These are a few of my favorite (baby) things...

We have been very blessed by our generous friends and family who have given us lots of wonderful and thoughtful gifts for our new baby.  While it has been three months already and I'm no where near organized enough to send out thank you cards yet, I wanted to do a quick post on what makes a great baby gift in my mind, such as:

-practical

-homemade

-eco-friendly

-hand-me downs

Of course just because something is practical, ethical and safe for baby and planet doesn't mean they can't be beautiful :-)  I am loving the Enchanted Woodland Mobile from cocoon couture that our friends Melinda and Gavin gave us.  It is hand-crafted from eco-friendly plantation timber and printed with non-toxic ink.  I've got it hanging above the change-table (which is in my home office!).  We also got a beautiful wooden vehicle-mobile from our friends Samantha and Paul, which is above the crib (which is in the living room, since we are still using an organic co-sleeper in our bedroom).

Another favorite is this organic cotton quilt, which was hand-made by my amazing step-mother Jan:

We also had lovely hand-made presents from my mother-in-law Eileen (a knitted [or maybe crocheted? I'm so ignorant about these crafty things] blanket), our dear friend Colleen (who took time out of her busy life as an orthopedic surgeon to knit an adorable woolen sweater and hat (aka jumper and beanie), and our lovely friend Carolyn who knitted (I'm pretty sure it's knitted!) a soft little bunny comforter thingy :-)  We're hoping the little bubba starts hanging onto Carolyn's bunny at night instead of pulling his own hair, which he does without realizing that it's attached to him and then he starts screaming because it hurts... one day he'll figure out that he has the power to stop the pain himself by letting go :-)

In addition to giving us a very sweet little organic cotton onesie from the Syracuse Cultural Workers, my mom is sewing an organic cotton duvet (aka doona) cover for us for our new organic cotton queen bed.

I'm also very grateful to my friend Simcha who gave us the organic cotton long-sleeved onesie that bubsie is wearing in the picture above, since it introduced me to Nature Baby from New Zealand, which I hadn't come across before, and is now my favorite one-stop shop for all things organic and baby-related (more on them soon).

People know me well by now and lots of friends gave us beautiful organic cotton clothing from purebaby and Pumpkin Patch (I hadn't even realized that they are doing organic now).

One of the best things people can do for you when you have babies is to not give you things you don't need.  One of my best friends knows me so well that she didn't get anything for the new baby, since really we already have everything we need and she got a small present for his big brother instead :-)

Finally, I love hand-me-downs and loans, such as this gorgeous Moses basket style bassinet that we borrowed from my friend Katie, who also has a fantastic kids book blog and online bookshop called We Heart Books, which is my favorite source for kids birthday presents :-)

We received lots of other lovely gifts and cards as well and if you're reading this, I promise the thank you cards will be coming... eventually!

The First Three Months...

I know it's a cliché but I can't believe how fast the last three months have gone.  I had three New Year's resolutions this year.  The first was that I would be more disciplined about doing the practice sessions and write-ups for the biodynamic craniosacral therapy course I'm studying.  I've been very good about this.  The second resolution was that I would floss my teeth every night.  I've been ok about this, especially since I finally found some truly organic dental floss.  My third resolution was that I would update my blog more regularly.  I don't think once every three months counts as regular, so I'm failing miserably at that one.  But I'm not going to beat myself up about it... I've had much more important things to do... like flossing my teeth, and hanging out with this guy:

But I do have some exciting things planned for the blog over the next few weeks.  I've got a review and giveaway of an organic cotton outfit from one of my favorite organic baby stores, Nature Baby, a review of a radiation shielding blanket and discount code from Belly Armor, and a review and comparison of organic cotton baby carriers from Mini Monkey and others.  If you don't want to miss out on these make sure to follow my blog through google and/or sign up to be emailed when I update.  I usually post on my facebook profile when I update the blog as well :-)

I'm feeling overwhelmed...

I had a bit of a breakdown the other night. You know when something little starts you off crying and you can't figure it out because it's not really such a big deal, so you know there must be something deeper going on? Well that happened and when I scratched the surface (while blubbering away to my DH) I realized that I was feeling overwhelmed by all of the decisions that I need to make about purchases for our family and how to make the safest possible choices...

