I’ve been preparing for this post for a while and whew it’s finally here!

As many of you know, my husband and I resolved to try our best to use organic clothing for Alexis for the first 6 months.

The reason for that is, like any other change we’ve made, to prevent Alexis’ exposure to chemicals as much as we can handle it. The number 6 months came from the fact that for the first six months of a baby’s life, her skin is very porous and absorbent, which means anything put on her skin gets right through to her bloodstream ( a percentage of it, anyways). That was also the reason why we attempted to cloth diaper at first (though it didn’t work for us when she was little, but I am hoping to resume within a month or two, unless Elements Naturals’ new 100% natural and compostable diapers turn out to be amazing). The other reason for using a 6 months limit was to give ourselves a sense that it doesn’t have to be that way forever, in case we find it more difficult or more expensive than we expected.

Obviously, everything can’t be changed to organic overnight or even ever. Our clothes all can’t be organic and she spends a significant amount of time in our arms, swings and seats and beds can’t all be organic. That’s something we expected and don’t fret about. Though I gotta tell you, if I had all the time in the world, I’d start an all organic baby line, including strollers, swings, mats, seats and rockers. I know I’d buy that.

Initially, I thought it would cost an arm and a leg to buy organic clothing for her, but shopping sales and using Zulily is turning out to be no more expensive than conventional stuff I would buy. In the last 4 months I have learned a lot about organic baby clothing, and I am happy to say that  while we won’t stay exclusively organic after 6 months, I will most likely continue shopping at my favorite organic stores and brands as much as possible.

I already posted about some of my favorite organic brands, but I have a different perspective on them now, since Alexis has had a chance to try them all. So here’s the update you’ve asked for and a big giveaway that you can enter to win a lot of baby clothing {details of each brand’s giveaway item are in the descriptions}

BAMBINO LAND

Types of clothes: *baby* *toddler* *child* * accessories

Bambino Land has plenty of organic baby clothes, but I think their true strength is in their muslin swaddles. I wrote about Bambino Land’s swaddles before, but if you’re new to this blog and you’re still swaddling your baby, you need to check these out. Unlike most muslin swaddles out there,  these organic ones truly give you a tight swaddle. As a little newborn, Alexis could wiggle out of her A&A swaddle in a matter of seconds, so pretty quickly we learned that if we use our pretty Hawaiian swaddle, she’ll wake up still swaddled. It’s stretchy but taut.
The gown, hat and receiving blanket combo was used by us when she was first born and thus holds a very special place in my heart.

GIVEAWAY ITEM: 2 pack organic muslin swaddle Open to US and Canada.

 

 

Polarn O. Pyret

Types of clothes: *baby* *toddler* *child* *adult* *accessories*

This was my recent discovery and it got bookmarked immediately. Polarn O. Pyret isn’t an exclusively organic clothing brand, but they do have a very cute Eco Line that I was able to pick some items off of. They also offer really cute maternity & nursing clothing and matching dad style. I have to say, just like some other brands above, they stand out in terms of style. I would even have to go so far as to say that the styles definitely beat most conventional brands. You know how you look at a brand and you know they have IT. That’s how I felt about PO.P. There’s something about the patterns that makes them different from any other brand. And you are guaranteed that your baby will NEVER wear an ordinary outfit, or the same outfit as another baby. Go see for yourself. My favorite item is this little playsuit. It has a ZIPPER! Who was this brilliant person who finally put a zipper on a baby’s overall? I mean we’ve been struggling to snap those clips on all her footies and here… Ziiiiip! Done! I am in love with the pattern here: navy,white, fuscia,orange and blue- Who would have thunk it? :) It looks striking! Again, I am so going to shop there more. This playsuit is currently on sale, so if you love it, you better get it.

The white onesie is a part of the  ruffle collection with adorable ruffle butt tights that I couldn’t get since they were out of our size. So instead we wear it with equaly matching colorful heart capri from Jefferies Socks.

