Aren't real nappies expensive?

This is a question that is often asked by parents when looking at the cost of "real nappies" and disposables.

The Ethical Consumer Research Report have calculated that the average price for an all in one reuseable nappy to be £12.28, and for a disposable nappy to be 14 pence. At first glance it appears that real nappies are much more expensive but once you actually work it out it's quite surprising how much cheaper reusables are in the long term.

On average it is recommended that to use reusables you need around 20 nappies – which would therefore cost £245.60. It is estimated that a small baby tends to need around ten changes per day, reducing to around 6 per day as they get older, averaging around 2,918
nappies per year, which at 14p each would cost £408.52 in disposables – just for the first
year.

Even taking into account washing costs they are cheaper. It was calculated that the cost to wash one nappy would be around 0.75p. Washing a year’s worth (2,918 nappies) would therefore
work out at £38.90. Over the two and a half years a baby will be in nappies, the average
cost of disposables would therefore be £1,021, and reusables £342.85.

So food for thought. If you are considering it come in and have a look at Pop-in nappies which have 10% discount during Real Nappy Week, and don't forget Gloucestershire County Council give £30 cashback when you spend over £50 on real nappies.

Why not give it a try by purchasing a trial pack of one nappy? Go on - give it a go- it may be easier than you think and it will certainly save you money!

http://www.newbeginningsbabyshop.co.uk/products.php?catid=59

Real Nappy Week - Greener Disposables?

As it's Real Nappy Week I've been looking into figures and have been totally amazed by the huge numbers of disposable nappies we use each day in the UK.

Dispensing with disposables in the UK would stop almost six million nappies a day, or two billion nappies a year, ending up in landfill. Nappies account for 2% of all household rubbish, and cost the council tax payer £67m a year. A weight of disposeable nappies equivalent to 70,000 double-decker buses go to landfill every year - enough buses to stretch from London to Edinburgh! Disposeable nappy use creates about 400,000 tonnes of waste each year in the UK - roughly the equivalent of the waste produced by a city the size of Birmingham.

So if all these nappies are going into landfill how long do they take to rot away? Since the 1960s disposable nappy manufacturers have increasingly replaced paper with super-absorbent polymers (mainly sodium polyacrylate) which can hold many times their own weight in water. Further innovations have brought a range of plastics for coating and sealing, as
well as perfumes, fragrances and dyes. This has meant that the likelihood of such products
ever being broken down in the environment – even over hundreds of years – is continuing
to recede., and figures are being quoted as between a hundred years and never for a nappy to decompose.

It's clear we have to look at alternatives - either biodegradable disposeables or reuseable "cloth" nappies. It has led to a wave of ‘greener’ disposable nappies which claim to address
some of these issues -

Bambo Nature is the only ‘green nappy’ to be independently accredited. The product also avoids perfumes and other chemicals and features an absorbent starch core.

Moltex Oko contains minimal amounts of gel and no perfumes. They claim to be
compostable.

Nature Babycare although not gel-free, it claims to be based on biodegradable materials and to be chlorine free.

Tushies are the only nappy to use absolutely no gel at all, relying on wood pulp and cotton
for absorbency.

Supermarket own-brands – Both Sainsbury and Asda produce an ‘eco-nappy’ option
claiming greater proportions of biodegradable materials.

Because landfill sites are compacted and covered, decomposition rates are slow. A disposable nappy can take between 100 years and never to decompose, and a biodegradable nappy (by inference) between 5 months and 50 years.

(Source Ethical Consumer Research Report)

Real Nappy Week 10% discount!

Real Nappy Week is from the 26th April to 2nd May 2010 and you will see lots in the press about the benefits of using "Real" or reusable nappies.

The main points why you should consider using real nappies are:

Kind to your baby - Like babies, modern washable nappies come in many shapes and styles. Designed to be comfortable and secure, it is easy to find the ideal nappy for your baby. You even get to choose how you wash them, just like baby’s clothes.

Kind to your wallet - Using real nappies over disposables will save you a small fortune estimates range up to £800, considerably more if you use the same nappies on subsequent children.

Kind to you - It has never been simpler to use real nappies. Today’s options have no pins – most use poppers or velcro and come in a wide variety of colours and patterns to coordinate with your baby’s clothes!

Kind to your environment – Using real nappies instead of disposables you will halve your weekly rubbish and your carbon footprint could be up to 40% smaller! This means less rubbish filling up our landfill sites and a kinder option for our planet.

If you would like to see how these nappies work please visit us in the shop and we will be happy to show you how easy it is. We stock Close Parent's Pop-in Nappies as they are a one size nappy and are simple to wash and dry.

From now until the end of Real Nappy Week we are offering 10% off all nappies ordered. If you combine this discount with the £30 grants available from local authorities it's never been a better time to save money!

Visit our website for more info http://www.newbeginningsbabyshop.co.uk/products.php?catid=59

New Arrival!

Congratulations to Ruth and David on the safe arrival of Evie May weighing 6lbs and 6oz!

Celebrity Mums choose Cosatto

What are the celebrity mums choosing for their babies? Well Cosatto it seems! Cosatto sent us details.....

Mum to be Denise van Outen has taken Cosatto's Budi 3-in-1 Combi in Ember for her little girl due in May. It doesn't end there, she's also ordered our Easi Peasi Changer- Zuton, Goo Goo Rocka- Little Bunni and Maternity Cushion in cream hearts. Look out in Prima Magazine!

Sara Cox has just ordered the Duet Lite and Swift Lite Supa 2010 - In Crowd, for her spring baby!

