Natracare New Mum/Baby Set Giveaway

Okay. Herewith follows a disclaimer: This post may be a little OTT. If you’re a male friend, or my dad, stop reading. Come back tomorrow. This is girl talk.

For those of you still here, welcome! I want to tell you about a new product I’ve discovered. It’s called Natracare. An organic and natural feminine hygiene brand. Now, with a by-line of ‘living naturally’ I’m afraid to say, I’m not as crunchy as some, and I don’t do the DivaCup thing just yet. After two years of no periods, thank you 9 months of pregnancy and 15 months of breastfeeding (well, I still breastfeed, but when the night nursing slowed down, the menses returned), I have finally found my little friend again. Can’t say I missed her. But hey ho.

Now, for the very reason I love reusable nappies over disposables, I like Natracare: there’s not a trace of plastic, they’re biodegradable, they’re chemical free and made from organic cotton.

Being chlorine free, Natracare products are free of Dioxin – a pollutant that is found in most sanitary products and that is stored in our fat cells forever. Being 100% organic cotton, Natracare can also bring relief to women who suffer from itchiness, skin irritation or eczema, which might be worse during their periods due to the chlorine, rayon, binders, plastics, surfactants, latex and fragrances, nor do they have the polyacrylate (the stuff that makes nappies and pads absorbent and can cause irritation of the skin.)

Of course, there is also the environmental factor. Here I am, using reusable nappies so as to save the landfills from the mountain of, quite literally, crap that will take 500 years to decompose, but I’ve never even considered what becomes of sanitary pads and tampons. Well, according to Natracare’s informational leaflet, 45 billion sanitary pads (not including tampons) are thrown out. Placed end to end, they would stretch all the way to the sun. To bury them would take a hole 300 feet deep and 300 feet wide. Every year. Natracare products are between 90 and 100% biodegradable and compostable.

Personally, I think they are great. My preference are pads with wings. They stick fine and last me as long as ordinary versions, and I don’t feel a pang of guilt when I drop it in the bin.  They are thinner than ‘normal’ pads, but I have not noticed an absorbency problem at all, nor had any leakage. And… and this is a big and…. They don’t rustle. I know that may sound weird, but the rustle of plastic normally makes me feel really self- conscious.  These have no plastic, so they don’t rustle. Love it.

The Green Familia says of the cotton wipes, “These cotton wipes are hugely superior to the wipes you can buy more commonly. Once you’ve used these you’ll never want to put all those horrible chemical-laden wipes near your children, or yourself again!

An Amazon review for the maternity pads says the absorbency is more than adequate post birth, and (although more expensive than other brands) she would buy them again.

For the giveaway, we have a fantastic ‘new mums pack’ specifically selected for Diary of a First Child. Of course, it’s not just for new mums – there’s plenty in there for any mums, really! There are maternity pads for the post-­part­um bleed (or if you have really heavy periods, these will be fab), nursing pads – and if you’re not nursing, I’m sure you’ll find use for good quality cotton pads – cotton baby pads, and cotton baby wipes. All you have to do to enter this competition is head over to Hushabye Baby, sponsors of our giveaway, and list one of the 32 other brands they stock that isn’t Natracare.

For an additional entry ‘like’ Hushabye Baby on Facebook – a great idea anyway, since they have regular competitions on their fan page (and while you’re there, let them know I sent you, and then like Diary of a First Child too!). Remember to leave a comment here to say that you’re a fan.

Competition closes at noon on the 9th of May. The winner will be drawn using Random.org.

The Winner is Cheryll H – thanks to everyone for entering!

You do not have to tweet or share this competition to enter, but doing so helps ensure that I can keep bringing you giveaways! You can subscribe to Diary of a First Child by RSS or email. You can also follow us on Facebook or on Twitter. We hope to see you back again soon!