My babies are getting big now, aged 13 and 5 years old, and I don’t carry them around much anymore.  But I did once carry them around most of the time, in a fashion so popular in less “Westernised” societies (in parts of Asia, Africa and South America).  The reasons why I chose to carry my babies around instead of putting them into a stroller was because we both preferred it that way.  When I carried my babies they rarely cried, were easy to breastfeed (the greenest way to feed your baby and the best for them) - even while I was doing other things, and I could get on with the important work of growing food and writing my blog while they were perfectly content.

There’s also the fact that these little slings almost certainly have a smaller carbon footprint than a stroller.  These Babaslings look super comfy and come in lovely colours.

It’s super convenient and pretty reasonable to buy your kids fairtrade and organic clothes these days. M&S have a great range that are available online, delivered to your door.  Easy peasy?  Oh yes.  Ethical?  Of course.

The way we live isn’t very good for the environment. The consumer goods that we buy are made of many different kinds of raw materials, and the process of manufacturing produces a lot of waste that pollutes the environment. We can help reduce the amounts of raw materials manufactured by recycing and buying recycled.

Teach young children about recycling with this family board game from Wonderworld. It is a memory game that makes it fun to learn about recycling. Wonderworld make a series of toys and games that have an environmentally friendly concept to teach children about their daily activities that have a direct impact on our eco-system.

If you’re planning to throw a Halloween party for the children, or maybe even for the grown-ups, here are a three little tips to make your party an altogether greener one.

Think organic, local and Fairtrade - when you’re planning your party food and decor, opt for local apples for the apple bobbing, local pumpkins for the Jack ‘o Lantern, Fairtrade and organic chocolates and sweet treats, and local and where possible organic food too.

Think biodegradable -  get your hands on some biodegradable crockery instead if you’re a paper plate junkie.

Think reuse and repurpose - for costumes and decorations, use what you already have.  Get a book out of the library on making Halloween costumes and make one yourself out of second hand materials.

Photo credit: fabbio 

Here are another two Halloween treat ideas for health-conscious parents.  Halloween is just next week, so don’t leave it too late to get your hands on delicious and healthier treats for the neighbourhood kids.   There’s no need to give up your preference for organic when buying sweet treats for children.

Village Bakery Organic Berry Bars

Village Bakery Wheat-free Organic Berry Bars come in packs of 4.  They are made of chewy oats, cranberries, blueberries, strawberries and rasberries, with no added fat.

Yummy yet healthy, a good compromise with the kids.

Free Organic Laidback Liquorice

Laidback Liquorice is the ultimate organic liquorice experience.  It’s “the softest, smoothest, most sumptuous liquorice ever to take on a taste bud!”. So it says on the packet, and I am in full agreement.

As the scariest night of the year approaches, give some thought to what you’ll be dishing out to neighbourhood children who stop by in their scary finery.  High fructose corn syrup and artificial colours?  I hope not.

How about this box of 200 Fairtrade milk chocolate mini-chocolates from Divine?  You’ll have plenty of treats to go around, and you can feel super-ethical about giving away good quality sweets bursting with Fairtrade ingredients: Fairtrade Sugar, Fairtrade cocoa butter, dried cream, whole milk powder, Fairtrade cocoa mass, cocoa mass, emulsifier: Soya lecithin (non GM), real vanilla.

Patagonia’s fully winterproof Snow Patrol snowsuit has outstanding weather-proof qualities, but it’s also made from recycled materials, so it’s taking care of your baby, and taking care of the earth that your baby will grow up in.

The suit has fully sealed seams, is lined and insulated, and has a durable 2-layer,  100% polyester (50% recycled) shell with a waterproof/breathable H2No® barrier and a Deluge® DWR (durable water repellent) finish to keep wet weather out. The 150-g Thermogreen™ insulation (90% recycled) will keep your baby toasty warm.  The Snow Patrol snowsuit is detailed for comfort, growth and the turbulence of toddlerhood: a full-zip front with soft chin flap and outer wind flap; elasticated cuffs, waist and hem; double-layer, articulated knees; a “grow-fit” stitch in legs and sleeves for 2″ more growing room; zipped pockets; a stay-put elasticated hood opening; high-visibility reflective taping on the back yoke; an easy-glide polyester lining; tie-down loops to secure ski boots; and reinforced scuff patches at the hems.

