When weaning your baby off liquids and on to solids you want the food to be as nutritious, additive free and chemical free as possible. Ideally every parent would like to feed their babies organic food only, but the stuff you find in stores can be a little expensive. Rather than opting for jars and processed varieties why not make your own homemade organic versions?It's all about finding the best base recipes and adapting them to meet your child's tastes and health requirements. Organix is a great site that offers parents easy, ‘junk free' recipes and meal planners - organic style for your new borns. Recipes like the Potato and Spinach Cheesy Dinner provide plenty of essential nutrients (like iron, zine, folate and vitamin C) for growth and development. Tasty recipes like this one can also be enjoyed by the whole family, making your life easier when it comes to preparation time and sourcing baby-friendly organic produce.

By making your own baby food you know exactly what your baby is consuming plus you save on packaging and of course money. If you make enough to freeze, use ice block trays so that you can take out exactly what you need each feeding time rather than defrosting whole bags. Also remember to sterilize the jars and containers you store baby food in and feed fresh (freshly made or freshly defrosted) to avoid overgrowth of bacteria.

In case you don't want to cook and fancy your baby's food to be delivered to your door, So Baby provide readymade frozen organic baby food that tastes as if you'd made it at home yourself (we ordered some and it tastes delicious!)

For new mums in today's eco-modern era it's easy to get lost amongst the colliding ideas and opinions of everyone from the yoga mum neighbour to the guru author of the latest eco baby book. We've come up with a checklist of key areas to consider, along with a list of natural and organic products to help you be more eco-conscious in your babies first years.

Material Matters

It's worth spending a bit more on bedding and mattress's that are made from organic cotton as they are softer on the skin and free of defoliant pesticides and insecticides (like Parathion which is 60 times more toxic that DDT). Also it's best to buy reusable nappies and make use of hand me downs as children grow so quickly it's likely they'll need another jumpsuit before you finish the lull-a-by.

Tub time
When it comes to washing certified organic shampoos, soaps and laundry detergents are hard to find, but are available. There are also plenty of baby products that are gentle on baby skin and made from natural ingredients. It's important to remember that children need to develop a natural resistance to germs so the excessive use of antibacterial chemicals can potentially do more harm than good in the long run.

Colour me fun
Decorating the playroom and nursery can be eco-and baby-friendly too. Use paints that are free of volatile organic compounds (VOC), solvents, petrochemicals and fungicides. The deterioration of paint leads to the ‘off gas' of fumes, health effects of which are many. earthborn, Self-coat and Biofa offer a good selection of eco-paints. Also avoid toys with plastic as these are non-biodegradable and oil based.

Feeding bub
Breastfeeding is the natural favourite and when it's time for solids organic whole grain cereals are best. Baby bottles made of glass, polypropylene, or polyethylene are best as plastic bottles contain chemicals that have been found to be a health risk.

No burnt chops for Mum
When it comes to feeding mum go for unprocessed, organic food where possible to ensure maximum mineral and nutrient intake and avoid exposure to pesticides and other contaminants. It's recommended pregnant women have 400 micrograms of folic acid a day (one portion of fortified breakfast cereal contains only 0.4 mg of folate) and adequate vitamin C to help the body increase the absorption of calcium, iron and folic acid into the body.

We all aspire to be eco friendly, all of the time but let's face it sometimes easiest beats greenest, especially when we're talking about juggling babies, work and social life (well, the occasional night out). When it comes to choosing between disposable and washable nappies for your baby it doesn't have to be guilt laden or time consuming.

Whilst we firmly believe that washable is best, there are disposables that are more environmentally viable and safe. The eco disposable nappy brands available use cotton and wood pulp for absorbancy, contain more biodegradable material than conventional brands and are not chlorine bleached.

The not so eco-friendly varieties available can contain plastic coatings, colour dyes, bleaching agents, perfumes, chlorine, latex, velcro and high amounts of absorbent gel. The super absorbent polymer gel (sodium polyacrylate) found in many disposable nappies can take up to 500 years for the earth to break down. This gel can also affect children with eczema or other skin sensitivities as it absorbs skin moisture, which can lead to more intense aggravation.

Eco Disposable nappies are either gel free or contain low levels of gel tucked deep inside the nappy, so the likelihood of skin irritation is minimal.

For a good eco disposable nappy take a look at what Moltex, Bambo Nature and Tushies, have to offer.

What's so eco-fantastic about washable nappies?

Eight million nappies are thrown away every day in the UK, the majority of which are sent to landfill. Seven million trees are cut down every year to manufacture disposable nappies - that's four point five trees per child. It also takes a cup of crude oil to produce the plastic for one disposable nappy.

These are strong enough statistics to at least nudge a doubtful mum to consider the more labour intensive washable nappy option. So what other benefits do they have to offer?

The big one is they are better for your baby. The organic cottoned variety don't contain harmful chemicals and allow the little ones skin to breath. Manufacturers of disposable nappies are not obliged to list their nappy ingredients on the wrapper so you don't always know what you're getting.

Washables are cheaper than disposable nappies in the long term. From birth to potty training it can cost you up to £600 more for disposables. Of course you can also change your baby as often as you like at no extra cost.

Mums tell us that children in cloth nappies are generally potty trained earlier too; the reason being disposable nappies create an artificially dry environment, so it's more difficult for a child to learn the connection between bladder release and a wet nappy.

To further your green baby status, wash your reusable nappies with eco-washing powders and A-rated energy efficiency washing machines to reduce energy and water consumption.

The Green Parenting Show is a family day out where kids have fun with eco activities and parents get to explore the latest innovative products and energy saving ideas.

There’s a Children’s Zone where the kids can get stuck into junk modelling or circus training whilst you shimmy over to the pamper zone for a massage. Workshops include dancing games, yoga with toddlers and soap making - there’s even a Salsa with Babies demonstration. Sally J Hall, author of Eco Baby: a Green Guide to Parenting, will also be at the show.

There is a healthy food zone, a green living advice area and a shopping zone where you can buy great products from local eco-conscious companies. SoOrganic will be there, so if you want some friendly advice on natural baby and children’s products or are looking for eco-friendly pampering ideas pop over for visit.

Tickets are £5 on the door or £3.50 if you buy online or at a selected retailer (SoOrganic being one of these) Kids are free. All those that attend receive a free cotton goodie bag – a nice way to take home all those eco goodies you find!

Green Parenting Show – Saturday 28th June, 10am-4pm
St.Faith Centre
Red Post Hill
Dulwich
London SE24 9JO

For more details visit www.greenparentingshow.com