Mince Pounds

During the Christmas season we will be giving you one 'Mince Pound' for every £10 you spend with us. You can use your mince pounds' full £1 value to put towards the cost of tickets to the pantomine at Greenwich Theatre , the ice rink at the Old Royal Naval College, or visit the new Peter Harrison Planetarium at the Royal Observatory.

Mince pounds are an initiative by Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site to encourage visitors to leave the commercial high streets and shopping centres and head to 'London's Christmas Village' during the festive season.

More stalls at Greenwich Market and shops in Greenwich are displaying the Mince Pound sign and will be handing out one Mince Pound to everyone who spends £10 or more.

Greenwich Market's Christmas Lights Switch On

Christmas festivities in Greenwich Town Centre kick off this year with the 'switch on' of Greenwich Market's Christmas Lights on Friday November 30th with the emphasis on entertainment for parents and children running between 3pm – 7pm.

The lights will be switched on at 5pm by the cast of Greenwich Theatre's pantomime 'Dick Whittington' bringing the magic of Christmas to the Market square and the town centre. Other interactive activities include The Arts Collective workshops, craft making and face painting and hair design.

Father Christmas will be taking time out from his busy schedule to be there from 3pm with FREE presents for all the children, but the grown ups need not worry - there will be FREE mulled wine courtesy of the regular market fruit juice stall 'Ye Olde Drink Co' Mince pies have been pledged by Marks and Spencer (tbc).

Bump2Bubba ante-natal classes

Run by Tania, an experienced midwife for mothers-to-be and their partners who want to enjoy labour and not to be frightened by it. Tania will provide honest and realistic information about labour and help parents-to-be to make decisions with confidence. The classes start Friday 9th November and Tuesday 13th November at the Greenwichwest Community & Arts Centre.

Also Tania’s HypnoBirthing course will be on the 18th November and 25th November from 10-4pm.

You can find more information about
Bump2Bubba classes here .

Coming soon: Swaddlebees One Size Organic Velour

click picture to see a slideshow with more features (may take a while to load)

Organic velour is a wonderful fabric for nappies: soft to the touch, very absorbent and fast to dry. And a birth to potty nappy - who could ask for more?

added on 26/nov/2007: they are in stock here

Nappy rash - treatment

- The most effective treatment, although not always the most practical one, is to temporarily discontinue use of nappies, allowing air to get to the affected skin.
- Commonly recommended remedies include oil-based protectants, which often contain petroleum jelly and cod liver oil or zinc oxide based ointments.
-If the rash is not settling after a few days, or is very raw, discuss with your health visitor, nurse, or doctor. There are also other types of rash such as Seborrheic (similar to cradle cap) and Atopic (allergic reaction characterised by itchiness), which require special treatment.

Other possible actions you can take:
- Discontinue the use of wipers. Wash baby with warm water using a gentle soap and cotton wool.
- Change detergent, or use less
- Try to make an extra rinse cycle.
- Consult your doctor if there are skin problems, eg eczema, in the family.

Nappy rash - prevention

- Change the nappy as soon as it is wet or soiled. It may be as often as hourly in newborn babies. - When possible, allow the baby to lie in a warm environment without a nappy for a while, before putting on another one.
- Use a barrier cream at nappy changes. Some barrier creams have antiseptic properties, which can help to deal with any germs.
- Wash your nappies with non bio-detergents and use less detergent than the quantity recommended by the detergent manufacturer.

Nappy rash - causes

The simplest cause of nappy rash is prolonged exposure to wetness from urine or stools. Both are responsible for increasing the skin PH and for promoting the activity of faecal enzimes. The result is the breakdown of the outermost layer of the skin, which in a baby is still very thin, and so the area becomes red or sore.
Once damage occurs, the skin can become susseptable to germs resulting in a rash with secondary infection.
Diet is another possible cause of nappy rash. Breastfed babies, for example, have a lower incidence of nappy rash, because their stools have lower pH and lower enzymatic activity. An increased likelihood of nappy rash occurs when a baby's diet undergoes a significant change (i.e. from breast milk to formula or from milk to solids). Treatmemt with antibiotics, or detergents remaining in the nappies are other frequent causes. Babies with sensitive skin may even react to minute particules of these chemicals, especially if they contain a "biological" additive.

