Which washing powder should I use to wash my cloth nappies?

Here at Babi Pur we often get asked what detergent you should use to wash your cloth nappies.   Well we have a special home and laundry section which has a good range of detergents from Rockin Green, Violets and Tots Bots.  So what's different about these detergents and why can't you just use powder from the supermarket?  We're not saying all supermarket detergents are bad but there are some you should avoid because they will void the warranty on your nappies.

Nasty detergents - nasty detergents contain things like fillers, chemical scents and optical brighteners.  Often these nasties are designed to cling to your clothes to make them appear bright and sparkly and smell nice so you go ooooooh when you take them out of the machine.  The problem with these and cloth nappies is that the nasties build up in the fabric and reduce their absorbency boooooo!   Not only that, you probably don't want these nasties next to your babies bottom.  bumGenius quote on their warranty page that you cannot use detergents containing enzymes, brighteners, dyes and perfumes.

There are also some eco detergents which although don't contain additives they have a high citrus content which can cause natural fabrics to wear out prematurely.

Good detergents for cloth nappies - Violets magic laundry powder, Rockin Green and Tots bots nappy potion are all good choices for washable nappies.  Why?  You guessed it, they don't have all those gunky additives that build up on your nappies.  They clean and they rinse away, simple.

The packets can look small for the cost of these products but when you look at the washing loads they do they actually work out quite economical.  The packs are smaller because you use less detergent and you use less detergent because they're not full of fillers, just detergent.

So give one a try, we're certain you'll be converted!  And once you've tried them you'll be doing all your washing with them!

At Babi Pur we've just taken delivery of these beautiful fairy dresses from funky Fairtrade children's brand Piccalilly.  Amazing iridescent colours, fairy wings, bells, flowers, ribbons, sequins, net skirts and tutus.  What more could a little girl dream of?  Perfect for firing up their big imaginations!

These lovely dressing up clothes are fairly traded from Bali and really stand out from the mass produced dresses found in big stores.  Piccalilly work with a small family run producer in Bali which employs 10 ladies and uses locally sourced fabrics.  There's lots of attention to detail and the quality is excellent.  Our own little girls each have a dress at home, they've been worn countless times and still look fantastic.  Piccalilly has worked with their producer in Bali for 6 years now and supports a local organisation which sponsors the education of children.

Our girls love to dress up and they adore their Piccalilly fairy dresses.  Hearing them laughing while they dance and run about with the little bells jangling really is a little bit magical.  It won't be long until they ditch their fairies, butterflies and ballerina outfits and they'll be more interested in Justin Bieber, make the most of these precious years!

The Piccalilly dresses and tutu are all available in our girl's clothes section here and there's choices available from sizes 1-6 years although we think they fit a much broader range of sizes than advertised.

Please please please  vote for Babi Pur in the 2012 Observer ethical awards.   Just click on the picture above and fill out the form.  You might even win a trip to Denmark!

If you've ever had great service from us, if you've ever been amazed by our fast delivery, if we've ever given some fantastic advice, if you've ever read our articles, reviews or product descriptions or if you just like us then please spare just 1 minute to register a vote for us.

Here at Babi Pur we really do work our little socks off to bring you the best service and the best products.  We listen to our customers and we ensure everything we sell is ethically produced.  We're still a small family owned business and we juggle bringing up our children with running a busy website.  We think it would be lovely to be nominated and we'd get some much deserved publicity too. So please give us a vote.

Get a pack of 18 flip disposable inserts when you buy a flip stay dry day pack or flip organic day pack.

The flip nappy system from bumGenius is one of our favourites and here's some quick reasons why!

• You can choose which flip insert to use, stay dry (microfibre) or organic (organic cotton)
• You don't have to change the flip nappy cover with each nappy change, just change the insert
• Because you only need roughly 1 cover to every 3-4 inserts they are very, very economical!
• The flip organic cotton inserts dry pretty quick because they fold out into a big flat square
• You can choose between hook & loop or snaps
• The Flip cover is one of the best one-size nappy covers around and can be used with most brands of inserts or flat nappies
• Flip disposable inserts add that extra bit of convenience when it's needed, and they're pretty eco too!

