Vegan baby and parent's products

Plastic free, zero waste, organic, natural

Most of the baby and parent products I bought at the local wholefood shop turned out to contain beeswax (cera alba) or sheep's wool (lanolin), and were therefore not vegan.  Some nappies are also made from wool.  I made this website to help you avoid the same mistakes.

Jump to the products

This page also covers:

Pregnancy

Vitamins, frumpy clothes and throwing up: How I handled my morning sickness, while growing a strong vegan baby.

Birth

It's unpredictable- here's how to pack everything under the sun.  Also how to register the birth.

Travel

Useless purchases: Wrong buggy when too young.  Useful purchase: Toddler hiking backpack thing- great for London transport and small flats with lots of steps.

Milk- vegan breastfeeding

Our useless purchases: Vegan infant formula, special bras and clothes, discrete shawl, cruelty- full cream.  I practiced breastfeeding and expressing.

Shared healthy family meals

Avoid purchase of: cups which Baby chews apart, forks which are too thick to pick anything up, and ready made squish which no one wants.

Boob balm- vegan, plastic free nipple oil

Any oil which is edible to babies could be used for sensitive nipples.  You could look in the kitchen or try a plain carrier oil.  I used almond and coconut, but not for that long.  I do remember often putting a load on before leaving the house, as this meant it wouldn't immediately be sucked off ... It was suggested to one of my friends that she put olive oil on a breast pad and wear this to prevent blisters.

Bum balm- vegan, zero waste nappy cream (we mainly used it for dribble rash)

Avoid purchasing nappy cream by avoiding nappies:  How we started toilet training from age two months.  You can also do without: potties, changing tables, changing mats and nappy bags.  When Baby was little we smothered them in nappy cream, and changed them frequently to avoid rashes.  However, since we started early potty training, we haven't used it for a long time.  Hence, I've also included the padded nappy pants we used and the folding travel toilet seat.  My child never got into the habit of sitting on potties; since we started off holding them over a bucket, and then moved straight to a toilet seat.  If my flat was larger, and the toilet was far away, I would have encouraged potty use.

Bath bars- baby washing products for sensitive skin

Products are  not necessary at first.  Baby did not eat food or have hair to get it in, and a very new Baby's skin is too sensitive for baths.  Our initial bath attempt resulted in tears, and we put it off for a bit longer.  The problem was that we had followed the advice to bathe the baby in the evening, which was their unimpressed time of day.  We learnt that it is best to constantly adapt routines around Baby's feedback, rather than what a book says.  Once it became possible to wash my hair together with Baby in the bath, they started to play with my shampoo, and we now wash it from time to time if they are in a good mood. 

Our skin is absorant, and especially a baby's.  It takes in what we put on it.  This is why I prefer natural products; ones which could perhaps be eaten with just a small stomach upset.  Our baby was born with very dry skin.  Half the midwives told us we must put oil on them, and half told us we certainly must not.  Contradictory medical advice was to become a theme of early parenthood.  Perhaps it depends on the type of oil.  I was lucky to be given an organic massage oil, which made Baby coo.

Natural remedies

for colds, teething and fever, and toddling crash helmets

Sleep

Our useless purchases: Cot co-sleeper, sleepyhead, grobag, flat with spare room.  Useful information: Bed sharing safety guidelines.

Clothes

The quickest clothes to whip on and off- for baby and parent wee wees.  All in one suits with zips avoid time spent on poppers and lost socks.  Hoodies avoid lost hats.

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There are sometimes discounted, cleanance baby or bathroom products, and vegan food at Star Bargains or Approved Food.