Books we still have to get
Suzannah Olivier's 'What should I feed my Baby', and come to think of it, her book on balancing women's hormones .... she does a what to eat while you are pregnant book too.
Patrick Holford and Susannah Lawson's book on what to eat before and after your baby is born.
Baby sign language book, this one or similar.
Get before baby comes (by end of Sept 08)
Happiest Baby DVD
Clothes (warm), newborn - 6 months at least
This Baby Book to record his first year (have seen it in Mothercare too)
Thermometers (room/bath/car) and for checking the baby
Nappies & wipes (eco disposable and reusable)
Nappy pail with net laundry bag
Lots of net laundry bags!
Organic cotton wool
Nappy ointment (paraben & chemical nasties free)
Potty
"Muslin"s
Blankets & swaddle cloths
Towels & flannels
Bedding suitable for the family bed
By about 8 weeks (by end Nov '08)
Might need -
Bottles, steriliser, formula, breast pump
Pram (use what we have if we decide we need a pram or buy the Xplory)
Cot bedding
Will need -
Toys that do things
More nappies (what kind depends on how first 2 months went)
Tint the car back windows, put sun shade on rear window
By 2-6 months (between Dec '08 and end of March '09)
Might need-
Extra car seat for Mamma & Abba's place
Extra feeding stuff to keep at Cherry Hinton
More bottles etc if not breastfeeding exclusively
Might be using the cot by now, either at ours or at Cherry Hinton
Will need -
Baby bathwash, shampoo etc (nasties free stuff)
Bumbo or similar seat for him, perhaps a seat harness to take to people's houses
Stokke Tripp Trapp (high chair)
More toys and books
In-car entertainment
Food containers, spoons, bowls, plates, bibs
Cup or bottles to drink from (if not sorted already)
Wardrobes (if we don't have them already)
By 6-12 months (March - end of September '09)
Clothes - for warmer weather, ages 6 - 12 months
Pram (if not already sorted earlier)
Toy to ride about on (with wheels)
Rocking horse or chair perhaps
Toy power tools like the Bosch range of toy tools - we'll just give him the big toys, not the tiny ones!
Reins so he can walk about (I think Stokke do one)
Shelving units for lounge (move stuff out of reach, make way for his stuff)
The Marvel Pop-Up books - can't start them on the right track too early!
Stuff for me
Veganese conditioner from lush
Babyliss Be Liss straightening hair dryer
Beak clips (big ones) such as this one
Bath - Foamy bath stuff from Lush, or the Sanctuary Mande Lular stuff from Boots, or the coconut range from Body Shop.
Bags - Pretty ones from Accessorize, I love this (and optimistically reckon I can get one nappy in it too!!!) and this. I really want to get this bag from New Look, everything will fit in here I think!!
Shoes - I have enough boots to see me through baby's first winter ... am struggling for summer sandals BEFORE baby gets here ... don't have any strappy things that aren't high, need some fairly low pairs, but not so low that I can't wear them with jeans ... being completely flat on the ground doesn't help either ... need a little lift or my arches (lack thereof) hurt. Gotta go shopping!!!
Baby Skincare and bath stuff
I'm fussiest about these items. For a while, he'll just have water to clean him, and olive oil if he needs moisturising or some sort of barrier protection. I guess this will continue till he is clearly in need of something that will get more dirt off than water alone can. At this point, we can move to something designed for washing a baby with ... but it does need to be free of nasties (you know, parabens and that) - so no Johnsons, Boots or any other thing like that. The free-from-nasties stuff can often smell icky or feel nasty though - I don't like the Neals Yard stuff at all, and actually, some of the Green Baby products are a bit too greasy and smelly, like the nappy balm. (The rest of their range is quite nice though.)
I DO like the Burts Bees baby shampoo and wash, and their nappy cream. I also love the Weleda baby range, which I am happy to use, and I like the Dr Hauschka's baby suitable products, specially the Rose Day cream and the sunscreen. I think I'll go for the Organic Children sunscreen - they do fragranced ones as well as the scent free version, but perhaps no fragrances for a baby! I like this range of products actually. They are easy to use, not too greasy, and don't cost too much. I think most of this is available at John Lewis too, which makes it easy for me. I like the washy stuff from Earth Friendly Kids too, but perhaps when he's a bit older. They do have an Earth Friendly Baby range. I have plenty to choose from, and only one baby to keep clean!