Just to give you an example, since we have a 4 year old boy and a baby due in three months we need:

-new shoes and socks for the 4 year old who's feet just keep growing and growing - the problem is, I can't seem to find organic cotton socks in the 4-6 sizes... they all seem to be for babies and toddlers or bigger kids and adults... any suggestions??? Also, my osteopath just told me that you have to be careful with kids shoes because the leather often has excess chromium in it that gets released when kids sweat and then gets absorbed through their feet... Ack!

- A booster seat for the four year old and a baby capsule - I want to make sure they are safe crash-wise but also chemical-wise, ie not filled with flame retardants, formaldehyde, off-gassing foams, heavy metals etc... we would like to get a newer (ie safer, more efficient) car too, but that's a whole 'nother topic!

- I'd like to use more cloth nappies (Australian for diaper) this time around, but there are so many to choose from!

- I'm thinking about replacing all of our mattresses with organic cotton ones.

- you get the idea... each of these decisions requires careful research, to make sure that they are safe and affordable. In the US there are lots of great websites that do a lot of the background work for you, but sadly most of the recommended brands aren't available in Australia ... which leaves me with basically a full time job evaluating the safest options.

Soooo... please fill out the poll I've added in the top right corner of the blog and let me know what you want to hear about most, and please leave any suggestions for brands/websites/ideas that you love/trust.

Thanks :-)
Annie

why I love opp shops

I've written about this before, but I'm so passionate about it that I can't help myself, so here I go again...

Opp shops (short for Opportunity Shops) as they are known in Australia, are second hand stores run by organizations such as the Salvation Army, the Brotherhood of St Laurence, and other local churches and charities. I love them because they fulfill so many useful functions at the same time:

1. They raise money for charities.
2. They provide affordable clothes, furniture, books, toys etc to families in need.
3. They make sure that stuff gets re-used instead of being thrown away.
4. They provide social interaction for the volunteers who work there, most of whom are elderly.
5. They are a super cool place to find funky retro fashion good for dress-up parties and generally being an uber-hipster. (Like this adorable t-shirt I found for my son yesterday - it was made in Australia and even has a "No Sweat Shop" label!)

But my favorite reason for frequenting opp shops is that they are the best way to get clothes that are not covered in nasty chemicals such as formaldehyde, which you find on most non-organic new clothes. The trick is to wash the clothes at least twice, until you can't detect any trace of the laundry detergent that the previous owner used. Then you have a nice, affordable, low-chemical wardrobe!

And sometimes you find some rather expensive, almost new, brand name clothes that you can sell on ebay and make some money :-)

Formaldehyde: unwanted guest at baby showers

I just got back from a baby shower for one of my dearest friends. It was a wonderful afternoon filled with yummy food, good company, and adorable baby presents. I didn't want to spoil the special day, but I couldn't help but politely point out that my friend might want to wash all of the new baby clothes and blankets at least 2-3 times before her baby actually comes into contact with them. Why? Because, whether we like it or not (why on earth would we like it?) most new clothes and household fabrics come to us covered in a cocktail of toxic ingredients, such as formaldehyde, which is used to prevent them from developing mildew when they are being shipped from China. Formaldehyde also is used for many other functions in the manufacture of clothes, for example it helps to set the dyes, and to reduce wrinkling and shrinkage. Other lovely chemicals that are used in fabric finishing processes include VOCs, heavy metals, benzene, sulfuric acid, bromines, urea resins, sulfonamides, halogens, bromines and organochlorides. I'll spare you the ugly details, but for more info check out this scary blog post by the Organic Consumers Association.

I'm a bit of a naff numbnut, so I managed to leave my carefully selected basket of organic goodies by the front door as I walked out to go to the shower. When I see her next my dear friend will be getting a gorgeous, japanese inspired organic cotton onesie from purebaby, a divine bamboo with vintage kimono-trimming onesie from Sahara Bloom, a selection of certified organic baby lotions and potions from miessence, including a handy, diaper-bag-sized, talc-free organic baby powder, a gentle baby bottom cleansing gel that can be used with tissues or cloths, avoiding the need for eco-unfriendly-disposable-wipes, and the innovative baby bottom mist that allows you to protect against diaper rash without having to rub anything directly onto the sore bits. I also threw in a gorgeous little (organic cotton of course) singlet from Nature's Child that says: "I am Nature's Child".

