Nappies - A Real Choice

It is Real Nappy Week this week and I have been following events keenly. I have hesitated to write anything as I don't feel I can add to the expertise offered by so many people out there. But I have had 3 children, all of whom have worn cloth nappies almost exclusively. I reckon our total spend on disposables is less than £30 and with 3 children that is not a lot of disposables.

So I thought I would just write a bit about my personal experience of, and motivation for, using cloth nappies with my 3. If I can inspire just one family to give it a go I will be happy! 

When I was pregnant with my first baby (14 years ago) there was very little information about washable nappies around and much less choice. I had to work quite hard to get any information and  if I had not been so determined I would have given up and gone with the masses for disposables. I remember being told that washable nappies were not suitable for newborns, that I could not take them in to the hospital and that they were probably the cause of my baby's nappy rash. 

Our motivation for choosing real nappies initially was environmental. I do not believe that any product you use once and then throw away (sometimes up to 10 times a day) whatever it is made of, can claim to not harm the environment (see the image I have chosen, it shows the volume of nappies for one baby, disposable versus washable). For us, our concerns about the environment really only kicked in when we were pregnant with our first baby. All of a sudden there was a heightened sense of responsibility to look after our world. After all, our kids have to grow up in it and will be around a lot longer than us. 

But our love of washable nappies quickly grew to more than that! Real nappies are softer than disposables, they do not contain toxic gels, they look nicer and they cost less. Yes, we became complete fluff addicts!

Over the three children we have tried various brands and types but have not spent more than £300.00 in total on nappying them all. Compare this to the cost of buying disposables for three and the money saving aspect is obvious.

It is my opinion that a lot of parents would prefer to use real nappies if they could get past their preconceptions about the whole thing. Lots of parents assume it will be hard work, smelly and not as convenient. 

All I can say is that we honestly did not find it hard work and if I had my time again, I would choose cloth for my babies every time. I would not want to sit all day and night wrapped in plastic and paper and would not want to subject my babies to the same. 

If you have had even a fleeting thought that you might like to try using washable nappies on your baby, Real Nappy Week is a great time to explore the possibility. Even if you buy just one nappy and try it, it is a start. Every cloth nappy you change makes a difference. Start small and see how you get on. But beware, fluff is addicitve!

If you would like to read more, here are some useful links:

Go Real, the UKs real nappy information service is a great starting point for all things Real Nappy related

Your local council may well have information and incentives in place for families using washable nappies, ours does!

Easter Fun With the Kids - Part 2

So, part 2 of my Easter fun blog post is a bit more optimistic. If the sun comes out, or even if the temperature rises by a few degrees, we can all get outside and suddenly, there are lots more opportunities!

Of course, there will be loads of organised Egg Hunts, I will leave it to to you to take your pick. We have done quite a few over the years and they all follow a similar formula. Follow clues, hunt for eggs, eat chocolate. The kids love them.

However, the Easter holidays are over 2 weeks long so I am guessing there will opportunities for lots of other fun. Here are some ideas from myself and some of the mums on our Facebook page!

1) Put a tent up in the garden. We did this a couple of years ago for the Easter holidays and not only our kids, but their friends, had so much fun! The younger ones played in it during the day, using it as a den in the garden, and the older ones slept in it, taking it in turns to invite friends! Simple, but so much fun...

2) Fly a kite. We did this at the weekend and if I am honest, it was a bit chilly. But I have to admit we had all forgotten the simple pleasure of flying a kite and if it was warmer could have easily spent half a day watching it soar!

3) Bike ride. We love bikes in our house, and as far as we are concerned they are never too young to be on a bike! There are a multitude of baby/toddler seats available and the more we all cycle the better the world would be (that might be over simplifying it a bit but you get the idea!)

4) A picnic. What is not to love in a picnic? Pack some yummy treats and head to your favourite spot. Take a ball, a bug catcher and a book (ever hopeful!) You never know, if its a real success you may even get 10 minutes to read that book!