All we will need is some sort of bath wash, some sort of nappy cream, and olive oil really, plus sunscreen. I don't want to use anything else.
Earth Friendly Kids online shop, and their stuff is also available here.
Organic Children website
Clothes
Largely I have no real objection to where baby's clothes come from - they can be from Primark and Tescos (as un-green and un-ethical as we can get) all the way through to the most expensive, fancy boutiques. He'll wear them, then some other baby will, and then another - whether these are all my babies or someone else's. That's what happens to baby clothes, right?We don't live in a world where ethical and green clothing is available readily and within an affordable price range, and a lot of the materials involved confuse me too - industry on such a small scale, such a lot of transport involved, I don't know ... not sure if I would be doing the right thing insisting on only green clothing.
Blankets, swaddling, towels & muslins
He'll need a few of these for sure! I'm knitting him a few blankets. Lets see how they turn out!! His grandmother is busy working on one too. I'll buy some as well, he'll be carried a lot, and our flat is nice and warm. A little onesie and a blanket might be all he needs of an evening ...
My Mum is planning on helping me make his swaddle cloths, and I'm sure I'll buy some sheets that wilol do the job too. I guess these will be washed a lot! There are a few swaddle-products that allow the baby to be swaddled and strapped into his car seat, which sould to me like great way to reduce the misery of being in one of those things for ages. So might get something like this Miracle Blanket.
I'd like his towels to be as natural as possible, I'd imagine, like all people, his skin will be at its most sensitive and absorbant of all things nice as well as all things nasty, corrosive and toxic after his bath. Bamboo sounds lovely and soft and ethical too. Will take an age to dry after each use I suppose, but we can just hang it up to dry over the warm floor each night.
We'll need a whole bunch of small towels to clean and wipe him with, and bamboo would really be a good bet for these as I'd rather not use wipes that much when at home. Colour coding seems essential here, to avoid cleaning his face with his butt-cloth all the time (!)
I guess we'll buy loads of muslins, My Mum has plans to help me make some gorgeous ones out of the kind of saris old Dadus wear in Bangladesh. Lets see how that project goes!
Nappies
I can't face using Pampers and Huggies and all that, so offensive on so many levels. Nor can I choose to use cloth nappies all the time - it won't work with the 'we don't use the car unless we have to, baby and me' policy I have. I simply will not be able to carry the necessary stuff on my back with a baby slung on the front, AND do things like shopping, hanging out, visiting people and places etc. For long days on the go I plan to carry Baby Go nappy change packs, which are SO not eco friendly, but are tiny - in my backpack or bag. Realistically they give me a chance to do more in a sustainable more responsible way with him in his first 18 months or so, in the way I want to (obviously there are other responsible and excellent ways of hanging out and getting about with a baby ... on foot and on a bus or train is just my preferred way). We're going to work on the Elimination Communication stuff, so hopefully he'll be nappy free soon anyway.
Clothes
Largely I have no real objection to where baby's clothes come from - they can be from Primark and Tescos (as un-green and un-ethical as we can get) all the way through to the most expensive, fancy boutiques. He'll wear them, then some other baby will, and then another - whether these are all my babies or someone else's. That's what happens to baby clothes, right?We don't live in a world where ethical and green clothing is available readily and within an affordable price range, and a lot of the materials involved confuse me too - industry on such a small scale, such a lot of transport involved, I don't know ... not sure if I would be doing the right thing insisting on only green clothing.
Most of the clothes I am amassing gets round the ethical and toxins issue by being second-hand or even more used before my baby will get into them.
There are loads of green clothing places, Green Baby for a start - they, like me, are keen on stripes. I'll have to list the rest below when I've got through them all ...
There are loads of green clothing places, Green Baby for a start - they, like me, are keen on stripes. I'll have to list the rest below when I've got through them all ...
He'll be newborn in October 2008 - but who knows how big he'll be.
