Author Archive for erica hughes

Erica writes …

My son has a birthday coming up in a few months so I’ve started to look at organising a party.  It was great to come across these ethical party bags which are either environmentally friendly or fairtrade for both bag and contents.

I like this jungle juice bag for younger ones.  It’s unisex which is useful and is very brightly coloured.  The bag itself is made from recycled drink cartons by a cooperative in the Philippines.  It contains a handmade fairtrade animal whizzer, a fairtrade chocolate wafer and a wordsearch.  Available from Ethical Party Bags for £4.85 each.

For older boys there’s this fun space party bag.  It comes with a great reusable blue drawstring bag made of jute and a name label.  It comes with a fairly traded rocket or UFO magnet, recycled pen, wordsearch and fairtrade chocolate wafer.  Available from Ethical Party Bags for £3.50 each.

For the girls there’s this flower party themed bag.  It comes with a great reusable pink drawstring bag made of jute and a name label.  It contains a pretty flower magnet which is fairly traded, a notebook made from recycled materials and fairtrade chocolate wafer.  Available from Ethical Party Bags for £3.50 each.

Erica writes …

I’ve been looking at ways to become a bit greener for the new year and hopefully save myself some money too.

For me energy saving lightbulbs have been a no brainer way of being green - who doesn’t want to save money on electricity and have to change bulbs less often?  But, as I have a couple of rooms with dimmer switches, I haven’t been able to change over all my lights, so I was very interested to see these dimmable light bulbs.  They will dim from 100% to 2% brightness and have a life of 16,0000 hours.  Whilst they are quite expensive, they should save you £100 in energy over their life.  Available from Nigel’s Eco Store for £13.69.

I’ve also been using eco balls for my washing for some years. These are very simple to use - you just throw them in on top of your wash.  They can save you a fortune in detergent and are great for the environment.  Our first set lasted nearly 2 years (but we were childless then) and our second set doesn’t look as if it will last quite as long (strangely I seem to be washing more often now I have a child).  The balls can also save you money on your energy bills if your washing machine allows you to use a reduced lenght of rinse cycle.  To help them clean the balls contain mineral salts that produce ionised oxygen.  At the moment they are available from Nigel’s Eco Store for £29.99 (or £27.99 if you buy more than 1 set) rather than the usual £34.99.

Avoiding using new carrier bags when I’m shopping is one way I’ve tried to be green especially over the last year or so.  I have quite a few reusable shopping bags, but never seem to have enough for my monthly shop and they can be bulky to carry around.  That’s why I like these eco friendly shopping bags which are durable, lightweight and waterproof plus they look great and there are lots of designs to choose from.  They roll up small so you can pop one into your handbag, one into the glove compartment and you could keep on in your child’s buggy too.  Available from Nigel’s Eco Store for £5.99.

Erica writes …

I like to give my little boy good quality ethical toys where I can, rather than ubiquitous bits of plastic.  Little Green Earthlets have some beautiful well made toys which have been ethically produced. All their toys are either made in the UK, are European made or are fairly traded. Their wooden toys are primarily made of Organic Rubberwood which is past its productive life. Plus, the colours in their rubberwood toys are all natural, water based dyes.

My little boy loves the Noah’s Ark story and singing the song: we have 2 books, an ark and a jigsaw!  This ark would make a lovely introduction to the story and its a fun way to teach your child about animals. A pull along toy and a shape sorter that is suitable from 6 months, so it is useful that the animals are washable.  The animals all have different noises or textures.  The animals can be used as finger puppets and it is possible to attach the toy to the cot to allow for early morning play(hopefully without waking mum and dad).  Having so many different ways of playing with the same toy should mean that it’s a favorite for many many months.  Also, because it is such an attractive looking toy, it’s one that you will be happy to have on display in your home.  Available from Little Green Earthlets for £18.11.

Another favourite of mine is this cooking utensils set made from recycled rubberwood and metal.  My little boy is always wanting to play with my pots and pans in the kitchen and inevitably always wants to play with the ones I want to cook with.  This is a very realistic set  and is made to a high standard so it should last and last.  It would make a lovely addition to a kitchen centre or could be used on its own.  Available from Little Green Earthlets for £12.67.

Another way to play at pretending to be mummy or daddy is with this lovely garden tools set.  Your child can play with these realistic tools while you get on with your work in the garden or on the allotment.  The tools are good enough to be used to provide real help when your child is old enough or to tend their own little garden or plot.  Available from Little Green Earthlets for £5.82 and there is also a matching watering can which can be purchased separately.

Erica writes …

Since having my baby boy my hands have been very dry and sometimes rough, so I have become much keener on buying good handcream than before.   Trilogy Rose hand cream targets a range of hand problems including my dry rough hands, but also ageing skin, damaged cuticles and brittle nails.

It contains a range of botanical including marshmallow and calendula to soften and smooth dry skin plus horsetail to help deal with problem nails.  It contains a base of evening primose, rosehip, jojoba and almond oils with rose oil to provide the scent.

Available from Love Lula for £14.65.

Erica writes …

I love this outfit from Bamboo Baby’s Chocolate collection.  Chocolate brown is one of my favourite colours and I have loads of this colour in my wardrobe and so does my little boy.  I think this would be a great outfit for a party over the winter, but it could also be worn on a day to day basis.

The tank top is knitted from a yarn made from 70% bamboo and 30% cotton.  It comes in a wide range of sizes: birth up to 5 years old. Available from Bamboo Baby for £32.

A perfect match are these neutral combat jeans made from 100% bamboo denim.   These are avaliable in sizes up to 2 years.   Available from Bamboo Baby for £25.