5) Family walk. Organise a group of friends and meet them for a walk. I am always amazed how much further the kids will walk if they have a group of friends to play with on the way round. A photo trail is a good way to keep them going. Take photos of certain features or landmarks on the route (a bit of planning required) and get everyone spotting them on the way round. A few small prizes at the end will add to the excitement!

If you have any great ideas for things to do with the family over the Easter holidays, please share them. The more the merrier!

Happy Easter folks x

Easter fun with the kids - Part One

With the Easter holidays on the horizon and snow and rain falling heavily today across the UK, I am experiencing the usual mixture of excitement (I get to spend time with the kids) and dread (I get to spend 2 weeks with the kids and its raining!) 

I am not a particularly creative person, but I do enjoy making things, and if this weather continues we wont be doing too many beach walks or Easter egg hunts. So I decided to put out an appeal to all the mummies on our Facebook page for ideas of things to do with the kiddies over the Easter holidays. 

These are some of the ideas that came back:

1) Make an Easter tree, decorate it with eggs you have painted, and little fluffy chicks and feathers.

2) The old favourite: chocolate nests filled with mini eggs

3) Make baskets for the eggs you will receive for Easter...this helps keep them organised after Easter so there are no arguments over which egg belongs to whom!

4) Make Easter cards to wish friends and family a Happy Easter. Cute bunnies with cotton wool tails, chicks with folded beaks, collage eggs, you get the idea!

5) A good game to play is the number or alphabet game. You get small squares of paper and write 1,2,3 etc or a,b,c then blue tac all over the house. Ask the little ones to find letter a? or number 1? Then the older kids ask them to make a word by finding the letters, it can last hours and get them running all around. Its 

fun both indoors and outdoors.

6) Decorate eggs to look like someone in the family!

7) Make Easter blanket bunnies. This idea came from local crafty mum who runs 

Jelly Jam Vintage and Handmade. 

We sincerely hope the sun comes out and you have no time for crafting, but if not, we would love to see some pics of your creations!

Thank you to all the super mums who shared their ideas!

The Pleasure of Shopping Locally!

As most of you will know, I own and run a small independent baby shop. We are based just outside of town in a mixed residential and commercial development known as Poundbury.

Like many retailers over the last couple of years I have frowned about people shopping online, not supporting their local shops and then moaning when businesses disappear. But over the last few days in the shop, my faith is being restored. 

I have met a couple who needed a baby carrier but needed to try them on (a regular occurrence), a lady who needed a new buggy but wanted advice about Buggy boards, a cutie who needed some new toys but mum wanted to see which he was interested in and a little boy who needed his first pair of shoes (always a pleasure!)

We cannot deny the convenience of the internet. I have come to accept that it has its place and that I would be just as lost without it as the majority of people out there. More than that, I am seeing that the internet could actually help us run our business. It is great for looking at product reviews and gathering information, which may encourage people to come to their local shops. Without it we could not update people about our latest stock arrivals, competitions, new colours etc and we could not get our blog or newsletters seen! 

As I have said, we have a website, and it used by lots of our customers to research before visiting the shop. Of course, we do also sell to people who live nowhere near us, and for some people getting to a shop is impossible.

However, my favourite thing about running a baby shop is being on the shop floor. Chatting to customers, meeting pregnant mums who come back with their newborns and tell us their birth stories and moan about lack of sleep! Mums who come back to tell us how much the product we have recommended has helped them/their baby, how they have told all their friends about it. Proud grandparents who bring photos and tell us all about their latest addition to the family. Who then come back to introduce them in person when they are visiting. Demonstrating products to customers who go away, leaving us confident they have the right product to suit them.

So online shopping obviously has its place, but when you can, try to use your local shop. If they are doing something wrong, tell them. If you have seen what you want cheaper somewhere else, give them the chance to price match, or at least explain to you why they can't. 

It is this side of the business that reminds me that the internet cannot replace a local shop! Thanks for shopping with us....