Deals: End of season Sale and Mama Liquidation sale (up to 70% off)

GIVEAWAY ITEM: 2 Polarn O Pyret baby/child/toddler items,  US only

NOSILLA ORGANICS

Types of clothes: *baby* *toddler* *child*

I initially got introduced to Nosilla Organics through Zulily where I buy most of my organic baby clothes. I purchased quite a few items from their winter collection. Unfortunately, by the time the items arrived from Zulily, our short Florida “winter” turned into a ridiculously hot spring, and I didn’t get much use out of their cute clothing, except for warm footies. That’s when Allison told me about their new spring line and sent me this romper. I LOVE the spring line. One little silly fear of going organic that I had was that I’d be saddled with dressing my baby in drab looking clothes, but companies like this just have proven me so wrong. I want all of their stripped styles and their adorable new prints! One thing my husband noted was that the footies that we got from the winter collection are really “solid and warm”. It’s simple cotton but it’s so thick that it makes it a perfect sleeper without any need for a blanket. SO if you keep your house cold at night, this is probably the thickest cotton sleeper you’ll ever find. It’s always been his favorite. The spring line, though, is light and free and beautiful and happy!

Deals: Some cute styles heavily discounted,  including this playsuit I really want!

GIVEAWAY ITEM: 1 or 2 items not exceeding $50, Open Internationally

BOOB DESIGN

Types of clothes: *baby*  *maternity* *nursing*

Boob, ah, Boob! You know how much I love Boob (I feel funny saying that). It’s one of those companies that I can easily say I want every single piece of. Up until now, I’ve been talking about Boob in terms of maternity and nursing wear, but really they have a very cute, alas small, organic baby line. From the Mama and Baby sets that you see below to onesies and baby terry sets,  they do have clothing worth taking a look at. Two things that make their onesies stand out from the rest of the clothes Alexis has. They are meant to grow with the baby.  The one size onesie lasted her from birth to 4 months (at 18 lbs and 26.5 in of length). There’s enough stretch in each piece that even with Alexis who hates getting dressed, I am able to slip these over her head without too much fuss. They have a great fit since they snap back to their original shape once on the body. And another feature that took me a few months to even notice (yeah I know I can be oblivious sometimes) is the double crotch clips, designed to extend the life of the onesie as you baby gets longer. Amazing! Everyone should do this, seeing how babies grow so fast. Oh wait, but then they wouldn’t sell as much clothes :) Duh!

Deals: Outlet discounts up to 50% off baby stuff and more

GIVEAWAY ITEM: Green terry set open Internationally

FINN & EMMA

Types of clothes: *baby* *toddler* *accessories*

Another favorite of mine! Honestly, I’ve been very surprised to have discovered so many cute and unconventional looking styles in organic clothes. Finn and Emma cuts the line between “earthy looking” and “cute as hell”. I can freely say that this footie was our favorite item for the first month of Alexis’ life until she grew out of it. Doesn’t she look adorable in it? So little and newborn-y looking :) It’s also very very thick, so it makes  a great sleeper or a winter footie. I loved the feel of the fabric- it was the thickest but softest outfit for that first month. Finn and Emma goes out of their way to add nice decorative touches to their clothes, which is one of the reasons I love them so much. That flower on her foot  is what makes the footie so special for me and the reason why I picked this particular style. It takes ALL my willpower not to spend all my money on Finn and Emma. They are expensive, no doubt about it, but well worth it, so I am waiting until Alexis gets a bit bigger and doesn’t grow out of her clothes so fast and then I am stocking up. And in the meantime, F&E, pretty please do a Zulily sale!

DEALS: 15% OFF for readers with the discount code: PreBaby15

GIVEAWAY ITEM: 1 coverall. Open Internationally

 

NOHI KIDS

Types of clothes: *baby* *toddler* *child*

Ah… I smile when I think of their name. Maybe because their clothes are so happy, maybe because no other clothing item has gotten SO much love and feedback and notice as this owl onesie from strangers and friends alike.

This onesie surprised me with continuing to fit Alexis from birth all the way to her 3rd months’ birthday when EVERY SINGLE piece of clothing has long been put away till the next baby. I had to actually go and double check the size and sure enough it said 0-3 months. Alexis hadn’t worn anything 0-3 months since she was 2 months old :) So yeah, it’s stretchy and fits for a long time. I did find the pants to be very tight in the waist and we weren’t really able to wear them at all, since we were cloth diapering. So if you do cloth diaper, I’d be careful with pant sizing – they have a very tight elastic. The new summer line has another owl onesie that is more summery and I’ve been drooling over that one for a bit now. I do love their other styles as well- Nohi Kids is one of the few organic companies that makes it fun to dress your baby in organic.