Can you tell that I went a bit overboard at the Organic Expo??? What can I say? When it comes to babies, and organics, I have a double weak spot. I also threw in a sobering tome called "Chemical Free Kids" which is the book that I would have written if I had time to write a book. The author Dr Sarah Lantz has done a great job of pulling together easy-to-read info about the insidious nature of toxic chemicals in our lives and how it affects our children. You can order the book from my online shop if you're in Australia, or from here if you need it shipped elsewhere. It's depressing stuff, but we can't all just go around with our heads buried in the sand now can we?

It's not all bad news... there's Sophie la girafe...

I lot of my posts lately have been negative things, like how bad BPA is, how bad Johnson & Johnson baby products are, etc... so I thought I better tell you the good news... there are some nice companies out there who are making safe products for kids :-)

A few weeks ago I took my son to visit our friend Katie from We Heart Books (a fantastic blog and online shop that reviews and recommends books for kids) who had a stall at the Magnolia Square Market when it was in Melbourne. He fell in love with Sophie la girafe aka Sophie the Giraffe. Sophie is a french childhood icon. According to the lovely ladies from Les Folies (the Australian distributors of Sophie) she is the only teething toy in the world made from 100% natural rubber and non toxic paint. Sophie is hand made in France today exactly as she was when first produced back in 1961.

You can get Sophie in Australia from Les Folies. The rest of the world can order Sophie the Giraffe on Amazon, where she is the #1 top selling item for babies!

There was lots of other cool stuff at Magnolia Square, I especially loved the recycled designs of Y Knot? and the divinely cute baby clothes (organic cotton and bamboo of course) from Green Bean a New Zealand-based company.

We Heart Books and Y Knot? are at the Magnolia Square event in Sydney that's on now at the teahouse at Randwick Racecourse Friday 3 July 10am-5pm and Saturday 4 July 10am - 4pm ... the first 500 guests each day will receive a goodie bag. Sophie the Giraffe will be back in Melbourne from 6-8 August at the Magnolia Square event at the Malvern Town Hall.

I've been wearing the same pants all week

My DH has this theory that when you get a new piece of clothing you can wear it many times before you have to wash it. I've been trying to disabuse him of this theory lately, since I think it is very important to wash new clothes multiple times before wearing them, to remove as many of the nasty chemicals as possible. Things like formaldehyde, that is embedded in clothes to preserve them (yuck!). Not to mention the residues from pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers if you are not buying certified organic cotton clothes. Not to mention the residues from inks and dyes if you are not using natural, plant-based colors.

My mission lately has been to only buy clothes that are either second hand (and therefore have had most of the nasty residues washed off), organic cotton, or bamboo. This brings me to the pants that I wore for 6 days in a row. They were new. I was going to wash them before wearing them, even though they are bamboo, and therefore have less nasty chemicals than most. But what happened was, I got them out of the box (I ordered them online from Sahara Bloom) to try them on, to make sure they fit before washing them, and they are so incredibly THE most comfortable pants I have ever worn that I just couldn't take them off. I kept meaning to wash them, but I kept putting them on instead... once I even wore them all day, then slept in them and wore them the next day too! I'm not wearing them today (that would just be gross!), but clearly, I can't stop thinking about them, so I thought I'd share them with you. I also bought some very cute bamboo kids t-shirts for my beautiful organic boy, and some of his friends. I'm so glad that the wonderful Melissa from Sahara Bloom listened to me and her other loyal customers and brought out toddler clothes. She also has a new line of bamboo baby clothes that are made in Australia!.

Bamboo is so amazingly soft, it is perfect for babies, but also for moms like me who work from home, and don't have to get suited up every day... it's comfy as the comfiest pjs, but still looks nice enough to wear out. A few months ago I went through my closet and took 10 bags of clothes to the Salvation Army. I think it is so important to support places like this that recycle clothes and household goods, allowing everyone to reduce their ecological footprints, while saving money and supporting charities. If you don't already do so, you should check out your local thrift stores, opp shops, whatever you call them, and support them by buying from them, donating unwanted goods, or even volunteering your time, as my wonderful mother-in-law does.

I had a few really nice, expensive, woolen suits from my past life as a corporate lawyer (environmental law, but still!). I never wear them anymore, but I had trouble getting rid of them because they were so expensive, and I couldn't be bothered putting them on ebay. Instead I donated them to a fantastic group called Fitted for Work. This Australian charity helps women wanting to get back into the work force with outfits to wear at interviews, and gives them basic training on interviewing skills etc as well. There are similar organizations all over the world, many of which are members of the Women's Alliance.

