Natural Nursery Blog

The Natural Nursery is delighted to be an authorised distributor of the Book of Green Eco-directory 2010 and we will pop a free copy in with every order received through our website this week.

Book of Green provides readers with hundreds of eco-friendly companies in this year’s paperback. From architects, body & skincare and cleaning products to homeware, organic baby products to reusable nappies, microgeneration and sustainable tourism as well as offers and articles.

The Natural Nursery is featured for the second year running (on page 45 if you would like to check when you get your free copy) and your book will come with a special discount code for you to use on your next order with us, or you can be kind and pass it on to a friend.

With the warmer (even hotter!) days, we are all thinking about the long weekend coming up and the summer holidays. Is your family ready? We can help you find everything you need for your children.

• Summer Hats for boys and girls,
• UV suits and sunscreen to protect their delicate skin from the sun,
• Swim nappies for the pool or the beach,
• And towels robes and rompers to keep them warm when they leave the water.

• Travel light and leave the buggy at home with the Ergo baby carrier.
• Keep the germs at bay with a hand sanitiser and some baby wipes.
• Entertain the kids in the car with the Let’s Go Travelling Book and CD.
• Easy picnics and snacks with some BPA-free bowls.
• Avoid loosing anything with a roomy beach bag.
• Help keep your baby cool in the car with a lambskin car seat cover.

As those of you who follow me on Facebook will know, I have been doing rather a lot a baking lately, mostly from the lovely River Cottage Bread book.

So far we have had:  English Muffins, ciabatta, foccacia, hot cross buns, doughnuts, oat cakes (2 types) and now I am on to sour dough.

I have never made sour dough bread before so am very impatient to see what happens to my starter – here it is after 3 days.

I love the idea of some starters having been passed down from generation to generation – imagine all the love, care history and nurturing that is represented by each of those small bowls!

Today’s highlighted bargain is 20% off our popular range of jute duffle bags.  They come in a great range of patterns and colours and are a fun and easy way to tote your day to day stuff around and still have room for those essentials you always seem to pick up on the way home.

Jute is wonderful as it grows very fast, uses less natural resources than cotton and is compostable.  These bags are made to strict fair trade standards and are built to last.

Buy now at The Natural Nursery or see our full range of reusable shopping bags.

Lacing Game Stocking Filler

This time, a lovely, long lasting stocking filler for under £1!

Thread Friends Lacing Game, 97p, suitable for age 4 years and up

Lacing games are a great way of developing fine motor skills and this one has the added fun of dressing and undressing a little creature. The aim of the game is to help the little wooden animal get dressed in their felt clothes and requires more concentration and dexterity than many other lacing games.

Once the animal has been dressed, they can be used as part of an imaginative play game.
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Sophie the Giraffe

You can read our full Christmas Shopping Guide on our site, but today’s suggestion is a lovely gift for a new baby:

Sophie the Giraffe - £12.99, suitable for use from birth

Sophie is a classic French baby teething toy that has been loved by generations of European babies.  She is made from 100% natural rubber and food grade paint.  She is soft and gentle to the touch, has a squeaker inside that makes a laughing sound when squeezed and she feels wonderful on teething gums.

A very loveable creature, she will become a firm friend and will be a long lasting and thoughtful Christmas present for a young baby.

Cooking with kids

When our children are little, it is often a good time to become more aware of the way we eat. The benefits of a healthy diet while pregnant or breastfeeding are well know. When baby is ready to try on solids, establishing good eating habits is essential.

Healthy eating isn’t about boring steamed vegetables, it’s about making good food fun and enjoyable. Part of our responsibilities as parents is to develop our children’s taste buds to make them adventurous foodies, ready to try new flavours and new textures, make them aware of seasonal and local produce.

Taking them to the local farmers market and chat with the stall holders is part of the fun. Never miss a chance to talk to them about where our food comes from, why we choose not to buy strawberries in winter or battery farmed chickens, how you’ll prepare the ingredients you’ve just bought.

Cooking by colour is sure to pick their interest. One day, it’s pink soup (beetroot). Once they’re cooked, let the kids peel the beetroot (don’t forget a child apron!), they’ll giggle at the sight of their pink fingers. Another day, try orange soup (pumpkin, sweet potatoes and orange has a delicate sweet flavour). Try smoothies too, orange (mango & orange) or for the more adventurous green (avocado, banana, lime, spinach and milk). Check your local markets or supermarkets for rarer varieties, green tomatoes, purple potatoes…

Growing your own fruit and vegetable is a fantastic way to get your children interested. Even if you don’t have a garden or an allotment, try a few pots in the kitchen with baby tomatoes, strawberries, basil. The window box gardens would be ideal. How much fun would it be to pick a few tomatoes packed with vitamins to pop in their lunch bags?

