? Why on earth have the child if you aren'y willing to spend time and attention on him or her?


As per the original topic - you can make a start by having a natural birth at home. Completely natural without drugs. It's no wonder there is so much heroin usage in the UK, the amount of people who get smacked up to give birth. (and gas and air isn't any better for a baby - first thing it encounters are drugs).

A quote that i found very true "labour is about hard work not about pain. If you understand why it is hurting - muscles contracting and pulling up on your cervix to dilate you can let your body do its thing."

maow425

Princessa wrote:

Could you tell me where to get reusable wipes please. We went through sooo many bags of cotton wool in the early days, cost me a fortune!

We use fleece ones, home made. Bought rainbow coloured fleece from the haberdashery dept in our CoOp dept store, cost £5.99/metre, and I think we managed to get more than 32 pieces out of just the one metre! We also use these pieces of fleece for liners in our cloth nappies, and they are just great! Why pay £4 or more for just a couple of fleece liners when you can pay a little bit more, get 32 liners/wipes, and you get to pick and choose the colours!:D

SusanCarter

Well, our baby is now just over a month old (turns out I was pregnant when I started this thread but I didn't know at the time) so I thought I'd give an update as to how we've been getting on trying to be green/ethical seeing as all you lovely people have been so helpful.

So far the only clothes we bought were second hand on e-Bay. She also has clothes which her grandma had saved from when my husband was a baby and some other newborn clothes from a relative who had everything new for her baby.

We're doing elimination communication with cloth nappies as back up. The nappies are a combination of 2nd hand from e-Bay, given by a friend who didn't use them and some from when my husband was a baby. (His mum was suprised to discover how many baby things she's kept.) The nappy pins were used for me and my brothers when we were small but we did have to buy new plastic pants. Currently we're doing one or two loads of nappies a day but hopefully it will decrease as we get better at ec.

Breastfeeding. (Was very tempting to give up in the first week but we're going camping for our summer holiday and I knew it would be impossible if I wasn't breastfeeding.)

We've borrowed a pram and a cot and got a moses basket through freecycle (bought new mattresses though because of cot death advice). Sheets and blankets are all from when my husband was a baby.

We bought a sling so that we would only need a small pushchair if at all.

Although we do use some disposable wipes (biodegradable ones from the Coop), we are mainly using cotton wool/flannels and water. I can't work out whther it's better when she's not that dirty to use one tiny piece of cotton wool which is thrown away or a whole flannel which is then washed.

The least green/ethical area so far is the presents we have been given as we have been given loads of clothes/equipment which we don't really need but I suppose as long as evertything is sold on to someone who would use it anyway then it doesn't make too much difference.

Will post anything else we're doing if I think of it and I would welcome any more tips people have now that we're in the swing of things.

cazrobinson

check out lending libraries for toys, baby equipment etc check with HV or local children's centre.

find out if there is a NCT Sale near you. all nearly new stuff, and cheap!

can buy babies clothes and equipment second-hand in order of cheapness:
from friends and family (often for free)
car boot sales/from classifieds in the local paper
second-hand baby shops
asda/tesco (though quality and sources are doubious)
charity shops
local baby shops
mothercare
m&s
mail order (boden etc)

don't buy shoes until baby can walk. try flexible cloth shoes first (starchild or robeez).

make child's blanket with big fat knitting needles and scrap wool.

buy frozen food in bulk and if haven't got a freezer already, think about getting one. makes easier to cook in bulk and the defrost single portions for later when knackered!

breastfeed, breastfeed, breastfeed. see wen.org.uk and nct websites for more info on women and babies issues.

lots of fairtrade organic choc and still water for feeding in the night!

luckily, being green with a baby often means spending less and using stuff more wisely!

Ginger_Fergus

When our first baby was born we saved loads of money by getting reusable nappies and we also used washing balls as opposed to powder or liquid which saved us money. We got the nappies and the Eco Balls from www.ecotopia.co.uk

skyepark

having a baby in the western world is unethical in the first place, its not only when they are babies, its the adult consumers they become. Compared to the the developing world, they use more power/fuel/electricity, consume more, travel more, generally have a big carbon print.

instead adopt,foster there are plenty of kids without parents in our own countries.

economiser

skyepark wrote: »

having a baby in the western world is unethical in the first place, its not only when they are babies, its the adult consumers they become. Compared to the the developing world, they use more power/fuel/electricity, consume more, travel more, generally have a big carbon print.

instead adopt,foster there are plenty of kids without parents in our own countries.

Well said! Population is at the root of all our ecological problems. World population has trebled since 1940 and will have risen 5 fold by 2040. The planet doesn't stand a chance.

Maisey_Malloney

I am still bathing my 13 month old daughter in her baby bath, although it is quite large. My husband thought we should try her in our bath now that she was older but we did it once and stopped becasue it uses so much more water!! She still has a great time though even with less space!

You can also buy a great range of natural / eco baby products from www.ecotopia.co.uk they have organic cotton clothing, sustainable wooden toys and reusable as well as eco disposable nappies.

eryn_kathleen

My sister-in-law's partner (yes, they're lesbians) is pregnant. It's been a bit of a battle for them, and we're really pleased about it so I'd like to put together a little hamper of ethical/green things for the mum and the baby.

I just wanted some advice on what things are most useful. I was thinking of a little range of things, like an organic babygro or two, a blanket, some shea butter for baby's bum, and maybe some nice Burt's Bees products for mum.

So what did everyone here find most helpful? Are there any small essentials I'm forgetting?

I'm also not sure what size I should buy - is 3-6 months size more useful than 0-3 months? Or is that just my mum in me (always buying clothes too big in the hopes I'd grow into them)?

ETA: Oh, and what about baby massage oil? Silly nonsense or lovely bonding ritual? And would you be offended if someone bought you a bath oil that reduces stretch marks? (Sorry, I'm excited! I love shopping for fun reasons)

ktpie

I'm pregnant at the moment and I would say be wary about getting any baby toiletries, advice from the midwives is that you shouldn't use any products on a newborns skin. My mother in law has bought me a load of baby bath stuff already so not sure what I will do with that! Things for mum sound like a great idea though.

The organic clothes etc also sound like a good idea, maybe in a range of sizes. Blankets will also come in handy (I think!).

Hope this helps!