It's easy being green for your baby

While many mums grab a jar when it's time to feed their baby, Amber Turner prepares everything that goes into her 7-month-old son's mouth.
And when it's time to change Luka's nappy, there are no disposables in sight.
Ms Turner is part of a new wave of "eco-mums" who are returning to old-fashioned and environmentally friendly ways of raising their children.
The Welcome Bay woman, also mum to Phoenix, 4, and Finn, 11, said having children had changed the way she looked at the environment.
"Everything is not going to be here forever. They [her sons] will need resources too.
"This way is just less pollution, cheaper, just a better way of doing things.
"Everyone seems to think it's the new way of doing things, but our grandparents lived like this."
Making baby food was "really easy" and didn't take long.
Luka was a good eater who often enjoyed stewed apple and apricots with ground rolled oats, pumpkin, potato and carrot, or broccoli and mashed potato with ground steak.
"It looks revolting but he likes it. It's easy - you just boil it and mash it and put it through a sieve.
"Everyone seems to think it takes forever but it doesn't take long."
And the benefit? Mrs Turner knows exactly what's in her baby's food.
Using cloth nappies have similar benefits, as she doesn't like the idea of plastics and chemicals in disposable nappies.
When she had her eldest son, she had not heard of modern cloth nappies and used disposables.
She bought cloth nappies when she had Phoenix and now uses the same ones on Luka.
"It's so cheap. Once you've got them, you just wash them and use them again. I think some mums are scared of using them but honestly it's a piece of cake."
She uses disposables only when Luka has nappy rash.
Cloth nappies and making baby food is part of a wider desire to find out "as much as she can" about better ways of bringing up her boys.
She has fruit trees, a compost heap and recycles, and plans for a vegetable garden and worm farm.
"Once you do it, it becomes a habit," Mrs Turner said.
Cloth nappies are becoming increasingly popular. Kate Meads, spokeswoman for the New Zealand Nappy Alliance, said the number of parents using cloth nappies had more than tripled in the past six years.
And Tauranga eco-mums are lining up to take part in cloth nappy workshops, as more new parents turn to green solutions to raise their children.
The workshops, run by Mrs Meads in conjunction with Tauranga City Council, gives them $60 worth of free nappies.
The workshops show parents the modern nappy options, explain how different styles work and helps choose the best nappy for your baby and budget.
Waste minimisation programme leader Kimberley Cleland said the council supported the workshops as modern cloth nappies were a "good alternative for parents to consider, particularly if they are concerned about reducing landfill waste".
And the demand is there - the first two workshops are half booked already by word of mouth.
For Mrs Meads, known as "The Nappy Lady", becoming mum to Daniel, 6, was a catalyst to a greener life.
"When you have a baby, your rubbish almost doubles. It gets more expensive and you are buying disposable products.
"He was doubling two adults' waste and he's only the size of your arm. We thought that's actually quite a lot of stuff for this tiny baby and, for us, it started this whole process."
After making the switch to cloth nappies, the Katikati woman and her husband, Vaughn, made other changes.
They have a worm farm and two vegetable gardens and make their own bread and milk.
"In reality, over six years we have done one thing a year. Once we have got used to one thing, we have done something else. It has been a gradual process," Mrs Meads said.
"We live a completely normal life. We introduce these things and make it easy, and it doesn't take any [extra] energy."
And she takes great pleasure from going back to basics.
"It's actually really weird but the more that I do it, the more rewarding it is.
"To put a meal on the table that has almost come from everything you have grown yourself is hugely satisfying, it's massive.
"It just makes you feel really satisfied on a really deep level, especially for your kids.
"I feel like that guy on [TV show] River Cottage - I watch him and go, 'I do that'."
Tauranga Nappy Lady Workshops:

* Friday, March 18, 7pm, Papamoa Library
* Saturday, March 19, 10am, Grindz Cafe, Tauranga
* Friday, May 13, 7pm, Bay Midwifery Centre, Greerton
* Saturday, May 14, 10am, Grindz Cafe, Tauranga
* Friday, July 8, 7pm, Welcome Bay Plunket Rooms
* Saturday, July 9, 10am, Grindz Cafe, Tauranga
To book, phone 549 2955 or email workshops@nappydays.co.nz