GIVEAWAY ITEM: a onesie or a tee. Open to US and Canada

THE SPUNKY STORK

Types of clothes: *baby* *toddler* *child*

Fun fun fun onesies! That’s where you can have your creativity shine! Custom organic onesies, as well as cute pre-made ones. I couldn’t help but sing “Lexi is Bananas! B-A-N-A-N-A-S!”  every time I’d put her in it. It’s very stretchy, so it actually lasted a long time. That’s the one thing where companies differed a lot. Some literally lasted a week, while others she couldn’t grow out of.  The next ones to buy for us are MUGGLE onesie, When I grow up I want to be a zombie and trouble! I still can’t help it but crack up at the bottom picture: crossed eyes, arrow on her forehead and Live Long and Prosper sign{almost}

Deals: $12 Teeshirts

GIVEAWAY ITEM: any non-custom onesie. Open to US only

 

Funkoos

Types of clothes: *baby* *toddler* *accessories*

Funkoos took a simple white onesie and made it fun. Their collection is blue, pink and white organic pieces with beautiful embroidered graphics of whimsical characters. We’ve been wearing a sleepy fairy gown which is fairly large for the size and that’s always a bonus. The fabric is soft and simple- that means no harmful dyes, no chemicals, and being organic, no pesticides. I really love their bath set, but unfortunately it’s out of stock. But I do need to get a little bath robe for Alexis, it’d be so much fun! They have a really cute ducky one. I hate leaving her in a cold wet towel until we get her dressed so the robe will be perfect.

GIVEAWAY ITEM: Carousel or Trucks onesie. Open to US only.

 

 

B NATURE ORGANIC

Types of clothes: *baby* *toddler* *accessories*

This is the company that took the word organic literally and made their clothes look truly earthy and organic. The colors are muted whites, ivories, olives and brown, very earthy and very soft. We got a gown and booties and I think it looks adorable, though now I wish I would have skipped all gowns and just got the cute rompers and onesies instead. I love how the stitching gives it a colorful twist. Also, there are starter kits which I think is a brilliant idea. All you need for a newborn depending on the season it’s going to be born. In organic. Brilliant!
The fabric is soft and simple. They use color grown fabric in most cases and if dyes are used, they’re low impact dyes. And the clothes arrive in the most adorable “green” packaging. This is the company that truly takes the word ORGANIC to heart!

GIVEAWAY ITEM: Essential B Gift (2 super soft onesies). Open to continental US only.

 

Bungalow Bebe

Types of clothes: *baby* *toddler* *child* *accessories*

Every time I look at Bungalow Bebe styles, they make me think of Japan. Is it only me or they have this undeniable Far East feel to them?

We got a good wear out of these items and loved it. I appreciated a generous amount of snaps on the dress, because Alexis is so difficult to dress without fussiness, that any wide opening gets a 5 star from me (ok that sounded wrong). Again, the organic fabric is soft and it held up great in the wash, not fading or wearing off at all.

If you have a boy, they have an adorable Monster Hoodie that I almost want tot get for Alexis. I can totally picture a boy or a girl going to karate lessons in that hoodie and red is such a flattering color. For girls I can’t get enough of Alejandra Sash Shirt, the ultimate in girly elegance and I am all about that. {Isn’t it funny how I can love a karate style hoodie and a girly top at the same time? I was the exact same way as a little girl: a tomboy and a girly girl}

Deals: 10% OFF first order, 30% off the Eva dress ( in the picture below)

MY NATURAL BABY BOUTIQUE

Another “all you need is here” type of store. Bpa free products, organic toys, organic blankets, suncare, teethers, loveys, bath products. I just discovered a sun hat with UPF 50+ that I HAVE to have in Florida sun. We got to use the Swaddle Design’s organic towel and organic lovey. The lovey has been incredibly useful in the first few months. It is small enough that you do not have to worry about it obstructing airways and Alexis has always been able to grab onto it. She’d have it in the swing, in the stroller, in a carrier. At first she’d just place her hands by the sides of it, but soon she was grabbing it and bringing it to her mouth. When we had that teething episode, we got the lovey wet and froze it a bit, then let her chew on it to relieve her gums. Whenever I go out with our Nordic carrier, I make sure to place this lovey over the top of it, so that Alexis was chewing and sucking on the organic lovey rather than non-organic carrier (she sucks on EVERYTHING nowadays). The towel is great and absorbent too. If there was one thing that I could have in organic (not including things she puts in her mouth), it would be a towel, since a baby’s skin absorbs more when it’s wet.

