Summer will soon be in full swing, so we should think about a few gadgets that might seem fancy at first, but will make our children’s lives a lot easier during hot days. I’d like to focus on the youngest, particularly those who will experience summer for the first time.
On hot days newborns and infants tend to get nappy rash on their bottoms and legs. Often the cream or powder protection may turn out to be insufficient, especially in case of disposable nappies. In such situations we should consider using, at least during sweltering days, woollen nappy covers and bamboo inserts, for example those offered by Puppi company (www.igle-figle.pl). The nappy covers are made of thin flannel made entirely from merino wool. In summer they provide appropriate aeration and minimise the risk of irritation.Bamboo used in replaceable inserts turns out to be incredible! I use such inserts with my seven month old daughter. Bamboo has antiseptic and anti-allergic properties. It’s unbelievably absorbent and simple to use – we wash the inserts in washing machine in the temperature of 60°C. Additionally, since the nappies are made of soft fabric, they don’t restrict child’s movement, so our babies can easily gain new skills and discover the world.
Woollen nappy covers alone are only seemingly difficult to use. They are washed once in about two or three weeks because wool has antibacterial properties and in case it’s soiled it’s sufficient to wash out the stain in running water. Nappy covers are required to be soaked in lanolin once in a few weeks. It protects them against absorbing moisture.
On sweltering days 100% natural materials have no match and the best of them is bamboo, which is why it’s also worth investing in a bamboo blanket for a child. Why bamboo again? Because of its great absorptivity and antistatic (it doesn’t accumulate dust and dust mites), anti-fungal and hypoallergenic properties. It’s also said that it can soothe and bring relief in case of atopic skin susceptible to allergy. What’s more, bamboo is fully biodegradable, which makes it one of the most eco materials. Apart from that, sprouts of the bamboo are associated with the panda, for whom they’re reportedly a delicacy. So let’s follow the beautiful pandas’ example and fall in love with bamboo!
We’ve already mentioned blankets and nappies, now it’s time for some hot eco design directly from the United Kingdom. For the sake of introduction, here’s a couple of words about organic clothing. Many of us parents claim that it’s enough to pay attention to percentage composition of cotton contained in the clothes of our children and if it reaches 100%, the product is deemed safe. Well… It doesn’t work like that in the end. During conventional cotton cultivation multiple toxic and harmful chemicals are applied (pesticides, herbicides and artificial fertilisers). A certain amount of these substances penetrates into the cotton fibre. Then, during material processing, toxic chlorine is used for bleaching and artificial pigments are used for colouring the fabric. After all of that, the clothing is put on the children shop’s shelf with a „100% cotton” tag. Organic clothes can serve as an alternative, for example those certified with GOTS logo. The British Redurchin is one of the companies that can take pride in such a certificate. It is said that this brand’s clothing is tested by a boy suffering from eczema. Plus, their graphic patterns, resembling masterpieces of Op-art movement artists, bring delight and are reportedly inspired by children’s ideas.
We’ve almost protected our children from the heat. Now we only need drinking water supply, sunscreen, an umbrella… and maybe sunglasses? It’s important that they have UV-A and UV-B filters. For example, those created by Real Kids Shades company (www.realkidshades.com) feature a UV 400 filter and their frames are made of flexible, nontoxic TPEE material. They don’t contain BPA or phthalates, which are commonly present in plastic materials. Frames are resistant to bending and crushing and they are available in a few sizes so that they can be fitted appropriately to a child’s face.
Rough and ready, we set off to conquer the world! And the heat is no longer that scary!
