My Journey as an Eco-loving, Tidy Focused Mother-to-be

Our baby is due on Wednesday. It's official, I am that expecting mother bouncing around on swiss balls and walking stairs to coax the baby out. All, I am sure, does less than I would like, but keeps my mind focused.

Becoming a mother is something I have wanted for a long time. I often catch a glimpse of my reflection and force myself to pause and remember, no matter how much my back hurts or my haemorrhoids flare, that this is exactly what I want. Even if it feels like only yesterday that I wrote 'I love living alone, am I ready to give it up and move in with my boyfriend?'.

Before I tuck into my mothering cave of long nights and sleep deprivation, here are a few little bits from my journey as an eco-loving, tidy-focused mother-to-be so far.

PLUS My Golden Rules for Accepting Secondhand Baby Clothes

Have you bought a lot of baby stuff? 

The phrase “kids come with a lot of stuff” is an odd one. Technically they don’t, they literally arrive into the world with nothing but a birthday suit. Yet, it is true they require a whole suite of things most households do not have before the birth of the child. AND kids are an advertisers' dream! My partner has openly shared the “if you really loved your child you would get this one” pressure he feels in baby stores and each time a social media ad pops up.

Even though we are aware that the love for our unborn child is being moulded, primed and positioned to encourage us to buy more, we are not immune to the pull. We did buy a quality pram, car seat and eco mattress because for us it felt right. We have also accepted a lot of hand-me-downs, bought secondhand and borrowed items. It is true, I have more stuff than before we fell pregnant; a bassinet, cot, playmat, baby bath, change mats, rugs, and clothes to name a few. But they were considered purchases, within our budget, and I am confident we will use them.

Tips for accepting secondhand baby products.

When you are expecting a baby hand-me-downs are a lot like parenting advice - everyone offers. Always with love and good intentions. However, I have seen first hand what poorly managed hand-me-downs can look like. I have clients who haven’t been able to say no and ended up with excess kids' stuff they didn't want OR like.

I remember one client in particular, their living room stacked with tubs of clothes dropped off by a well-meaning family member. When I asked what they where she said “clothes my kids will love and I will hate. I am hoping to leave them there until the kids don’t fit them”. 

Knowing this from the start has been helpful. Rather than waiting for friends to offer, or not offer, I asked. In fact I added it to my baby shower invite.

This helped friends and family know I was seeking out hand-me-downs and removed the awkward conversations. 

I also made it clear what my responsibilities were. I asked:

• “Do you want this back?”
• “Would you like me to store it at my house until you need it again?”
• “If I do not use are you happy for me to donate?”

On a few occasions, I politely said no.

For bigger items like baths, capsules & bassinets, I asked around for one to borrow. Making it clear from the start I would look after it and return once we no longer needed it.