review :: Imse All in One Nappy

I had almost given up stocking all-in-one (AIO) nappies because all that we had tried were either very bulky or had leaked. However, at the beginning of 2007 Imse Vimse announced they were designing an all-in-one nappy for parents who wanted an one-piece easy-to-use nappy. They have got it absolutely right. The Imse All in One nappy comes with gusetted legs which prevents leaks - this is the first AIO with gusseted legs which actually makes all the difference to prevent leaks. Not only that, this nappy has two booster pads permanently attached so there are many layers of fabric at all times for great absorbency. Customers that bought this nappy have said "I'm very impressed", "The nappy I was looking for because it is very easy to use", "Finally a nappy that does not need all other pieces and bits"

impact of cloth nappies on the environment

Washing and drying cloth nappies does have an impact on the environment. For some useful tips on how to reduce the impact, the Environment Agency (UK) advises parents to:
- only flush liners containing stools
- use low temperature detergents
- buy more nappies initially and wash full loads
- not use fabric softener
- look at the label and try washing at a lower temperature
- air dry rather than tumble dry where possible
- purchase electricity on a green tariff

Prices for Baby Beehinds Hemp Nappies have increased

Baby Beehinds has inform us that the price for their hemp nappies have increased from £9.99 to £10.99. They now cost the same as the Baby Beehinds bamboo nappies. However, we offer our customers all natural colours at £10.50

washing nappies

Is as simple as:
1. wash with a 60 degrees (or even colder) program with or without pre-wash
2. use your normal detergent, 1/3 of the recommended amount, but do not use softner
3. optionally use tea tree oil or a desinfectant such as Napisan (which you can buy in Sainsbury's)

London Councils(.org.uk) is proposing to introduce a London-wide ban, or levy, on throw away shopping bags

photo: teddave

London Councils would like to consult with you on the options available to London for reducing the environmental impact caused by throw away shopping bags. They want to know what you think of their proposals – and are asking you to help them decide one of the key provisions to be contained in the 10th London Local Authorities Bill. This is a chance for Londoners to lead the country in a bold initiative More from London Councils website

greenwich car free day saturday 22 september

Leave your car behind and catch street dance, samba, jive and ballet performances at Greenwich town centre from 1pm to 5pm. There will be a beach on a car-free College Approach, live performances, deckchairs on the river-front, food stalls and environmental displays & information. There will be lots you can do such as decorating a giant sculptural cyclist with hundreds of flowers, or maybe try your hand at soca, hip hop or Cuban dancing. It'll be a fantastic day out for everyone! more info from the organisers

Green Me accepts Real Nappies for London vouchers

We are now a registered supplier for Real Nappies for London and accept vouchers. This means that if the London borough in which you live has joined Real Nappies for London and you have a child under the age of 18 months, you could be entitled to claim an information pack and voucher. You can then use the voucher to purchase cloth nappies (and accessories) with us on-line or directly at Greenwich Market.

Participating boroughs and voucher amounts are
Bexley £40
Camden £54.15
Hackney £54.15
Hammersmith & Fulham £45
Haringey £54.15
Hounslow £50
Islington £54.15
Kensington & Chelsea £45
Lewisham £30
Newham £30
Redbridge £30
Tower Hamlets £50

You can request your voucher by applying online at the Real Nappies for London website, where you can also get more information about the scheme.

craft workshops for children at Greenwich Market

Every Thursday and Friday, from 11.00 am to 4 pm until the end of the summer holidays. Children can try out different crafts with participating stall holders.

how many booster pads?

Booster pads are an excellent way to increase the absorbency of your nappy. You only need to use them during the night or when baby is out and about, approximatey 4 to 6 booster pads. Or, you may want the same number of booster pads as you have for nappies. More recently, nappies have been coming with their own attached booster pads, but there are still some nappies for which you may have to buy them separately.

how many wraps per child?