We're sure there's some more good things but that'll do for now  If you haven't tried Flip then give them a go, they really are very good nappies!

Flip Stay Dry Day Pack with FREE DISPOSABLES	Flip Stay Organic Pack with FREE DISPOSABLES

What's the difference between the bumGenius 4.0 nappy and the new bumGenius freetime nappy?

The bumGenius freetime nappy is already proving to be a hit across the pond and it's soon to be released here in the UK.  Customers have been asking us what's the difference compared to the bumGenius V4.0, probably the world's best selling cloth nappy, so I though I'd explain here.

In essence the bumGenius 4.0 nappy is a "pocket" nappy and the bumGenius freetime is an "all-in-one" nappy.

Pocket nappy: with a pocket nappy you have a waterproof cover which has a pocket into which you stuff absorbent inserts.   You can use inserts of different materials and sizes depending on your absorbency needs.

All-in-one nappy: an all-in-one is just that, it's all in one.  Everything is stuck together so you don't need to stuff any inserts inside or attach anything.  You can't change the type of insert you use but you can add extra inserts to boost if needed.

Similarities:  the bumGenius freetime and the bumGenius 4.0 share many features; they both use the same durable waterproof cover material and look identical from the outside, they both use the bumGenius 3 x 3 snap design to change the size of the nappy from birth to potty (8-35lbs), the both have the bumGenius butterfly stretchy tab closures which are available with hook and loop or popper fastenings, they both have the same gentle leg elastic which is replaceable to prolong the life of the nappy.

So what's different?

bumGenius 4.0 comes with 2 microfibre inserts which you stuff inside the pocket.  The top side of the pocket is made of a suede material which keeps moisture away from you baby's skin.

bumGenius freetime uses the same microfibre but there are two inserts, one attached at each end of the nappy and these inserts have a suede top layer to keep your baby's skin dry.  The inserts are only attached by one end so the nappy can be opened out to make drying time much much faster than traditional "all-in-ones" and you can fold the inserts in different places to adjust the absorbency.

We have always considered the bumGenius 4.0 to be one of the easiest nappies on the market, perfect for reluctant dads, nurseries and childcare.  With the new freetime I think cloth nappies just got even easier!  Use, wash, dry and re-use, you really can't go wrong with this nappy.

bumGenius freetime nappies are available for pre-order now at Babi Pur and the ever popular bumGenius 4.0 nappies are available at Babi Pur too for immediate despatch.

A baby’s first Christmas is a really special time of celebration, enjoyment and magic for the whole family; although it does have the potential to be a stressful time as well, as all of you attempt to balance the festivities with the baby’s routine.

We do remember our little ones’ first Christmas, so we thought we’d share our top tips for a super festive and happy all round baby’s first Christmas!

• Christmas is often all about seeing friends and family, especially those you might not see so often, but for your first Christmas with baby don’t overstretch yourself. Make plenty of time for your little family unit to relax so you don’t tire out baby, or yourself.
• Baby is sure to get loads of presents, so don’t be afraid to ask for practical ones if well-wishers ask what you’d like. Asking for clothes or toys that baby can grow into means that they are sure to get plenty of wear before he grows out of it; there’s only so many times he can wear different variations on a Christmas pudding outfit!
• And of course, be sure to mention that you’d prefer ethical Christmas presents for baby, such as fair trade and organic cotton clothes and toys. Babi Pur has a huge range of ethical toys, blankets, clothes and accessories that mum and baby will love.
• Don’t be afraid to ask for help from family and friends if it all gets too much – they’ll be more than happy to help you out if they can.
• Buy a few small keepsakes, like a special bauble, decoration or stocking; you’ll be able to bring it out year after year and reminisce with your child as they get older.
• Don’t forget to take LOADS of pictures of your baby’s first Christmas. In our digital age, you can never really have too many and they will make a lovely keep-sake for your child as he gets older. You could even have them made into an inexpensive photo book later on.
• Use one of the nicest pictures to print out and make into personalised “thank-you” cards for all of your baby’s Christmas presents.
• And lastly, have lots of fun! Don’t worry about the little things; just relax and enjoy your first Christmas with your beautiful new baby.

