HOME & GARDEN: Handmade Baby Products
Today, new mum Siobhian Carroll tests and reviews a selection of handmade baby products and introduces a few shops to look out for.
My daughter, Lilly was born on the 17th of June, 2 weeks overdue and huge at 10lb 5oz! Since announcing the pregnancy, we have been lucky enough to have received a ton of gifts from generous friends and family. If you're lucky enough to have friends and family buying items for you then maybe you can justify spending your money on something extra special. We were pleased to get some gorgeous handmade baby items amongst the many gifts we received. Obviously non-handmade items have their place and I'd be completely lost without them as well, however there are a lot of handmade baby items out there that would make amazing heirlooms which can be passed down the generations and cherished. Supermarket items and clothing are great, but they can feel more disposable so it's always nice to be able to treat yourself and littlie to something handmade and that little bit special.
If you still feel guilty about spending money, but feel you'd be lost without that hand crocheted blankie, personalised photo album or timeless keepsake then add it to your baby shower gift list. You'll be overwhelmed by people’s generosity. Also, if you know someone who's expecting and want to treat them to something for the baby or themselves, look at something handmade. It's unlikely you'll see anyone else with that item and a handmade gift always shows you've spend more time trying to find something really personal.
The Little Green Sheep
The Little Green Sheep is a luxury baby brand with an entirely organic and natural range of baby bedtime products. The company produces the award winning Soil Association certified organic cot mattresses as well as a range of cots, bedding, furniture, sleepwear, bath goods and other accessories.
I've been testing out their baby shampoo, body wash, nappy balm and also their playsuits and bodysuits. The baby shampoo and body wash (along with all of their other products) are handmade.
Bath & Body Goodies For Baby: The shampoo contains 70% organic ingredients and the body wash, 80%. Their entire bath-time range steers clear of any “nasty chemicals” and use natural oils and ingredients - perfect for baby’s delicate head and skin! The shampoo and body wash lather up beautifully and have a subtle lavender scent which seemed to soothe Lilly before her bed time. The bubbles were very soft and silky and both her skin and my hands were left feeling lovely afterwards. The shampoo was wonderful and I only needed to use a drop and her hair was left feeling and looking fluffy and clean. I also found that the pump dispensers were very helpful. Bathing babies can be a slippery job and something as simple as a pump top can help a lot when you only have one hand free.
After Lilly was all dried and ready for her pyjamas, we used a little of The Little Green Sheep baby nappy balm. She tends to get dry patches on her feet, wrists and forehead so we applied some to those areas. I thought the balm may be a little greasy as it contains a lot of natural oils, but it isn't at all. Rubbed in, it sinks into the skin wonderfully and feels very soft. Applied a little thicker and not rubbed in so much it acts as a guard against nappy rash. The smell of this balm is really nice and I'd even recommend using it for your hands as it's perfect for treating dry, rough or flaky skin.
Babywear: Last but not least, the bodysuit and playsuit! All of The Little Green Sheep sleepwear is made from fairly traded organic cotton and it really does feel super soft! They're made really well and have no scratchy labels to irritate baby's skin. I love both of these so much! I got sizes 0-6 months which unfortunately are still a little large for Lilly at 7 weeks but I really can't wait to get her into them. The playsuit even has a super cute little pocket with the Green Sheep logo embroidered onto it.
Service & Delivery: It’s a big thumbs up for The Little Green Sheep from me. The items all arrived very quickly and were wonderfully packaged. The box had their adorable little sheep logo printed onto it and the items inside were wrapped in green tissue paper and as you can see look terrific!
WildKittens
As well as knitting gorgeous grown-up items, WildCat designs has expanded and now has a second shop called WildKittens where she sells her unique knitwear accessories and knitting patterns just for little ones. I received a pair of her hand knitted Mary Jane shoes and I adore them. They're 100% pure wool, a beautiful dusty rose colour and finished off with adorable little shell buttons.
The shoes are so well made and finished and would make a perfect baby shower present, or an extra thoughtful gift to pop into a Christmas stocking for those mummies who are expecting their little ones during the holiday season. WildKittens will happily make any of the shoes in other sizes just for you if the ones you love aren't in the size you were hoping for, or if you're a dab hand with a pair of knitting needles you can always purchase one of her PDF patterns and create your own.
As well as knitted shoes WildKitten also stocks absolutely beautiful lambswool felted scarves which look like the softest scarves ever!
Service & Delivery: The shoes arrived super-fast and were sent in a lovely white organza bag for safe-keeping!
Funky Shapes
Isle of Wight-based Funky Shapes make the most adorable little baby booties ever!! When I had Lilly, I was lucky enough to receive a baby gift set from this shop which contained a short sleeved baby-grow with a felt applique and matching felt booties! They don't fit Lilly yet, but I can't wait for her to be able to wear them. I'd had this shop marked down as a favourite for a long time and I'm super pleased my friend bought me something from them!
Other sets like this are available here
The booties are made from scratch using baby-friendly materials. No glue is used in the production of them and there are no internal seams, lumps or ridges that could rub your baby’s feet. They have a huge variety of designs for boy and girls and all of them are utterly adorable! I assure you that a gift from this shop will be gratefully received by any new mum or mum-to-be!
I haven't got anything from these shops but they have some gorgeous stuff:
U-ni-k gifts: Sarah and Anna launched U-ni-k gifts after receiving lots of the “same old” baby gifts when their daughters were born. They've sourced lots of makers, many of which are from the UK (and are mothers, fathers or grandparents themselves) who are creating exclusive products just for them. Their website has some really special items for sale. Stunning personalised silver sterling fingerprint jewellery, keepsake hallmarked silver nappy pins and porcelain boat cups can be found alongside cashmere hats, rompers and booties.
Stitch Kitsch: Alison from Stitch Kitsch makes the most adorable dresses for your little girls using a selection of bright beautiful fabrics, her work is gorgeous.
Bye bye birdie: Bye bye birdie stock organic cotton bodysuits, merino wool booties and cool little dribble bibs (kerchiefs) amongst other things. They're constantly adding items to their shop, so keep checking back.
Nyoki Handmade London: Beautiful eco-friendly and unique products for babies and children all made using traditional details and crafting methods using natural materials like organic cotton, bamboo, merino wool.
There are plenty of wonderful handmade items for you to buy for your baby or your friend's baby! I hope that these reviews and recommendations have sparked your interest and that you manage to find something perfect for you!
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