Is Bamboo better?

It seems that Bamboo is the new and exciting eco-fibre, especially in terms of baby clothes and cloth nappies. It's promoted to be somehow 'better' however is it really or is it just a new inventive marketing tool?

Bamboo for me seems a mixed blessing. The following are points on Bamboo that has helped me develop that opinion.

BENEFITS
-Very soft.
-Very absorbent in fact approximately x6 than cotton.
-Anti fungal and antibacterial.
-A renewable resource.
-Hypoallergenic, less irritation than wool or hemp.
-Naturally smooth without chemical rounding.
-Insulation properties, warmer in winter/ cooler in summer.
-Naturally wicks moisture away for evaporation.
-Does not require the use of pesticides/fungicides/fertilisers as it grows quickly, thus more often organic.

DISADVANTAGES
-White bamboo fibre has been extensively bleached
-The process of turning the bamboo into yarn require a lot of chemicals transforming the fibres into a semi-natural/semi-synthecitc material. As thus bamboo can be mislabelled as natural and biodegradable. This process is less eco-impacting than conventional cotton processing however organic cotton has a far less caustic manufacturing process.
-A more eco-friendly manufacturing process with the use of pressing instead of chemicals does exist however is more labour intensive and used less often because of this.
-Prone to stretching and fading.

Mathilda Markets

One one of the best parts of motherhood for me is dressing Odessa! The dresses and brooches are so cute for girls. Steve however puts his put down at the baby head bands!
Mathilda Markets is a collection of retailers of very cute baby wear and products, most lovingly handmade and many you just wish you had another $200 in the bank in splurge. They move all around Australia and the last one we went too was in Melbourne and came away with a very cute red winter corduroy skirt from The Zipper Tree.

Co-Sleeping with a Side Car Cot

Both Steve and I are comfortable and believe in the benefits of the co-sleeping family bed. However we actually started kind of by accident because we didn't have enough room in our one bedroom apartment! We literally only had enough room to squeeze a cot in, pressed right up against the bed. So we decided the side car set-up might suits us. There are specific cots on the market that are for this purpose however are very expensive. So to reduce costs I researched all the safety issues and came up with our own solution. This involved removing one side of an Ikea Gulliver cot, aligning the mattresses at the same height and ensuring they were as tightly pressed together as much as possible. This was done by wedging the cot against the wall and using rolled foam in a cotton case to hold the mattress in place. I referred to a very helpful website about how to side car a crib. It's very important to have the surfaces at the same height and with no gaps in between, to do so increases the risk of the baby getting stuck in the crevice.

At 4mths it's working very well. Odessa begins the night in the cot and is moved to the bed for feeds and sometimes moves back. So far I have NEVER had to get out of bed for a feed in the night and instead drop back to sleep very easily after we are done. I really think this has aided in the fact that as parents we haven't felt too sleep deprived so far. I can also settle her very easily at an arms reach while maintaing my own space.

She doesn't sleep with sheets (she hates anything on her legs) so we don't have any issues with having to tuck them in down the side. She is also not sitting up on her own or standing yet so we may have to re-think the set up by then.

Predict your Baby's Future!

While on our honeymoon in the USA we came across these incredibly cute baby T-shirts in Brooklyn, NY. By Wry Baby they 'Predict your Baby's Future'! Purchased in a sewn closed bag you don't know what you're going to get. Above is Scarlett the Flaminco Dancer and Odessa the Dog Show Judge!

Raw Food Chocolate Smoothie

Usually I try to consume a dairy reduced diet however this drastically changed in the second and third trimester when I could not not go a day without consuming a litre of full-cream milk! I recall the lady in Gloria Jeans asking if I wanted cream in the iced chocolate I'd ordered and given the size of my belly and the look in my eye prompted to fill it right up!

So in an attempt to wean myself off dairy which has now become a bit of a habit I have discovered a raw food alternative by Karen Knowler- The Raw Food Coach, changed it a little and found it to be a fantastic substitute!

My Raw Food Chocolate Smoothie
Blend with ice:
1/2 cup   Cashews
1 1/2cup Water
4             Dates
1 tbsp     Cacao powder (Unlike Cocoa it hasn't been refined or processed and has a lot of anti-oxidants).
               Honey to taste

Add strawberries or banana for something different.

Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering

With Odessa being my first pregnancy and child I have endulged in the luxury of reading a lot of parenting books. Trust me I've read many, even the ones that don't align with our style of parenting. Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering by Sarah J Buckley would have to be one of my favorites. As a GP in Brisbane she has home birthed her four children and has such a seemingly natural way to look at birth and beyond. She covers topics such as making informed choices about your pregnancy and birth, the importance of breastfeeding, benefits of co-sleeping and my favorite the wonderful stories of her own children's births. If you only have time to read one book before baby arrives I'd recommend this one.

Rubber Watch

I'm not a watch person however in the blur of Odessa's feedings and sleeps I've found I really needed one. This rubber watch is perfect because it's soft against her skin, is water resistant and is disguised as a bangle. Designed as a sports watch I think there is a whole mum's market out there. Only about $15 I got mine from Smiggle.