This is the list of items I need to get hold of asap:
- Cot - ideally one of these convertible ones that can last a few years
- A good mattress that my daughter could use for another 2-3 years at least.
- Changing Table
- Baby closet
The bed, and especially its mattress, is the one thing I really want to get right. After all, our babies sleep 15 to 20 hours a day - well, other babies do I guess. I read on a French childcare website that organic mattresses were becoming more and more in vogue for babies. This is great news but where can I find them in England?
I just discovered The Little Green Sheep which seems to have some affordable products for the everyday life. Their beds however are overpriced for my £250 budget. It's okay as I am confident I can find the sort of baby bed I'm after for that price in a big shop like Mother Care.
What really caught my eye on their website is the mattresses section.
Each cot and cot bed custom mattress contains four main materials; coconut fibre bound with natural latex, organic Welsh wool and organic cotton. Each material combines to provide your baby with a firm, supportive mattress. The coconut fibre ensures that the cot mattress retains its long-lasting support and firmness for up to 5 years.All mattresses are hand-made. Just send in your measurements and this Worcester-based company can deliver to your door within 10 working days. They even sell an organic travel cot mattress...
If you are looking for more organic products for the everyday life, have a look at the Becothing website. They started as a company with their now famous becohangers - which I would happily use in my baby closet if I hadn't already started polluting it with the ugly plastic hangers I got in France. For toddlers, they now sell eco-friendly potties and suggests that you recycle them as flower pots in your garden once your child is done with them. Clever ey?
For more eco-friendly baby products in the UK check out babipur for their beautiful wooden toys (free delivery in the UK throughout July), The Organic Baby Compagny, Green Baby where I found some organic sleeping bags for babies on sale (much cheaper than anywhere else), Spirit of Nature.
It is definitely worth looking for the organic alternative to pretty much anything we need these days. Prices for eco-friendly furniture are higher than what we can find in less sustainable shops. But smaller things are definitely getting more and more affordable.
Remember to always investigate the origin of the things you buy. It's not because it's organic that it's sustainable.