Let the children get involved in the kitchen, knead the dough, peel and cut vegetables, stir cake mixes, spread the topping on their pizza… Sure it’s going to get messy but seeing the pride on their faces at the results makes it all worth it. They also learn essential skills, gradually learning the dangers in the kitchens, knives are sharp, the oven is hot.

Then comes the time to clean up and every one can chip in. Kids will love getting their hands in the soapy water, preferably with as much bubble as possible.

How is it at your house? Do your kids enjoy cooking? Do you give them a chance to help?

Dreaming of Christmas

I used to rant against seeing all the Christmas things in the shop from early September. I didn’t see the point: Christmas was end of December, why wouldn’t I wait until the beginning of December to start shopping? Well, fast forward 5 years, 2 children and 2 jobs later… Now I see the point!

I start thinking about the winter holidays as kids go back to school. Not worrying about it, just thinking. I try to imagine what would please the people I love. Starting early means I have time to order it especially (or send it as we have so many relatives far away). Planning ahead means that I can take the sewing machine out for some handmade presents. I have time to trawl charity shops or antique stores to find that very special item which will make them happy. I also love giving ‘gifts of time’ like theatre tickets so I spend some time reading the programmes.

Starting my Christmas shopping earlier also means that I can take advantage of my favourite shops special offers, therefore giving much nicer presents that I would normally be able to afford. Whenever possible, I choose ethical gifts, organic products and eco friendly products. I prefer quality over quantity and will often choose gifts that will last well and be useful. No more last minute shopping for me where you end up spending way more than you planned because it’s so late and you have to find something. No more ill-chosen presents because we ran out of ideas and had to buy a present in a hurry. I often take the opportunity to buy presents for little friends’ birthdays at the same time to save on shipping costs.

So watch this space for more Christmas posts: baby’s first Christmas, No-junk stocking fillers and advent calendars, tips for an eco-friendly Christmas, unusual baby presents and recipes, ethical gifts for babies and grown up…

The Mother Magazine

I discovered The Mother magazine after my little girl was born and read it cover to cover without stopping. I was amazed by the thought-provoking views on pregnancy, birthing, breastfeeding, education, home-education, vaccination…

In a world where so many things make us doubt our skills as mothers and parents, where we are supposed to listen to so-called experts, supported by studies which often contradict each other, The Mother magazine brings a refreshing view: trust your instinct as a woman, as a mother, as a parent… Trust that we can follow our instinct to birth our children freely, to breastfeed them as long as they need it, that home education is a real option, that natural parenting and organic living aren’t just dreams …

Each editorial, article, story, recipe pushed me to challenge my preconceived ideas, to think things through for my children and my family. I don’t live by everything the Mother Magazine advocates. My children were born at home and breastfed until they gave up when they were ready, they were carried about in baby slings. Now they are in school, we aren’t vegetarians but what I love about The Mother magazine is being challenged to think more about our choices and to know that there are alternatives that I might want to explore at some point.

The Mother Magazine is in danger of closing, get your subscription now! If you are a business, consider advertising as well, their readers are loyal customers.

Although we are not exhibiting ourselves this year, we do highly recommend a trip to Bristol this coming week for the Organic Food Festival.  Part of the Soil Association’s Organic Fortnight, it is a great day out, with entertainment, cooking demos, lots of lovely food plus all sorts of other organic goodies such as textiles and toiletries.

From the Soil Association website:

The Organic Food Festival is Europe’s largest showcase of all things organic. Now in its ninth successful year, the Festival demonstrates the growth of the organic movement and the increased recognition of the role organic production can play in creating a sustainable future.

Whether you are in search of delicious organic food and drink, gorgeous skin care, fabulous fashion, organic textiles, home design, tips on organic gardening or you are looking for an entertaining family-friendly outing, this much loved festival is just what you are looking for.

The Organic Food Festival provides the chance to meet producers face to face, watch recession-busting cooking demonstrations, sample street food from Bristol’s top chefs and introduce your kids to special taste workshops designed just for them.

Bristol – 12-13 Sept 2009.