DEALS: Sale up to 40%

Swaddle Designs

Types of clothes: *baby* *accessories*

While not an exclusively organic company, Swaddle Designs does have a decent organic collection. In the pictures below, Lexi is wearing one of my favorite ZzzipMe Sacks. I have to say, it’s the best most flattering fitting sack I’ve ever seen. As soon as you put your baby in it, they become a baby-model looking all prim and proper and dapper {or again is it just me?}. We’ve used the sack quite often, because she grew out of swaddling early on and yet I was always worried about  her being too cold. We’d use a footie and this sack or during the day when the sun warms up our bedroom, just a diaper and the sack. First of all, it’s SOFT! It has always amazed me how 100% cotton can mean so many things in terms of the feel of the fabric. Here there’s a bit of “fuzziness” to it. Just a warm soft sack that makes me wish Swaddle Designs would release one in adult size {hint hint} As you can see my chubster is plenty comfy in it and I just want to hug the bejesus out of her when I see her chubby arms sticking out of this pink cuteness.

Deals:  Save 10% with Promo code: Celebrate
GIVEAWAY ITEM: ZzzzipMe Sack. Open to US and Canada

Estella-NYC

Types of clothes: *baby* *toddler* *child*

I have a soft spot for anything NYC. Really. As soon as I see a company that is based in the city, I go “Aaahhhh, New York”. I’ve had lots of good memories there. Ok, wait, I’m supposed to talk about clothing. Yeah ok… So Estella NYC (“Ahhhhh New York!!!”) is a designer baby clothing shop taht stocks and sells some of the coolest baby designers out there, as well as their own nice collection of organic cotton, 100% cotton and bamboo outfits.

Now here’s where I am torn. I got sent two bamboo pieces out of their new layette collection and OH-MY-FREAKING-GOD, it is the NICEST FABRIC I’ve have ever had the privilege to touch. I’m not kidding you! Bamboo is just Ah-mazing. So I got obsessed with bamboo, literally obesssed. To have my precious baby dressed in something so light, so soft, so huggable – that’s beyond a dream of mine. Heck, before she was born I was hoping to only clothe her in items that had no tags as to not irritate her in any way. But here was this out-of-this world goodness. I went on buying everything and anything I could in bamboo, it is THAT good. When she’s wearing the romper, it feels like I am holding her naked but better.

That’s where I got smacked in the face… One of my readers brought to my attention how bamboo is made. See, I’ve always thought (and I am sure it’s marketed that way on purpose) that bamboo being so “eco” and so “sustainable” is of course FREE OF CHEMICALS that we’ve been trying to avoid. I was wrong. Most bamboo is made WITH the use of chemicals. If you use conventional clothing (non-organic), then it’s no big deal to you, ignore that whole part above and concentrate on how incredible the fabric feels. But if you are after as chemical free living as we try to be, then just keep in mind that bamboo doesn’t equal organic.  I didn’t stop using them, they are just too soft and feel like skin, but I did make sure to wash any new bamboo clothing several times before use.

I’ve also bought many other bamboo items from different retailers, but none of them compare to this Estella Bamboo layette collection. This is by far the softest, thinest set of clothing I’ve ever seen.

DEALS: up to 70% off Sale Items, plus free shipping over $100

HALO

Types of clothes: *baby*

Very few people haven’t heard of Halo SleepSacks. They are almost a household name in the world of wearable blankets. The concept is simple, it’s an armless sack with a zipper to be worn at night. The one we have is made out of simple 100% organic cotton and is very generously sized. Alexis had plenty of room for her legs in it and I really liked how the bottom was very wide and loose so she didn’t feel constricted.  And most importantly she was always warm in it. This particular blanket is on the thicker more solid side of cotton, so it’s perfect for colder nights.  I am also a fan of anything that has a zipper and doesn’t have arms when it comes to baby clothing. Just makes it so much easier to put them into, when it’s late at night and babies are tired and fussy. So needless to say, we’ll be wearing the Halo until we grow out of it. Oh and if you’re a Disney fan, they are some ADORABLE Disney princess styles, as well as very cool boy designs.

