Re-usable nappies March 20, 2008

Our baby is a cloth bum! I never really liked the idea of using disposable nappies on my baby. Disposable nappies add up to the landfill we produce (unless they are biodegradable – all the big brands such as Pampers, Huggies, the supermarket own brand ones are not and the ones that are, they explicitly say it on the cover) and they have nasty chemicals in them “to help baby feel dry”. Also, as I recently found out (it didn’t influence my decision, but had I thought about it, it certainly would) the brand that most people go for, Pampers, is part of P&G (Procter and Gamble) which means that buying from them would provide the funding for their animal testing.

Reusable nappies work out cheaper too! You don’t have to buy packs and packs of them and it’s well known how costly disposable nappies are! With reusable nappies you buy a few (the initial cost is higher, but you don’t have to buy them all at once) and you wash them every other day or less often depending on how many you have bought. Wash them with an eco-friendly detergent and on 40 degrees and you are kind to the environment and to your baby as you don’t use the chemicals from the disposable nappies.Plus you can use them on your second baby, or even your third!

I never regret my decision to use cloth nappies. Yes, it is not always as easy as the disposable ones, it can be a bit of a hussle to store the dirty nappies, wash them, dry them etc and they don’t keep your baby dry for as long as the disposable ones but I feel happy I chose them.

And there are lots of funky designs available on the Internet!

How to go green…for dummies! March 20, 2008

I guess I’ve always been green at heart. Environmentall friendly products and living, recycling, fairtrade products, sustainable resources, campaigns against children/people/animal cruelty and exploitation – I’ve always been interested in them and thought that I should be involved in some way. Apart from the basic recycling and buying the occasional eco-friendly product though, I haven’t done much more.

Lately, I’ve been feeling I should do more. The more I read about all the options and the numerous things you can do to protect these causes, the more confused I am. It’s not an easy business. With all those “nasty” products out there and the modern way of living, it’s hard to realise what you are doing wrong. Sometimes I even think, I know it’s wrong but there is nothing else I can do, no alternative. I have found that this is not the case though, and if I really want to go green there is always an alternative. Sometimes I find I can’t go to that extreme (for financial/personal/family/circumstancial reasons) but I will do my best to make an informed decision.

This is why I’m starting this blog. To help myself (and others who may want to join me) keep track not only of all the info out there but also of how I apply this info to my lifestyle/shopping decisions. Good luck to all the Kermits out there!