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JULY & AUGUST 2019 | 31you have a secondhand cot.- For baby’s clothing and bedding,
choose natural fabrics such as cotton,
linen or bamboo. They are more
comfortable. Also, try and avoid fleece,
as it’s bad for the environment. - Keep your baby’s cot free from soft
toys, pillows and bumpers, as these
all post a strangulation and suffocation
risk. Babies should sleep on their back
to lower the risk of sudden infant
death syndrome. - Invest in a mosquito net. Not only do
they look rather beautiful, they protect
your baby from nasty bites without the
need for strong creams or chemicals
being released into the air. - Speaking of air... Paint baby’s new
nursery long before the due date, so any
smells can be gone by the time your little
one comes home. Choose lead-free, non-
toxic paint. - Use energy-saving bulbs in the room
and LED night lights. - Invest in proper insulation in the
ceiling and over windows. Go for
beautiful, thick, quality curtains in
neutral colours that you can keep
forever. Proper curtains will keep the
temperature in the room more constant,
so you don’t have to spend money on air
conditioners and heaters that just dry
out the air anyway. - Decorate the nursery with a
beautiful air-purifying plant. English
ivy filters indoor pollutants, including
faecal particles!
SUPER SECONDHAND- There is nothing wrong with
secondhand baby goods. In fact, it is
good for the environment to buy less
stuff and to pass on your own used
goods when you don’t need them any
longer. Buy good quality, look after
what you have, and then sell them on
when it suits you. Be wary though of
secondhand car seats, as they might
have been compromised in a previous
accident. Also be aware of secondhand
breast pumps, as they might have been
exposed to germs.
WATER WISDOM- Consider the impact on the
environment of the baby-care products
you use and wash away on a daily basis.
It all ends up in the sea, remember?
So, choose gentle products that are not
tested on animals, and make sure the
containers can be returned, refilled or
recycled.
Keep safety in mind. Don’t be fooled
into believing that anything labelled
“natural” is safe for your baby.
For instance, olive oil is natural but
is not good for skin. Likewise, some
essential oils that are natural can harm
baby skin. Also be wary of products
not made in a laboratory where safety
conditions are controlled – you could be
exposing your baby to nasty bacteria. If
ingredients aren’t listed, steer clear.- Be sensible about bathtime. You
really don’t have to bath your baby
every day, especially if he doesn’t
like it. Topping and tailing is a great
alternative. - Bath together to save water and also
to bond. It can be great fun. Remember,
a little bit of bath product goes a long
way. When you share a bath, use baby’s
products, not yours. - Your baby’s skin is his first line
of defence against the exterior world.
Taking care of it well can really have
a positive impact on his health.
Remember that water dries skin out,
so add a drop or two of baby product
with a controlled pH to the water to
make it softer. Remember to moisturise
afterwards – use the opportunity to
massage your baby. They love it!
LESS IN THE LANDFILL- The benefits of breastfeeding to
mom and baby are well known, but
there is another good reason to choose
breastfeeding: it is green!
Just think, no bottles that need
washing and sterilising, and no
formula that needs to be manufactured,
packaged, bought and prepared.
Breastfeeding is absolutely free and has
zero impact on the environment. - Nappies present a conundrum.
Disposables are unarguably bad for
the environment, but so is doing huge
loads of washing if you are using cloth
nappies, as your use of water, detergent
and electricity will certainly go up.
Make careful calculations, and then see
what works with your lifestyle.
One sure way of decreasing the
Johnson’s cottontouch range has an
ultra-gentle formula for newborns. Wipes
(R19.95–R99.95), Oil (R54.95), Face
& Body Lotion (R69.95) and 2-in-1 Bath
& Wash (R69.95). At Baby City, Clicks,
Dis-Chem and most supermarkets.impact of all those nappies is potty
training as early as you can. Look
into it by googling “early elimination
communication” to find out how to start
and if it could work for you.
Here’s another yucky tip: apparently
throwing nappies away in an open
state (not rolled into a tight little ball)
helps them break down faster in the
environment. Keep in mind that
disposable nappies work very well to
absorb pee and poo, and you’re probably
changing them more often than you
really need to. Try and cut down on use
by making sure the nappy is really full
before you change it.CUT THE PLASTIC & PAPER- Choose toys made from natural
materials that have been responsibly
sourced. Not only are they better for
the environment than plastic, they are
also beautiful, and the variety in texture
and feel that they provide is good for
baby’s tactile development. Examples are
wooden rattles or soft toys made from
knitted cotton or wool. - Wrapping paper and cards are often
coated in chemicals that mean they can’t
be recycled. Start a trend in your group
of friends to rather wrap gifts in fabric
or newspaper, and to send e-cards, not
real cards. - When you send out baby’s birth
announcement or invitation to the
naming ceremony, ask for edible pot
plants instead of flowers. - Don’t print out so many
photographs anymore, and get the
grandparents on board with this by
making sure they know how to receive
pictures on their devices. YB