Breast pads for eco mums

Well, after a lovely 11 months at home with my little chicken, I’ve now rejoined the workforce and I’m quickly learning how to juggle a baby, or really a toddler now, and paid work. A balancing act that has been made even more tricky due to the sudden onset of separation anxiety – mostly in my little one, but I think I am coming down with a touch of it as well…

Nonetheless, I am determined to continue littlegreenchicken and my exploration of sustainable baby raising, even if my posts are a little further apart – quality over quantity right?

Anyway, this post is all about breastfeeding, the most sustainable and eco friendly way to feed your baby. There are no bottles required, no teats, no plastic packaging, no detergents and no chemicals. But us humans have even found a way to diminish the sustainability of breastfeeding - by designing super handy and super environmentally unfriendly disposable breast pads – just throw them away!

But what’s the alternative I hear you ask? Ask your mum or your grandmother what they used and I bet they’ll tell you all about reusable breast pads, made of cloth which you just throw in the wash and reuse again and again and again. And yes, you can still find this ‘old fashioned’ alternative today.

Reusable breast pads are a combination of absorbent natural fibre fabric, teamed with a breathable waterproof fabric and sewn together. The look like soft round discs of fabric, you have a stash of them in your draw and then just throw them in the wash with your other underwear and dry them on the line or in the dryer. What could be easier? And not to mention cheaper than the boxes of disposable ones at about $8 or $9 per box?

I’ve used two brands of reusable breast pads and both were as good as each other. Pea Pods Bamboo Nursing Pads (3 pairs for $19.95) come in a natural flat bamboo, and the Little Lamb Washable Bamboo Breast Pads (5 pairs for $25) are lovely soft fluffy bamboo.

There are heaps of brands selling breast pads when you start looking and with a quick search of the internet you can even find really funky ones in colourful designs and patterns, check out places like Etsy.

While on the topic of breastfeeding I’d just like to mention a fantastic book – Breastfeeding…naturally, prepared by the Australian Breastfeeding Association (ABA) that provides valuable breastfeeding information, hints and tips for new and not so new mums. The Australian Breastfeeding Association website is also a great place to find information and support for breastfeeding mums and is well worth checking out. I also just noticed that the ABA sells its own cotton towelling and flannelette breast pads, a five pack for $12.

So that’s reuseable breast pads, an easy alternative to disposables and nice to have natural fibres against your skin. Just another way to help our environment with not a lot of extra effort!

Help save some very special eco babies

Something a little different today for littlegreenchicken, but close to my heart nonetheless. I’ve always loved animals and the thought that us humans are capable of causing the destruction of habitat and the death and even extinction of so many creatures breaks my heart. These eco babies, the orangutans of Indonesia, now need our help to survive and it’s lucky for them that Borneo Orangutan Survival are there to provide it.

Orangutan’s are disappearing. They are an endangered species and could become extinct in the wild within our lifetime. There are only about 50,000 left in the wild and up to 6,000 may be dying every year due to extensive destruction of the rainforests in Indonesia.

Can you imagine talking to your future grandchildren about how the orangutans used to live in the forests but now they don’t. How do you explain that they all died out because we destroyed their homes and that not enough people cared enough to do anything about saving them? A sobering thought, but the good news is that there are people out there who care about these beautiful animals and these wonderful people need your help to rescue, rehabilitate and protect them.

Borneo Orangutan Survival (BOS) Australia is the Australian arm of BOS, a volunteer organisation that has been raising funds for rescued orangutans since 2001.This organisation’s work helps to save the orangutan by rescuing and rehabilitating them, with the ultimate goal of releasing them back to areas of the forest where they will be safe from human development, poaching and farming.

BOS’s exceptional work is showcased by the fact that rehabilitated orangutans are right now being reintroduced into the wild. The released orangutans are monitored closely using tracking equipment so that the BOS team can keep a close eye on their progress and wellbeing. It also means that each orangutans individual progress can be reported on the Going back to the Forest blog.

