EcoBrats @ The Milk Market

We are pleased to announce that from the Friday 1st April 2011, EcoBrats will have a stall in the famous Limerick Milk Market!

My sister and I are expanding the business, and although not a bricks-and-mortar store (yet!), we feel this is an important first step in taking EcoBrats to the people.

Garden Party Print: A beautifully designed fabric for our April prize draw offering.

The amazingly convenient and versatile New Native Pocket Sling.

We will be there every Friday and will be running a free prize every month. To kick things off in April, there will be a chance to win a fabulous New Native Organic Cotton Sling; just visit us at our stall in the Milk Market or ‘Like’ our Facebook page and write on our wall to tell us why.

Although we won’t be able to fit our entire product range on the stall, we will be offering a wide selection of goods, as well as an ordering and collection service for all other items.

There will also be a chance to pick yourself up a bargain, as we will have special clearance items and discounted stock, available exclusively at the Milk Market.

If you’re in Limerick on a Friday, there’s no excuse not to come and say hello to us. And if you’re not in Limerick on a Friday, plan to get there in future! We look forward to meeting you all!

10 Things Most People Don’t Know About Me

Just a quickie, inspired by Dagmar Bleasdale’s last post and also because it is very early and boring when the rest of the family are still in bed. I wonder how many of you knew any of these things about me.

1. When I was a teenager, I used to organise my sock drawer and wardrobe in order of warmth.
2. When we were younger, my sister and I used to play a game called “Sarah’s and Claire’s” that involved us swapping names for the day.
3. I always wanted a big family but never thought I would have children, and I always thought I would either marry a Scottish or an Irish man.
4. The first time I met my husband, he was walking round a hotel in circles unable to find his room, with a pint of beer in one hand and an iron in the other.
5. After two weeks of knowing my husband, on only our second meeting, I would have married him if he had asked me.
6. I am great at ironing. Most people wouldn’t know this because I don’t do it very often!
7. I hate washing dishes, peeling potatoes and making the bed.
8. I can’t swallow raw oysters.
9. For my most formative years I grew up in an all female household, where we were all fire signs; it was never going to be harmonious!
10. When I worked in engineering, if I ever went out to eat with a bunch of work colleagues that didn’t know me very well, we would always end up in an Indian restaurant and I would always order a pint of larger and the hottest curry on the menu to try and prove myself. These days I don’t have any thing to prove to anybody; it’s a big improvement!

Tags: just for fun

Guiness, Apple & Cheese Soda Bread

Just a quick post to give the recipe for this delicious dairy-free soda bread that uses Guiness (or another stout) instead of buttermilk.

Soda bread has got to be one of the quickest and easiest breads in the world to make. This version is not exactly dairy-free, seeing as I lumped a generous amount of cheddar cheese and apple chunks onto the top before cooking! But there’s no reason you can’t use a meltable vegan substitute cheese or just make the basic recipe without the toppings.

This recipe was adapted from a Rachel Allen recipe and inspired by a guiness, cheese and apple soda bread that I saw an artisan baker making, on one of the River Cottage programmes.

250g wholemeal spelt flour
200g white spelt flour, plus extra for dusting
1 tsp caster sugar
1 level tsp bicarbonate of soda (bread soda)
1 tsp salt
350-400ml Guiness or other stout

1/2 skin-on apple cut into large chunks (optional topping)
1 generous handful of cheddar cheese or a dairy-free alternative (optional topping)

1. Preheat the oven to 230ºC (450ºF), Gas Mark 8 and reduce the cooking time if using a fan oven.
2. Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl and make a well in the centre.
3. Pour most of the Guiness into the centre of the well, reserving around 50ml.
4. Start to bring the dough together, using a clawed hand; add more Guiness if necessary.
5. When it starts to come together, turn out onto a floured surface and form into a round about 4/5cm high. DO NOT KNEAD, or this will make the bread too dense.
6. Transfer onto a baking tray and either score a deep cross, if you’re leaving plain or lightly push in the chunks of apple and grated cheese.
7. Put in the oven for 15mins then turn the oven down to 200ºC (400ºF), Gas Mark 6 and cook for a future 30mins.
8. When cooked the loaf will be nicely coloured and should sound hollow if you tap lightly on the bottom.
9. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Tags: apples, bread, cheese, cooking, dairy-free, guiness, spelt

Health, Wealth & Happiness – Part 2

Continued from Health, Wealth and Happiness – Part 1

Wealth

Economic factors have to be a serious consideration for most of us these days. Here in Ireland, we not only have to pay for nappies but we also have to pay, by weight, to have our waste disposed of.

