A quick guide to veggie/vegan baby toiletries...

So, I'm up the duff. Due my first baby, a wee girl, in just under 4 weeks, so of course my mind has been on stocking up on all those baby essentials so that I'm good and ready for when she gets here. There's plenty you need to think about from teeny, tiny nail clippers to nappies, to those things that suck the boggies out their nose when they have the cold to, of course, toiletries.

Since all my own toiletries, cosmetics and cleaning products are cruelty free and veggie friendly it seemed a bit odd that I don't do the same for my offsprings products! So what better time to compile a quick guide to make life a wee bit easier.

We have nicknamed our unborn offspring 'Baby Cheetara'.....she's very active

Firstly, good news, there's a lot more out there than you'd think. With babies having very sensitive skin I think the thought of there being no animal bi-products in their bath, especially notorious allergens like lanolin, has a greater appeal to mothers across the board rather than those looking at it from a purely cruelty free perspective. The bad news is that a lot of it is bloody expensive!!

When you're expecting you really start to consider your finances. You start buying in nappies months in advance so that your stocked up don't feel the impact of the cost immediately after the birth, you look at baby formula and gasp at the price, you sit with your online banking and consider the direct debits you could do without and start cancelling....its one of the less fun, but very necessary, parts of preparing for a new arrival. So when you've done all that (and plenty more besides!) do you really want to be considering spending 8 quid on one bottle of baby lotion? Probably not.

Lots of the more expensive brands are to be found online, which is an additional pain in the arse, cos is anyone really THAT organised after having a baby?

So it is with this in mind that complied a small guide for where to get you're hands on cruelty free, veggie/vegan stuffs for your baby as easily, and cheaply as possible. If you've read any of my posts before some of these will already be familiar, so here we go....

The Big 3

Your 3 best pals when it comes to veggie/vegan baby care are the obvious ones: Co-operative, Superdrug and ASDA! These are the stalwarts of many a cruelty free list as they offer products that are not tested on animals AND bother to mark which ones are also devoid of animal parts.

Co-Operative Food - Co-Op were the first UK supermarket to gain Leaping Bunny status and have been marking their non-food own buy items with a V (in this case for 'vegan') for a fair few years now. As they are a local store, found on more high streets than any other leading market stores, they can be a godsend!

All of their own toiletries are marked with a V where appropriate, including their baby stuff. The only bummer is that they seem to favour bigger brands than their own stuff in smaller stores where the selection is limited. However you'll normally find a wee sneaky body lotion and wipes in there.

Price point: you probably won't spend more than £2.50 on an individual item (excluding nappies).

Superdrug - I swear I'm not an agent for Superdrug, despite what every blog I seem to write may suggest!! When it comes to your baby's cosmetic needs it don't come much better than Superdrug's My Little Star products. They're Leaping Bunny approved, the back of their products are marked suitable for vegetarians/vegans where appropriate as are the items on their website, (everything I've looked at so far has been vegan except nappy cream, which is only vegetarian), and they have a great selection! Shampoo, baby oil, top-to-toe wash, nappy cream, wipes, sleepy time wash, sunblock......everything!

Another thing I love about Superdrug in general is that they're always doing great offers on their own buy products, which of course extends to their baby care, AND they do baby event offers. The last time I was in they were doing 2 for £1.50 as well as 10% off when you spend £5 or more on baby products....ya beauty!

Price point: you're looking at 99p to £5.99 (for sunblock), but this is excluding any in-store offers.

Get stuck into some Superdrug baby goodness.

ASDA - The Little Angels range by ASDA is a popular one, I've had many folks recommend it to me regardless of their knowledge of my veggie buying ways. 

They mark the back of their products and online with a V which, in this case, stands for 'suitable for vegetarians' (sorry vegans). But since this massively narrows the field it shouldn't be too hard for you vegan types to work out what is OK and what's not. I'd say just under 50% of their baby toiletries are marked with a V.

ASDA are another one who do baby and toddler events and can have great offers across the board. I got my Tommy Tipee prep machine for 60 quid (on average they're £80-£110 elsewhere) and a baby gym for a fiver, so definitely check  those events out when they're on!

Price point: your looking at 50p to around £2 excluding offers.

Others  avaiable on the high street

Sainsburys - Kind soul The Vegan Womble has complied a list of vegan cosmetics available in Sainsbury's. There are baby products in there, but you'll have to sort through the list yourself!

Lush - So far all I can see is a wee robot shaped bath bomb for babies that has lavender in to help chill your little munchkin out before bedtime. I dare say they'll be more to come, I'll ask next time I'm in a store.

Price point: he's £1.95

Earth friendly Baby - Available in certain Superdrug, Mothercare, Tesco and ASDA stores, Earth Friendly Baby is an eco sound company (as the name suggests) and are organic as well as both Vegetarian and Vegan Society certified.

Price point: they range fro £4 to around £6.

Paddy's Bathroom - Available in certain Superdrug, ASDA, Boots and Tesco stores Paddy's bathroom products are vegan and organic.

Price point: they range from £3 to around £6.

Humphrey's Corner - Humphrey is an adorable elephant who has branched into baby toiletries. Unfortunately the info regarding these on his website isn't great, but their vegan products are marked on the ASDA website.

Price point: they seem to sit at around £3.

Wholefoods Market - I remember there being a few vegan baby products the last time I was in Wholefoods in Glasgow. I can't be 100% certain of brand names (& their website is no help) but I'm pretty sure Bentley, Lavera and Weleda were in there.

Price point: well, it's Wholefoods, you'll need a bank loan to stock up.

Internet shopping for the hyper organised (and just a bit rich)

This is where you'll find some of the more expensive brands, but thought I'd list a few companies anyway.....not everyone is a frugal as me, after all...

Green People - All about the being organic and natural as well as offering vegetarian and vegan products. They offer a huge selection of products over and above baby.

Price point: they range from £4.50 to about £12.

Jason -  No, not the guy from Friday 13th, but a maker of cosmetic products, many of which are vegan. Can be found on Honesty Cosmetics.

Price point: they range from about £5 - £10.

So Organic - A website offering a whole host of organic, costly baby cosmetics with a handy vegan section.

Price point: from about £3 to over a tenner.

Beaming Baby - Organic, carbon neutral and 10% of their profits are donated to charity....how many companies can boast that?! They have certifications coming out the wazoo, including from the Vegan Society. The laters logo shows in the description of any vegan products (they sell other brands as well as Beaming baby).

Price point: £3.50 to over £30 (but this is for bulk buys).

Beaming baby.....you'll probably only be able to afford the wipes....

Well chums, I hope that helps any of you out there who may be looking for a wee resource to help start your cruelty free baby having shenanigans. 

I like to say I'll be back again soon with more posts, but hey, I'm about to have a baby, I'm doing well at doing one every 6 months! ;-) 

Good bye for now, and always remember.......Lady Bon loves you....