Christmas 2008-March 2009 he will be 3-6 months, again, how big is he going to be? He'll need warm clothes then.
April-September 2009 I suppose, when he is pretty big, 6 months to a year old, he'll be in lighter fabrics as it will be warmer, might also be a bit wet of course, I suppose he will be in layers. He should also be mobile within this time - I know he won't go far (!), but I suppose his clothes will reflect his increased mobility, and separates that can be easily, er, separated will be the way to go - plenty of baby trousers, shorts and t-shirts, some sandals and shoes. No point bothering much with socks I suppose. He'll have them, I doubt he'll keep them on though! Maybe he'll have a raincoat or something. He'll need plenty of hats, and sunglasses (Babybanz will do nicely).
So must get wintery stuff for 0-6 months, and summery stuff for 6-12 months, and basically layer for in between times.
Blankets, swaddling, towels & muslins
He'll need a few of these for sure! I'm knitting him a few blankets. Lets see how they turn out!! His grandmother is busy working on one too. I'll buy some as well, he'll be carried a lot, and our flat is nice and warm. A little onesie and a blanket might be all he needs of an evening ...
My Mum is planning on helping me make his swaddle cloths, and I'm sure I'll buy some sheets that wilol do the job too. I guess these will be washed a lot! There are a few swaddle-products that allow the baby to be swaddled and strapped into his car seat, which sould to me like great way to reduce the misery of being in one of those things for ages. So might get something like this Miracle Blanket.
I'd like his towels to be as natural as possible, I'd imagine, like all people, his skin will be at its most sensitive and absorbant of all things nice as well as all things nasty, corrosive and toxic after his bath. Bamboo sounds lovely and soft and ethical too. Will take an age to dry after each use I suppose, but we can just hang it up to dry over the warm floor each night.
We'll need a whole bunch of small towels to clean and wipe him with, and bamboo would really be a good bet for these as I'd rather not use wipes that much when at home. Colour coding seems essential here, to avoid cleaning his face with his butt-cloth all the time (!)
I guess we'll buy loads of muslins, My Mum has plans to help me make some gorgeous ones out of the kind of saris old Dadus wear in Bangladesh. Lets see how that project goes!
Nappies
I can't face using Pampers and Huggies and all that, so offensive on so many levels. Nor can I choose to use cloth nappies all the time - it won't work with the 'we don't use the car unless we have to, baby and me' policy I have. I simply will not be able to carry the necessary stuff on my back with a baby slung on the front, AND do things like shopping, hanging out, visiting people and places etc. For long days on the go I plan to carry Baby Go nappy change packs, which are SO not eco friendly, but are tiny - in my backpack or bag. Realistically they give me a chance to do more in a sustainable more responsible way with him in his first 18 months or so, in the way I want to (obviously there are other responsible and excellent ways of hanging out and getting about with a baby ... on foot and on a bus or train is just my preferred way). We're going to work on the Elimination Communication stuff, so hopefully he'll be nappy free soon anyway.
So disposables AS WELL AS reusables! Plenty of room for adjustments, I know not all nappies suit all babies, whether they are disposable or reusable.
The disposables we will use look like they will be the Moltex nappies from the Green Jelly lady nearby, or Spirit of Nature, or even just Planet Organic at a push. We can get Tushies from Green Baby or Planet Organic too. Or Bambo nappies. There appear to be just 3 kinds for me to try. In an emergency, Tescos sell an eco range, (the Nature Baby range) - not sure I trust it. We'll see!
The reusable cloth nappies have been harder to decide on as there is by far more choice. In terms of practicality, appearance and easy of washing/drying, along with the fact that before too long I'll have to chase him to get his nappy on, and pre-folds won't be a welcome addition then, I've chosen two options to start off with -
1. The Bumgenius pocket nappies, and they come in gorgeous colours - I love the yellow one which is called Butternut. They sell them at Mothercare too. There are birt-to-potty age options, and they are available in packs such as this one.
Bumgenius website.
2. The gorgeous Tots Bots Fluffles nappies - they are great to start with as they will dry very fast. The wraps to go over it are the really cute part. I love the TotsBots wraps with the PUL covering. Here's the range of wraps, including the fleecey ones, available at Mothercare.