You will need far less wraps than nappies as wraps dry quicker and don't get soiled so often. Wraps come in different sizes, so you will need four or five wraps in each size. For the time you are using cloth nappies, you might use maybe 16 to 20 wraps.

machine loads

An average washing machine can take up to fifteen nappies, which can be almost your entire nappy stock, so one way of ensuring you do not end up without clean and dry nappies is to use a half-load wash program which nearly all modern washing machines will have. This program will use half the water and half the soap powder, thereby avoiding unnecessary and environmental wastage. You may want to wash your nappies, with the rest of your household laundry.

how many nappies per child?

I would suggest starting with 20 nappies and then adding more if you feel there are not enough. A newborn baby uses 10 to 12 nappies a day and as baby grows it will use less, averaging at eight a day.

As one of the main reasons for using cloth nappies is to lessen the impact on the environment, we would recommend that you dry your nappies on a washing line. However, cloth nappies don't take long to dry. A manufacturer may use a deep pile terry fabric which dries as fast as a bath towel, or will incorporate a design that allows the nappy to be opened up when drying.

Having too few nappies may result in your not having a dry nappy for the next/immediate change.

nappy types

Modern fitted nappies are usually categorised in three types.

The two-part nappy system, the most popular type of nappy, consists of a shaped nappy that is very absorbent but does not have waterproof qualities. You will have to purchase a separate waterproof wrap (also called nappy cover) to use over the nappy.

The pocket nappy is made from a waterproof material that has a slot opening where an absorbent pad is inserted

The all-in-one nappy (AIO) is, as its name suggests, in one piece, rather like the disposable, whereby the nappy consists of layers of absorbent material and the outer layer is waterproof .

Other more traditional nappies are square terries and prefold nappies

NAPPIES CAN ALSO BE CATEGORISED by size-type:

Birth-to-potty nappies come in one size only. These nappies can be made smaller or larger by means of poppers or by folding them so that they will fit baby from birth till when she is out of nappies completely.

Multi-sized napppies normally come in two or three different sizes. When baby reaches a certain weight, she will need to wear the next size up. Some multi-sized nappies have extra special sizes that you might not need such as xsmall for premature/tiny newborn and xlarge for big toddlers
AND NAPPIES CAN ALSO BE CATEGORISED by the main fabric they are made from
Bamboo nappies made from bamboo fibers
Cotton nappies, hopefully unbleached or somewhat environmental, by having for example environmental dyes
Hemp nappies, a very sustainable fibre which growns well with not much water
Organic cotton nappies
Organic velour nappies

There can be a mix match of categories such as a birth to potty two part bamboo nappy, or a multi-sized AIO organic cotton nappy, ect. It is this various mixtures of categories that can lead to people being confused about cloth nappies, but I hope now you will no longer be confused and start to be a master in the cloth nappy jargon.

8 Million disposable nappies used every day in the UK

Nappies are a major problem for developed countries. Such large numbers are used that the authorities are now faced with the huge problem of disposing of them. In the UK alone eight million disposable nappies are used every day.

At present the majority are being placed in landfill sites. However, they are being filled so quickly that they are running out of space, and sites for new ones are simply not available.

Understandably, no one wants to live near a landfill site and yet we don't mind sending our rubbish to where other people live. London, for example, sends 71% of its waste to the countryside.

Disposable nappies when soiled are so heavy that rubbish collectors know straight away which houses have babies and the ones that don't. In Kent, for example, nappy waste accounts for 4% of the total waste, when only 10% of families have babies. Kent County Council spends £2 million a year disposing of this waste in landfill sites. It is like burying £2 million that could be spent in education and health. And the problem doesn't end here. Disposable nappies biodegrade so slowly, they can stay in the landfill for the next 500 years.

With cloth nappies, faeces go where they are supposed to go, into the sewage system. Here the waste water will be treated to reduce the environmental impact before it is released back into the environment. Cloth nappies can be used again and again, so the energy used to make them (energy, water, etc) is completely justified.

nappy reviews

coming soon...

website status

Welcome to the new Green Me website. We still have some empty pages (such as the organic baby clothes pages - sorry!) and some links might not yet be working. However, the new website has many more features. There are now blog-pages such as this one, where everyone can post a nappy review, or check what others say about the nappies we stock. We will also provide unbiased information on how best to use and care for cloth nappies with troubleshooting tips. We hope it will help you to make the most of your cloth nappies... and baby carriers.