Well weve been at it again, adding new stuff to the store like crazy!

This weeks additions are:

Jackson Reece Baby Wipes

Beaming Baby Lavender Massage Oil

Beaming Baby Shampoo & Bodywash

Beaming Baby Bubble Bath

Beaming Baby Organic Baby Wipes

‘Give Peas a Chance’ Hoodie

Sling Your Baby – The Benefits of Babywearing

By Claire Willis, of SnugBaby

When I talked to a friend the other day about “babywearing” she was completely confused as to what I meant – she thought perhaps I was suggesting she use her little darling as a hat.

However, when renowned paediatrician, Dr William Sears invented the term “babywearing” in the 1980s, I’m fairly sure he meant it to mean all the possible methods of carrying a baby, and not the wearing of babies as fashion accessories. So, as one concept to cover the myriad of different ways of carrying a baby, it is great to have a catch-all phrase, even if it is a weird sounding way of putting it.

In all fairness to the human race, Dr Sears only came up with the name for something that had been going on since… well, since the first human mummy stood up, looked around and said, “Now, where did I put Baby?” Even before that our simian ancestors did (and still do) carry their offspring in a variety of ways attached to the fur of different parts of their bodies.

Humans around the world have been carrying their offspring for millennia BPT (Before Phil and Ted) and anything that has been going that long is subject to local diversity, so it’s not surprising to find a variety of methods. Of course in “less developed” countries it is still regarded as the best way of getting your kids around before they can keep up, so you will find African, Asian and South American varieties. It even used to be popular in the “developed” west before the Georgian and Victorian aristocracy persuaded everyone that children should be kept as far away from their parents as possible, handing them to nannies to be genteelly wheeled around in perambulators.

Dr Sears came up with some interesting facts, for instance, did you know that carrying your baby upright can reduce the effects of colic and reflux – definitely worth considering if you have a colicky baby (and if you do, you will try anything…I did!). Babies who are carried learn more quickly, as they spend their time being involved in your world, not just watching, but participating; developing a brain that is learning to learn.

Some people suggest that having your baby in a sling will make him clingy. Doesn’t it? Exactly the opposite, actually. Baby becomes more emotionally secure and independent as he knows you are around as a safe base from which to explore.

Need I go on? Well, if us mums are permitted a bit of selfishness, there are always the extra calories you burn by carrying your baby, and the way you can breastfeed discreetly, and the general snugly cuddles you both get to enjoy, which stimulate your new-mum hormones, and can help to reduce the likelihood and severity of post-natal depression. What do you do to get your baby off to sleep in a pram? You rock him and talk to him to simulate the motion and closeness of your own body. Now who’s starting to look more “developed”?

There are a huge variety of baby carriers around, and every “Babywearer” has their own personal favourite, although some people switch between different styles.

Mei-Tais

My own favourite is the Mei Tai, which is basically a square of fabric with straps at each corner. Because of its simple design it can be used in a variety of different positions. Simply put though, the bottom straps are tied around your waist, and the top straps go over your shoulders and wrap around you, and are then knotted, securely strapping your baby to your body.

Ring Slings

Another popular type is the Ring Sling, which is a long piece of fabric, with rings at one end. The fabric is threaded through the rings, and back on itself, to form a circle, which is very secure. The baby lies in the pouch that is formed.

Baby Wraps

Probably the first to be “invented” and indeed, still widely used, is a “wrap” or “piece of cloth”, which is quite simply tied around baby and carer, or folded into a sling shape.

These types of sling are adjustable, and one size does fit all. There are many more variations of carriers, involving headrests, padding and different shapes – and that’s before you even look at the vast array of colours and patterns available.

So, are they easy to use? Surely they can’t be as convenient as a pushchair? Yes, they are very easy, and they fold up small. Can you get a pushchair in your handbag? Can you afford a pushchair to go with every outfit?

You can go up stairs, through narrow doorways or for a pleasant summer walk. And you don’t have to push an empty one round town when junior decides he would rather walk. So I would say yes. But, your husband wouldn’t be seen dead in one? Well, men with babies are very attractive – remember that Athena poster? And Brad Pitt has carried baby Shiloh in one, so how can he object?

 Having said all that, the main benefit for me, at least to start with, was that I regained the use of my hands after months of trying to make lunch, hoover, iron and just about anything else you care to think of, all whilst holding on to my dear son. So, slings, carriers, mei tais, call them whatever you like, are starting to sound like a good idea, aren’t they? I have to admit, I got in to babywearing through necessity rather than choice, but I do love it, and so does my now rather chunky 22 month old son. The only difficulty now is choosing which fabric for the next one…

The owner of SnugBaby, Claire Willis, is a mum with two children. After the birth of her second son, she discovered babywearing and, decided to design and make her own brand of mei tai carriers, which she now sells through her website, http://snugbaby.co.uk/

Tots Bots Flexi-Tot and Tots Wraps

We are thrilled to have the new Tots Bots Flexi-Tot fitted nappy in store! This is a brand new, fantastically soft shaped nappy that has quickly become a favourite in our household! Available in 2 sizes and priced at £9.25

We have also added the Tots Wraps to the store, in 2 designs- Purple Spots and Yellow Spots. These are available in a range of 4 sizes, and for £8.