A-List Footballer and his lovely wife (not allowed to name for legal reasons) have taken the new Cabi 3-in-1 Combi Walk in the Park for their little boy…keep your eyes peeled in HELLO & OK!

Nicola McLean has taken the Cabi 3-in-1 Walk in the Park for baby due in the Spring. Along with Swift Lite Supa 2010 Little Pip Squeak, Goo Goo Rocka- Jeli baby, and 40 Winks Travel Cot. All items of which were whisked off to the Mayfair hotel for her Baby Shower shoot for OK! Will let you know when the feature will be!

Zoe Ball ordered the Yumi Highchair for her nephew at Christmas dinner. The Balls and the Cooks were all round for Christmas turkey. We have sent Zoe the i-spin in Smile for little Nelly.

Cosatto are thanking Marina and Ben Fogle for the lovely card they sent from Ludo. He is loving his Cosatto bouncer. They welcomed little Ludo into the world in December, and he went straight into Cosatto's uber comfy Goo Goo Rocka Little Bunni bouncer.

Jemma Kidd gave birth to twins: Mae Madeleine and Arthur Darcy, who we want to see soon out and about in our Cosatto You2 Twin Stroller, You and Me that Jemma ordered in December.

All Cosatto products are available to order from New Beginnings.

Baby Style Oyster - New Colours

BabyStyle have anounced that a new range of colours for the BabyStyle Oyster is going to be available from June.

We think this is great news as the best selling pushchair has already proved it to be a winner with us and has received many awards including Which Best Buy Pushchir.

The new range will consist of purchasing the chassis in black or silver with a black seat unit. You can then personalise it with a hood and liner from a range of 12 colours. The pushchair costs £219.00 and the colour pack £50.00.

The carrycot comes in black and this too comes with an accessory pack of choice of 12 colours.

So why is the Oyster so great?

Well after seeing many pushchairs I really feel it offers a great range of features at an affordable price. The best bits are:

*The chassis - strong, stylish and easy to fold it is really compact when folded.

*The wheels are quick release - perfect if you need more space in the boot.

*The brake can be put on or taken off from above - perfect when you are wearing flip flops!

*The wheels can be locked into position with just one push of a button.

* The chassis has a height adjustable handle so no more bending if you are taller.

*The seat unit is easy to put on and off and can be forward facing or rearward facing. It can also be folded down with the seat unit attached - very rare indeed. The seat unit has a built in UV and insect net which is zipped inside the hood and can be pulled down when the sun shines - brilliant!

*The carrycot is roomy and easy to click on and off

and finally , you can use it as a travel system with a choice of a BabyStyle, Britax or Maxi cosi car seats.

Demand is bound to be high for the new colours so we recommend that you pre-order if you are interested.

April Fools Day

April Fool's Day - April 1st

April 1st is the day people try to trick their friends, to make them behave like fools. Ranging from the elaborate practical joke to the obvious Your zip's undone the joker gloats April Fool when the unsuspecting victim falls for it. No one is exempt until noon but after that the joking must cease or the prank rebounds on the joker with the rhyme "April Fool is gone and past, You're the bigger fool at last." A favourite joke is to send someone on a fool's errand, a search for something that does not exist, a friend of mine was sent to buy tartan paint once.

Origin
In Britain, fooling at this time of year has gone on for centuries, however the origin of the custom still remains obscure. There are several theories to account for it.
One theory is that in Europe, until the sixteenth century, March 25th, the first day of the Vernal Equinox Festival, was New Year's Day. On April 1st, the last day of the festival, people used to give presents to one another. In 1564, Charles IX, the French king, adopting the Gregorian calendar and fixed January 1st as New Year's Day. Those who were against the revision continued to express their complaints by giving presents or paying New Year's visits on April 1st. In the following years, these traditionalists who insisted on celebrating the New Year at its old time were mocked as fools and people would play pranks and tricks on them and called them ` Poisson d'avril ', meaning April Fish. This must have been so much fun that it spread all over the world and people played tricks on everyone, not just the people who didn't accept the new calendar.
Other people say it's just a continuation of a festival in honour of the Celtic god of Mirth but most popular belief is that it's a reaction to the change in season and the start of spring. Whatever its origin, making fools of people on this day remains one of the most flourishing of all British customs.
In Scotland, for example, April Fool's Day is actually celebrated for two days. The second day is devoted to pranks involving the posterior region of the body. It is called Taily Day. The origin of the "kick me" sign can be traced to this observance.

Famous hoaxes
Even the television stations and newspapers get in on the act.
Some of the more famous April Fool's include.
A report that hawks carrying cameras would be used on the motorways by police to catch speeding motorists.
A news report about sheep with grass growing on their backs because the weather was so wet.
Numerous news reports about official sightings of the Loch Ness monster.
A documentary on Spaghetti was broadcasted a few years ago by the BBC claiming that spaghetti grew on trees .
Some companies get in on the act too - BMW run a spoof advert every year.
A full-page BMW car advertisement was run on On 1 April 1986, about their new car for driving between Great Britain and the Continent. It was both left and right hand drive, had pedals on both driver's and passenger's side, had a detachable steering wheel which could go either side and a full set of instruments on each side, the unused one being covered by a lovely walnut panel. (I would have bought one!)
A mechanism that inflated the car tyres automatically was described by BMW one year.
Even the most serious Brits can't resist, the British magazine, New Scientist, often puts April Fool articles in their issue near the 1st of April. The rest of the magazine would have the correct date at the top of the page, but this page would have "1 April" at the top.
Basically don't believe anything you read, hear or are told on April 1st!