Baby

Nappy Sacks
We use nappy sacks for poopa-scooping and were keen to find bio-degradable bags.   A chance find by my Dad in Sainsbury's introduced us to Naty Bio Nappybags which we think are fab.  We haven't found any other nappy sacks or poopa-scooping bags that are bio-degradable.  You can get them at Waitrose and Sainsbury's and I am sure you can also get them from other places but we haven't really looked.  They do a whole range of other natural baby stuff, we also use their baby wipes, details can be found on their website www.naty.com.

Nappies
The most common recommendation from readers is the use of real nappies.  Hazel in Scotland and Jules in London both recommend The Nappy Lady as she gives advice as to the which real nappies to use based on your lifestyle etc.  Others also recommend using fleece liners instead of buying disposable ones as they can be washed with the nappies (mess falls off it easily in to the toilet!) and it keeps the babies skin dry when they are wet.  You can make some by cutting up and old fleece or buying a short length of fleece material.

We have gone with bamboo nappies - yes nappies made of bamboo!  Bamboo is more sustainable than cotton as you get more harvests per year, it is naturally anti-bacterial and quick drying!   We bought Baboozles from Totsbots and they are great. They are available from the Totsbots website, Mothercare and a host of other places online (including via the Nappy Lady).  We wash them with Eco Balls (see Kitchen) and they come up great.

Baby Wipes
Do you really need them?  How about using some water with some Tea Tree Oil (natural antiseptic).  Rachel Strauss from House of Strauss uses 1 part distilled witch hazel with 3 parts sesame (dry skin) oil or grapeseed (normal skin) oil.  If you want to use baby wipes get some baby and environmentally friendly ones like the ones from Naty, available from places like Sainsbury's and Waitrose.

Teething
We have found that a natural aid to teething pain is a frozen wet flannel.  Babies love to suck it and it really soothes gum pain - don't worry, it doesn't stick to their lips!!

Baby Clothes/Toys
A few people have recommended getting baby clothes and toys from car boot sales as they you can get very good quality clothes for pennies.  So you can sell all your unwanted stuff whilst picking some stuff up for the baby!!   I think the theme less is more is good.  Go for fewer number but higher quality toys made of natural materials such as wood - they will last far longer.

What do you really need for a baby.....?
A lot less than you initially think or the catalogues tell you.  Some inspiring and thought provoking articles here:
A Chlld Needn't Cost The Earth
Toy Story