                           

Well, being a co-sleeping family, we never purchased a cot of any kind- but if we were to, this one would be it! The Cardboard Cot from Kids Gallery is simple, stylish and made from ecological, recyclable cardboard.

It comes flat packed, and complete with a comfortable mattress. Available in 3 colours, and for £57.50 this bassinet cot is kinda cool!

Scientists report that when a baby breastfeeds, a ‘trust’ hormone is released in the mother. Oxytocin has long been known to cause milk to be let down from the mammory glands, however scientists at Warwick University have now become aware that it is also involved in the enhancement of trust and love in both human, and non-human animals.

Breastfeeding triggers a surge of Oxytocin to be released, and large regular pulses of the hormone are needed to create the wave released when a mother breastfeeds, strengthening the bond between mother and child.

Yet further proof that breastfeeding promotes the maternal bond via biochemical processes.

Cloth Bottomed Babies

Article courtesy of Linda Sones, of Sones UK

All the clothes that I sell in the shop are designed with cloth bottomed babies in mind to give plenty of room for the slight additional bulk. This set me thinking about the pro’s and cons of using cloth nappies. When my children were tiny there was really not a choice but now there is a vast range of disposables and cloth nappies to choose from.

First of all a good place to start might be some facts and figures produced by local councils.

• Every year we need a forest the size of Wales to provide all the paper we use in Britain.
• 1 tonne of recycled paper saves 17 trees from being cut down.
• 7 Million Trees are cut down each year just to make disposable nappies.
• If you use disposable nappies your child will use an average of 5,000 from birth until potty trained.

Not so many years ago a cloth nappy was simply a square of toweling which was fastened onto baby using two lethal looking large safety pins. Now the range available is astonishing you can have a one piece nappy, a shaped two piece, prefolded, terry, a flat nappy used with a stuffable style cover, waterproof covers, liners, booster pads and swim nappies. The large pins have been replaced by snappi nappi clips and nippi nippas and I am sure there are many more. Modern cloth nappies then fit really snuggly. It is argued that children wearing cloth nappies become potty trained more quickly because the child is able to detect some wetness. This awareness encourages the child to use a potty.

Some of reasons for using disposables might be convenience, not having the bother of washing or perhaps your child goes to day nursery. It is also suggested by manufacturers that disposables prevent nappy rash. I would argue that there is no reason for a child in a cloth nappy to have a higher incidence of nappy rash. A child’s skin is very sensitive and nappies need to be changed frequently to avoid prolonged contact with wee and poo which are the cause of nappy rash. Avoid using biological washing powders apart from the fact that they are not eco-friendly they can cause rashes. Or perhaps you might consider a nappy laundry service which may not be as expensive as you would think.

Many childcare providers will be happy to accommodate children in cloth nappies providing you have chosen an easy and reliable type, and provide a sealable bag for storage of dirty nappies. If all this still sounds like a lot of extra work, perhaps a compromise would be helpful just consider; using only one cloth nappy per day will save 365 disposable nappies being thrown away. So from little oak trees etc. etc.

Just two more factors to consider:

• In the next 10 years about 800 million people will be added to the global population.
• As the population consumption and wealth increases so does the amount of waste we produce.
• We have used more goods and services since 1950 than in the rest of human history.

Well I hope this gives you some food for thought and you may even decide to swap to cloth nappies.Information obtained from;

The Complete Cloth Nappy Guide.

Colchester Borough Council

‘It all started with two parents, a baby boy wearing cloth nappies, a lack of baby clothes that fitted him and the determination to remedy the situation by starting their own organic baby clothing….’

Originally branded ‘Cut4Cloth’, Frugi supplies a huge and scrummy range of Organic Cotton Clothing for babies and children, as well as breastfeeding wear. The 0-2 yrs range is designed specifically with cloth nappies in mind- to suit those fluffy and chunky cloth nappied bottoms we all know and love!

Especially useful for night-time use, when bottoms are extra ‘boosted’, the Babygrows are longer in the body, broader in the beam, and have a gusset which gives a ‘3D’ fit from front to back.

The Baby Bodies are again, longer in the body and wider on the hips, and the trousers and dungarees are cut higher in the rise so that they dont drag the nappies down- genius!

And of course, the Frugi range is Organic and free from any chemical nasties. What more can we possibly say, other than welovefrugi!

We are on the look out for any eco- parent and child products or sites to feature on the blog, and also to feature some guest articles relating to green living, attachment parenting, breastfeeding etc. So if you have something you want to say, an article you think might interest our readers, or a site you would like us to consider, do get in touch!

