ethical shopping for babies

This spray is made of natural organic ingredients and has a multitude of uses for both mother and baby.  It can be sprayed on a tissue or cotton wool and used instead of a baby wipe.  For mum it can be used as a facial spritzer or toner and you can even use it to wipe down surfaces such as your baby's high chair.  This mildly antiseptic spray contains Lavender, Aloe and Which Hazel. It costs £4 and is available to buy online from the Organic at Heart website

Below is a quick review by Sara who uses the spray regularly to cleanse her baby's bottom -

"This is a handy spray for use with washable wipes or flannels to clean and freshen, instead of using chemical wet wipes. The spray is effective – the bottle looks small but it goes a long way (particularly if sprayed on a damp cloth), and it smells delicious. It would be difficult to say whether it is an effective cleanser, any more than water is; but it makes a pleasant addition to a changing bag and is all natural. I would give this product 4/5"

Sara

In the 2009 New Years Honours List, Mrs Samantha Morshed, Founder of Hathay Bunano p.s. (HBPS), has been awarded an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire), for her services to the rural poor and disadvantaged women of Bangladesh.

HBPS was started in 2005 with the aim of creating employment for the rural poor women of Bangladesh  that is fairly paid, good quality, flexible and local.   To create employment  that fits in with the women’s lives and prevents the need for economic migration and family separation.

HBPS works on the principle that mothers and babies should be together and that all mothers should be afforded the dignity to be able to adequately provide for their children.  That every adult should have the right to a good job and a decent home and that it is our responsibility as a society to enable this.

Samantha Morshed started HBPS by teaching a small group of women how to knit by hand and then finding an export market for those products.  HBPS now creates work for almost 3,500 artisans in 32 rural production centres all over Bangladesh and is continuing to expand rapidly through market demand.   The products are exported over much of the world to USA, UK, Australia, Scandinavia, Middle East and Europe.

Samantha Morshed is a British woman married to Golam Morshed, Chairman of HBPS, and Bangladesh is now her adopted home.  ‘Bangladesh is a beautiful country full of great potential.  It is a country rich in manpower who are waiting for the opportunity for good quality work.   Coming here five years ago, I felt that I had skills and abilities that could be put to good use to make the lives of some Bangladeshis a little better.   Five years on, we still have a huge amount of work to do but we have proved that it is possible and that is the greatest hurdle.’  Samantha Morshed said.

HBPS produces a whole range of hand knitted childrenswear and childrens products and these are also sold in Dhaka at Insignia on the Lobby Level of the Westin Hotel.

BabiPur have put together a great little test kit consisting of two pop-in nappies, one 'dri nite' booster, a small tote bag and a small roll of paper liners for just £29.99.  This is a very popular birth to potty nappy which is getting great reviews and this kit is ideal for anyone who wants to give them a try.