Buy Fair Trade!

"Fair Trade means an equitable and fair partnership between global marketers and producers in Asia, Africa, Latin America and other parts of the world. A fair trade partnership works to provide low-income artisans and farmers with a living wage for their work." - Source: Fair Trade Federation

Products that consumers often purchase are made in conditions that harm the workers, communities, and environment. When you buy fair trade products not only are you enabling artisans to make a living wage, but you are also ensuring that the goods you purchase are made in a way that does not harm the earth.

Fair Trade Criteria

1. Paying a fair wage in the local context 
   
2. Offering employees opportunities for advancement
3. Engaging in environmentally sustainable practices
4. Being open to public accountability
5. Building long-term trade relationships
6. Providing healthy and safe working conditions within the local context
7. Providing financial and technical assistance to producers whenever possible
8. Ensuring that there is no abuse of child labor
   Taken from: Fair Trade Federation 

What types of things can you buy Fair Trade?

You can buy everything such as chocolate, coffee, tea, and bananas to clothing, household, and decorative arts items. 

To find out where to buy Fair Trade Certified item you can check out TransFair USA. You might be surprised at some of the things that are Fair Trade Certified, such as any hot or iced espresso drink at Dunkin' Donuts!

Different ways you can go green

Since January is Go Green month here at Le Petit Owlet I want to write about all the different ways we have gone green at our house and what an impact it has made for us!

Re-use containers and jars. I don't know about you, but I love glass jars. There are just so many uses for them and they aren't plastic (I hate plastic!). You can clean up all of your old pasta sauce, jelly, salsa, or any other jars and use them for so many different things. I have a few in the bathroom, one to store q-tips, makeup brushes, and random odds and ends. If you do any kinds of crafts or sewing you can store buttons, elastic, or even fabric scraps in them. Glass jars also make perfect change jars! If you really want to be green about it you could make some terrariums! That's going to be one of my projects when the weather is warmer. Besides jars, many food items come in resealable containers perfect for lunch or snacks on the go.

Collect rain water. We invested in two large 55 gallon rain barrels that have spigots on them. We could be putting them to use more than we are, but we use the water that we have collected for either drinking or watering plants. We have a Big Berkey filter that we run the rain water through before drinking (I don't suggest drinking the rain water "as is") and it's a wonderful way to cut down on our water usage!

Invest in energy efficient appliances. Our washing machine went to washing machine heaven not too long ago and with the amount of daily laundry we have, we had no choice but to get a new one. Luckily we got a great deal on an HE front loading machine, the store was having a sale and there was a rebate available (always check your city's rebates!). Not only does our detergent last a lot longer now, but our washer gets clothes extremely clean while using very little water!

Bring your own grocery bags. Plastic grocery bags are not good for the environment, bringing your on cuts down on waste. You can leave some grocery totes in the trunk or back seat of your car, or bring them with you if you use public transportation. If you ever forget them or don't have enough, request paper. Paper bags are recycleable and you can re-use them! I have used paper bags for wrapping up things that I have to mail.

Buy organic, free range, and grass fed. This subject is going to have to be an entire post itself, but the chemicals and hormones that they use of conventional fruits, veggies, eggs, and meats is far from environmentally safe, not to mention it's really bad for you. We don't eat meat at all in our house, but if you do go for the grass fed meat without hormones. Try to buy local!

Cloth diaper. Disposables are just that, disposable. Disposable diapers fill up our landfills and create so much unecessary trash that isn't biodegradable. Just the thought of how many dirty diapers one baby puts into a landfill makes me cringe. Newborns need about 12 new diapers a day, which is about 84 diapers a week. In two months that is about 672 diapers. After the newborn stage a baby will use approximately 7 diapers a day, 49 a week, and 196 a month. Add the newborn amount to that and you have approximately 2,600 disposable diapers from your baby alone. Now think of how many babies are born every day, approximately 216,000. Not all of those babies will be in disposable diapers, but an extremely large portion of them will be. Even if you cut that number in half that comes out to 280,800,000 disposable diapers in the landfill per year. Seriously? It's never too late to start cloth diapering, and even one person can make an impact, plus you will save a ton of money! Cloth diapers are way cuter than disposable diapers (and they don't have that weird chemical-y smell).

