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 Food

As you all know I am all about saving money and doing what is healthiest for my family. Well, as we are getting to new stages with our little one I now get to explore a little bit more in my money saving tactics.

We started baby food! Of course I have decided to make it all myself which really isn't complicated at all! You simply puree the fruit or veggies in a blender and store for either the day or for the next week depending on how much you want to make at once.

Fresh of course is always best. With vegetables you will just need to cook them and remember steaming them will keep more of the nutrients. Also, you will want to keep the water you cooked/steamed the vegetables in to help thin out the veggies (except for those high nitrate veggies such as carrots). Place the veggies in the blender and add the water until it is to a good consistency for your child. The fruits usually have enought natural juice to make it easy for your baby to eat.

To store you can pour the food into ice cube trays then covering it with foil and placing in the freezer. With that process you are able to take out and thaw only what you need. I have been using those small rubbermaid containers that are so small you really don't know what they are suppose to be used for. Well apparently I figured out what they are to be used for because these are perfect for if you are on the go.

We had baby food given to use which we will still use so that I can reuse the containers to store new food. We were also given a lot of baby cereal but it is also possible to make this yourself too! Maybe next time around I'll try it out!

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.

Green Nursing Part 2

This idea will save you money and the environment! I was at the store looking for some nursing supplies and the cost of nursing pads caught my eye. I thought it was just outrageous for disposable nursing pads! You can only use them once! Are you kidding me?! Maybe its just me and my pinching pennies ways but it got me thinking.

Couldn't you just make these? I know they use to have reusable pads. Turns out I'm not the only one that had the same question. There are tons of websites and blogs to help you decide what is best for you. There are differences in size and how thick. But really all you need is a little fabric or even receiving blankets you have already and a sewing machine.

I started with tracing a large mason jar lid on the fabric using flannel and fleece. I used two layers of flannel and one of fleece then sew these two together. I tried many different ways of sewing trying to decide on contour or flat since I can't test these out yet as the newest addition has decided to take her sweet time to join us I can't tell you which ones work the best for me. I only made six for the time being to see if they are even thick enough. If you have any other great ideas I would love to hear them!

Smelly Bath Toys

I don't like the way bath toys can hang on to water and then have this musty smell to it. Apparently I wasn't the only one. My friend called me the other day to ask if I had tried vinegar and water with bath toys like I already do with my towels. Why hadn't I thought of that!? So now it was time for me to experiment.

She asked if I would put them in the washer and run the wash like usual with a cup of vinegar. I haven't tried it that way yet as it was already laundry day for me and my washer was full. I decided I would soak the toys in the sink with water and vinegar then let them dry on a towel. This way worked great. The smell was gone and I could throw them into a clean basket. I do plan on trying out the washer next time. If you have already tried this let me know how it worked out for you!

Green Nursing

So as the time draws closer for baby, the more I am looking into what can be reused and recycled with breastfeeding. I went to the store to find somethings that are reusable. Unfortunately, they don't offer these at just any store. So I did some research into what I may already have around the house.

Some nursing containers that you can find in the store can be made of PVC and can leak toxins into the milk, such as BPA. They are getting better at making storage bags that don't do this but think of all the plastic waste by the time you are done breastfeeding. The chemicals that can leak into the milk have been associated with hormone disruption, prostate cancer, breast cancer, and other health concerns. Plastic bags made of polyethylene show no chemicals leaking but have shown that some nutrients from the milk cling to the plastic instead of going into the bottle where you want them to be.

Glass canning jars, which are already in my kitchen, can be cleaned out in high heat and be a perfect way to have a cheaper and greener way of storing breast milk. The jars can be bought in many different sizes. Only fill them a little over halfway and store in the fridge. They can be put directly into hot water to heat the milk too.

If you have a large amount of breastmilk and want to freeze you should check out milk trays at www.sensiblelines.com. They aren't too expensive and you can freeze breast milk in 1 ounce cubes. After putting the milk in the trays and freezing, pop the cubes out and place into freezer bags which are probably already in your kitchen and then date it. Now the tray is ready for another use.

Hopefully this helped you as much as it helped me. Now to find out what else I can make reusable to save money, waste, and make safer for the new addition.

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}