The Conscious Coven was created in 2017 by Courtney Dow, a Sunshine Coast Mama to now 3 year old Ezra, and 5 month old Remy. A long-time lover of all things Eco, Motherhood ignited her passion for low-tox living and inspired her to start her business. The mission has always been simple, to inspire and empower women to create a more conscious home & life.
Courtney regularly shares simple tips for reducing toxins, reducing waste, and simplifying health & wellness in the home through essential oils. We were so lucky to hear from the beautiful Courtney and she shared with us 5 ways you can start making changes in your home! So whether you’re a mama, mama-to-be or just someone wanting to make simple conscious changes in your daily life, you’ll want to get cosy and comfortable to have a read of these incredible tips!
Hi, I’m Courtney from the Concious Coven, you can find me at @theconciouscoven on Instagram and Facebook. One thing that I hear regularly from other Mums is that they want to make more conscious choices in their home, but they feel too overwhelmed and aren’t sure where to start. I get it! Overwhelm and added stress is literally the last thing we need as Mums and so I am here to help take that away and show you how simple small swaps can be. My biggest piece of advice is just to start somewhere, with one small change, then build on it slowly.
Did you know that an estimated 3.75 million disposable nappies are used every single day in Australia? All heading straight to our landfill, where they not only leach harmful chemicals into our environment, they also can take around 150 years to break down. Yikes! The good news here is that cloth nappies are not only a super easy eco-alternative, they are also more gentle on your babe’s skin and in the long run can be more affordable.
There are so many incredible brands offering Modern Cloth Nappies now, and I promise you it is a lot easier than you expect. I recommend trying a few different styles and working out what you like before you splash out on a full set. Then, rather than overwhelming yourself, start small by using them around the house, slowly working your way up to full-time use as you get the hang of it. But hey, even if you only used a couple cloth nappies each day, you would still be making positive change for the environment - every bit counts!
From a financial perspective, cloth nappies take the cake too. The initial outlay can seem intimidating (depending on the brand), but remember, you only need to buy them once, meaning many families can save hundreds of dollars in the long run. This is especially great if you get to use them for more than one of your babies (I kept all my daughters which I can now use for my son). There are awesome Buy, Swap, Sell pages on facebook where you can buy near new cloth nappies for a great price. And here is a bonus COOL FACT for you: many councils around Australia actually offer rebates to families who opt for cloth nappies. Contact your local council to find out if yours does - and if not, ask them if they will consider it!.
Baby Wipes
Another product we go through by the thousands as parents is baby wipes, and while a small handful of brands are compostable, most end up in our landfills. On top of this, many baby wipes contain nasty ingredients, such as fragrances which can contain 100s of undisclosed chemicals, so making the switch to DIY is a great step towards a more conscious home.
Click here for a quick video tutorial on how to make your own reusable baby wipes.
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DIY Baby Products
While we are on the topic of DIY, your baby products are another great way you can reduce your waste, your exposure to nasties and also save yourself some money. When I was preparing to become a Mum for the first time, I thought I needed ALL the things. I had a shelf full of baby wash, baby shampoo, baby lotion, baby powder, nappy rash cream GALORE. I soon found out that most of it was unnecessary. A couple basic ingredients, like coconut oil, castile soap and essential oils, meant I could make things up when I needed them. It also meant I could feel 100% confident knowing what ingredients were going into the products I was using for my baby.
When I first became a Mum and went down the rabbit hole of learning about chemicals in our home, I was shocked to learn about the ingredients commonly found in products that are recommended for our babies. Baby Powder is a particularly scary one, so if you would like to try your hand at some DIY, here is a GREAT recipe to start with:z
DIY Baby Powder
½ cup Corn starch
½ cup Arrowroot powder
¼ cup finely ground oats (whizz in a blender)
1 drops of essential oil (such as Lavender or Roman Chamomile)
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients and mix well.
- Put ingredients in a shaker style bottle. Tip: Use an empty spice jar with sifter lid for easy application.
Beeswax Wraps
When your little ones reach the food stage of life you will have to be armed with snacks at all times. Snacks will become your life. A great way to be more eco conscious when it comes to food storage is by swapping out plastic wrap for beeswax wraps. They are cheap, reusable, kind to the Earth, food safe and have lots of additional benefits such as protecting your family from unwanted moisture and antibacterial properties, plus they wont go yucky in lunchboxes.
Beeswax wraps are available for purchase at most health food stores & farmers markets, but they are also SUPER easy to make. If you want to give this little craft project a go, click here for a quick tutorial. If you try these make sure you tag me on Instagram so I can see @theconciouscoven!
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Choose Organic
Opting for organic is not only a better choice for our Earth, but it is really important for our health, especially the health of our little ones. You might automatically assume I am talking about food, but it’s the other areas of our life that are often overlooked. When buying clothes, bedding, nappies and body products for our kids, by opting for certified organic options you will be reducing the toxins your babes are exposed to and better support their health. On the note of all things organic - yes WE LOVE that our Bubnest is Organic!
So there you have it, 5 easy swaps you can make in your home. If you’d like even more inspo don’t forget to follow me @theconciouscoven on both Instagram and Facebook. On a final note, I am going to leave you with my number one #MumHack: Lemongrass & Lemon essential oil will remove pen or texta from walls. YOU’RE WELCOME xoxo