You can help to save the orangutans by adopting one yourself, by donating, becoming a member or purchasing some funky gear from the BOSA shop. BOS is totally dependent on support from adoptions, sales of merchandise and donations to help save the orangutan and the rainforests and as a volunteer organisation, they ensure that a very high percentage of donor dollars go to where they are most needed – to the orangutans in Indonesia.

So check out the BOSA website and the blog to see for yourself what a great job this organisation is doing and I’m sure you’ll want to do your bit too to help the plight of these wonderful creatures.

That’s it from me for today and my next post will return to all things related to babies of the human variety!

Homemade baby rusks

Just a quick littlegreenchicken post today because I want to share this fabulous low effort sustainable baby raising idea with you. A friend put me onto these homemade baby rusks, quick and easy to make and even my fussy baby will chew on them – for today anyway!

To start with take 200g of organic wheat and grind to a fine flour with a late 18th century mortar and pestle, ensure you ONLY use the correct vintage mortar and pestle and individual flour grains are to be no larger than 300 micrometers as anything else will not give you the correct result… only kidding! No grinding of flour required and even non-cooks can manage this recipe!

Take a piece of thick wholemeal bread and cut it into whatever shape your baby prefers. My little chicken prefers circular food this week so I cut four circles out of a piece of bread with a biscuit cutter. Alternatively you can just cut the bread into four.

Place the bread pieces on a plate and microwave on high for 30 seconds, open the door and check that the bread isn’t too dried out or starting to burn (I burnt my first lot terribly because I used thin slices of bread… smoke everywhere), then microwave again on high for 30 seconds. Remove from the microwave and cool until they harden. Store them in an airtight container. Done!

Alternatively you can place the bread on a baking tray and cook in the oven at 150 degrees for about one hour.

For extra flavour you can spread the bread with a little Vegemite, or grated cheese, or both before microwaving. Or you can use raisin bread for a sweet version.

So now you can cut down on all the boxes and plastic wrapping that shop bought rusks come in and save yourself a few dollars in the process. Easy and the environment will thank you for it!

Biodegradeable disposable nappies

Welcome back to littlegreenchicken for 2012! I’ve had a great break and I’m back again to explore more sustainable baby raising ideas. This year I plan to go beyond modern cloth nappies to give you lots of tips and hints about how you can be kinder to the environment with only a little bit of extra effort. To begin with, this post contains the low down on biodegradable disposable nappies, but after that I plan to cover lots of other interesting things from growing veggies with your little ones, to making your own baby rusks, to environmentally conscious cleaning!

Did you know that regular disposable nappies can take around 500 years or more to breakdown in landfills? Now think about all the nappies you need for you baby from birth to potty – conservatively around 6000. Then think about all the babies in your street, your suburb, your city and your country who are all clothed in disposable nappies. Now that’s a huge pile of stinking nappies just sitting around doing nothing for hundreds and hundreds of years.

But the good news is that there are other options apart from the regular disposable. There are cloth nappies of course, which I’ve talked about in my 2011 posts. But if cloth nappies just aren’t for you, or if you’d find it more convenient to use a mix of both cloth and disposable nappies, then there is the biodegradable disposable option.

Biodegradable disposable nappies are just like disposable nappies, except for the fact that they can break down when you toss them out. The level of biodegradability differs between the brands, but all biodegradable nappies will break down to some degree. For example, some are 100% biodegradable, however others may contain some plastic components that won’t break down very quickly, or at all.

These nappies aren’t all that easy to come by, but their availability is improving and even some supermarkets now stock them. In addition, the price can vary from about the same price as regular disposables to quite a bit more expensive.

I’ve tried one brand of biodegradable disposable nappies on my baby – Little Takas, which were great and I’ve also found a couple of other brands that look promising. Below is a run down of some of the biodegradable disposable nappies on the market, but there are more around if you start looking.

