Did you know that some baby wipes contain a substance which is banned for use in products which are inhaled? How many times have you wiped your baby’s nose with a baby wipe?

Wendyl Nissen’s latest book on chemical-free living analyses many commonly used products used on and around our babies and comes up with many natural and old-fashioned alternatives to use instead.

In the US health authorities and paediatricians are so concerned about the number of chemicals babies are being exposed to, even before they are born, that they are petitioning their government to act now before it is too late.

“There has never been a better time to focus on getting back to the days, only about 70 years ago, before the 80,000 chemicals which make their way into our food, beauty products, homes and most importantly near our babies were invented,” says Nissen.

She was prompted to write the book when she ran a poll on one of her weekly Green Goddess newsletters and found that out of 301 respondents only 8.6 per cent were confident that they had the knowledge to avoid chemicals and toxins in their pregnancy.  

“The next day I was standing in the supermarket aisle having a look at the baby products on offer and I overheard two young mothers looking at the ingredients label on baby wipes and expressing their concern that they had no idea what was in them,” says Wendyl.

“I immediately bought several brands and took them home to analyse. By the time I’d finished I knew I had to write this book.”

Mother’s Little Helper takes expectant mothers through their pregnancy and right through to the first year of their baby’s life and gives them 85 old-fashioned recipes for everything from baby wipes to face cream and rice cereal.

It also explains which chemicals should be avoided and quotes numerous health studies which are warning us about the dangers of some chemicals in our lives.

The book has already received rave reviews from three mums:  “Mother of the Nation” Judy Bailey, Lorraine Downes and Kerre Woodham.

"What a thoroughly useful, sensible and reassuring source of information for new mums ...... I'm certainly going to make sure my daughter has a copy!"

Judy Bailey

“Her honesty and humour is clearly heard in her words. I wish I had this book to read during my first pregnancy. What a wealth of vital information for all new mums."

Lorraine Downes

“This wonderful book is the perfect gift for new mums.  Packed full of sensible advice and common sense, it’s like having a grandmother on hand at any hour of the day and night.”

Kerre Woodham

*$1 from the sale of each copy of Mother’s Little Helper will be donated to Plunket.

Wendyl Nissen is the mother of five children and grandmother of two as well as being the author of the back-to-basics bestsellers Domestic Goddess on a Budget and A Home Companion – My year of living like my grandmother.She has helped thousands of women change their lives overnight by turning back the clock to a simpler, more natural life led by our grandmothers.  Now she brings her trademark common sense and humour to having babies.

She is a well-known writer, broadcaster and businesswoman who is the

driving force behind Wendy’s Green Goddess natural cleaning products, is a columnist for the New Zealand Herald, Herald on Sunday, New Zealand Woman’s Weekly and New Zealand Gardener magazines, and a regular voice on Newstalk ZB. She has also written parenting columns for both Woman’s Day and the New Zealand Woman’s Weekly since 2001 and sends out a weekly newsletter to over 7000 subscribers every week.

Launch date: September 12, 2011.

RRP $29.95

For more information please contact the author:

wendyl.nissen@gmail.com

Phone 027 652 9800

A Home Companion - My year of living like my grandmother  

What happened when Wendyl Nissen let three chickens called Marigold, Hillary and Yoko into her life on 24 October 2008?

A Home Companion details Wendyl's year-long journey towards self sufficiency. The book details each home discovery as it happens - both the triumphs and the disasters - while Wendyl slowly sheds her corporate life and takes to wearing yards of muslin, leather sandals and forgets to straighten her hair.
A Home Companion is the book for any woman who finds herself yearning to get her hands covered in soil, rid her house of nasty chemicals, nurture her family and become a green goddess - even if it's just at the weekends.

Press the Shop Now button at the left to buy A Home Companion for just $29.95 plus postage and packaging, signed by the author.  

Domestic Goddess on a Budget - How to Save Money and Time and Still Be Gorgeous,
by Wendyl Nissen

Writer, broadcaster, wife, mum and grandma Wendyl Nissen knows just how difficult it is to juggle family and career, while saving the planet and living within your means.  After lots of research and trial and error, Wendyl has compiled this user-friendly guide to saving time and money without losing your sense of style - or your sense of humour.  Domestic Goddess on a Budget includes:

• tried and true recipes for environmentally friendly cleaning products
• tips on how to de-clutter, reduce waste and save money on your food bill
• recipes for money-saving natural beauty products
• how to slow down, stop being perfect and find the right work/life balance for you

Is there a domestic goddess lurking in you? 

Press the Shop Now link in the Menu at left to buy your own copy, signed by Wendyl, for just $25 plus postage and packing. 

Bitch and Famous,
by Wendyl Nissen 

For more than 25 years Wendyl Nissen has been at the front of the media pack, first as an eager young journalist, then as the influential editor of a string of high-profile womens magazines, a television producer and writer, and as a popular radio commentator and columnist. 

Throughout her career, she has crossed paths and swords with local and international celebrities. Now, she reveals the tricks of her trade, from espionage and arm-twisting to the creation of instant celebs and the truth about who gets paid how much in cheque-book journalism. 

But Bitch & Famous is not just about the glossy world of magazines and TV. Nissen also shares the personal challenges and heartaches she has faced throughout her turbulent career. She writes about her relationships and marriages, the demands of juggling motherhood with driving ambition and the despair of losing her baby daughter to cot death in 1992. 

In this raw, clever and funny memoir, Wendyl Nissen lifts the lid on the New Zealand magazine and TV industries, and lets us look into the life of a woman whose trademark no-nonsense approach has made her many friends - and enemies - along the way.  

Press the Shop Now link in the Menu at left to buy your own copy, signed by Wendyl, for just $10 plus postage and packing.