I love this recent post from Planning With Kids on how to eat organic food when you’re on a budget. As important as it is to me that my family have food free of chemicals and other less than delicious additives, it’s also important to me that we can afford to pay the rent Take a look at PQ’s post to see a list from Dr. Bob Sears about the fruit and veg generally coated in the lowest amount of pesticides.

Other ways to eat Organic on a budget:

• Shop locally. I find organic meat, veg and eggs far cheaper at the smaller locally run shops, for instance, free range eggs from a farm about 30km away from here run at the same price per dozen as the homebrand eggs in Coles, and there’s a definite difference in the taste.
• Grow your own! One way to guarantee you know exactly what goes into your food is to grow your own, start small with something foolproof like potatoes in a large pot or mushrooms in a cupboard, and you’ll be ready to take on more once planting season arrives.
• Make your own snacks. Organic snacks and treats are very expensive, but you can make organic biscuits and snacks for half the price at home, and they don’t have any preservatives, and you can opt for natural flavours and colouring if any is needed.

All of these options take up more time, so it’s simply a process of weighing up time verses cost. Unfortunately Australia isn’t yet at a stage where eating organic is an easy or cheap process, but it’s getting better each year, just a couple of small changes can help your budgetting and at the same time allow your family to eat healthier.

Looking for the perfect baby shower gift for some green parents?

(and by that I mean eco-aware, not brand new, although they may be that too!)

I’ve been hunting around Etsy looking for gifts for my baby newphew and have found some awesome handmade goodies for babes and parents who are keen to watch their footprint on this earth.

See the full round up behind the cut >>

Read the rest of this entry »

Itti Bitti nappies are having an awesome sale, with 20% off their value packs and 25% off everything else in store! It started at midnight (nine hours ago) and will run for 24 hours. Get in quick as stocks are already getting low.

Ittis are the only nappy I use now with the boys, they work great and the large size fits both my 18 month old and my almost 3 year old. I just ordered one of their 12 AIO packs for the new bub at saved $60 on the normal price and will save even more in not having to buy disposables.

Their trial packs are an awesome way to test the waters if you’re new to cloth nappies. It can definitely be intimidating looking at all the different designs and types of nappies, so buying a couple of trial packs from different brands is a great way to get started.

If you need any advice or information about using cloth nappies, NappyAddicts.com.au is a great place to start.

Gone are the days when the only wooden toys avaliable were blocks and the occasional train set. With more parents becoming concerned about lead levels and toxic paints whilst shunning plastic flashing toys that don’t allow for imagination, the demand for wooden toys has increased considerably. Manufacturers are answering our requests for toys that adults love to look at as much as their children love to play with, and with the amazing range of wooden toys we’re now spoiled for choice.

Take a peek under the jump to see some of my favourite wooden toys currently available for bubs ranging from newborn to five years old.

Read the rest of this entry »