Ditch disposable everything else. I decided that since we were cloth diapering we might as well switch to cloth wipes too. I don't know why I didn't do it sooner but it is way easy. I made my own wipes and just soak them in water and put a fresh batch in the wipes warmer every day. When we use one we just throw it in the cloth diaper laundry and that's it! Saves money and we don't have to throw anything away. I'm about to make the switch from paper towels to cloth napkins, there's no reason not to! I never use paper plates or plastic silverware, but if you do you can start going green by cutting that out! There are some great travel silverware sets out there, you can get a couple of those for packed lunches, or just to keep with you wherever you go.

Recycle! I didn't mind sorting the recycling when we just had the bin, but now our neigborhood has the singlestream recycling. One bin, throw everything in. Easy as pie. The amount of waste that recycling reduces can be astronomical, so make sure you are recycling everything that you can!

Earth Mama Angel Baby Review + Giveaway {CLOSED}

I recently wrote about the harmful ingredients in mainstream baby (and adult) bath products, so this is a great follow up review! I was given the opportunity to pick out three Earth Mama Angel Baby products to test out and review. I chose Angel Baby Shampoo & Body Wash, Angel Baby Bath Blossoms, and Angel Baby Bottom Balm. I was so excited when they got here that I just had to try them out right away!

Earth Mama Angel Baby manufactures a completely organic line of products for pregnancy, postpartum, baby, and even labor and loss of a baby.

Mama of Earth Mama Angel Baby is a nurse, herbalist, and mother who believes mamas and babies have a right to toxin-free, safe herbal products that work.

Earth Mama Angel Baby was the first company to receive the coveted rating of 0 on the Skin Deep Cosmetic Database, which is the best rating you can get! It means there are absolutely no chemicals and the products are 100% safe.

The first thing that I do with every new product is open it up and smell it. All three of these items have a heavenly scent, which is of course, 100% natural. No synthetic fragrances here!

Angel Baby Bath Blossoms

It's tea for your baby's bath! Angel Baby Bath Blossoms is an herbal bath for fussy babies (mamas too! I always bath with my son, so I got to test it out first hand). It's made with pure, organic blossoms of calendula, chamomile, rosebuds, and lavender along with lemon balm and oatmeal.  It's a wonderful before bed treat. It smells wonderful, and both Elijah's and my skin was silky soft when we got out of the bath!

Angel Baby Bottom Balm

We haven't had to use a diaper rash cream until recently and the one we were using before just didn't seem to be touching Eli's rash, so I was super excited to get this to try out. The bottom balm ingredients are organic olive oil, organic calendula extract, organic St. John's wort extract, organic chickweed extract, organic plantain extract, sheer butter, candelilla, organic jojoba oil, organic lavender oil, tea tree oil, and myrrh oil. What a great blend! Not only is this balm vegan, but it's naturally antibacterial and antifungal, and it's also clinically tested.

After a few days of use Eli's rash started to clear up, which is amazing. Not only did I use it on my son, but also myself and my husband used it.

It can also be used on cradle cap, bug bites, scrapes, chicken pox, minor rashes, and burns. It's a miracle salve!

Angel Baby Shampoo & Body Wash

I love this shampoo & body wash! It has a wonderful orange scent. The ingredients of this product are organic coconut oil, organic olive oil, organic shea butter, kosher vegetable glycerin, organic aloe leaf juice, organic vanilla bean extract, orange out, and vitamin E. It comes in a foaming pump and you only need a squirt or two to wash your baby. This shampoo & body wash is also clinically tested and hospital recommended.

Earth Mama Angel Baby gets and A+++ in my book. I was given some of their Third Trimester Tea by my midwife during my pregnancy, and that was wonderful too, I wish I had tried more of their products during pregnancy and labor!

I love reading the ingredients and knowing what they are, no google searching required!  Earth Mama Angel Baby is going to be a familiar brand in this house.