DEALS: Clearance on some organic items.

GIVEAWAY ITEM: a standard cotton Halo sack. US and Canada

BEST BABY ORGANICS

Types of clothes: *baby* *toddler* *child* *mama* *accessories*

One of the two websites that are online retailers for all things organic and natural. At Best Baby Organics you can find literally ANYTHING, from maternity bands to swim diapers, to organic clothing, to cribs to nursing clothes. I’ve discovered so many useful items from their website. Nursing clothes, nursing bras, baby clothes- they have made it a point to sell only the most interesting and often unusual and unusually useful items. Alexis got to wear their  Lukeeno onesie and a Lukeeno tee. Lukeeno onesie is the one we took to the hospital to dress her into once she was born. It’s a good warm thick onesie that lasted for quite a long time as well. She still fits into the long sleeved tee and wears it occasionally when the house is toocold from the A/C and we need an additional layer.

DEALS: 15% OFF + Free shipping over $35

GIVEAWAY ITEM: a Lukeeno tee and pants set. Open to US and Canada.

 

Other organic brands that I use and like who unfortunately couldn’t participate in this post and giveaway at this time are: Sage Creek Organics, Broken Trycicle, Little Shrimp, Green Baby.

Now that you’re done reading about these brands, some of them were generous enough to offer a giveaway item or two for my readers to win. I went back and forth trying to decide whether one person should win them all, or we should have 1 winner per brand with a total of 11 winners. Let me know what you think. But for this one I decided 11 winners would be better. That way more people would get a little treat.

The following are the prizes: 1 Finn&Emma coverall, 2 Polarn O.Pyret items, 2 Nosilla Organics items, 1 Lukeeno Tee & Pant set, 1 Boob terry set, 1 Swaddle Design’s ZzzzipMe Sack, 1 Halo Sleep Sack, 1 Funkoos onesie, 1 Spunky Stork onesie, 2-pack Bambino Land muslin Swaddle, 1 Nohi kids onesie or Tee, 1 Essential B gift from B Nature.

So this giveaway is a bit different from others, but it’s pretty simple. The only 3 mandatory entries are to follow The Art of making a Baby, answer a simple question and to create a Pinterest Board. After these two you’ll have a bunch of other options to enter if you wish. So read below in the RULES section on how to create a Pinterest Board.

BELOW ARE THE GIVEAWAYS RULES
and Mandatory Entries: {read carefully}

There are three mandatory entries:

1. Follow this blog

2. Answer why you’d like to win (and brand preference in case you do win)

3. Create a Pinterest Board. Login into your Pinterest account (or create one if you don’t have it) and create a new board named Baby Clothing Brands.

For 10 entries you can simply repin every single pin from the board I already created, called BOBG: Big Organic Baby Giveaway {MANDATORY ENTRY}

To get an additional 25 entries, you can pin your own favorite items from each brand’s website.  Make sure to tag each pin with #BOBG {VOLUNTARY ENTRY}

Here’s the list of brands to visit and pin: Finn&Emma, Halo, Swaddle Designs, Funkoos, Polarn O.Pyret, Nosilla, Boob Design, Spunky Stork, Best Baby Organics, Bambino Land, Nohi Kids, Swaddle Designs, B Nature.

And that’s all!

After you’ve done that, you’ll have the option to do all the additional usual entries.

The giveaway is open internationally, however some brands aren’t able to ship internationally, so the prizes will be distributed accordingly.

The winning entry will be verified and the winner disqualified if the action is not found or if the mandatory items are not fullfilled.
Make sure to notate how you’re following the blog in the extra info field (entry #1). The entry won’t count if that information is missing.
See the rafflecopter widget for additional terms and conditions.

UPDATE: You can now log into the Rafflecopter through Facebook or just by using your name/email.

{If you’re not sure how to use to enter, feel free to watch this video tutorial or email me at contact {at} prebabyblog {dot} com
Otherwise, make sure to read everything carefully. Click the DO IT link first, then I’VE DONE IT once the action is completed}

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post. The above mentioned companies sent me a sample of their product for review. All opinions are 100% my own.

