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.

Now's the time for lots of outdoor winter fun

We’ve well and truly said goodbye to summer here at Babi Pur Towers. Instead of basking in warm sunlight flooding through the office windows, we’re listening to the gentle pitter-patter of rain on the roof.  And often, the onset of autumn can be just as strange for kids, as they suddenly find themselves stuck indoors rather than running around the garden and enjoying the sights, sounds and smells of summer.

But, winter doesn’t have to mean being glued to the television.  Here’s our great guide to outdoor winter fun that the whole family will love!

•  Back to Nature – if the weather is cold but fine, take the family out on a nature walk in your local area. Even urban landscapes offer great opportunities to learn about the changing seasons and winter wildlife and enjoy some outdoor play time. Encourage your kids to take snaps and make notes so you can all research different plants and animal types when you get home.
• Winter Garden – the end of summer doesn’t have to mean the end of gardening. Encourage kids to help you prepare the garden for winter by tidying up and even planting winter plants and veg. Get kids to make a “winter wildlife” area in the garden by piling up leaves and twigs to encourage insects and small animals to hide there. They can check it regularly to see what they can find.
• Garden Games – now is a great time for fun outdoor games like hide and seek, ball games and frisbee if your garden’s large enough, because it’s not too hot and all that exercise will soon warm up cold kids!
• Park Life – exploring your local parks with new autumn eyes is the key to outdoor play if it’s fine and dry. Get kids to notice how different the trees and plants look and spot animals like squirrels gathering their winter supplies.
• Go local – find out what’s going on in your local area and take the kids out to enjoy the outdoors. Autumn and winter are great times for events like farmers markets, Christmas fairs, winter fun days and Santa events.
• Wet Walks – Kids love to splash around in puddles, so don’t let the wet weather put you off heading for some outdoor winter fun. Wrap up in wellies and waterproofs and encourage kids to build shelters and splash about. It’ll be nice and quiet, and best of all you’ll need a warming hot chocolate when you get home!
• Snow time – snow is magical for many kids as they don’t see it very often, so they will absolutely love playing in it. Whether it’s making snowmen, throwing snowballs or learning to sledge, a little bit of snow means a lot of outdoor winter fun for all the family!

		Weather experts are already predicting snowfall during November, December and January, so now’s the perfect time to order a beautiful wooden sledge so you’re all ready to go when the first snowflakes fall. Here at Babi Pur we're thrilled with our stunning traditional Davos wooden sledge that is handcrafted in Germany by winter fun experts! Made of solid beech, it’s a generous size and can happily accommodate up to 150kg in weight. Sledges are in stock to buy online now at Babi Pur!

Frugi Big Spot Reversable  Fleece	Frugi Star Reversable Fleece	Organic Cotton Padded Snowsuit

Happy winter!

Our children absolutely love to role play, and here at Babi Pur, we do all we can to encourage them. Children love to step in and out of different worlds and situations, and role play lets them do just that. As well as inspiring their creativity and imagination, it helps with social development and teaches them loads of new skills that they learn without thinking about it.

One of our favourite types of role play toys for kids are kitchen and food toys.  Play kitchens are great role play toys because children love to mimic and recreate the adult worlds around them.  They can adopt different characters and personalities which allow them to try out new behaviours and social situations, and they’ll begin to gain an understanding of who their parents are, what they do and the world that they inhabit. 

Role play with play kitchens also teaches basic maths and numeracy skills and as they use the different food, utensils and gadgets, they’ll even learn new words, shapes and colours; and play kitchens and food toys are great tools to start young children thinking about healthy eating and nutrition.  And it’s something that the whole family can enjoy together!   Babi Pur’s range of play kitchens and play food has just arrived, in plenty of time for Christmas wish-lists, and we think they’re stunning.

We stock everything from full wooden play kitchens to small play food and utensil accessories and there’s also a gorgeous range of food themed rattles and knitted toys for babies to get them started on their role play adventure!  Our wooden toys are all beautifully crafted, of high quality and very durable. They’re painted in fabulous bright colours with non-toxic paint and glue and most are made from sustainable wood sources.

Here are some of our favourites:

Solid Alder Play Kitchen

This stunning wooden play kitchen is handcrafted for us in Germany, and we think it’ll be top of Santa’s list! It’s made from a beautifully coloured solid wood from local Alder trees and the quality of this play kitchen is evident in the careful finish and quirky design. It’s a special toy that will be handed down and loved for generations to come.

