EcoParenting

Arabella Greatorex, owner of The Natural Nursery, reports on the rapidly rising demand for natural, environmentally friendly and ethically sound parenting products and highlights a few of the concerns that have fuelled these demands.

Organic Food

There has been much media debate around the promotion of heavily processed foods to children, part of an extended standing concern concerning the quality of food available in the UK. Although some say the jury continues to be out on issues such as pesticide residues in fruit and vegetables, it is worth noting that only 30 additives are allowed in organic food, in comparison to over 300 in non-organic. Specifically, organic food bans the application of tartrazine (associated with hyperactivity in children) and GM ingredients.

The Soil Association reports that sales in organic food grew by 10% last year overall and purchases from farm shops and box schemes by a whopping 16%. Therefore over 75% of households bought some organic food during 2004.

Organic baby and toddler foods now take into account nearly 1 / 2 of total baby foods in the united kingdom, using its market share growing rapidly, highlighting the amount of concern felt by parents, and is really a trend that looks set to continue.

Cloth Nappies

Modern cloth nappies bear no resemblance to the old-fashioned terry squares you probably wore as a child. They are cheaper and much more hygienic to utilize than their disposable counterparts and parents are fast cottoning on to this. Ten years ago, only 2% of parents used cloth nappies; that figure has grown to over 15% and is rising steadily.

Not surprisingly growth in cloth nappy use, Bristol City Council still spends around �500,000 every year coping with disposable nappies. Conventional disposable nappies can contain around 200 chemicals and some estimates say they will dominate 200 years to decompose.

The alternative is to use cloth nappies, which are actually available in an array of shapes and sizes and may be just as user friendly as disposables. It is possible to choose from so soft organic terry or a natural eco-look or funky fleece prints and even retro patterns to really make a statement. They could be flat, shaped or stuffed, depending upon your child's personal needs and you may find other "clothies" tend to be more than happy to assist you to decide which nappy is right for you personally.

They could help you save money aswell; the Women's Environmental Network estimate that savings will undoubtedly be around �500 for the first child and much more for subsequent children, even considering the expense of home laundering.

Chemical Free Toiletries

Your skin will absorb around 60% of products put on it and Green People estimates that the average woman will absorb about 2kg of chemicals through toiletries and cosmetics over twelve months, up to 75,000 different chemicals! Everybody knows how sensitive a baby's skin is and rates of eczema are rising fast with almost a third of babies now experiencing it.

Many people think that the chemicals in the lotions and potions that we use are at fault. Even some so called "natural" products contain a range of chemicals that are thought to cause or exacerbate skin conditions or be carcinogenic, even though they are originally plant derived. Worryingly, something must contain only 1% natural ingredients to be legally labelled "natural".

Natural, organic and chemical free toiletries are no more the preserve of medical food shop but are widely available on the traditional or from specialist internet companies. The Soil Association estimate that you will see a 20% upsurge in the number of licensed organic manufacturers this year, reflecting the huge surge in demand, especially amongst families with small children.

Fair trade

If you are buying clothes or toys for your baby, international trade might seem like a remote issue but by choosing carefully, you could make all the difference to somebody else's life. Farmers in the developing world are ill-equipped to handle dramatic changes in commodity prices, which are caused by factors beyond your control of the individuals most concerned.

Parents are increasingly being offered an increasing range of fairly or ethically traded products, including clothes, shoes, toys, toiletries and nappies. Sales of "Fairtrade" marked goods are now well over �100m per year in the united kingdom alone, up 46% on this past year and we consume a third of a million fair trade bananas every DAY!

The growth in organic cotton

Most people assume that as cotton is really a natural product, it is produced naturally, unfortunately, this is not the case. Around 150 grams of hazardous chemical pesticides will be used to cultivate enough cotton to create one t-shirt. The cotton farming industry accounts for about 1/4 of the world's insecticide use as well as large sums of fertilisers that can end up in the water system and food chain.

The World Health Organisation estimates that 20,000 people die every year in developing countries due to poisoning from pesticides used on non-organic cotton. Worryingly, much of the world's cotton production originates from genetically modified crops: over 2/3rds of China's cotton crop is GM.

Luckily, an increasing number of organic textiles are now available and there's been an 80% increase in the worldwide production of organic cotton in the last 24 months, with sales in the UK alone now worth over �20m from almost zero a couple of years ago. You can now buy organic clothes, bedding, towels, sheepskins and nappies from the range of suppliers - even classic Marks and Spencer sell a variety of organic cotton yoga clothes.

Katharine Hamnett, fashion designer, says: "That is section of a rapidly growing trend reflecting increasing consumer awareness and concern over global issues related to the impact of pesticides, herbicides, dioxins and toxic chemicals found in textiles, on the surroundings and human heath. The good news is that this shows folks are actually searching for positive alternatives."

And for the daddies

The Ecologist Magazine recently studied the contents of a can of shaving gel and found it to contain "several skin irritants, four potential carcinogens, three central nervous system poisons and two reproductive toxins" - and all of this before breakfast!

Arabella Greatorex is the owner of [1], an web store selling organic and fairly traded products for families including organic clothing and nappies, fairly traded toys and natural toiletries.