Little Takas by Ecoquest

Before my baby was born I hunted high and low for biodegradable disposable nappies. The local supermarket did stock an imported brand, but they never had the newborn size. I eventually came across Australian made Little Takas and then sent my husband on a wild goose chase to purchase them. They weren’t easy to find as many of the stockists listed on the Ecoquest web page didn’t actually stock them, but we did eventually find somewhere to buy them. These nappies proved even more difficult for my sister to find in the country, but if you are organised you can purchase them online from Total Nappy Supplies starting at $19.95 for a pack of 36 newborn nappies (which works out at $0.55c each).

I used Little Takas from the time we took our newborn home from the hospital until we got the swing of modern cloth nappies, around two months. I found that they worked just as well as the Huggies disposables we used in the hospital and I felt better about using them as they are 90% biodegradable – they have been independently scientifically tested in accordance with the relevant Australian Standards. Price wise, they are comparable to the cost of regular disposables, so well worth hunting these down.

Ecoquest also have biodegradable disposable baby wipes in their range. Again, these are just as good as the regular wipes I’ve tried, but more environmentally responsible.

The ecoquest website states that Little Takas products are available at Toys R Us, Franklins and IGA. I’m not sure if more of these outlets stock them now as I haven’t tried to purchase any for a while, but it may be worth picking up the phone before you make a special trip with the intention to buy.

Eenee compostables 100% biodegradable

These Australian Made nappies are made from renewable plant based materials. They have been designed to be acceptable for commercial composting which means that they will break down to absolutely nothing under the right conditions.

Most other biodegradable disposable nappies use some non-biodegradable plastic components for fasteners, but Eenee’s have got around this by designing a washable and reusable gripper belt to fasten the nappy to your baby. The gripper belt snugly fastens the nappy to your baby with Velcro for a custom fit.

Compost Australia has endorsed these nappies as the first and only compostable disposable nappy acceptable for commercial composting. Commercial composting occurs at high temperatures which quickly breaks down materials while killing off any pathogens and bacteria. There are several commercial composting facilities around the state and Modern Nappy Distribution in Melbourne provides a service that home delivers Eenee compostables and regularly picks up waste for commercial composting. I haven’t heard of such a service in Sydney or any other major cities though.

Eenee compostables nappies that are wet only (not soiled) can be composted at home – soiled nappies shouldn’t be home composted for hygienic reasons. If you plan to compost wet nappies at home you should be aware that the waterproof biofilm layer of the nappy can take up to 6 months to biodegrade in a cold home compost environment, so have patience.

Eenee compostables come in small, medium and large sizes and prices start at $67 for a pack of 100 small compostables (that’s about $0.67c each) on the Eenee online store. Gripper belts are $7.95 each and you can also purchase a trial pack of four nappies and a gripper belt for $10.

We haven’t tried these nappies but if you have I’d be interested to know what you think of them.

Nature Babycare nappies by Naty

Nature Babycare nappies are made by the Swedish brand Naty. They are 70% biodegradable and made from all natural materials, they are 100% chlorine free, based on biodegradable materials with a biodegradable back sheet and are 100% GM free.

I know these nappies are available from Coles (frustratingly they didn’t stock the newborn size when I needed them but I have noticed that they have since corrected this problem) and also from some of the other major supermarkets. Coles has a pack of 26 newborn nappies for $10.99 (that’s about $0.42c each). They are also available from some online stores.

Again, we haven’t tried these nappies because I couldn’t find them when my chicken was a newborn, but if you have, let me know what you think.

So that’s just a few of the biodegradable disposable nappies around. Environmentally they are a better option than regular disposable nappies as they can break down and the materials are often natural and renewable. I’d be interested to hear if you have tried any of these or any other biodegradable disposables.

Just a last word on disposable nappies – if you want to be super conscientious when disposing nappies to a landfill you should always use a nappy liner. This means that you can easily flush any poo down the toilet where it belongs, and not send human waste to landfills.

That’s it from me, I can hear my little chicken calling – only a bit more crawling practice til she’s fully mobile, it won’t be long now!

Have a wonderful Christmas and New Year!

I’d just like to wish all of you big and little green chickens out there a very happy Christmas and a wonderful New Year, full of love and joy with the special people in your lives. I hope you have a wonderful break and that you are able to take some time out to just enjoy your little ones at this very exciting time of the year.

