Top 5 Green Baby

I will hold my hands up and admit that I am not the greenest of people, but I try. I've found it's very hard to buy ethical on a low income, to be green on a budget. I've shopped around and so today I'd like to introduce you to my top five ethical products for parents and babies.

Organic bodysuits - £3.99 each (3 for 2) H&M.

Organic clothing can be expensive, especially when you consider how short of a period your little ones will be wearing it for! There are some beautiful companies out there that do stunning pieces for special occasions such as Frugi, however for every day you don't want to pay through the nose. These organic cotton bodysuits at H&M are super soft and great value.

Reusable bags - from £5.99 Re Uz.

Re Uz have a gorgeously-designed (you know I love a bit of design) range of reusable shopper, holdalls, handbags and accessories that are kind on your purse, kind on the environment and absolutely beautiful to look at! The reusable shoppers make great alternatives to horrible plastic carrier bags, or even for stashing all those bits that baby just has to have carted around with you! The scrunch up über small too, making them an ideal stocking filler for that really hard to buy for person!

Reusable breast pads - £8.99 Babi Pur.

Ladies, let's talk boobs. Or more specifically boob milk. Let's be honest and admit that yes, they leak. Some more than others! If you're unfortunate to be like me and leak lots then reusable breast pads could be for you! They absorb far more than their disposable counterparts and are way less irritating on delicate and sensitive skin, leaving you less likely to catch a horrible and uncomfortable infection. They're pretty, too (bonus)! You can also get reusable sanitary towels (but for some at might be a step too far).

Terry nappies - from £10 a Grow Up Green.

I'll be brief because I've talked of reusable nappies loads in the past. Reusable is by far the best for the environment and the landfill situation. The cheapest you can get are Terry towels (but don't forget to by the waterproof wraps). They'll last you probably until your child is in university (though hopefully not still wearing them...I meant for cleaning etc)!

Fair trade crochet rattles - from £4 Pebble at Babi Pur.

These little crochet rattles make cute, fun little toys for babies with bright colours, interesting shapes and easy to hold designs. They're currently half-off too!

And here's one little ethical luxury item that I can't live without!!

KeepCup - from £7.80 KeepCup.

As a total coffee geek, I drink it a lot. I drink it at home, at friends and out. Some coffee shops offer money-off and incentives for using a reusable cup and I much prefer my lovely pink cup over an ugly, old travel mug any day! They come in a range of sizes depending on what's your poison (6oz for a flat  white for example).

Clare

The Baby Box Buzz

Somewhere around late 2010, early 2011 a new phenomena hit the UK; beauty boxes.

Based on a French idea, they're monthly subscription boxes costing around £10 a month that give you a chance to sample brands (not always luxury, some more affordable) that you might not necessarily discover otherwise. The front runner of this was Glossybox which I subscribed to for awhile, but I found their customer service to be somewhat lacking (and I am very much focused on service when it comes to value for money), I also subscribed to Jolie Box which was my favourite of the two. I subscribe to neither now as the novelty wore off somewhat as I was only interested in make-up. Glossybox are still prominent in the beauty world, though every beauty blogger and then some seems to have them and approximately once monthly my Bloglovin' is filled with 'unboxings'.

All that said, it's old news and old hat and to those of us who are getting just plain 'old', it's done and there's something new on the scene; the baby box.

Once again, an idea that started in Europe and has made it's way to our humble, little island; this time offering a monthly subscription box of 'baby essentials'. As a mum, this now excites me more than a box aimed just at myself, and I think that the majority of parents will agree. Being a mum is a huge sacrifice and you do tend to stop focussing so much on yourself, it's nice to have treats, yes, but I'd much rather spend my disposable income on my children than myself because their happiness is my everything. That said, the new boxes on the scene do promise to include treats for Mum and Dad too so hooray for that! I love a treat!

The obvious advantage to a monthly subscription service is that as a busy mum to one or more, the best products on the baby market suitable for your child are being delivered strait to you, negating the need to shop, price-compare and stress! I need that in my life! Need. Do you hear me? Need!

There are two big names on the block and here's a quick round up of what they each have to offer!

Nonabox.

Originally a European brand (Spain, Italy, Germany and Austria), they've hit the United Kingdom, launching last week with their boxes from new baby up to two years of age, saying they target the contents to your 'stage of motherhood'. They promise to provide a variety of luxury products from the United Kingdom for you and your baby at a cost of £25 per month (including delivery) with the contents averaging a retail value of around £70 with 7-10 items per box. They also plan to have themed seasonal boxes throughout the year.

Nonabox are currently offering 20% off when you sign up online as well as a free Cloud B Sheep Aroma pillow worth £16 to the first 1000 subscribers.

Image curtesy of Nonabox.

Sassy Bloom.

Sassy Bloom is a British brand (whose first customers were Wills and Kate) who also intend to launch this month. With prices starting from £22.15 per month (with free postage), Sassy Bloom promise to deliver a specially tailored 'sassy box' monthly to you with contents aimed specifically at your child's age across a range of luxury brands in development, nibbles and practicality from around the globe as tried by their panel of mothers and babies! It's not just branded baby goods either, there'll be treats for parents too as well as personalised gifts. The brand vows to bring to you the 'latest and greatest', in tried and tested products of the baby world elite! Each box guarantees a retail value of upwards of £30 in retail value with 5-6 items per box.

Sassy Bloom are running a competition on their website at the moment to give away a generous twelve month subscription to one person! They're also giving away five monthly boxes and promise a complimentary box with every twelve-monthly subscription.

Image curtesy of Sassy Bloom.

I'm not here to tell you which box to subscribe to because to be honest, both excite me in a way that handbags and blushers once did!

Unlike beauty boxes, it is a much quicker moving market. Children grow quickly, but there are constantly more being born to replace those who have grown up and new products with modern designs being released constantly whereas there's only so many sample lipsticks and hand creams one person can own (seriously, I had such a stash of it all from beauty boxes, I was giving it to my friends)! Because of this, I'm confident that the baby box will be huge and will be staying!

If you're really not sure but would like to try, you could buy one as a gift for an expectant friend as they would make a wonderful present for a new-mum or mummy-to-be! Look out for reviews coming soon...

If you've got your mitts on one of these boxes then lucky you, what did you think? Please let me know!

Clare

Please note this is not a sponsored post from either company, nor a comparison, it is an informative piece about baby box subscriptions within the UK. All information is accurate on date of publishing and all opinions are my own.