23 Feb Robyn’s Top Baby Product Picks

Kojo is now 3,5 months old and what a blessed whirlwind. As I had anticipated my experience of motherhood second time around is still a deeply transformative and totally magical messy experience. I feel completely out of control most times especially when I have just fooled myself into thinking that I am back in control. I’m deliriously happy the one moment and anxious the next. I do believe that our babies, for the most part whether number 1 or 3 demand us to courageously dig deeper, see more of ourselves and give more as a result. And what a gift they are too in helping us be more present and compassionate and to feel more. Oh my heart! I have never before felt this deeply that each moment I have with him, is the moment I have been waiting for. This is it. Now. To be as completely with him as am able to at that moment. To let go of expectation and to remember that often our most awesome moments in time are not necessarily the easiest 😉

But the responsibility and privilege to raise our starlights to live lightly, kindly and considerately on this gorgeous planet we call home is astounding. And I believe that whilst ethical and natural parenting is not a destination, but rather a journey that finds us all in different stages and commitment along the path, every little bit counts.

These have been my favourite finds in keeping both Kojo’s and my footprints as light and toxin-free as possible:

LETS TALK NAPPIES

I started putting Kojo in cloth diapers from about 6 weeks. I still have all my Mother Nature nappies from 6 years ago when my eldest wore them and they are all in good shape (hows that for quality!). Kojo is quite a long, relatively thinner baby though and so his legs are still not chubby enough for a secure fit with these so I have also invested in about 6 Fancy Pants nappies which are giving him a very snug fit with very few leaks while I wait for him to fit into the others. I have been so impressed by the Fancy Pants nappies and absolutely adore the choice of patterns! I have thought long and hard about whether cloth nappies truly are the ethical choice in our drought-stricken province and have come to the conclusion that for us, they are. We have very efficient grey water usage in our house and I believe that at the end of the day, whilst water resource is a major issue, so is the ever-increasing mass of pollution on the planet and that this is not only the kinder choice for him but certainly the planet. (If you have alternative views on this, please find me on Instagram – Robyn_on_earth and engage with me on my post about this topic – I’d love to discuss it and learn more.) I do on occasion use our biodegradable disposables from Bio Baby and these are of course the nappies I started Kojo in before switching over. Finally, I cannot shout this out loud enough -if you are keen on trying cloth nappies but are weary of the extra work please trust me when I say that once you have a system in place you will never look back. All you need is a bucket, some tea tree oil as a pre-soak and some natural bleach for when you add the really stained nappies to the washing machine, or using Mimu’s chemical free Baby Stain Remover.

Other essentials I love for babies bum are the Pure Beginnings wet wipes,  the  Yorba Baby Powder and the Enchantrix bum balm.

BATH & BED TIME

I want to keep the bio-system on Kojo’s skin functioning with as little interference as possible and thus we have still not used soap on him. He loves bath time and when he needs to actually be cleaned (which is not often) we use the Oh Lief Aqueous cream. I have also found that a little bit of this natural cream on a cloth works great at home instead of wet wipes. (When we do start using soap I am very keen to explore the Pure Beginnings probiotic baby range) I sometimes add an epsom salt, lavender and chamomile essential oil mix I have made to his bathwater too. I give Kojo a massage very night and use the Badger Balm massage oil which I love because the formula is so gentle. Of course all babies are different and I can’t say for sure if this has helped, but out little guy loves his nightly routine with these gorgeous and relaxing products and we have never had any tears.

Kojo, like most babies, is a gassy creature and I cannot recommend the Windi enough.

I keep the Simply Bee Antiseptic Balm close – it has cleared up any signs of infant acne and rashes instantly.

I believe that sunscreen, even natural sunscreen should be used sparingly on babies under six months but am so impressed with the gentle and effective formula that the Pure Beginnings sun milk is and keep this in my baby bag for one when he is getting exposed to the sun during the day.

Finally, I keep the Natura Rescue Tablets by my bed when I am struggling to fall asleep because I am so wired from his regular night nursing. (I have a monkey mind deluxe and it becomes a circus when I get over-tired.)

OUT & ABOUT

The Flora nursing cover works like a charm for breast-feeding on the go. And finally I cannot sing my praises of the Boody Bamboo Baby blankets, socks and clothes enough. Honestly they are so soft and of such noticeable superior quality. I get asked all the time about his blankets and I personally love putting him to sleep in the bamboo baby grows and vests. (The long sleeve baby grow is quite long and may not suit shorter, chubbier babies.)