Tots Bots also do the most gorgeous changing mats and I want them all!!! Mothercare sells the whole range.
TotsBots website.
I'd like the wipes and liners we use with our nappies and at nappy-change time to be reusable (fleece I suppose, will dry fastest). Bumgenius do flannel wipes as well as bamboo ones. Tots Bots do fleece nappy liners. Suitable Liners and boosters are available from Green Jelly, as are washable wipes.
There are plenty of chlorine free, eco-friendly disposable wipes available everywhere - John Lewis does the Earth Friendly Baby range, and Tescos even do one, of a fashion - the Nature Babycare Eco Soft Baby wipes. In fact they do nappies and everything else in this range, which appears to be Swedish.
The reusable cloth nappies have been harder to decide on as there is by far more choice. In terms of practicality, appearance and easy of washing/drying, along with the fact that before too long I'll have to chase him to get his nappy on, and pre-folds won't be a welcome addition then, I've chosen two options to start off with -
1. The Bumgenius pocket nappies, and they come in gorgeous colours - I love the yellow one which is called Butternut. They sell them at Mothercare too. There are birt-to-potty age options, and they are available in packs such as this one.
Bumgenius website.
2. The gorgeous Tots Bots Fluffles nappies - they are great to start with as they will dry very fast. The wraps to go over it are the really cute part. I love the TotsBots wraps with the PUL covering. Here's the range of wraps, including the fleecey ones, available at Mothercare.
Tots Bots also do the most gorgeous changing mats and I want them all!!! Mothercare sells the whole range.
TotsBots website.
I'd like the wipes and liners we use with our nappies and at nappy-change time to be reusable (fleece I suppose, will dry fastest). Bumgenius do flannel wipes as well as bamboo ones. Tots Bots do fleece nappy liners. Suitable Liners and boosters are available from Green Jelly, as are washable wipes.
There are plenty of chlorine free, eco-friendly disposable wipes available everywhere - John Lewis does the Earth Friendly Baby range, and Tescos even do one, of a fashion - the Nature Babycare Eco Soft Baby wipes. In fact they do nappies and everything else in this range, which appears to be Swedish.
Potty
We definitely need at least one, (like this one), from the start. Iain is pretty much approaching the Elimination Communication stuff from a cat training perspective ... am not sure it is the same, as I have never house trained a cat ... or anyone ... So one to start with, and perhaps many, many more potties around the place before we are all fully trained!
I think a potty that has a step-stool that stacks with it would be good to have in the bathroom, under the sink, with the smaller one (link above) as something we move around and take with us more ... I can't seem to find a stackable potty I like, and a musical potty is a DEFINITE NO NO!!! Far too distracting and completely misses the point I think.
Pram
I can't see us using a pram until he is about 6 months old. We do have a pram - Brishti & Zain's Quinny. We will be using a car seat in the car of course, but he'll be in a sling when he's not in the car, or in his hammock, or in bed, or in someone's arms, or just chilling on a rug, playmat, cushion, beanbag or something. There IS a pram I adore, and would be happy to use with him sometimes - shopping expeditions perhaps - The Stokke Xplory.
Slings
My shortlist includes the Baba Sling, the lovely Didymos slings, or the Kari Me or Moby slings, although I don't really want a stretchy sling. I suspect I will be spending a lot of time on Little Possums, and will end up with plenty of slings, including the home made ones we will fashion out of the material Mum brought back from Bangladesh.
Bedding
We're using white, cream, light yellow, or light brown bedding, to go with the room and to be easy on the eye - the whole flat will be full of bright, garish baby stuff after all!
We're planning a family bed for night-time and my Mum will help me make leps to make up for the fact that we will temporarily abandon the duvet (till he is bigger). A lep is a few layers of soft fabric sown together, a bit like a kantha but not as decorative or intricate. It would be safe to use one with baby in the bed, but he won;t be under the lep. I wouldn't think that would be a good idea. The baby himself will be in a sleeping bag or gro-bag of some sort, the tog depending on the weather, with appropriate under-things on. I ADORE the Jelly Bean Gro-Bag, maybe he'll have one! He already has a few bags to sleep in, I think he'll be ok.