Thanks for joining me this year in my exploration of sustainable baby raising and especially all things cloth nappies. I plan to be back again next year with a raft of sustainable baby raising ideas and tips and hope that you’ll stick around to join me. In the meantime though, make sure you keep thinking and acting sustainably – your kids and grandkids will thank you for it!

My nappy stash – liners and wipes

Now that I’ve covered off on most types of modern cloth nappies, and given you a taste of the species we’ve tried and tested, it’s time to move on to another staple of cloth nappy-ing: nappy liners. This littlegreenchicken post will give you the low down on biodegradable flushable liners and I’ll also tell you a bit about reusable wipes.

Biodegradable flushable liners

An essential in my book, liners make it that little bit easier when challenged with the task of cleaning up poo. Liners are usually a rectangular piece of a soft fabric that you place on top of the nappy, between the nappy and baby’s skin. Their main purpose is to catch poo so that after a nappy change you can just pick up the liner (carefully), drop it in the toilet bowl and flush away.

Liners can also be used with disposable nappies, so that you can flush away any poo before you throw the nappy out. This means that poo ends up where poo should be – in the sewer, and not in our landfills. There is also the added advantage of less stink piling up in your bin while waiting for rubbish collection day.

Most liners available are biodegradable and flushable, but best to check the label as some are not designed to be flushed. This is particularly important if you have a septic system as some liners are flushable but are not recommended for flushing with septic systems. If this is the case, and the liner is biodegradable, you can often compost the liners - just dig a hole out the back and bury them, not near the veggie patch though!

I’ve used liners right from the beginning of my cloth nappy experience and I wouldn’t do without them now. They were handy during the newborn liquid poo phase as the liner caught some of the poo, which made it easier to dry pail the nappies with less gooey mess. However, liners have really come into their own now that my little chicken’s poo has become more solid. If positioned properly, the liner pretty much catches all the poo, which goes straight down the toilet. There’s not much of a mess on the nappy and I can bleach out any poo stain left on the nappy with the suns rays.

Liners usually come on a roll and you just tear one off as you need it. A great thing my sister alerted me to is that you can actually wash some liners. This is great as most nappy changes don’t involve a poo so the liner hasn’t had to do its job. So when there’s no poo involved, I pop the liners into the nappy pail and wash them along with the nappies. They start to look a bit ratty after a few washes and this usually means that it’s time to retire them, but you can always pop them in a delicates bag if you want to squeeze a few more wears out of them.

There are heaps of different brands of liners available out there and you can usually find them wherever you can buy cloth nappies. To give you a head start here’s a rundown on a couple of the brands I’ve tried.

Nature’s Child Bioliners

These liners are great. They are compostable and flushable (but not for septic systems), they are nice and soft and they wash really well and are durable enough to last multiple washes. They come in a roll of 200, are made from PLA, a biopolymer from cornstarch and they come in one size that you can cut in half for newborns. The rectangles are a generous size that you can tuck in to cover the entire area you need to. They are available from the Nature’s Child online store for $19.95.

Bummis Bio-Soft Liners

These liners are lovely and soft and are very gentle against baby’s skin. They are made of a non woven material with no binder and they break down very quickly. They are even suitable for septic systems! They biodegrade within 8 days in a sewage treatment system or within 20 days in a septic tank. They are 100% viscose rayon, a cellulosic fibre derived from natural sources and they come in two sizes, small and large. These liners don’t wash quite as well as some other liners though, as they are a bit more delicate and won’t last nearly as many washes. I ordered mine from Fluff Envy in the States at the bargain price of $6.99, but you can get them in Australia from Cloth My Bot from $10.95.

GroVia BioLiners

A good friend has tried the GroVia BioLiners and found them to be quite good. They are nice and soft and they allow moisture to soak through well. They are made from Ingeo fibres, a renewable fibre that is free of harsh synthetic chemicals and preservatives. I’m not sure how they wash, as she hasn’t tried to wash them yet, but she ordered them from Nappy Bucket and a roll of 200 cost $19.00.