Bamboo is a very sustainable crop and the bamboo used here is organically grown so you don’t need to feel guilty about splashing out on these lovely clothes.

Erica writes…

The Maclaren Beginning Travel Bag’s name sounds like it should be something very practical to use with your buggy, but I was delighted to find out that it’s a very special pampering pack. I was sent one to review and I was very interested to try out this new product range from a trusted baby brand.

Why would you want to buy this product? Packaged in a natural coloured wipe clean bag with five bottle loops to hold your products and an internal zipped pocket, it would make a lovely gift for an expectant mother or simply be a great way to treat yourself while pregnant and have some beautiful natural baby toiletries to use after the birth.

There are 6 products in the travel bag - three for mum and three for baby. They are 100ml Connecting Massage Oil for Mother; 100ml Alleviating Leg Lotion for Mother; 100ml Balancing Facial Mist for Mother; 100g Absorbing Dusting Powder for Baby; 100ml Comforting Room Mist for Baby; and 100g Protecting Nappy Change Balm for Baby.

What are the products like to use?

After a long and tiring day, I tested the mum to be products and found them very soothing and relaxing. I particularly liked the Connecting Massage Oil and Balancing Facial Mist. The massage oil was warming, relaxing and moisturising, without being too oily or sticky. A spray of facial mist left me feeling relaxed and refreshed, but it wasn’t too bracing and you could use before sleeping. The Alleviating Leg Lotion soothed and moisturised my legs, but didn’t seem to have a huge impact on the aching of my limbs. All the products have a lovely aroma and are very easy and pleasant to use.

I tested the baby products on my little boy. The Comforting Room Mist was lovely to use. It filled the room with a pleasant, homely and comforting scent which seemed to help calm my son in the run up to bedtime or naptime. Maclaren suggest using it when travelling to help your child adjust to unfamiliar surroundings and I think this could be helpful. I’ve never used any sort of powder on my son before, but the Absorbing Dusting Powder has converted me. It’s a really quick and easy way of getting all those crevices dry and it leaves his skin silky smooth. I also like the Protecting Nappy Change Balm which I used successfully on mild nappy rash and a facial dribble rash.

All the products are made from natural ingredients and use organic essential oils. Also, they have been dermatologically tested on sensitive skin.

Any negatives? The carrying case that the products come in, is a slight letdown from the outside as it is fairly dull to look at. Inside it has very clean lines which have a calming, but pleasant look and the bottles and tubes have very simple and elegant styling.

Available to buy from Maclaren for £34.26 here.

Erica writes …

I’m a sucker for reversible items - 2 outfits for the price of one can’t be bad, can it?

So I love this reversible hat on from Organics for Kids. On one side you have stripes and on the other spots and it’s available in 4 different colours. There are two sizes which will take your baby up to a year old. Organics for Kids make a number of matching items too. It’s made from organic cotton and is ethically produced.  Price is £8.20.

9J Reversible Trousers

These are a lovely pair of smart trousers which are coffee coloured cords on one side and a stone colour on the reverse.  They have a cute lion motif for design.  Available in size 2-3 years.  UK made, which is great.  Available from Twigs 4 Kids for £18. Continued

Erica writes…

I have a bit of a thing about boxes: It’s always a temptation to buy nice boxes and it’s easy to justify a purchase as they’re so practical too.

This mango wood box as a lovely cut-out heart feature on the top and comes in either burnt white or pale green. You could use them anywhere around the home, but I think I would either use in the bedroom or the bathroom. I really like using boxes in these rooms as they hide away clutter and makes a room seem more calming. The colour options also seem to lend themselves to these rooms. As they are made from sustainably produced wood and are fairtrade too, you can buy with a clear conscience. Available from Biome Lifestyle for £10.

These CD boxes are also a favourite. They are available in cherry, black, brown and turquoise so should suit most rooms. They hold 10 CDs so they are probably not a choice for your main CD collection, but would be useful if you keep CDs around the house - I have a selection that I play regularly in the kitchen for instance, and another small collection in the bedroom. They’d also be good for travelling. Again they are produced in a fairtrade manner and are made from waste materials from the clothing industry. Available from Biome Lifestyle for £11.50.

Erica writes …

These pyjamas are completely gorgeous. The boys’ version have a fabulous frog design which will appeal to all little boys that like peering under stones or rooting around in the garden. Being generously cut they will accommodate real nappies at night if needed. They are made from soft organic cotton in sizes 2-5 years. (I have just bought the boys pyjamas as a pressie for my friends son, who was highly delighted with them - Brenda)

For the girls, there are these beautiful butterfly print pyjamas. Again they are made from 100% organic cotton and are cut to fit real nappies.

Both are available from Dam Tam for £23.99. Do not forget to check out the discount code page, as we have a valid discount code for Dam Tam.

Erica writes …

I was delighted to be sent Ecover’s new Ocean Waves toilet cleaner to try as I am a big fan of Ecover products and use a lot of them around the house. They make me feel better about my impact on the environment and are easy to find in the shops. For me they are a really easy green option to take.

Ecover have launched their new Ocean Waves toilet cleaner as part of raising awareness of World Toilet Day on November 19th. You can read more about this on the Ecover website, but in a nutshell 40% of the world’s population don’t have access to a toilet and clearly clean water and good sanitation are key aspects of maintaining good health.

Why would you want to buy this product?

Ecover work to strict ecological guidelines and use plant and mineral based ingredients which biodegrade easily. This minimises the impact on aquatic life. It means you can use keep both your toilet and your conscience clean at the same time.

Continued