There are a number of estimates flying around for the money that you can save by using cloth nappies instead of disposables but these estimates vary wildly and are rarely broken down and explained.

One of the main reasons that estimates of cost savings can vary so much, is that cloth nappies vary so much in price; from flat nappies (prefolds and terry squares) with fitted wraps, to couture or organic all-in-ones and pocket nappies.

Totsbots Pocket Tots, from €12.75 each on EcoBrats.ie

I find that many of my customers  are looking for something that they consider as convenient as a disposable nappy, i.e. that it goes on and off in one piece , but at the same time they are looking for value for money. To anyone looking at one-size (birth to potty) pocket or all-in-one nappies, even the cheapest nappies available in this style start from around €13 each (to buy in a multipack of 20; up to €25 each), which means for a newborn baby (requiring an absolute minimum of 6 nappies a day) you are looking at an initial outlay of around €255 (20 nappies; enough for 3 days of changes; a days worth of nappies to tide you over while the other 2 days worth are getting washed and dried).

Bummis Organic Nappy Starter Kits, from €110 on EcoBrats.ie

Using a two-piece nappy system, where you have an absorbent inner nappy with a waterproof wrap over the top is not always cheaper (depending mainly on the absorbent inner nappy that is chosen) but it does allow you to spread the costs over the nappy wearing life-time of your child (on average 2.5 years). To take the example of one of the most economical options, you can buy a complete Bummis Organic Cotton Prefold Starter Kit for an infant for €110, which provides you with everything you will need up until about 6 months old (24 nappies, 6 wraps, liners, a wet nappy bag and even some nappy cream!). After that time, a larger sized Bummis starter kit will set you back €135 and then you might have to buy up to 4 more waterproof wraps in a larger size to last until potty training. So from birth to potty training, this system could cost from €245-€295, depending on whether you need to buy more wraps and how much you pay for them (wraps can vary in price from around €9-€14).

If you start to do the sums to work out how much you would spend on disposable nappies to last 2.5 years, then things start to get interesting. Just say you’re using disposable nappies that cost 17c each (and you won’t find many that cheap!); an average of 6 nappy changes a day over 2.5 years equates to just over €930! That’s a potential saving of €685, based on the cheapest option discussed above. This will be even higher if you are considering using some of the eco-branded nappies, such as Moltex, as these can cost up to €17 in Ireland for a pack of 32 nappies; a whoping 53c per nappy, which would equate to a spend of over €2,900 for a 2.5 year period!

What ever way you look at the figures, there are cost savings to be made by converting to cloth and these don’t even take into account savings made from reducing the weight of general waste you have to pay to dispose of, or potential savings from using on multiple children.

Happiness

In terms of happiness, quite aside from the immense feeling of satisfaction that you will get from knowing that you are trying to safeguard your baby’s health, doing your bit for the environment, and saving yourself some pennies at the same time, your baby should also be happy with you converting to cloth!

Prior to the 1940′s, when plastic pants were introduced over cloth nappies, their were hardly any reported cases of  nappy rash. With the continuing use of plastics in today’s disposable nappies and with the development of breathable, waterproof fabrics that are used in modern waterproof wraps, it means that once again, nappy rash among cloth-nappied babies is kept to a minimum; ensuring that both  you and baby are happy and comfortable.

My own experience, is that my son only got a very mild nappy rash when teething, which we generally remedied using specialist liners in his cloth nappies, and only very rarely a home-made organic nappy balm that I had created especially for him.

One or two other major happiness factors for me included, not having to leave the house in the driving rain because we were running out of nappies, and not having a pile of smelly nappies lying around the place; as all solids get flushed down the toilet, a bucket of wet nappies and tea tree oil pails (excuse the pun) in comparison to the stench of a soiled disposable nappy if its left lying around.

Reusable nappies don’t suit everyone for a number of reasons but whatever you decide make sure that you are happy with the decisions you make; if you want to do something because you believe that it is the right thing to do for you and your baby, then do it!