Reusable wipes

Reusable wipes are like small super soft face-washers that you wet with water and use at nappy changes instead of using packaged disposable wipes. They are usually made from the softest of fabrics, with bamboo being very popular.

The advantage of reusable wipes is that you don’t go through the mountain of disposable wipes that you may otherwise use, so they save you money. They are also gentler on your baby’s sensitive skin, as disposable wipes can be harsh and with constant use they can strip your baby’s skin of natural oils.

The best way to use reusable wipes is to have a stack of them under the change table next to a bottle of water – I use a pop top water bottle but you can also use a spray bottle. Before you start the nappy change, just wet a few wipes so they’re ready to go and use them as you would normally use a disposable wipe. Then just throw them into the nappy pail and wash them with your nappies. Done!

I found these really handy during the newborn liquid poo phase as there were frequent dirty nappy changes and the soft bamboo wipes, soaked in water, were really gentle on my little ones skin. I still use them now with the more solid poo, but try to wipe off most of the poo with the liner inside the nappy, before using the wipe. Any stains on the wipes come out really well when drenched in uv sunlight.

I initially purchased a stack of five bamboo reusable wipes from Pea Pods for $9.95, which are great. I then managed to get my hands on some beautiful soft single sided French Terry bamboo fabric and made a stack more of my own by sewing two pieces of the Terry together. These ended up being super cheap and are my preferred wipes as they are just so soft. I found the fabric online at The Bamboo Fabric Store.

Ok, that’s it from me for another week. Stay tuned though as there’s more to come and try to stay sane during this crazy time before Christmas!

Lessons from Indy – pets and parenting

I remember when we first picked up our 8 week old puppy, I remember how cute and rolly poly he was, I remember his velvet brown coat, his playfulness and his little licks on the back of my hand. I also distinctly remember the moment when my husband and I looked at each other with the realisation that we were now solely responsible for caring for and nurturing another life. In that moment we were filled with apprehension tinged with fear and uncertainty about how we were going to manage.

But we did manage. Against all odds we raised a big, beautiful Labrador, Indy, who was determined to squeeze every little ounce out of life and then some! Over the years, unbeknownst to us, our big dog was unwittingly ‘training’ us for our future role as parents. I truly believe that having the responsibility for a puppy has put us in prime position for the next challenge we face, that of being parents.

We’re one of those couples who put off having kids until our mid-thirties. Our reasons for doing this were mixed – travel aspirations and setting ourselves up financially and career wise were biggies. One school of thought with this approach is that mid-to-late-thirties first time parents have a particularly hard time of parenthood because they have been able to do as they please for so long without much responsibility, and because of this, parenthood puts a huge strain on the relationship. This may be true for some, but I believe it’s a different story for all those dedicated pet owners out there.

Pre-baby, committed pet owners are already caring for an additional family member. Together they are caring for another life and figuring out how to share that responsibility. The responsibilities of owning a pet, a dog in particular, takes a lot of the selfishness out of everyday life, especially when both are working full-time. My husband summed it up really nicely the other day, he said that sharing your life with a dog means that you already have experience in caring for something precious to you, so when a baby comes along you find you have a head start in understanding what it means to care for that precious life too.

From our own experience with Indy I’m convinced that having a dog has helped us to　prepare for parenthood. Now, I’m not comparing raising a dog to raising a baby  (you can’t leave the baby in the backyard when you go to work for a start!) but I am convinced that having a dog is a great way for a couple to ease themselves into the future realm of parenthood.

The experience of raising a puppy has taught us many lessons that strongly correlate with parenting. Sure we’d both had family pets as we were growing up, but this was the first time that we alone had responsibility for another life. Indy has taught us more than I ever imagined was possible. Commitment, patience, and the importance of training and teaching to start with. He taught us about unconditional love. The importance of selflessness. We learnt how to deal with the ups and downs of life, how to make the big decisions together and how to support each other when times were tough.