What special things did you do to celebrate your baby’s first Christmas? We’d love to hear from you, so share your tips in the comments box below!

All images have been supplied by our lovely customers.. here's some more...

Happy first Christmas!

Woke up this morning to find snow in the mountains - yipee!

Today its sleeting and freezing cold, so I'm hoping  we might get some snow in the village over the next few days.  I've been desperate for snow this year because a month or so ago I became the proud owner of a stunning Davos toboggan/snow sledge.

Hand made in Germany these  must be the ultimate in sledging chic (much better than a bin bag/estate agent board anyway, not that I have used either of course)!  These beauties are built to last,  an item to cherish for years and enjoy with your children,  and hopefully grandchildren too.  Plus the metal runners underneath make it look  like it's going to  go really really fast!

I loved all the snow last year and would like to see it repeated, it somehow added to the festive spirit.  I'll never forget how, after being snowed in for over a week, OH and i put in a superhuman effort to dig out the car so that DW could keep his appointment to meet santa for the first time. I'll also never forget the novelty of sledging down to the shop, and really hope we get to repeat  that this year on our super fast new sledge.

If it doesnt snow, i do have a plan b . Santa may well find himself leaving a sledge behind, piled high with pressies for my beautiful boys.

Any sign of snow near you yet, and do you love it or loathe it?xxxxx

What to do with all those boxes you end up with at Christmas?

Get creative and make some funky stuff with Makedo!

Makedo is a series of strong clips and hinges which allow you to create things from the stuff around you.  A perfect Christmas stocking filler that will encourage children's creativity and building skills.  The clever "re-clips" and hinges are specifically designed to hold cardboard and other materials together securely while, unlike glue and tape, being re-usable.  There's a number of packs which include stickers to decorate your creations and they vary in size from smaller flowers up to big playhouses.

All packing and stickers are printed on 100% recycled paper

Shop for Makedo at Babipur here

I’ve been banging on about cloth nappies for a while now, but I’ve decided to temporarily abandon my cloth trials in favour of something a bit more festive.

Like Jo & Co at Babi Pur, I’ve been trying to green up my Christmas over the past few years, mainly by getting crafty. Over the next few weeks, I thought I’d share my makes with you, and as its the 1st December where better to start than our advent calender.

Last year DW was old enough for an advent calender for the first time, but I didn’t like the idea of the commercially made chocolate ones. Firstly because I didn’t like the idea of him starting every day with chocolate, and secondly, because I didn’t like them being disposable. This wasn’t just about waste. More to do with the fact that I wanted o establish some form of special family tradition, and create an heirloom that DW could keep and remind him of his childhood.

So I set about making this:

Last night we fished it out of its box and hung it over the fireplace. By this morning Santa's little helpers had been along and filled the stockings with all sorts of treats! I’m told that there are all sorts of goodies in the stockings - little parcels filled with little toys and crafty bits, tickets to go see the local panto, and even invites to go and meet santa!

Hopefully, the socks will provide us with lots of lovely festive activities, as well as create some special lasting memories for my little man.

I pretty much made it up as I went along, but in case you want to have a go at making your own here’s a brief outline of how I went about it. They are easy to make, although time consuming, and could be made with all sorts of fabrics and customised with sequins, buttons or anything else your heart may desire!

1. Make a sock shaped template from a bit of cardboard (I usually use cereal boxes for this).
2. Cut out 48 stockings.
3. Pin, then sew the stockings together, remembering to include some form of tab for hanging.
4. Work out what numbers you need, cut them out and then sew them onto the stockings (this is the really time consuming bit, you may want to use stencils or shop bought numbers). Blanket stitch around the top of the stockings.
5. Get a length of nice braid and position your stockings, pinning them in place, adjusting them to make sure they look right, then sewing them on.
6. Tie a loop in either end of the braid, and hang up!

If you’ve made your own advent calenders/stockings, please post some pics. I’d love to see what you are doing, and maybe pinch some ideas for NW’s calender next year!