We’ve commissioned a limited number of these, so you can pre-order now in plenty of time for Christmas.  Buy online now!

Gourmet Chef Cookware Set

Children will adore this delightful set of play cooking utensils and plates, and they make a great addition to any play kitchen set. It is beautifully made from maple wood, and finished with a bright orange colour for the handles. All the paints and glues are non-toxic.  Buy online now!

HABA Play Food Basket

This adorable wicker basket is packed with bright and colourful wooden food toys. It contains some lovely wooden fruit and vegetables as well as milk, cheese, chocolate and bread! Makes a lovely accompaniment to a play kitchen and is also perfect for shop role play. All Haba wooden toys are made in Germany. Buy online now!

Whip it up Mixer

Any budding Delias or Jamies will love this kitsch kitchen gadget. They’ll soon be mixing, stirring and beating their magic ingredients and they’ll be stretching their imaginations to think of new concoctions. It’s beautifully designed and made with high quality wood and non-toxic paints and glues. Buy online now!

Wooden Toy Tea Set

Practice the art of the “Mad Hatters” tea party with this gorgeous wooden tea set. Made from recycled rubber wood it comes with a teapot, milk jug and cups and saucers all neatly arranged on a lovely wooden tray. All glues, paints and lacquers are non-toxic.  Buy online now!

You can find our complete range of beautiful play kitchens and play food HERE and we're constantly adding to our range!

So the date was set for my Grandmother, Lilian,  and I to climb Snowdon and raise money for a charity she has helped set up.  People had made arrangements, taken time off work and we had a support vehicle arranged.  The plan was for my Grandmother's group to climb from Pen-y-pass youth hostel with her group and me and my friend Dafydd (of Tilestop) would ride our bikes from Criccieth Castle at sea level and we'd all try and meet at the top of the mountain for a pleasant photograph.

However . . . . mother nature had other ideas and the chosen date, 23rd May turned out to be pretty much the windiest and wettest day of the year.  The forecast for the following day was better so, sensibly, my Grandmother's group abandoned and decided to do the climb the next day.  With work and other commitments over our heads Dafydd and I decided to continue.  Standing on Criccieth Pier with the waves crashing against the rocks and rain sand blasting our faces I was what you might say a little concerned about conditions at the top of Snowdon.  The last thing we wanted was to be airlifted off by mountain rescue so we went on carefully keeping an eye on how things were shaping up weather wise.

So we pressed on with gritted teeth and a nice tailwind/ tailgail that blew us from Criccieth to Beddgelert and up towards Pen-y-pass.  From there we walked and climbed our way to the summit and luckily the weather improved and the south side of the mountain seemed to offer some shelter from the wind.  Eventually we got to the top and the winds were gusting at 80-10omph so staying on our feet was the focus of our concentration.  The view from the top was pretty spectacular and incredibly wasn't covered in mist so that was a bit of a treat.

So we made it

The journey back was pretty tough, the wind was right in our faces, when you have to pedal downhill you know things are bad.  Energy reserves running low and muscles aching.  All worth it in the end and I have to admit it was great fun.  Often we don't take the time out of our busy lives to do silly things like this but we should!

Thanks to all who sponsored and everyone who contributed on our facebook auctions.  Well done to my Grandmother too who got to Snowdon's summit the next day, not bad for a 72 year old.

Babi Pur at Home are showcasing at the Nottingham Baby Fayre this Sunday.

The Fayre is in Aid of the Nottingham Neo-Natal Unit and will be held at The Bulwell Academy School, Squires Avenue, Bulwell. Tickets are £3.50 doors open at 10am

I will be there representing Babi Pur at home. So if your in the area please do stop by and say 'Hi'.

Show Offers!!!
Yes, I will be offering customers the opportunity to buy some goods direct from the stall - so if you just love the Crocheted Pebble Toys, or the Lanke Kade wooden Jigsaws you get to see them before you can't resist buying them!

I will also be demonstrating cloth nappies and baby carriers - although I won't have stall stock for nappies or carriers; so all orders taken on the day will be eligible for free delivery!!

Also If your lucky enough to arrive between 10-11am You will have wider access to fayre offers from all the stalls.