Tags: Bummis, money saving, nappy rash, Totsbots

Health, Wealth & Happiness – Part 1

I wonder how many of you would have guessed from the title that this was going to be a blog post on Cloth Nappies? As it happens, it turned into such a long blog post about cloth nappies that I’ve had to split it into two parts. So if you want to know how using Reuseable Nappies can lead to wealth and happiness [as well as health], then you’ll have to wait for Part 2!

I thought that a new post looking at some of the lesser known reasons for using Cloth Nappies was in order, as I always find myself reading the same information, over and over, in articles looking at the pros and cons of Real Nappies.

Environmental factors are always cited, with the disposable-nappy-brigade arguing that in terms of the carbon footprint (over the total product life-cycle), there is no difference between using Reusable Nappies and disposable nappies. What is very rarely examined is that:

1. the carbon footprint is only one aspect of any product’s environmental impact, with reducing waste to landfill being a major consideration and as a knock-on effect, reducing the risk of ground water contamination from the untreated waste contained in disposable nappies;
2. the original research that suggested that Real Nappies had a higher carbon footprint over their complete life-cycle than disposable nappies was seriously flawed, as it made broad and often inaccurate assumptions about the use and care of Real Nappies. As a result of much criticism , an updated study was published, which concluded that, used responsibly (i.e. not washing nappies at 90ºc, washing only full loads of nappies and not ironing nappies (seriously?!?!?)), Real Nappies can be better for the environment than disposable nappies.

Health

Health reasons seem to me, to be amongst the most important of all for converting to Cloth.

I personally started looking into Real Nappies after my mum had mooted the idea; partially I suspect for nostalgic reasons but also because one of the Soroptimist Clubs in her region had organised a Real Nappy demonstration, to raise awareness of modern Real Nappies, and my mum had seen for herself how cloth nappies have developed over the years.

When I started doing a little more research into the subject myself, I came across several articles on the internet that referred to a study conducted in a German University, which identified that little boy’s testes are kept at a higher temperature in disposable nappies than in Real nappies, which they in turn linked [as a possible cause] to decreasing fertility rates among young men. Although I have since read articles that question the validity of the research, from my own point of view, I wanted to ensure that I gave my son the best start in life I could; so if there was any doubt that putting him in disposable nappies was going to effect his fertility as an adult, I was an instant convert to Cloth.

Little Comfort Sample Pack

Since having my son, I have inadvertently come across another possible health benefit of cloth nappies, one which I had suspected for a long time but that was only recently confirmed when one of my customers had to visit a health professional with her cloth-nappied-daughter.

We have all experienced the routine health checks that our children have to go through at 6 weeks and again at 9 months, and one key aspect of both of these checks is looking for evidence of Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip (DDH), which is a term that covers a broad range of conditions affecting the stability of the hip joint (parents will be more familiar with the term, Clicky Hips).

Usually, if there is any evidence that suggests DDH, a child will be referred to a specialist for further investigation (usually an ultrasound examination). It was one such specialist that met with one of my customers, or more specifically her daughter, who was sporting a Little Comfort cloth nappy. Although, thankfully on this occasion the specialist was able to reassure the family there was no further evidence of DDH, he also added how impressed he was with the way the Real Nappy was able to hold their daughters legs apart, in such a position that it would aid the proper development of the hip joint. He mentioned that a first course of action for many children that are identified as having mild DDH would be to “double-nappy”, i.e. putting on two disposable nappies together to add bulk and keep baby’s legs further apart. He also said that from now on, he would be recommending Reusable Nappies as a good alternative to double-nappying.

Tushies Disposable Nappies (image courtesy of BabyCentre.co.uk)

As well as the above health concerns, there have been issues raised in the past regarding known carcinogenic and hormone disrupting chemicals being found in leading brands of nappy [all of which can be absorbed through baby's very thin and highly sensitive skin]. There has also been some research to suggest that the super-absorbent gel (removed from super-absorbent tampons in the 1980′s due to increased incidents of Toxic Shock Syndrome) in most disposable nappies provides an ideal environment for the growth of toxin-producing bacteria. To my knowledge, Tushies, is the only brand of disposable nappy that does not use super-absorbent gel (please comment and correct me if I am wrong) but unfortunately they are incredibly expensive to buy in Europe and not easy on the air miles, as they are manufactured in the States.

Continue to read Health, Wealth & Happiness – Part 2.