Visit the Earth Mama Angel Baby website at http://www.earthmamaangelbaby.com or click the banner on the right of this blog and use the code for a free Angel Baby Lotion!

Earth Mama Angel Baby has generously offered to give one of our readers my favorite product that I tried out. While I love them all and they are all quickly becoming my favorite, I have chosen the Angel Baby Shampoo & Body Wash (a $10.95 value). I am sure the winner will absolutely love it!

Mandatory Entry: Go to the Earth Mama Angel Baby website and tell me what other products you are interested in!

Additional Entries

❤ Go to Earth Mama Angel Baby and tell me one thing that you learned about the company in a comment! (1 entry)

❤ Follow @mamamelinda on Twitter then leave a comment telling me you are following. (1 entry)

❤ Follow @lepetitowlet on Twitter then leave a comment telling me you are following. (1 entry)

❤ Become a fan of Earth Mama Angel Baby on Facebook then leave a comment! (1 entry)

❤ Follow Le Petit Owlet publicly via Google Friend Connect then comment that you are following (1 entry)

❤ Subscribe to Le Petit Owlet via email (Feedburner top right) (1entry)

❤ Tweet about this giveaway! (Limited to 2 tweets per day). Leave a comment for each tweet with the permalink. Make sure you put @lepetitowlet and the url to the giveaway in each tweet!

❤ Blog about this giveaway then leave two separate comments with the link. (2 entries. You must leave two comments to qualify for both entries!)

❤ Put my button on your blog! (2 entries. You must leave two separate comments to qualify for both entries)

Contest is open until January 29th 2pm CST. Winner will be announced January 30th! Good luck!

Disclaimer: I did not receive payment in any form for this review.
I did receive a sample of the product or service for testing and review purposes. This will in no way sway my opinion of the product or service. The review is in my own words and is my own opinion. Your results and opinion may differ.

Go Green, Baby Favorite: Wool!

If you don't know by now, I love wool. Wool has so many amazing properties, which is why I am making it today's Go Green, Baby favorite.
So, why wool? First and foremost, wool is renewable and sustainable. It's biodegradable unlike oil-based synthetics (which contribute to pollution, yuck).
Wool is naturally non-allergenic, fire retardant, wrinkle resistant, and water repellent. Some people do have reactions to the natural lanolin in wool, but it's rare. Most people that have wool "allergies" are actually having a reaction to the harsh and toxic chemicals used in the manufacturing and treatment of conventional wool garments and bedding. Look for organic wool from small distributors, you'll notice the difference! Since wool is naturally fire retardant you don't have to worry about any of those toxic chemicals next to your skin. It's natural wrinkle resistance makes the care and upkeep easy, and the water repellent makes this the perfect choice for all things baby (diaper covers, bedding, clothing).
When people think of wool they think itchy and hot, but that's not true at all! Wool has a natural insulating quality. It keeps you warm in the winter and cool in the summer. In the winter wool wicks moisture away from your skin keeping you warm and dry, and wools insulating qualities trap warm air near your skin. In the summer, wool pulls excess heat and moisture from your skin keeping you cool. Of course you won't wear a wool sweater in August, but there is such a wide variety of wools including cashmere and merino wool, that are thinner and perfect for summer.
Wool is naturally mildew and mold resistant, which makes it perfect for things like mattresses and bedding, especially if you co-sleep with a baby. A wool mattress is high on my list of wants and needs. Elijah sleeps with me, and since I breastfeed, well, you can imagine that sometimes accidents happen. Diapers leak sometimes too! Wool mattresses are pretty expensive, but well worth it, it will probably last you longer than any other type of mattress, and it has all these amazing qualities! There are also mattress toppers, sheets, and comforters.

 Tell me what your favorite wool items are!

ERGObaby Organics Review + Giveaway! {CLOSED}

Babywearing is a huge part of our lives. I wear Elijah around the house, especially when I have to do a bunch of stuff. When we go anywhere I never bring the stroller, just a carrier. It's so much easier to wear your baby, and they feel so much more secure, not to mention the benefits that come with babywearing which you can read about on the Dr. Sears website.