I’ve been meaning to write this post for a while now, so I am very glad I finally have the time and the resources to put this in writing, and have 2 baby related giveaways.

A few months ago after doing some research, my husband and I decided that it was important to us to somewhat continue the natural approach we’ve been using in this pregnancy further into Alexis’s life.

We committed to making sure that we buy organic clothes and bedding  for her for as long as we can. The initial goal for clothes being six months, bedding-indefinitely.

It’s well known how incredibly sensitive an infant’s skin and system are and that her lungs, digestive system and brain are still developing outside the womb, so using items that are  softer, more pleasant to her skin and most importantly are free of harmful dyes and chemicals was something that we considered of value.

I remember thinking a while ago: It’s just clothing/bedding . How harmful can it be?  Well, it turns out a normal 100% cotton top is usually far from being just cotton.

With the advance in manufacturing (and subsequently the amount of money to be made on mass produced cheap clothing), companies are doing all they can to cut costs and make things cheaper and more efficient. That results in clothing that is full of pesticides, chemicals, flame retardants, ammonia, metals, formaldehyde and artificial dyes. Aside from all these harmful substances leeching into the baby’s system, there’s also a big possibility of them being a big allergen for small babies, especially those born to parents with sensitivities. The skin of a baby is much thinner and less oily than an adult’s, which makes it more porous and their immune system isn’t strong enough yet to handle the toxins, even in small amounts. And unfortunately, washing clothes doesn’t remove all the chemicals and pesticides ( though it does help somewhat).

The problem with cotton is that it’s very susceptible to pests and insects, so in order to increase production and profits, companies have to  spray the crops with an unreal amount of pesticides and insecticides. According to Organic Consumers Association, “just 2.4% of the world’s arable land is planted with cotton, yet it accounts for 24% of the world’s insecticide market and 11% of sale of global pesticides, making it the most pesticide-intensive crop grown on the planet.”  And think about this: five out of top 9 pesticides being used on cotton are known cancer causing chemicals.  1/3 Pound of chemicals are typically used in the production of one cotton T-shirt.  And this is the stuff that sits on your baby for days, your baby sleeps on it, breathes it, touches it – quite disconcerting.

Now we both realize that at this point, it is impossible to get away from all or even the majority of dangers in our environment, but just like in pregnancy we’d like to try to do as much as we can handle. At least until her body is not as sensitive to things as it will be in the beginning. And anyone with allergies would probably benefit even more from switching to organic.

So I’ll leave the clothing for the next post, but here’s what I found out about bedding. Buying organic bedding and sleepwear is just a no-brainer, as a newborn she will be spending MOST of her time sleeping on her sheets and mattress, breathing whatever they have to offer. Organic mattresses are really expensive, sheets are much more affordable, so are mattress pads, changing pads and protectors. But after reading some information about SIDS and it’s very possible link to the chemicals in our baby mattresses ( thanks to a blog reader). Here’s a shorter simple explanation behind the theory and science. After reading a bit, it blew my mind to find out what the baby mattresses are made of : petroleum, vinyl,  pesticides, cancer causing substances, and then to comply with stupid government fire safety regulations, they’re sprayed with horrible flame retardants.

So after a lot of procrastination and looking around and after we tried out a Naturepedic changing pad (see below), we just purchased a Naturepedic organic mattress. We also have organic sheets from different brands ( those are really cheap), as well as organic changing pad covers. Anything that I know my baby will be spending a lot of time on/in, I want it in organic if possible. I’ll try to write a post about my Black Friday purchases (I know I promised), a lot of which were organic since I had just read about it all, mentioning where I got them and how much they cost, in case anyone is looking to switch to organic as well. But here are a few popular baby related things that actually come in natural and/or organic option.

NATUREPEDIC ORGANIC CHANGING PAD (giveaway below)

One thing that hit me right away was “NO SMELL!”. You know how you get things, you unpack them from that vinyl wrapping and you get a good whiff of glue-like, plastic-y smell. None of that here. This one didn’t smell like ANYTHING! That was a very reassuring thing for me. It’s waterproof and easy to clean, but not made out of vinyl and other toxic chemicals. They use a  clear non-allergenic 100% polyethylene food-grade waterproof coating.  The filling is 100% organic cotton without pesticides and chemicals. There’s no latex which can be an issue in allergic people.