I will be offering £5 off your party order for bookings taken during that first hour!

(subject to a min 3 people attending your party and at least £50 worth of party orders being taken.)

Babi Pur at home

About Me

I'm Nicola, I'm a part-time working mum. I have a little boy called Quentin and we all live in Nottingham.
We have been using cloth nappies full time since Quentin was 6 weeks old; When pregnant I spent hours doing research online and buying loads of different nappies to try out. We've now settled on our nappy stash and armed with everything we've learned we're ready to go out and spread the word!

We've blogged with Babi Pur for over a year now and when I was offered the chance to try something new I was eager to give it a go!

What Is Babi Pur @ Home?

I will be piloting Babi Pur @ Home, as their first consultant I will be taking products into your homes that are seldom seen in the high-street. Not only will I be representing a whole range of Cloth nappies; but also the joys of babywearing and a whole range of organic & fairtrade toiletries, toys and clothing. Giving you the opportunity to touch, feel, smell and play with the products before you buy them!

We are also happy to do baby showers, so if your pregnant and looking to use cloth nappies or like the look of some of the other product ranges we have then feel free to book a party too.

There will also be the opportunity for Public 'Nappuchinos' where we can meet in a cafe and discuss Nappies & Babycarriers or alternatively if you prefer a more personal session then One-on-One consultations can also be arranged.

How Does The Home Party Work?

Home parties are a great way to combine socialising with your friends, keeping the children entertained with new and exciting toys while at the same time indulging in some retail therapy

At the moment all products will need to be ordered and we anticipate that all orders will be with the host within 7-10 days of the party.

How To Book a Party

If you are in the Nottingham area and are interested in inviting me into your home for either a one-on-one consultation or a full on party (including games) then please contact me on: nicola@babipur.co.uk bookings are taken on a first come first served basis.

You may have heard the story about the icecreamist parlour in Covent Garden serving up "Baby Gaga" breastmilk icecream.  Yes that's right, the same milk that a human mothers breasts produce to feed their babies as opposed to the milk produced by a cow's udders to feed their calves which is normally used in the production of icecream.  Well the story certainly attracted a lot of attention and exposed a wide range of attitudes towards human breastmilk and breastfeeding.  Victoria Hiley donated her breastmilk to make the Baby Gaga icecream, this is Victoria's side of the story in her own words.

"My own adventure led me to “selling” some breast milk, being interviewed on the radio and having my breasts, appearance and HIV status discussed on blogs, forums and online comment sections throughout the English speaking world and beyond.

It all began when I saw a job advert on Mumsnet. Normally I wouldn’t even look there but it was a particularly active thread: “Mum wanted to donate milk for ice cream” or some such. It was from an ice cream parlour who were last active nearly a year ago when they had a pop up shop in Selfridges. The tossy Flash-only website annoyed me so I replied, speculating that it wasn’t real but that I was game if it were. As requested I submitted a photo.

To my surprise I received an email from one of the owners assuring me that it wasn’t a hoax, and when could he meet me?

I met him in a Starbucks on Moorgate and was reassured that he wasn’t a pervert and indeed, after I discussed breast milk fetishes and Top Gear slash fiction, began to think that I sounded far, far more seedy than he.

I agreed to have a blood test to rule out the few infections that are transmitted through breast milk (HIV, hepatitis, syphilis (active) and HTLV I and II), give some milk over and do a couple of press interviews.

In return I would get some cash to cover my expenses and time.

So I agreed, basically. I express at work so was able to produce 9oz (as

requested) worth over 2 days - I know very little about bottle feeding but this turns out to fill a normal baby bottle. I also had some frozen milk lurking at the bottom of the freezer.

I handed the milk over on Monday, and did a photo shoot and a couple of interviews for the PR agency on Tuesday. At the end of the session, the PR waved a sheet of paper under my nose.

This was the press release. I only really had a chance to glance at it. A quote from me about “using my assets for a bit of extra cash” was included. I observed that I hadn’t said such a thing and wouldn’t but by that point I knew I wasn’t really going to be able to change anything. I shrugged, said that I wasn’t going to tell him how to do his job, finished my icecream and left.

The next day texts started to arrive from colleagues who were reading that morning’s Metro. I checked the online version. Not a word from my actual interview was there but the tacky made up quote was.

