We’ve had some interesting weather here in Stockholm this week. We woke up on Wednesday to a snow storm. In the middle of October. I don’t think any of us here in the office were ready for that. Luckily, the snow didn’t stick around long and by Wednesday afternoon it was bright and sunny again. Today we have rain.

All this crazy autumn weather got us thinking though, as much as we’d like for the summer sun to stay around, winter is just around the corner.

Even though the calendar says it is only October, Mother Nature doesn’t seem to care, and we have had some cold temperatures. When it gets cold outside, it’s incredibly important to keep your child warm. Here in Sweden it is often said that there is no such thing as poor weather, only poor clothing. There is something to be said for that. We know; we’re just a few hours away from the Arctic Circle.

Keeping your child warm starts, very simply, with dressing them properly. Dress your child in multiple, thin layers. This can start with a layer of long underwear under a shirt, add a sweater and finally a coat and your child will have a good layered approach to braving the elements. By layering you will be able to watch your child’s temperature so that they don’t get too cold. Or too hot for that matter.

Remember, your child just won’t be able to handle the cold as well as your average adult, so a good rule to live by is to add one extra layer of clothing than you would wear yourself. You’ll always be able to take that layer off if need be.

Enjoy the waning days of autumn and be sure to stay warm!

From an environmental viewpoint the best way to dispose of our diapers is to put them in a biodegradable diaper-bag and put them in the waste bin. It’s not recommended to put used diapers in the compost bin. The reason is that human waste contains bacteria that will not be destroyed and can contaminate water and people.

Allow us to gloat for just a second, because Nature Babycare was just awarded EcoBabyWorld’s Green Award for Outstanding Product 2009 for our Pull on Pants! We can’t tell you how proud we are.

EcoBabyWorld does not allow submissions for this award, but instead goes out and chooses the products from companies which they deem to be “creating safe and eco-friendly baby products.” The people behind EcoBabyWorld then test the products to determine which are eligible to be considered an Outstanding Product.

It’s not every day that a small entrepreneurial ecological baby company in Sweden beats out the big guys like Pampers and Huggies. But, come to think of it, while it may not be everyday, those days are coming more and more frequently as of late. And we have only you to thank.

So thank you. Thank you for continuing to support what we do. Thank you for thinking about, and taking care of, the environment. And of course, thank you for putting the health, well being, and future of your baby, first.

Nature Babycare is now on both Facebook and Twitter. We’ve been updating a few times a week now.

On the Nature Babycare Facebook Fan Page and the Nature Babycare Twitter feed you’ll find all kinds of exciting news like:

• A Twitter post about Nature Babycare being awarded the Good Environmental Choice certificate by the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation for our ECO Shampoo, Wash, and Bath.
• Environmental tips on ways to green up your bathroom in a sustainable way.
• Childcare news on living a healthy lifestyle.
• Going green when buying a pet.
• Links to green shops where you can buy Nature Babycare products as well as other environmentally friendly stores.

We know that you are informed consumers. Engaged consumers. That’s why we want to make sure that you all know what is going on with Nature Babycare. Especially because rather than spending millions on marketing campaigns like some of the multinationals, we focus on constantly improving our product.

If you’re interested in helping out there are a few easy things you can do:

• Blog about us 
• Follow us on Twitter 
• Become a fan on Facebook 
• Link to us from you website
• Tell your friends and family

And of course, feel free to comment. We read every comment and love hearing from you all!

Nearly 15 years ago, Marlene Sandberg found herself thinking about nappies, and doing so on a regular basis. She was the mother of two boys, a corporate lawyer, and had a burgeoning sense of environmental awareness. As all new parents eventually realize, nappies became an everyday occurrence. 

It was during this period that Marlene came across a newspaper article reporting on the damaging effect that disposable nappies had on the Swedish environment. On average, every Swedish baby was responsible for a half ton of dirty nappies every year. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, it can take hundreds of years for an ordinary disposable nappy to decompose. So the nappies kept piling up, due in part to the material in traditional disposable nappies being predominately oil-derived plastic. While the nappies were out of sight, for Marlene, they were never truly out of mind.

Marlene Sandberg, who nearly 15 years ago started working on the idea that would become Naty and the Nature Babycare brand, was awarded the 2009 Veuve Clicquot Business Woman Award in Stockholm, Sweden on Tuesday, May 12th 2009.

The Veuve Clicquot Business Woman Award was founded 37 years ago and recognizes business women who exhibit qualities of entrepreneurship, determination, and creativity.

The 2009 Veuve Clicquot Business Woman Award focused on those same qualities, but also looked at social responsibility, such as environmental activism. And that’s where Marlene and Nature Babycare come into the picture.

Marlene was recognized for, “with passion and commitment, having founded and built an expanding company with extensive exports throughout the world. In a competitive market, she has developed ecological and environmentally friendly products designed for children, and thus, like all true entrepreneur, challenged the industry giants. She is recognized for her entrepreneurship and achievement in breaking in as a supplier to major retailers throughout the world.”

In the end though, we can’t take all of the credit. In fact, it is people like you who deserve the credit. So thank you. Thank you for continuing to support what we do. Thank you for thinking about, and taking care of, the environment. And of course, thank you for putting the health, well-being, and future of your baby, first.

Welcome to our brand new homepage and the Nature Babycare Blog!

Here at Naty our intentions are simple, to create products that are gentle on you, your baby, and of course, the environment. Our intentions for our new blog might be even simpler. We want to start a conversation with you. A conversation about you, your baby, and the environment. And what we can all do to make sure that all three are in harmony.

There’s so much to think about. Raising a child has never been easy, but raising a child today means so many things to think about. Everything from education to the environment. We know. We’re parents too.

We hope you’ll check back often. We hope that you’ll leave your questions and comments and add to this conversation. But most of all, we hope that you’ll join us as we strive to create something that makes the world just a little bit better of a place to live.