While I'm singing the praises of wonderful charities, I might as well mention one I saw on Facebook recently: The Girl Effect. Great little inspirational video. Now I'm going to go wash those pants!

pink for boys and blue for girls?

All that talk about saving money on kids clothes by buying them second hand went out the window last week when I drove across town (at least I carpooled with a fellow Mom) to visit the bi-annual PureBaby Warehouse sale. This is a Melbourne institution that sees posh Mums from all over town converging on a seedy alley-way in Collingwood and jostling with their designer prams for first place in line to grab up organic cotton baby clothes at target prices. It's the last day today, so if you live in Melbourne, and have a baby, or are planning a baby, or know anyone having a baby (they make great gifts) I'd head over to 135 Cromwell St, Collingwood before 5pm today (Sunday).

Even if you don't live in Melbourne, you can be sure to look out for ebay being flooded with reasonably priced purebaby goodies over the next few weeks and months. I don't have any financial interest in purebaby (I wish I did!), I'm just an addict. Half my son's wardrobe is from purebaby, (although I'm struggling now since they only make clothes up to size 2, but they do make pjs in bigger sizes), sourced only from the warehouse sales (I would never pay retail), and it's one of the main sources of my gifts for friends who have babies (along with the miessence certified organic baby care range). I stock up once or twice a year, with an adequate supply of pink, blue and gender neutral colors so that I'm prepared for the multitude of babies being born amongst my cohort.

Did you know that it wasn't until the 1950s that pink became associated with girls, and blue for boys?

"There has been a great diversity of opinion on the subject, but the generally accepted rule is pink for the boy and blue for the girl. The reason is that pink being a more decided and stronger color is more suitable for the boy, while blue, which is more delicate and dainty, is prettier for the girl." [Ladies Home Journal, June, 1918]

This time I even bought a few (gender neutral) newborn outfits for the baby we're planning for next year (more on that soon!).

my son is outgrowing all his clothes!

As usual I've been far too busy to blog for ages, and one of the things that has been keeping me busy is keeping my two year old clothed and fed (not to mention amused... and don't even get me started on nap time!)... Normal parents would probably just pop over to the local department store and stock up on the next size up in pants, shirts, sweaters etc (it's winter here in Australia!), but since I have made a commitment (to myself, and now to cyberspace) not to buy new clothes for anyone unless they are made from organic cotton, bamboo, modal, etc.... it makes replenishing wardrobes a bit trickier!

Since it would be pretty expensive to buy all organic-cotton wardrobes, a lot of our clothes are second hand... this is better for many reasons, including a reduced ecological footprint (it's not just about carbon!), a reduced price-tag (which means I can afford new organic clothes), and the main reason motivating my stance: safety. New clothes, especially those made in China (which is most of them these days) are sprayed with horrible chemicals, such as flame-retardants, fumigants, etc. This is on top of whatever chemical residues are already on the fabrics, such as pesticides, fertilizers, dies, and plastics (all those licensed cartoon characters on kids clothing are actually quiet toxic).

So yesterday I went to our local "opp shop" (short for Opportunity Shop, ie second hand store run by a charitable organization) and got 16 items for $69... now this is actually pretty expensive as far as opp shops go, but it was called the "Posh Opp Shop", and we got very nice stuff for my son (some of which won't fit him for a few years, but that will save me some trouble down the track), much of which were expensive brand name clothes in great condition. I still had to be careful to avoid shirts with toxic decorations (ie no Bob, Thomas, Dora, or Pooh), not just for environmental reasons, and because I don't like my child being free advertising for multi-national media conglomerates.

Another good thing about buying from shops run by the Salvation Army and other charities is that they are usually run by volunteers, and any profits are given to charity. I still feel a bit bad about buying second hand clothes though, because it means we're benefiting from the fact that some other family has been exposed to the nasty residues as they slowly get washed off and absorbed into the skin of young children, but hopefully as more people become aware of the dangers lurking in those sweet flannel pjs (I'm not just scare-mongering here, this is really really an issue of concern, if you don't believe me, google it), there will be fewer toxic clothes on the market.

I also make use of ebay, for second-hand and organic clothes, and I try to support local small-businesses that use sustainable fabrics to make fair-trade products. Yesterday we also received a big package from one of my favorite Australian companies, Blessed Earth, that included toddler pants, and for me: organic socks, tights, underwear, bra, towels and a pillow cover (it was all on sale!).