The pad is also really really sturdy and of good quality. I can see us using it for 2-3 years without having to replace it versus a cheap $25 pad that is flimsy and toxic. It also has the standard straps and clips to attach them to a dresser in the back, as well as safety belt. It’s also deeper and curvier than other changing pads I’ve seen which I can imagine will be a big bonus. It is more expensive than other pads on the market ($99) but from what I can see, along with other people’s feedback and reviews, the money is well spent, just from the longevity standpoint. And aside from that, you can’t put a price on your baby’s health. You can buy it here (Naturepedic) or here (Amazon). You can also enter our giveaway for a chance to get one for free ( please see the Rafflecopter widget at the bottom of the post for the giveaway)

ORGANIC BRESTFRIEND

Everyone I talked to recommended that I get a Brestfriend as a breastfeeding pillow. I loved that they had an organic option. Unfortunately, it’s only the cover that’s organic, not the actual pillow, but I realize that they’re not in the business of making organic breastfeeding pillow, so I really appreciate at least having the option to purchase an organic cover, since I’ll be spending many many hours breastfeeding Alexis. The cover can be bought separately for $17 if you already own a BrestFriend, or you can buy the pillow with the cover for $48 right now on Amazon (down from $60). I will write more about my experience with the pillow once I get to try it out, but I wanted to mention it here, since it fits in the whole organic theme.

 

 ALLERGYSTORE.COM

This is a good website to bookmark. It basically stocks all kind of natural and organic products, as well as allergy related supplies. You can buy safe non-toxic laundry detergents, asthma care, air cleaners, pet allergy products, organic and hypoallergenic bedding. I used two items from the website: an organic crib blanket (sale $26.95) and a waterproof wool mattress pad ($89.95).

The crib blanket reminds me of being a kid and spending summers with grandma in the country: natural, comfy, hand knitted blankets that were spread all over the country cottage. The waterproof wool pad was a little bit of surprise for me. I didn’t know that wool is a natural flame retardant and is waterproof. If you don’t want to use toxic waterproof padding for your crib mattress, you could opt for wool. Check out the picture below of water droplets just sitting on the wool pad-  they don’t soak in. Pretty cool!

Also, baby’s bedding and clothing need to be washed in a different detergent than our adult clothes, one that’s hypoallergenic and safe. Allergystore.com stocks the best one: OxyPrime and Oxy Clean, which I am a fan of. And if you have allergies, try the Allersearch.

 

I am also finding out that a lot of brand name baby items now come in an organic option. Like…

HALO SLEEPSACK 

A well known original wearable blanket comes in an organic option seen below ($32.95 or $28.95 on Amazon). It’s only 6 dollars cheaper than the non-organic option and I consider it $6 well spent. I’ll write more about how it works on an actual baby when Alexis arrives, but I thought that it was definitely worth including into the post. Halo also has the swaddle version of this blanket which is perfect for newborn babies.

 

SHI SHU BABY (giveaway below)

 

Have you noticed how difficult it is to find soft comfy cozy baby blankets that aren’t made out of polyester, fake fur or other synthetic fabrics?

Meet Shi Shu Baby!

Made of bamboo and cotton – super soft and pleasant to skin without the use of synthetics. It’s a REALLY BIG blanket- perfect as a stroller blanket or a crib blanket. It’s awesome for cold weather babies plus toddlers will love the feel of it, too.

Tamre, the founder, actually came up with the idea for the blanket when all her gifted blankets made her little baby hot and rashy. Bamboo is perfect for babies because it regulates their temperature and is naturally antibacterial. It comes in adorable sweet colors – perfect to match any nursery. I can’t wait to finish Alexis’s room and hang this very blanket on the crib as a design piece until I can use it with her when she’s a little bit older.

You can enter our giveaway below for a chance to win this blanket or you can visit Shi Shu Baby website to purchase one ($88)

I am actually going to put the SHI SHU HOME throw on my wish list, because I want to have a matching throw and will strongly hint to my husband that I want it for Christmas ( what a perfect cozy gift)

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Disclosure: I received no compensation for my reviews other than free samples of the products. All opinions are 100% my own.