Tags: Clicky Hips, DDH, Little Comfort, Soroptimists, Tushies

Work-Life Balance

It seems to me that everyone is seeking their perfect work-life balance but that perfect balance can be dramatically different, depending on the person. For me, this perfect balance seems pretty elusive.

I’ve always been an all or nothing kinda gal; in the past, as a student for example, it was either all work (rarely) or all play (more often than not). But being a parent of the stay-at-home-full-time-kind, trying to run a business,  and also generally trying to “keep” house, is a different proposition entirely.

I feel quite alone as I’m writing, when I say that I don’t think I have ever successfully managed to achieve a balance between all of the aspects that now dominate my grown-up life. My one constant is my son, who is always at the top of my priority list, but I have to admit, that I do sometimes have to remind myself of this, particularly when I enter “work mode”. After all, if I weren’t able to make time for him whenever he needs me or wants me, what would the point of being a work-at-home-mum be?

At least in this aspect I feel as if I’m getting it right. There is also always together time as a family. On the precious days when my husband is off work, we spend time together as a family; eating, laughing, dancing, playing. But surely all of this is still possible for people who manage to keep their house tidy and run their own business? At least housework constitutes valuable play time but it’s just a case that we don’t do enough of it when there is so much else to do!

What I really want to know is, am I really justified in feeling a failure because I wait until the washing basket is overflowing or because I don’t mop my floors everyday (it could be argued that I am conserving precious resources!)? Or am I struggling with a common affliction of modern woman? Would anyone else know what I was talking about if I were to call it a Superwoman Complex?

Tags: fun, housework

You’re a What?!

It’s a little known fact [in Ireland anyway] that I have been a Soroptimist for the best part of 10 years – that’s right, I said Soroptimist, as in, a member of Soroptimist International (SI), which is a global women’s service organisation, with more than 3,000 Club in at least 125 countries and territories.

I am just back from having attended the Annual Joint Conference between Soroptimist International Republic of Ireland (SI-ROI) and Soroptimist International Northern Ireland, the theme of which was “Be Positive – Do it Together!”

As with any Soroptimist Conference I have attended, I come away full of energy, brimming with enthusiasm and relishing the future challenges that go hand in hand with making a difference to women and girls globally. A programme of speakers that both provides entertainment and gives serious food for thought, compliments presentations from individuals and Clubs, demonstrating just a few of the things that dedication, team-work and a will-to-make-a-better-world can achieve!

For a while I have been debating a suitable charity to donate a portion of EcoBrats‘ profits to but going to the conference at the weekend has made me realise that the answer has been staring me in the face all along. So from now on, EcoBrats will be supporting the nominated charity of SI-ROI (proposed originally by members of SI Ennis), which for the next two years (ending October 2011) will be the Cystic Fibrosis Association of Ireland, under the auspices of the SI-ROI National Project, the ‘65 Roses’ campaign. Look out for the links on the main EcoBrats website, in the next week or so, from where you will also be able to support this worthy cause!

I am resolute in the fact that Soroptimist International is a unique and great organisation to be a part of. As Programme Action Officer (grand title give to one who coordinates the Club’s service and fundraising activities) for my own Club (SI Limerick), I have great plans for the forthcoming year and would love to hear from anyone who would like to find out more or simply get involved!

Perhaps I have been suitably vague enough to still leave you wondering “You’re a What?!” but watch this space and you’ll soon see what we’re all about; after all, actions speak loader than words!

Tags: 65 Roses, CF Ireland, ecobrats, SI Limerick, SI-ROI, soroptimist international

Potty Training Predicament

My son is now 2 years and 8 months old. He is still in nappies, and although this is not a major issue for me because he is at home with me full-time, people (i.e. grandparents) are starting to make comments about how he should be potty trained by now, and in a way I agree with them.

My DS (Dear Son, for those not accustomed to the lingo) has always been a very self-aware little boy, which I put down entirely to the cloth nappies that we use. If anyone was around when he made a dirty nappy, from about 18 months on, he would always come over and let you know. But if no one was around, he would happily sit in filth all day without a bother; typical little boy! When DS was 2 and starting to talk more, again only if people were around, he would come and tell you when he had made a wee.