Organic, Pro-Breastfeeding T-shirts for Your Baby!

To celebrate the clarification of the laws surrounding public breastfeeding in the UK we have added to the store some fabulously funky pro-breastfeeding gear for your little ones!

Made from Super Soft 100% Organic Cotton from the ‘Lactivist’ we have:

‘I Love Mummy Milk’ Long-Sleeved T-shirt, in Sizes 3-6, 6-12 and 12-18 Months. £14.99

‘I Like Milk from My Mum, Not Just from any Old Cow’ Organic Long-Sleeved t-shirt in sizes 3-6 and 6-12 Months. £14.99

 

Press Release from The Art of Change - Confusion lifted over breastfeeding

20th July 2008 01:00

UK mothers who breastfeed their children, are celebrating after the government clarified today that mothers are, and always have been, free to breastfeed in public places. Breastfeeding mothers are also protected in law under the provision of goods, services and facilities section of the Sexual Discrimination Act when breastfeeding, whatever the age of the baby, in places such as cafes, restaurants, libraries, surgeries etc.

When Harriet Harman announced plans for the new Equality Bill three weeks ago, she could not have known that people around the country - and around the world -  would respond so strongly to her proposal to include the word ‘breastfeeding’ in the definition of maternity.

Under the new proposals, the government was stating that a mother, breastfeeding a child of six months or less, would now be more rigorously protected by law from discrimination. It was this six month cut off point that started panic amongst breastfeeding mothers who, in accord with WHO and Government Health guidelines, seek to breastfeed well beyond six months. They were concerned that they could now be discriminated against, for feeding a child older than six months when in public.

As Barbara Follett, Deputy Minister for Women and Equality, stated: “The law is not as clear as it could be. People are unsure of their rights and their responsibilities in this area. Some people also think that women can be charged with indecency for breastfeeding in a public place. This is utter nonsense and completely wrong”.

Barry Durdant-Hollamby, a communications specialist for The Art of Change, became concerned that mixed messages were being given out to the public, when he was alerted to a newspaper story suggesting that it was an offence to breastfeed in public. ‘I found it hard to believe that there could be a law suggesting that breastfeeding in public was an offence. And yet there was this story suggesting it was. And then I thought of all the young, vulnerable mothers - and of all the service providers such as the managers of food chains -  reading that same article and acting according to what they had read in the article. I had to get to the bottom of it. It has been a challenge, but I feel we can spread some positive light on all this now.’ 

As a result of Durdant-Hollamby’s investigations, the Government Equalities Office has confirmed that:

1)       There is not, and never has been, any law that prohibits a woman from breastfeeding a child of any age in public, for example in a cafe.

2)       The 1975 Sexual Discrimination Act created legal protection for a woman under the provision of goods, facilities and services section. This protection covered a woman breastfeeding a child, of any age, by implication, and meant that she could not be discriminated against for breastfeeding in places such as restaurants, cafes, surgeries, libraries etc.

3)       The 2008 amendment to the SDA brought in more specific cover under the wording of ‘maternity’ - this also brought in the first mention of a six-month period, as it is tied to broader maternity rights covering 6 months before and after birth - whereby a mother could also challenge the owner under the grounds of maternity

4)       The Equality Bill seeks to make it even more explicit that this maternity protection includes breastfeeding, by including the word breastfeeding in the statute.

So, for example, if a mother who is breastfeeding a 27 week old baby on a bus or in a café is asked to leave or to stop breastfeeding, she can take legal action on the grounds of sexual discrimination. If that same mother was feeding a child under 26 weeks, she could take action under the grounds of maternity or sexual discrimination.

Mike Brady, Campaigns and Networking Coordinator at Baby Milk Action, said: “We, and our colleagues in the Baby Feeding Law Group, are pleased to see the Government making it clear that women are free to breastfeed in public and stating that these women are already protected under the Sexual Discrimination Act. During the consultation phase for the Single Equality Bill, we have also asked for there to be no age limit specified on the additional protection (provided under ‘maternity’) for breastfeeding in public. In many countries I visit, mothers do not give a thought to breastfeeding wherever they may be, which is quick and convenient and nobody sees it at odd.”

Only this week, the need for clarity was demonstrated when the junior manager of a McDonald’s asked a breastfeeding woman to leave the premises. Fortunately Head Office understood the law and offered an apology to the woman involved. It is this type of confusion that Durdant-Hollamby was determined to lift.

Deputy Minister for Women Barbara Follett concluded:  “Mothers have to be confident that they can breastfeed their infants in a café, restaurant or shop without the embarrassment of having the owner ask them to stop.  This type of discrimination has in fact been unlawful for more than thirty years, and the mother - with a baby of any age - could challenge the owner under the Sex Discrimination Act.”