I was recently given the opportunity to test out an ERGObaby Organic carrier for our Go Green, Baby feature. I was sent the Organic Cranberry carrier with the Nautilus print lining. The carrier is made up of 100% organic cotton twill with 100% organic cotton sateen lining and hood, and has 100% organic cotton batting in the body of the carrier to soften the edges, now that is 100% green!

ERGObaby is a family owned and operated company located on Maui, Hawaii. The carrier was initially developed by Karin Frost, owner and designer, when she had her son in 2001.

One thing (well, one of many!) I love about ERGObaby is their fair labor practices. Only workers 18 and above are accepted. In China, their total workforce is 100 employees and they are reimbursed for transportation expenses and any employees that rent receive housing assistance. They are paid a fair wage and receive a lunch break AND a one hour naptime mid day. That's better than most places I've worked! You can rest assured that you are receiving a quality product from a loving company.


The ERGObaby has a recommended weight limit of 40lbs, but it has been tested to hold up to 90lbs. This is the only carrier you'll ever need! My son has bypassed the weight limit for a lot of carriers at 22lbs (and only 6 months!), and a lot of them are not comfortable for me to carry since he is pretty heavy. Not only does the ERGObaby have a great weight range, it's the most versatile carrier out there. You can carry your baby on your front, hip, or back.

Fit: The minute I put this carrier on I could tell it was going to be comfortable. I have a bad left shoulder from a recent surgery, so things can get uncomfortable pretty quickly for me. I was able to wear the ERGObaby carrier for several hours around my house! The ERGObaby carriers are built for both your babies and your comfort.  The waist strap feels very secure, which is very important. Not only is it comfortable but it has a waist belt circumference of 25" to 43" and fits from 5' to 6.5' body height with adjustable shoulder and chest straps.

Ease of use: I've always been pretty intimidated of putting my son on my back, I'm scared I might drop him while I am getting him into the carrier! I watched all of the videos on the ERGObaby website before I used the carrier, and I'm glad I did, but the ERGObaby is so easy to use! It took a little practice for the hip placement, and then actually getting my son onto my back, but I was able to do it alone, and I am sure the more you do it the easier it gets. I really like that there aren't straps dangling, and you only need to buckle one thing once you get your baby in.

Value: The ERGObaby organic carriers range from $120 to $148. It might seem like a lot at first, but this is the only carrier you'll need! The weight limit is greater than most carriers out there and it's the most versatile since you can wear it on the front, side, and back. It's definitely worth every penny.

All in all I am in love with this carrier. It's comfortable, it looks nice, it has a zippered pocket on the front for keys and money (or even a diaper and a cloth wipe, there's a lot of room in there), it's extremely versatile, and will last a long time. Oh, and it's organic cotton, I love all things organic.

You can visit the ERGObaby website at http://www.ergobabycarriers.com/

ERGObaby has graciously offered one of our readers an Organic ERGObaby carrier (valued between $120 and $148). *Preferred color cannot be guaranteed.

Enter to win!

Mandatory Entry: Go to the ERGObaby organic website and pick out your favorite organic carrier and leave a comment telling me which one, please remember to include your email address so I can contact you in case you win!

Additional Entries

1. Go to the ERGObaby website and tell me something that you learned about the company! (1 entry)

2. Follow @ERGObaby on Twitter and leave a comment saying that you are following(1 entry)

3. Follow @lepetitowlet on Twitter and leave a comment saying that you are following (1 entry)

4. Become a public follower of my blog on Google Friend Connect and leave a comment say you are following (1 entry)

5. Tweet about this giveaway! (Limited to two tweets per day, 1 entry per tweet) Make sure to leave a comment each time you tweet and include the permalink!

6.  Become a fan of ERGObaby on Facebook and leave a comment saying that you did! (1 entry)

7. Blog about this giveaway then leave two comments linking to the entry (2 entries)

8. Add my button to your blog! (2 entries, make sure you comment twice and leave a link to your blog!)

The giveaway will end on January 22nd at midnight (CST)! Winner will be announced on January 23rd. Please remember: There is no guarantee you will receive your preferred carrier color, but no matter what color you get it will still be wonderful!