Sadly, Indy was dealt a raw deal in life. At six months old he underwent major hip surgery due to bad hip dysplasia then at fifteen months old a congenital liver problem meant that yet again major surgery was his only option for survival. In both instances my husband and I agonised over the decision to subject our puppy to major surgery, but in both cases we made the right decision and it paid off because with tenacity and an incredibly strong will to live, Indy pulled through.

These weren’t easy decisions to make – to ask your bouncing puppy to go through the trauma of major surgery and the pain of recovery isn’t an easy thing to do. And to be honest, a lot of people might have just cut their losses and made the ultimate decision to put him to sleep. Looking back now though, the decision making process (weighing up the pros and cons and the impact that they may have had on Indy) made us really pull together. It made us stronger as a couple and prepared us, in a way, for future difficulties, like when our nine week old baby was admitted to hospital with suspected meningitis for instance. Knowing that we’d previously got through some tough and worrying times together helped us to know that we could get through more tough times by supporting and leaning on each other.

Thankfully not every pet owner has to make decisions like the ones we had to make for Indy. Having a dog in your life though means that you are constantly making decisions as a couple regarding his wellbeing. It wasn’t just the difficult times with Indy that gave us a head start in parenting, it was also all the ordinary every day things, like making sure all his needs were met – food, water, exercise and psychological stimulation. The responsibility of having another life to worry about besides your own or your partners requires a mind shift to thinking for three. This is something that all responsible dog owners experience.

Fast forward a number of years and we added a little human baby to the mix. And do you know what? The adjustment to baby number one wasn’t as hard as everybody said it would be. When I announced my pregnancy so many people doomed and gloomed about how our life was over, how hard it would be and what a struggle parenthood was. Whilst being a parent has been challenging, it’s also been an exceptional experience filled with joy and we’re enjoying every moment of it, for us the next chapter of our lives has just begun.

When our baby came along we were ready to be parents and we have Indy to partially thank for this. There was no major shock associated with bringing our newborn home,　I believe because our mindset had already made the shift from couple thinking, to always having to consider another factor – our boy Indy. We just had to extend it another step further to now include a baby!

I’m not saying that because we had a dog, bringing home a baby was a breeze. A new baby brings with it so many challenges and so many new things to learn and I don’t think it’s ever easy. But for a long time pre-baby we already had to consider someone other than ourselves as part of our everyday life. We didn’t have the shock of two suddenly becoming three, as we were already three, becoming four! And we didn’t have the added pressure of suddenly having to figure out how to work together to share the responsibility of the new life in our household.

Now I know that pet ownership isn’t for everyone, and I’m not advocating that it should be, however the advantages of having a pet before parenthood are substantial and it’s also a wonderful experience for a child to grow up with a pet. A dog has so much unconditional love to give. It’s almost impossible to remain in a bad mood or stressed when your big Labrador comes bounding up to you to give you a slobbery lick on the face.

Pets are instant stress relievers, and this can only be a good thing in a family household – calm and stress free environments are paramount for healthy brain development in babies and children. It’s also great to have a pet around to demonstrate responsibility to kids – feeding, walking and grooming are all non-negotiable activities that need to be done. There is also the companionship aspect of having a dog with kids, and the added incentive to get kids out of the house into the back yard or to the local park to pay with your dog.

The only drawback to having a dog as a companion is the fact that you will most probably out live him and this will be incredibly sad if your relationship is anything like what we had with Indy. We had to say goodbye to our beloved boy last week as his liver just couldn’t cope anymore following a rapid decline in his health. We were both with him as he slipped away in the early hours of the morning and we wouldn’t have had it any other way. Indy was an exceptionally special dog who bought so much joy into our lives and into the lives of everyone he met. We will never forget our big dog and we are forever thankful for how much he taught us over the years.

It was hard for us to say goodbye to Indy and the sadness will stay with us for a long　time, but looking back I can say that we succeeded to an exceptional level with caring for and nurturing Indy’s special life. The fact that we got him through all the hurdles he was up against, as well as all the normal parts of his life, gives us great confidence that together we can tackle just about anything, raising children included.

*Photo of Indy by J van Lint 2009