Cloth Nappies Make Me Smile

God, it feels good to be back using cloth nappies.

When Lara moved out of reusables into disposable nappies at about 18-20 months old (due to the fact they just weren't up to the job any more), I felt a pang of disappointment. I also felt the effect on my purse strings. Disposable nappies cost a lot of money (I was going to say "cost the earth" but then I realised that was a given!). Don't get me wrong, I really do appreciate the convenience of disposable nappies when I'm out and about or travelling. I use them for exactly that - a convenience - in the same way that I use ready-made foods or takeaways. However, you can't beat the warm glowy feeling of changing a cloth reusable nappy.

There was an element of nostalgia when we lifted the old first-size Bambino Mio pre-fold nappies out of the loft for Holly's arrival. We moved Holly into disposables at about 2 weeks old once her cord stump had dried out and was clean and tidy so that it wouldn't get in the way of the top of the nappies. The first thing we noticed was that Holly is a lot smaller than Lara was at the same age so we were able to use the newborn size nappy wrap that we had got for Lara but never used. We have also tried out our one-piece nappies on Holly which we only started using with Lara later on in her nappy journey - they look very cute when they are all buttoned down to their smallest size!

As a second-time mum, I think the pleasure of using reusable nappies is even greater than before. Each time I change a nappy I can't help but gloat at how much money it is saving me. My outgoings on nappies for Holly this time were more or less zero. Yes, I still have to pay for water and electricity to put on a nappy wash every 3 days and yes, I have had to buy more nappy sanitiser and (when Holly gets bigger, liners) but other than that, everything is paid for already from our initial outlay for our first child.

Most local councils in the UK offer a financial incentive to parents who choose to use cloth nappies due to the reduction in landfill costs to themselves if their residents reduce waste levels. Unfortunately, most councils also require you to show recent receipts for the cost of your nappies and nappy equipment. Somehow it feels a bit wrong that a second (or more) time mum can't also claim the incentive for subsequent children. It would have been very easy for me to acknowledge the convenience of disposable nappies and revert to them full-time for Holly but instead I have stuck with it and not only am I eliminating a whole load of landfill due to not using disposables... I'm doubly saving them landfill space by reusing all my equipment from last time. Perhaps I should get twice the reward?

Anyway, I devised a plan that would mean I could benefit from the cloth nappy incentive this time too. I calculated approximately how many Mio Liners and how many tubs of Mio Fresh nappy sanitiser I had used for Lara right through to potty training and then bought the entire 3 years supply of these in bulk all at once. The council have acknowledged my outgoings and sent me a cheque for my incentive of £30 which is approximately what I spent. This means that the only cost ahead of me for using cloth nappies is energy and water bills.

Anyway, enough about money. The best thing about cloth nappies is seeing them dangling from the washing line, naturally bleaching in the sunshine, all clean and fresh, knowing that Holly's bot is being looked after!

Big Green Smile - Pure Beginnings Baby Cosmetics Review

I LOVE a good set of baby cosmetics! And, as you have probably gathered by now, I'm a huge fan of organic and natural cosmetics in the first instance, especially for young skin. Eco shopping website Big Green Smile is just my kind of website and they asked Holly (and me) to review one of their new ranges of baby skincare products - Pure Beginnings.

Pure Beginnings is a family business from South Africa who make organic and natural cosmetics for babies. Pure Beginnings specialise combine herbal botanical ingredients with plant ingredients, many of which are unique to Africa. They also pride themselves on the fact that they contribute to the welfare of South Africa's rural communities and protect its biodiversity.

Our favourite product from the range was the Pure Beginnings Baby Bum Cream which has a self-explanatory name! We don't use a lot of nappy cream (no need if you have good cloth nappies!) but in the warm weather the nappies have become a bit clammy and Holly has needed a barrier cream applied. The cream is a really nice buttery texture - not too runny, not too thick and, when I apply it, it makes a visible barrier on the skin.

The Pure Beginnings baby bum cream contains baobab extract which improves skin elasticity and is packed full of anti-oxidants. It also contains olive, lavender and tea tree oil which make the cream naturally anti-fungal, anti-bacterial and anti-viral; It can also be used to soothe insect bites and stings as baobab has anti-inflammatory properties. The scent of the cream is really floral - to me it is the organic geranium oil that is most distinctive in its scent.

On Lara I have tried out the Pure Beginnings Baby Lotion to soothe her dry skin on her arms and legs. It smells divine, the same rose hint. Baobab is also a key ingredient in the baby lotion along with moisturising shea butter. It is lovely to apply and having also used it on myself, I can vouch for the fact that it is both refreshing and soothing.

Also in the range is a two-in-one baby bath and shampoo. I haven't yet used anything other than water on Holly's skin in the bath (a lesson I learned from last time was not to introduce cleansers to the skin too early in life) but for Lara, the shampoo seems to be a success. Once again, I've fallen in love with this product for its scent - the organic rose geranium oil is such a summery smell and leaves Lara smelling scrumptious! Baobab and rosemary are also key ingredients in this body wash and shampoo. It seems like a good all-round baby product and I look forward to using it on Holly in the coming months.

Big Green Smile also sell the toothpaste and bubble bath from the Pure Beginnings range for slightly older children than Holly.

How I Save £2,228 a Year Being Green!

Last week I took the Tesco Greener Living quiz and found that, according to Tesco, I save my family £2,228 a year by making small changes to my lifestyle that help both the environment, and our finances.

The survey asked me a series of questions about my household activities such as the temperature at which I run my thermostat, whether I have a Hippo water saving device in my toilet cisterns, and whether I've insulated my home.

I don't feel extraordinary, but I managed to give positive answers to all but three of the questions which accounts for my massive 'savings'.

Image: Francesco Marino / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Yes, I KNOW I use the tumble drier too often and I KNOW it is just about the most expensive electrical item to run in my entire house but as a working mum, in the winter, I find it indispensable. I have however, invested in a small collapsible clothes airer that I can put up in my (bliming freezing) garage and I also have an electricity monitor attached to my meter so I am painfully aware of the cost to me of using the goddam tumble drier. Apparently, if I reduced my reliance on it, I could save another £58 a year.

I DIDN'T know that there existed such a thing as a shower water regulator – I shall investigate! Thank-you Tesco.

And I DID know about Solar energy but I haven't yet found a supplier who acknowledges that as a working family, we really don't want to buy back energy during the weekdays because our energy consumption is nil during these times – if it costs me the same as normal to use power during the evenings and weekends, I'm not interested.

So, with my £2,228 worth of savings, what am I going to splash out on? Ummm.... nothing! I don't feel like I'm saving anything. To me, this is real, every day life. I'm not about to buy us an overseas holiday (that WOULD counteract all of my green efforts, wouldn't it) and I'm not going to buy us a day out or any goodies. I'm going to just keep on doing what I'm doing. Saving water, reducing energy usage, re-using where possible. Small, simple steps that make a real difference.

There were one or two questions I felt were missing in the Tesco Greener Living Survey such as questions about metering of utilities, water usage/re-use and general product re-use but I guess that these aren't in the interests of Tesco because they can't sell me anything to solve the problems. Despite this, I feel the survey is worthwhile, and thought-provoking.

Now, I'm not going to get into a discussion/fight about Tesco and their attempts to reduce their enormous impact on the nation/globe because I'll probably shout at someone... but if you do fancy reading about their attempts to reduce packaging (weight) then you can do so here.

I'd be interested to know what your scores are! Are you a green dreamer? or an eco-saint? how much cash could you be saving?