Good luck!

I did not receive payment in any form for this review.

I did receive a sample of the product or service for testing and review purposes. This will in no way sway my opinion of the product or service. The review is in my own words and is my own opinion. Your results and opinion may differ.

2009 in review + resolutions + bring it on 2010

Well, it's here, the end of 2009. I have to say that this has been both the best and the worst year of my life. I was pregnant for 6 months out of the year, I got diagnosed with cancer (while pregnant), and I had a beautiful baby son with lots of little things in between those 3 major events. I've learned a lot, I've grown, and I have fallen so deeply in love with this beautiful person that I made.

Pregnancy. It was hard. I will admit that I am a terrible pregnant woman. I had mood swings galore, my hips hurt, my back hurt, I was so unbelievably tired, I could have slept the entire 9 months if you let me! Time seemed to go even slower around the 36 week mark, that's when I was told I had cancer. I was told to induce because I needed to have surgery. Induction is everything I did not want, the total opposite, but this was cancer, an actual medical reason for induction.

 In the end it was only 4 weeks and I couldn't let go of the natural birth that I had dreamed of. Elijah finally came just 2 days past his estimated due date and I had the wonderful birth that I wanted. 12 days later I went in for my first surgery. I thought that would be the only one I was going to need, but then the results came back and it was everything I was hoping it wouldn't be. Onto surgery two while being a stay at home, attachment parenting mom.

The second surgery was a much harder recovery. I wasn't allowed to pick Elijah up for an entire week and I had to lay on my right side to feed him. He was a doll that entire week, perfectly content with just laying in bed with me. I had an amazing outpouring of support from some Austin mamas and I had meals provided for two weeks and lots of help with Elijah. It was really wonderful to have people coming over during the day to hold Eli since I couldn't. 

Now, at the end of the year, I am just playing the waiting game with cancer to see if it will stay away or come back. I am hoping the former. Elijah is growing into a perfect little man and I am finally doing three things that I love, writing, sewing, and being a mom.

Some of 2009 was wonderful, but I am glad to see it go. I welcome 2010 with open arms. It's going to be the year of health and happiness. I don't normally make any resolutions but this year seems like a good year to start.

In 2010 I will..

Learn how to knit + crochet

Get a juicer and drink fresh juice every day

Become even more eco-friendly/greener

Enjoy life

Enjoy my family

Write, write, write!

Sew, sew, sew!

With that I say goodbye and good riddance to you 2009, and welcome 2010! I will be spending new years eve at home with my baby and husband, relaxing. This is the first year that I haven't had any plans, or any desire to have plans. Nothing sounds as good as staying home!

To welcome 2010 the entire month of January will be themed "Go Green, Baby" - devoted to all things green for your baby. I've got some wonderful products to feature, and some great giveaways. If you haven't gone green already make that one of your new years resolutions! I'll be here to help you along the way. I'm really excited about all the great stuff I have to write about, and all the awesome products to share with you.

I hope you all have a wonderful and safe new years! See you in 2010! 

Survival of the holidays and what's to come

We've survived Elijah's first Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Next up: New Year's. Last New Year's Eve I was pregnant and cranky. We had a party at our house, too many people for a pregnant and cranky lady! This year it's going to be really low key, and by low key I mean home with the baby. I'm pretty excited about that, I feel like new years is such a hassle.
With the holiday comes new years resolutions. The theme of my blog for January 2010 is going to be "Go Green, Baby". It's going to focus on becoming and continuing to "go green". I know there are tons of ways I can continue to go green, but I've also come a really long way, so I want to take everything that I have learned and pay it forward. I have a lot of reviews of some wonderful green baby products, and some great giveaways too.
Originally it was going to be one big article, but I've got so much to say about each section that I'm going to need more than one entry, so why not make it a month long theme!?
The first giveaway of the year is going to be a pair of wool longies from my Etsy shop! http://lepetitowlet.etsy.com

I'm sitting in the "play room/sewing room" with Eli. I spread a big blanket out on the floor with a bunch of toys, he already made it to the other side and is facing the opposite way! It's crazy how fast they learn new things, it just happens all of a sudden! A few weeks ago I would have never thought that Eli would practically be full on crawling. It's definitely super fun to watch the progression, I'm looking forward to all the new things he is going to learn to do!