Throughout the day more stories popped up. My photo from the shoot started to appear, and that quote, with my name attached, started moving up the list in Google News.

Comments started to pop up, and this is where the churnalism really bites.

I was revolting, I had AIDS and was going to infect everyone, people would like to drink from the source… my breasts and the milk they produce was appraised and discussed. Amongst the “yuk” comments and suggestions that semen should be used next, my mother in law valiantly defended my honour, getting the Huffington Post to revise the story to state, clearly, that I had been thoroughly screened.

I was scolded for not donating milk (as the mother of a toddler, I couldn’t start now anyway and could not donate milk due to being out of the country when she was young enough) and was told to keep my fluids to myself.

I was interviewed on the radio several times. I decided in advance to just have one point and make it over and over again: that we drink cow milk without a second thought. This I did. I also tried to make it clear that I hadn't produced prodigious amounts with a breast pump, and that some women aren't able to produce very much at all, but that doesn't mean they can't successfully breastfeed.

Just as things died down, Westminster Council then raided the parlour after a couple of complaints that the ice cream contained "bodily fluids."

The complainants did not specify which body they objected to, the cows'

or the human's, but the inspectors took the last few scoops and are subjecting it to tests.  After flailing around for what to test for, they settled for hepatitis. I await the results with interest, since I don't have hepatitis and the milk has been pasteurised anyway.

The only thing I would change is that damn fake quote. To see that going twice round the world before breakfast and having no control over it is fascinating, and alarming if I let myself think that way."

Complaints from the public, raids by Westminster council even (allegedly) the threat of legal action from Lady Gaga.  What a fuss about an icecream made with human milk.  Support for breastfeeding mothers is definitely not helped by people declaring breastmilk to be "disgusting" or "nausea inducing" but maybe this will open up the debate and change some peoples perceptions.  Whatever you think about the "Baby Gaga" icecream, there's no doubt Victoria Hiley's milk is just as good and healthy as a cow's and probably much better!  I can't say I've ever made icecream from my breastmilk but it was always handy for making a cup of tea when we'd run out of the cow variety . . . . Slightly sweeter than cows milk

If you'd like any information about support for breastfeeding mothers then visit the Breastfeeding Network website.

Ok, where to begin.......Since getting pregnant with Quentin and buying Cloth nappies for him I sprawled into the world of alternative (reusable) sanitary products. If he can have a nice soft bottom why can't I!

The BIGGER Picture

Now a baby will go through over 5,000 disposable nappies before they're potty trained, so imagine how many disposable sanitary products a women will throw away during her lifetime! over 10,000!!! The environmental impact must be immense!!!

What are the Alternatives?

Cloth Sanitary Protection or Pads (aka CSP)

Unlike the disposable variety, cloth pads are designed to be reused for many years. The traditional style pads that required belts are no longer the norm, but have been replaced with poppered wings that attach the pad to your underwear. They're uber comfy and come in many shapes, styles and materials. It's useful to purchase enough pads to take you through your period then wash them together ready for the next time you need them.
Here at Babi Pur we stock two varieties of Imse Vimse Pads - a pack of three that comes in 3 levels of absorbancy or a 11 pad pocket pack which allows you to boost pads with extra layers.
For Further Info see here

Menstrual Cups

Like tampons, the menstrual cup is worn internally. However the big difference is that the cup doesn't absorb; it collects. For many women they will probably stop reading here! But it kind of makes sense. Instead of disposing of tampons down the loo; you empty the cup instead. There's no mess going into the washing machine which does concern some people, and the cup just gets washed in the sink (like you would washing your hands after going to the loo). At the end of your period you sterilise the cup; and store it in the little bag provided for the next time its required. You only require one Mooncup as it iis reinsed and re-used.
For Further Info see here

Making the Switch

My first switch was to cloth pads, these helped me through the last part of my pregnancy to help with those laughter leaks that often occur when baby is pushing down on your bladder. Unfortunately I wasn't brave enough to use them after birth but the uncomfortable experience of brick sized disposable pads for 6 weeks meant I never wanted to use them again!!

Now after 13 months my cycles are returning properly and having previously been an avid tampon user I gazed towards the mooncup as an alternative. Watch this space for feedback on my first cycle using a mooncup......