Am I A Liberal Hippie?!!

This is kind of hard for me to write. Not that I don’t want to write it, but, I’m going to be calling some people out and I never like to hurt someones feelings. Sometimes, someone just has to point out you are going down the wrong path before you can even see the path that you are on.

All that being said, let me tell you why this has weighed on me so much lately and also for the past 5 years. When I started my “alternative” lifestyle 5 years ago it was partly because it was cheaper to do so and partly I wanted my family to be as healthy as possible. I will never forget multiple people telling me if it was a money issue they would buy me disposable diapers so I didn’t have to use cloth. Or that worrying about the disposable diapers taking 500 years to decompose made me a liberal hippie. Now, always being a somewhat conservative Christian republican, this somewhat upset me. And, since I can remember exactly who they were and could call them out by name, it obviously stuck with me and knowing that these people were also conservative Christian republicans confused me.

As a Christian you are to take care of God’s planet he left for us. It is stated in the Bible! Why have so many become blind to this?!

Leviticus 25:23-24 The land must not be sold permanently, because the land is mine and you are but aliens and my tenants. Throughout the country that you hold as a possession, you must provide for the redemption of the land. (NIV)

Numbers 35:34 Defile not therefore the land which ye shall inhabit, wherein I dwell: for I the Lord dwell among the children of Israel. (KJV)

Am I the only one seeing this?! Where are all the Christians at that are protecting the earth along with the “liberal hippies”?! I do have “hippie” ways, as my husband would call it, but it shouldn’t stand out as “hippie” it should just be normal to recycle, produce less waste, clean green, and just care about what we are doing on this earth. I know I’m not alone, so I’m not calling everyone out, but if you are right there with me just know you are not alone. What have you done to do your part today?

Update: I don't know where I fall in politically anymore but religiously this all still applies!

Cloth Diapers Part 2

So everyday I think I learn more and more about cloth diapers and everything that makes it easier. If this your first time using cloth diapers don't expect to know everything from the beginning you have to find what works for you and your baby.
I have found a website that has helped me so much! http://www.diaperjunction.com/ has helped me tremendously! And I would definitely tell anyone using cloth to check out their selections especially the hemp liners that make it possible to go all night in a diaper! They also have swim diapers which I just recently purchased that are absolutely adorable and you won't be spending all the money on disposable swim diapers. The flushable liners help with keeping the diapers clean and also not throwing the mess in the trash keeps it out of the landfills.
Seriously, anything you could want for cloth diapers can be found here if you are wanting to purchase. However, some items are able to be made by hand if you would rather go that way. Just having the options there make it easier! They even have more than just diapers such as breastfeeding, baby carriers, items for mom, wipes, wetbags and many more.
Have fun learning!

Baby Time

I have taken a little break due to our new addition finally making her appearance and the holidays right after. But since baby has arrived I can now test out all these ideas I have been throwing out at you.

I am really enjoying the amount of money we have saved using the cloth diapers! Even though some people gave us disposable diapers we haven't used them. I'll probably use them for someone else, for their baby shower. The diaper pail and liner that we have been using is awesome! It's waterproof and the lid to the pail keeps the smell in. The washing of the diapers hasn't really been that difficult either. I have just been putting them on the rinse cycle twice, wash regular, then on the final rinse cycle put in a cup of vinegar to take away the smell. Also, I found out that if your baby starts to get a diaper rash you can boil clean diapers to get the detergent out that is causing the rash.

Thankfully we just bought used clothing off of www.craigslist.com and received some outfits as gifts because she was a big baby and didn't fit into newborn clothing anyways. I'll continue to buy used since babies just grow so fast and will be saving her sisters clothes for her.

Now, I'm just waiting to recover completely to get to my detox program and exercising to get the little weight that's left off. You always learn with your first child so I have made huge changes this time around. I will keep you updated to what you can do to help yourself save money even if it is your first child, or your trying to live healthier, or you just need some advice to make it through a tough economy.

Wet Bags

Since I have made the decision to go with cloth diapering and save tons of money I figured I might as well save on all of the other products that I will need for cloth diapers. This includes wet bags. I just got a new sewing machine (early Christmas in our house) and was very eager to try anything out so besides my nursing pads this was to be another one of my projects.