Now we're all set for clothes for the winter, and I'm feeling better about our wardrobe's footprint... my next challenge is naptime... I can't get the organic toddler down for a nap without driving him around the block for 20 minutes (the stroller works too, but as it's winter it's pretty cold and rainy most days)... so, as my husband says, our naptime has a huge carbon footprint! Any suggestions????

quicky on organic cotton, safe bath products and preconception detox

ok, so the results of my poll were a three-way tie, so I'll do a quicky on all three... more to come when I have time (when will that be???).

Organic Cotton: good for you, good for the environment, good for the workers in the cotton fields... it's softer... what more do you need to know???? Baby clothes, blankets, towels, wash cloths, bedding, stuffed animals, furniture, tampons, you name it, you can find an organic cotton version of it... for example, I just searched for organic cotton on Amazon and found everything from organic cotton broccoli (seriously, I've attached a picture in case you don't believe me), to organic cotton gloves.

Regarding safe bath products for baby... the safest product is water, and most babies don't need anything else for the first year... even then they really don't need much. If you absolutely must use a shampoo or bubble bath, then I recommend miessence desert flower shampoo and sunflower body wash (doubles as a bubble bath). Yes, I sell them, and I hate recommending things I sell, lest you think I am being biased, but I really, honestly, cannot think of anything else to recommend, that I would be willing to use on my son (besides just plain water).

Finally, and I am running out of steam here... pre-conception detox is a vital way to ensure that your health (and your partner's health) is in optimal condition to conceive, and that you give your baby the best start in life. It involves changing your diet (cutting out sugar, caffeine, alcohol, dairy, wheat etc) cleaning out your home environment (cleaning products, personal care products etc) and removing sources of stress and anxiety in your life. A fantastic book on this is called Natural Way to Better Babies it's also published as "Healthy Parents, Better Babies". A great starting point. More on this later, I promise!

how things have changed (for the better)

When I was pregnant with my son almost three years ago I had to search far and wide to find natural and organic products for him to wear, be bundled in, play with, eat and drink out of etc... now I get an email from Amazon today sending me a link to pages and pages of Organic Baby Products...

It's a great time to be having an organic baby! Lately I have been feeling a bit guilty about using my first child (and only child for the moment) as a bit of a guinea pig... as much research as I did the first time around, doing a full detox before conceiving, eating mostly organic food, using hypnobirthing techniques in a midwife-run birthing centre, breastfeeding him for two years, dressing him in organic cotton, etc etc etc... there are so many more things that I would do differently if I could...

I would...
- have less (or possible zero) ultrasounds (sonograms). I had three the first time... one at 10 weeks, 12 weeks and 20 weeks.
- delay immunizations longer (and maybe not get all of them?).
- not eat nuts while pregnant or breastfeeding (I ate a lot of hazelnuts and now my son is allergic to them, even though he's never eaten them!).
- use safer bottles/sippy cups.
- have a better bed for co-sleeping.
- have my soil testing before baby starts eating it!
- travel less (especially less radiation-filled airplane flights).

You get the picture... I will blog more on all of these topic later (hopefully sooner), but in the meantime if you have any comments, suggestions, questions, etc on any of the issues I've mentioned (or anything else) please feel free to leave a comment!

No more organic tampons?

While I love my organic feminine products from natracare, I still feel bad about the environmental impact (and cost) of buying and using tampons and other sanitary products every month (except for the blissful months of pregnancy and breastfeeding when I didn't get my period!!!).

A couple of years ago I read a great book by Linda Cockburn called Living the Good Life. I will write more on this fantastic book later, but one thing (among many) that I was inspired to do after reading the book was to look for a product called The Keeper. It's a natural rubber (or silicone for women with latex allergies) cup that is used instead of a tampon. it is similar to a diaphragm in its use, and lasts about 10 years. it's not cheap to buy, but is very cost effective (pays for itself in less than a year if you are buying organic tampons).

So I was very excited to come across a woman from Moon Pads in Tasmania selling The Keeper at the Sustainable Living Festival in Melbourne last weekend!

I'm trying it out now (got my period the next day!), so I'll let you know how I go...

I also bought an organic cotton reusable pad from a lovely Melbourne-based woman who owns Rad-Pads. More on that later!

To find out more about why you should switch to organic tampons/pads, etc, check out this info from natracare.

For more info on why you might want to switch to reusable menstrual products read this from Moon Pads.