Kids are free?

Like most blogging mothers, I came across Hattie‘s blog, Free our Kids, a couple of weeks ago and it’s been bothering me ever since*.

So far as I can tell (and if I’m wrong, I will stand corrected), Hattie got made redundant/lost her job and in search of a book deal, payment, publicity or otherwise has decided to try and not spend any additional money on her son for a whole year, whilst recording all on a blog. An admirable thing in itself perhaps, but to me at least, smacks of insincerity.

I’ve nothing against spending the least amount of money possible, nothing what so ever. But I do find it uncomfortable when people suddenly decide to do a project like this and go for it with everything they have and with all publicity possible. If, for example, she was writing about it after trying it for a year, and sharing the results, what happened and how she did it, say, I think I would be interested. But somehow, this way round doesn’t sit comfortably with me.

I know that in her rules, Hattie says that she’s not preaching, and I would really like to believe her. But yet, her posts (to me at least) come across as extremely critical of any other stance. Take her latest post, about baby toiletries. In an effort to dispel any myths about baby specific products she made me feel that using any organic baby toiletry is because I’m a sucker for a good marketing campaign and by implication I am therefore an idiot. Truth is, to me, that organic, expensive baby products smell nicer and go further and lather more pleasingly than any non-organic baby (or otherwise) product. (I guess I use the same kind of non-baby products as well, so whatever I bathed Pip in would be organic – but I prefer to not smell like a baby). It doesn’t make me an idiot for using them, even if I did spend £30 or so on a year’s supply of products.

I also find it interesting that her child is at least 2 and although most children are potty trained between 2 & 3 years old, she is choosing to re-invest in reusable nappies rather than continue with disposables until potty training. At around £300 for reusable nappies she could buy roughly 1800 disposables (at say £5 per pack of 30) which would last almost a year at say 6 a day. Not the best use of money I would argue, especially as that doesn’t factor washing and drying the nappies. Unless she is getting the nappies free, which would go towards her spending no money, I suppose. Not terribly helpful for a mother in a similar position to be inspired though… save money. ask PR people for freebies.

The ironic thing is that I really genuinely do try and spend as little as possible on Pip. Hattie’s blog is something I should be interested in. But the reality is, it makes me cross and is yet another pressure to be better. I bought/buy most of Pip’s things second hand and she wears and we use an enormous amount of cast offs and hand me downs. Before she was born I think we bought her pram, her bath flower and a hat for after her birth new. Everything else, including her reusable nappies, car seat, cot, clothes, bedding, basket and so on, was either passed on from friends and family or found on freecycle. I think we bought a microwave steriliser as well, but we have only ever used the free bottles that came with it. Nowadays, I do spend a little more, buying some clothes new (although, mostly sales and sample sales) and a few toiletries. (never had to buy a jumper or cardigan though – she has a prolific stash of vintage from my childhood plus a Nana and a great grannie who knit constantly) And she has obviously had some presents. Oh, and we bought a baby gate the other day. But really, very little. Even the majority of her toys are borrowed or presents. We bought her a plastic phone, a cow bell and some books.

In fact, I would speculate that the majority of the money we have spent so far is on baby food and formula. Clearly, if you don’t breastfeed, you have to buy formula. No way round that. At almost 9 months she does eat some of what we eat, and more every day, but when you don’t have any teeth, you are going to need specialist food. We have things we eat that she doesn’t; likewise, so does she. Maybe by the time she is 2 she will be ok with full sized rice cakes, but for now, the tiny ones are extremely handy. As are pots of puree and sachets of organic food for the times when I just can’t cook, or we are out. Perhaps we should get a big tub of greek yogurt and make some fruit puree to go in it, but, until I start feeling more on top of life in general, Pip can eat her Yeo Valley tiny pots and I will gladly spend the £2 per week on not having to put myself under any more pressure to Be a Better Mother.

 

*I came across it on twitter, where Hattie was putting time and effort into publicising her website and idea. Which is, I suppose, what suggested to me that there was more to it than simply getting on with saving money and writing about it.