I wanted one to have in the diaper bag for on the go and of course one to go into a trash pail for easy moving to the wash. For those of you that don't know what it is, it holds your cloth diapers from the time you change diapers to the time you do your washing of the diapers. However, these bags are even useful to those that don't want to use cloth diapers. They have a waterproof liner and can be used for wet clothes from accidents or going to the beach.

I used PUL fabric which is waterproof and really isn't the easiest to find. I had to go to a local fabric store instead of Walmart which was a little more costly. I also picked out cute fabric that was cheap for the outside to make it look better since the PUL selection at the fabric store was just white. You can close the bag many different ways like zipper or drawstring. I chose drawstring as I haven't done much with zippers. I looked at many different websites for patterns and kind of just came up with my own style. However, one of my favorite sites now is www.make-baby-stuff.com which was very helpful in making my to go bag. I just finished it today and still need to do my one for at home but I just had to share since I'm extremely excited about it! I think I'm even going to make one for a friend who is expecting in a couple months.

Just updated the pictures to show my at home bag which was a little bit more difficult but its all done now and ready for baby.

Cloth Diapers

While looking into some ways to reuse and recycle items for children I kept running across cloth diapers. To my surprise cloth diapers today aren't like the cloth diapers I remember my mother using. The new and improved diapers seem easier and much cuter! However, I wasn't convinced right away. I thought it would cause more work and how am I going to have the time for more work with a new baby? I have since then looked farther into using cloth diapers and am currently adding to my collection every chance I get to prepare for the little bundle of joy that will be joining us shortly but now that I am convinced I thought I should show you the information that convinced me and hopefully everyone will see how easy it is.

Cloth diapers are beneficial to babies, your pocketbooks, and environment. 78% of babies that have been in disposable diapers get a diaper rash compared to 7% of babies using cloth diapers. The cotton used for cloth diapers let the skin breath when disposables diapers are made of plastic. Also, using cloth diapers the child is more uncomfortable when wet and will want to be changed more than a child that is in disposables which then helps when potty training time comes around. Children using cloth diapers have been known to potty train easier and sooner.

The effect on the environment is huge. Solid waste is typically kept in the disposable diaper after changing which are then sent to the landfill and the waste could contain intestinal viruses. These viruses are then put into our air, groundwater, and the insects that then transport the viruses. When using cloth diapers the waste is shaken into the toilet and disposed of. About 16 billion disposable diapers are put in the United States landfills alone! These are made from plastic and trees which could still be standing if more people used cloth.

Not knowing how the economy will be day to day made the savings of using cloth diapers stand out to me the most. The average savings for one child is around $1,500 depending on when your child is potty trained. You can also reuse these diapers for your next child which then increases the savings.

Now, if all this useful information has helped you make up your mind you are probably still a little uncertain about washing and storing dirty diapers. While, our newest addition hasn't yet arrived and I can't tell you from personal experience what has worked for me, I will let you know what I have found and will be using once she does decide to arrive. When storing dirty diapers you can use a dry pail or a wet pail. A wet pail is used to soak dirty diapers in water. This can be a drowning hazard around toddlers. I will be using a dry pail which can be any kind of pail that works for you. I will be using a kitchen trash can with a diaper pail liner. The diaper pail liner can be used as a laundry bag, emptied into the wash, and washed with the diapers. You shouldn't use fabric softeners as this will cause the diapers to stop absorbing and also shouldn't use bleach as it will break down fibers. I currently use vinegar in the rinse cycle of my laundry especially with towels to get rid of the musty smell and will be using this same technique with wet diapers. To deal with stains you can hang the diapers in the sun. If you will be using formula instead of breastfeeding with your child you might need to rinse a couple of times before washing.

I am also looking into cloth wipes as the wipes you buy in the store have additives you are putting onto sensitive skin. I am looking forward to finding many other ways to help the environment and our pocketbook with a small child. I have already saved on my cloth diapers by watching craigslist.com and ebay.

{picture via greenbabyguide.com}