Imperfectly Natural Baby and Toddler

"This is the second of Janey Lee Grace's 'Imperfectly natural' books I've read.

If you're a light green mother to be and want the best for your baby, but don't know which way to turn for advice, this could be the book you've been waiting for.

When I had my daughter, there weren't many books available on this topic, but I think Janey's Imperfectly Natural baby and toddler would have been welcome reading in my home in the early days.

There is no preaching and no radical, 'way out' ideas that put you off for life. There is just 200 pages of sound advice which talks you through the many options that parents, wanting to adopt a more natural lifestyle, might consider.

Janey has four children, so can speak with authority about how individual children are! The book is a collection of tips for parents who want to live as holistically as they can while bringing up babies and young children.

Janey talks about life from the moment your baby is in your arms. I wish I'd had the advise to rest and let people pamper me in the early days. Instead I thought I could be supermum - what a mistake that was! Janey covers PND and gives lots of suggestions for things to do other than take medication. She advocates drugs as an absolute last resort and covers other ideas that can be just as effective.

Throughout Imperfectly natural baby and toddler, all the usual confusing decisions are covered such as vaccinations, washable or disposable nappies, breast feeding, dummies, weaning and health care.

Find out which vegetable leaf will help ease mastitis and what different brands of 'eco nappies' are now available.

You'll find home remedies for treating minor ailments such as colic, earache, tummy upsets and eczema. You'll learn which essential oils can get rid of headlice, which kitchen ingredient works wonders on a cut and which herb can soothe earache!

You'll discover lots of ideas for healthy snacks and foods which don't require you to be a Nigella Lawson. There are some simple recipes to inspire you to make sugar-free treats. The Summer fruit ice cream surprise is wonderful and health too! Topics such as organic food, local produce and food allergies are covered too with plenty of recommendations for further research and reading.

Janey covers some great topics that are not always talked about in the 'mainstream' such as co-sleeping, attachment parenting, baby wearing and positive discipline.

In addition you'll find a great section on looking after yourself as a new Mother. This is something else I wish I'd known about in advance. I thought it was right to put my baby first, at my own expense, but how wrong I was! Janey covers sex after a baby, returning to work, childcare options and reminds us all not to forget who we are, now that we are Mothers!

This book is full of valuable tips. It's delivered in small chunks so that, even as a new Mother, you can dip in whenever you get a spare 5 minutes. You'll come up with a gem of information every time that will talk you through natural and holistic ideas so that you can make an informed choice.

If you have a friend who is expecting a baby and she's dipping a toe into the world of natural parenting, then be sure to buy her this book!"
~ Written on 2008-09-13

"I highly recommend this book to all parents who would like to do the best they can for their children. It is written with sense of humour by someone who has been there and therefore writes from her experience. It is jam full of really simple ideas. The 'imperfect' part is quite inspirational as well - encouraging us to do the best we can and be 'good enough' as parents. It's a great addition to any book shelf and one to pass round family and friends."
~ Written on 2008-03-22

"I really got a lot out of Janey's first book and was very interested to see what the second had in store. I admit I haven't read it from cover to cover yet, but so far I have been really disappointed. Perhaps it is because I have three kids already and have read quite a lot of baby books in my time, but there is very little here that is new. An awful lot of the information here has already been served up in 'Imperfectly Natural Woman', such as the stuff on cleaning your house, your choice of cosmetics and so on. There are the same old plugs for her mates, like Gowrie Motha who, we are told is now too famous and expensive for any of us to use, and lots of lavish pics of JLG and her cute kids and mouth-watering house. I was bemused by the section where Janey claims she had to leave her old home on the grounds there was a swimming pool in the garden (why not just drain it and cover the hole?), which necessitated a move to an immense 'brown' house (but no mention at all on green heating and lighting of all those vast old rooms). There is no section on transport, other than 'wear a sling', and I think this is very surprising from someone who claims to be living in a green, holistic way. It is worth mentioning, I think that driving your baby to baby signing / baby yoga / the family-friendly gym / wherever in a 4x4 , as most of my fellow mums seem to do, is a very bad idea, yet Janey doesn't deal with any of these issues.

On the positive side, Janey advocates reducing what you buy, which I applaud, and tells us that we don't need most of the baby stuff people tend to buy, which again I agree with. Dressing kids in cast offs is not something I think a lot of mums do, and I think it is great that someone influential is saying that this is actually something we ought to consider. However, to some extent parts of the book are consumerist, commercial tosh dressed up as 'green'. Why on earth do we now need tacky plastic bracelets which remind us to feed the baby? I have breast fed all my kids successfully without these. As for the horrid jangly necklace for baby to tug on while feeding, I never had one and none of my children has suffered. It might be a good idea to buy a bag made from recycled material if you don't already have a bag, but otherwise, you are just adding to your collection, and seriously, how green is that? Buying things you don't need or already have, just because those things are marketed as being 'green', is not green at all; just the opposite in fact. Either Janey has not properly considered this, or she is milking the 'green' thing for all it's worth. I don't know about that - you decide."
~ Written on 2008-03-06

"I love the way the author shares her thoughts & ideas with the reader. Unlike other reference books this is written in a sensitive & caring way.You are not bombarded with medical or scientific text.It is just from a mothers point of view & I really like that.There are so many tips in it that make real sense.I felt really inspired reading it & will make good use of the links at the back of the book.
The layout is really nice & the pictures throughout are beautiful.
I look forward to another book in the 'Imperfectly Natural' series."
~ Written on 2007-06-23

"This book is great for any parent, new or experienced. It's packed with hints and tips. What's even better are the web address references. Don't be fooled into thinking that you must try and do all the tips Janey suggests, after all as the book states, it is about being imperfect. I found that by trying one or two things first and getting used to them, I gradually started to build up a more 'natural' lifestyle.
Janey's natural woman book is just as fab too!"
~ Written on 2007-06-16