Patagonia states that this garment is recyclable through the Common Threads Recycling Program, but seeing as we’re in the UK, it would make more sense to donate it to a charity shop once you’ve finished with it, or if it’s in no fit state to be worn, put it in an Oxfam textile bin for recycling.

The  eco.kid range of haircare products for kids from Australia is everything a eco-parent could want, and more.  It’s biodegradable, wild harvested, waterway friendly and organically certified.  And while it’s not a head-lice shampoo, eco.kid products do help to prevent head lice because as with many things in life, prevention is better than cure.  They do this by creating an environment that is very unpleasant to head-lice.

eco.kid Prevent Shampoo gently cleanses the hair without damaging the sensitive balance of natural oils on the scalp. It contains 100% botanical essential oils, releasing pure fumes from the hair and scalp which assist to repel insects. It also contains natural terpenes and hydrocarbons that will attack the outer protective lipase coating of head-lice, delivering phyto-chemicals which attack the insect’s nervous system.

eco.kid Nourish Conditioner carries on where the Prevent Shampoo stops, using the same natural technique of discouraging head-lice.  It also feeds growing hair.  Nourish conditioner contains plant-derived moisturisers that naturally bind and sustain moisture and nourish away knots and tangles. Gentle anti-inflammatory peptides soothe sensitive scalps and re-balance the natural protective mantle of the skin. It is an effective detangler and promotes healthy shiny hair.

eco.kid Daily Leave-in Tonic contains plant-derived moisturisers that naturally bind and sustain moisture to nourish away knots and tangles.  The natural phyto-chemicals contained in the essential oils that make up 3% of the product discourage head-lice and attack their central nervous system.

There are two eco.kid styling products for really cool hair a matte styling clay, and a shaping paste.  Again both of these contain natural bug discouraging ingredients.

And for when and if the beasties do strike, there’s the eco.kid Lice Bomb.  This product is 100% essential oils which delivers an aggressive attack on head lice and their eggs. The natural terpenes and hydrocarbons contained in essential oils are safe and completely non-toxic to humans, but instantly dissolve away any protective lipase coating on the exoskeleton of lice or lice eggs enabling the full potential of the essential oils to attack the insect.  Lice Bomb needs to be used in conjunction with a nit comb.

Staying on the subject of bringing light into our lives during the Autumn months, I’m just mad about these cute little low-energy night lights for children.  The Candeloo is a bedside sentinel, warding off the dark and perfectly portable, so very handy for when your child needs a friend on a dark walk.  They are rechargeable LED lit child-safe lanterns that comes in sets of two so that they can be shared by two children, or so that one can be left behind by the bed (keeping the home fires burning, as it were) while the other accompanies the brave child on creepy night-time trips to the toilet.

Great for playtimes too.  They will light tents made of dining room chairs and a big blanket, and accompany children on trips out into the garden on dark evenings.  It can even be taken “trick or treating” at Halloween to keeps the ghosts and ghouls at bay.

Each Candeloo lamp has a long-life LED bulb and battery with an 8 hour charge, and remains cool to the touch at all times with no exposed electrical contacts.  To recharge, simply pop the Candeloo back on its base, and it will be charged and ready to go when it’s needed. £49.95 from John Lewis.

It’s never too early to teach children the benefits of organic farming, which is what prompted the Soil Association to team up with children’s film producers, Tractorland to produce Tractor Ted Visits An Organic Farm.  The DVD shows youngsters what real life organic farming is all about by using Tractorland’s hugely popular Tractor Ted character combined with real life footage of farm machinery and farm animals.

Tractor Ted Visits An Organic Farm is aimed at one to six year olds, and will plant the seeds of understanding the health, welfare and environmental principles behind organic farming in the youngest members of society.