Although we always knew that he was aware of when he had done something, that’s not the same thing as knowing before you are about to do something. It wasn’t until he was circumcised in January (due to a medical requirement) that we realised DS knew before he was about to go to the toilet. Because it hurt him to make a wee, he would be scared to do it because he knew it was going to hurt, so he would be hopping all over the place. Although this was not a nice thing for him to be going through, I thought it might be a blessing in disguise and an opportunity to ditch the nappies all together. But for one reason or another this was not meant to be.

Not only was the potty training not working at that stage but when we went back to the reusable nappies he now started developing quite nasty infections where he had, had his operation. So not only were we not able to ditch nappies all together but in the end we had to relent and start using eco-disposables instead! This was a travesty as far as I was concerned on several levels; the cost and inconvenience of having to go back to buying and disposing of nappies, but also I seemed to be confirming the theories of all those cloth nappy sceptics out there, who were just waiting for something like this to happen. My own theory, is that since DS has his foreskin removed, his now unsheathed little man is super sensitive. So, no matter how often you change a cloth nappy,  by their nature [especially when using a fleece liner] they have to be in close contact to effectively absorb moisture; whereas, a disposable nappy can very loosely be put on and still catch all liquids, due to the super-absorbent gels that they use.

So, to get back to the potty training: the fact of the matter is that our little boy just doesn’t want to sit on the potty or the toilet. Originally we weren’t able to get him to sit on either but in the end we managed to find a great potty (TotsBots 3-in-1 Potty) with a little handle for him to hold on to, which I think made him feel more secure. And also a proper toilet seat (Lupilu Toilet Seat) that is permanently attached [in the same was that a normal toilet seat is], as part of a fitted unit, which again meant he felt more secure, as a lot of seats we tried slipped all over the place.

In my latest conversation with DS, regarding why he doesn’t want to sit on the potty or toilet, he told me he was “too young”. When I explained that he was probably too old, that no other big boys wore nappies, and that they were really only for babies, he replied “yeh, babies wear nappies… and me”. What do you say to that?! Tried having days without nappies but when he needs the toilet he either screams for a nappy or just pees on the floor and then tells me to come clean it up! Even the incentive of big boys pants didn’t work; although the training pants we tried (despite claiming not to be very absorbent) definitely passed the leak test, and we even managed to find baby boxer shorts in Zara to fit him once he’s out of nappies.

Despite everything, I think that he’ll choose to use the potty or toilet when he’s good and ready (just like his father, can’t be rushed into anything!). The last thing I want to do is to put pressure on him and cause any unnecessary trauma. Like every transition stage we have  encountered so far, DS has been empowered by taking control and making decisions in his own time. If I force him into potty training before he his ready I think we are likely to have way more accidents and mishaps than if he were to decide to do it for himself.

Tags: circumcision, cloth nappies, potty training

There’s no place like Ikea

This bank holiday weekend saw me visiting Ikea’s store in Dublin for the first time. Along with my 2 1/2 year old, my sister-in-law, her husband and their 4 month old daughter, we went to pass the time after our planned trip to Dublin Zoo was rained off.

I was pleasantly surprised to rediscover one of very few truly child-friendly stores I have ever visited. If it weren’t good enough that buggies can freely roam without causing the usual traffic jams or that toddlers can interact with all of the interesting things on display, without being shot disapproving looks from staff and passers-by; the restaurant rocks!

Good quality, cheap food, in a setting that allows children to eat or play, and lets you sit as a group without inconveniencing anyone else, even when you have more than one buggy squeezed around the table. My only complaint would be about the shortage of baby change facilities; not that they were non-existant but for somewhere that is clearly so popular with young families, there was only one baby changing station near the restaurant, which caused long cues.

Tags: child-friendly, shopping

To blog or not to blog?

That is the question! I think that this is going to be my final attempt at writing a blog. My difficulty with it seems to be two-fold: firstly, I’m not sure whether anyone is going to be interested in what I have to say; and secondly, I’m usually someone, for whom writing is a laborious, painstaking and lengthy process, of writing and rewriting, until I am sure that I have conveyed my point exactly.

I’m sure on the first point I just have to get over it and start writing regardless but my second issue is a little more tricky to deal with, although, I am thoroughly impressed so far with how much I have put down on paper (for want of a better phrase) in this short [but none the less rambling] blog post.

I just hope that this is the start of something beautiful and that this journey into the unknown (for me anyway) is going to be a fulfilling adventure for both myself and my readers.

Tags: blogging