One tired mama + beware of your Baby Bjorn.

This mama is totally and completely exhausted. I don't know what was going on with Elijah today, but he cried more than he has ever cried before. I really think it has something to do with teething, but I can't be sure because I feel like he's been teething since he was 3 months old, and still no teeth. He is, however, practically CRAWLING. Uhm, yeah. Crawling, at 5 months, boy is starting early. I sure am about to have my hands full.

The cloths wipes are working out wonderfully. I do have to say this Prince Lionheart wipes warmer is fabulous, little E thinks so too. The potty is also working out great! We're definitely not full time EC, and there's some days where we don't do it at all, but I try to put him on his potty after every nap, and so far he pees in it about 90% of the time. I haven't caught a #2 yet but hopefully soon. It's not about potty training (I'm not really into the whole "training" thing either, I'd rather he do potty learning). If he started to hate the potty then we'd stop, but he likes it! I think he likes sitting down at that level because he gets to see all sorts of new stuff.

So recently I have been reading about different types of baby carriers and I found out that the Baby Bjorn carrier is actually not so great to use. The Bjorn puts a lot of pressure on the baby's spine and it's not a natural sitting position. This carrier can affect the spinal cord and even sometimes cause Spondylolisthesis. Spondylolisthesis is a condition in which a vertebra in the lower part of the spine slips forward and onto a bone below it. Uh, ouch. Luckily I don't use it much, I use a ring sling, but I have also been carrying him a lot, like if I am just running in to get coffee. So, if you have a Bjorn you might want to consider a different carrier. There are so many out there to choose from, there is guaranteed one that will fit your needs. Make sure you do some research before choosing a carrier too!

I am still looking for some green/eco-friendly baby products to put in my new years compilation. If you are interested or would like more details please don't hesitate to email me: jessicalwestbrook@gmail.com

Uh oh, baby is starting to stir (and I should be in bed)! Goodnight!

No, I will not CIO.

Ever since Elijah was born I have had people telling me that I just have to try the Ferber method, that Eli needs to cry to strengthen his lungs, or that I need to put him in a crib so he will learn good sleeping habits. I know, people love giving unsolicited advice, but when I say that I am happy sleeping with my baby and am then told I need to CIO, well that just doesn't make sense. There are a lot of reasons why I sleep with my son and why I will never let him cry it out (and no, crying does not develop a babies lungs, their lungs develop in the womb).
When a baby cries it means they need something. They might be hungry or want a new diaper, but they just might want to be held, or to know that you are there.
Your baby is not taking advantage of you. You are not spoiling your baby by responding to his cries. You are showing him that you are there for him when he needs you and that you care. Babies don't eventually learn to soothe themselves, they learn that their cries aren't going to make you come, so they stop doing it.
I feel like I have built a wonderful bond with my son. It's just amazing to go to bed together and then wake up together in the morning. He is always right there, and I am always right here. He's opened his eyes at night and looked at me for a minute and then gone back to sleep, I feel like he was checking to see if I was still around. Me being here next to him is comforting and probably helps him sleep better.
By having my son in my bed means I get more sleep. I am breastfeeding, and I will be for quite some time. If Elijah is hungry at night he will eat, I'm not going to deprive him of eating, and I certainly don't want to have to get up to do it. He can find his way to the source in his sleep now so I barely have to bat an eye. It's perfect!

On another note, the Green Baby in 2010 article is starting to come together nicely. I have a really amazing giveaway lined up, I'm super excited about it. I've got some great products lined up to let you all know about too. If you are interested in being featured you can email me at jessicalwestbook@gmail.com. I am looking for green baby products such as organic clothing, natural toys (wood, natural rubber, or cotton), cloth diapers and cloth diapering accessories, natural bay bath & body care. Feel free to email me if you have any questions!

Also: become our friend on Twitter @lepetitowlet

Ok, bed time. I have been staying up way to late and there is a really cute baby I gotta go cuddle!