Natural Nursery Blog

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.

We have just taken delivery of our first parcel of the new organic range from Taggies, and my are they lovely!

Made with the same care and attention to detail as the classic Taggies, these organic ones are so soft and yummy.

The organic Taggine Blankies are 30cm square and come in a range of 4 patterns, all in soft earth-tones and all featuring 20 tags around the side, made from organic cotton and pure silk.

They are beautifully packaged on a very eco-looking card, tied with a cream coloured ribbon and would make a wonderful new baby gift.

The new Taggies Rattles are first soft toys, again complete with tags for little fingers to investigate and explore.

Made from organic cotton and with organic cotton and silk tags, they are approx 12.5cm tall.  Available in pink and blue and in bunny, puppy or bear design.

Mitty James Organic Cotton Beach Romper

Now in stock at The Natural Nursery are the fantastic organic cotton beach robes from Mitty James.

New this year, the organic cotton robes and rompers have been made from soft, hardwearing organic cotton to strict fair trade standards.

The rompers feature nickel-free poppers to the crotch for easy dressing and undressing (and nappy changes) and fit from 3-6m to 2-3y.  The long hooded tops/beach robes fit from 18-24m to 6-7y.

Beach robes are a great way to get children dry on the beach and keep them warm if the wind picks up.  Simply pop on and let the sand castle building begin!

You can find us on Free Green Market. A green shopping network that allows you to search through hundreds of organic, eco friendly and fairtrade products from a range of retailers. You can also get advice and information on green travel, green baby, green home, and many other eco friendly topics.

Here are some answers to questions I get asked by pregnant friends on a regular basis – they are based on my experiences though, and may be glaringly obvious to some people, but they were not to me! Please feel free to add to this list of useful tips in the comments section.

Clothes
Come in sizes according to weight and don’t last very long at all in the beginning. You will need a slightly larger size if you use real nappies. Some babygros have integral gloves that fold back – very useful for babies that want to scratch their faces off. Things that fasten at the front are easier than things that go over heads. All socks are sacrificial; they don’t stay on feet for long so I prefer things with feet for colder weather.
Nappies
Cloth nappies rock and I like the smell of the Weleda nappy cream which is brilliant stuff. It is a good idea to research nappies, and there are some helpful tips on this blog.

www.naturalnurseryblog.co.uk/how-easy-are-cloth-nappies-to-use

www.naturalnurseryblog.co.uk/why-use-cloth-nappies

Toys
My child at 3 month liked noisy things, mirrors and things he could hold with his tiny fingers. Brightly coloured board books are good too.  If you buy anything musical remember that you will have to listen to it too.

Feeding
I used a pump to express milk and I pumped in the morning while feeding after the small had triggered off the let down reflex. Thinking milky thoughts of waterfalls made the milk come out faster! My son never took to a bottle but he would use a sippy cup. Pumping was just in case of emergencies. I boiled cups and the pump to sterilise them, it’s not a hassle and I don’t think the sterilising equipment is really necessary, though it may make life a bit easier. I have read that the sterilising solution can increase the risk of thrush.
Sleeping
I had a Moses basket for small but didn’t like it ‘cos I had to peer in to check his breathing. I bought a cot because it seemed to be the thing to do but in the end decided that I am a fan of co-sleeping. There are guidelines for safe co-sleeping that are well worth looking at. Grobags are brilliant and my small sleept much longer when I got one.

Bathing
I think a bath thermometer is vital, what’s warm to me is boiling for the small. We shared the bath and he loved it. You also need a soft sponge and ducks!

I hope some of these hints are useful, I found it daunting and confusing trying to work out what I needed and what was clutter and I hope my tips can help you.

2nd & 3rd of September, Bristol Harbourside.  £3.50 entry for adults, free for children.

With 150,000 visitors and over 200 exhibitors the 2005 Organic Food Festival became the fastest growing food event in the UK and one of the biggest celebrations of organic food held anywhere. The festival also includes the Demo Kitchen, Family Marquee, Health, Beauty & Textiles and a programme of Talks & Tastings. 2005 also saw the launch of the Fringe – a festival in it’s own right of food themed arts with contributions from the Vienna Vegetable Orchestra, Desperate Men and many more.

This year promises to be even bigger and better, with improved layout and stewarding to help minimise crowd congestion, more stalls and, of course, lots of freebies.

We are delighted to be a sponsor-in-kind for the event, so do look out for us if you make it down.

The Festival is the highlight of the Soil Association’s Organic Fortnight, so do look out for events near you too.

For more information and directions, see the Soil Association website.