The leps won't always be enough, and we will have blankets to use as layers too (Iain and myself). I like the idea of a silky soft bamboo blanket, mostly because blankets give me the creeps - it's a texture thing. Blankets, of course, we can pick up anywhere.
To make the bed baby-safe so we can all have as good a night as possible, we wanted the Humanity Family Bed, but I'm not really keen to ship something that big over from the US. Not my style. It's not just the money, it's a big deal ... and I think we can improvise with a big body pillow and lots of flannel sheeting. If we can't quite make it work, we can always order the thing from America. We want to make ours so that it fits the bed and Iain can be on it as well as me and the baby. We'd rather not have a split in the bed ... a space where Iain isn't welcome. This way the baby will be free to make a mess on any part of our bed! Oh Joy!!!
He will have his own cradle, the beautiful Moffii Oberon Cradle, which his grandparents are sweet enough to buy for him. He'll be happy (I hope) and safe in it if I want to put him down in the daytime, and he can be in it when we visit people, because it is really really portable. Attaches on to any door frame. Of course we can't then use the doorway, so perhaps we will not be popular guests ... but should anyone agree to allow us to visit with our hammock, we'll be ready!! He can use it till he stands up by himself, and by then, really, he'll be well used to the bed situation and bed safety. Am so excited! I decided against the Amby Natures Nest, it won't do and I don't like what it is made of.
Feeding
We're hoping the breastfeeding works out ... I know it often doesn't for PCOS women, and Iain and Dougs were both unable to feed for long - some sort of allergy. Now assuming I will succeed, and be able to carry on for a while ... we don't need much by way of bottles etc, but the cottles I am considering are the Born Free range as they don't have BPA in them. Ideally, I'd use Dr Brown's glass bottles, but I'd have to get Jen to post me some, as I don't think they are available outside the USA. The Glass bottles available in the UK - at Green Baby and Spirit of Nature for example, don't appear to have the vents.
I will try and use a special cup I have read about instead as a first choice ... that would interfere less with the breastfeeding mouth action ... and eliminate the huge problems associated with using bottles - cleaning them, filling them and carrying them about, never mind protecting the contents by keeping them at the right temperature, and limiting deterioration in the bottles themselves.
Expressing milk will probably be on the cards. Am still not sure whether a pump will be the best way, or in fact what kind of pump. Most of them seem incredibly thoughtless in their design. Without the benefit of actually lactating I obviously can't tell at all what will work ... but on paper, the Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Freedom breast pump seems like a good bet. There seem to be better, more 'natural' (as in, mimic baby's way of getting milk out better) in the US, but unlike bottles, they are too much of a risk to ship over. In any case, this website called baby loves your milk might well be helpful when the time comes, as might the Express Yourself Mums website. I choose these theoretically comfy breastpads, with eco disposable ones for when I'm on the move a lot, and I suppose shells will be necessary too. I'll need the nipple cream from Lansinoh - unless he is allergic to Lanolin like Jules! I already have nipple shields at the ready, just in case. I gather they will be handy.
Laundry
We've switched to Eco Balls and I love them. The clothes are nice and clean and soft, and I don't have to measure anything or watch for when I need to buy more product. They will work for the baby's stuff too, with a bit of Borax perhaps or some eco-bleach - UNLESS there's a real unshiftable stain, win which case I will wheel out the Vanish and use it with the Ecover laundry detergent. I will be soaking his new clothes in water which has some white spirit vinegar in it to wash off the bulk of the nasty chemicals. Can't do much more than that really.
We don't tumble dry - me on principle, Iain because he's sensible! The underfloor heating should allow baby's nappies to dry overnight, or at least over 24 hours, and we can line dry for half of the year. We'll have a nappy pail to store dry dirty nappies, with some tea tree oil added if needed. I suppose the nappy wash will be every day to every other day. Easy to do with the Eco-Balls as the wash cycle is so quick. We will use loads of net bags to make all this go smoothly - we're not really a low-laundry family now .... it won't get easier when the baby comes!
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