Hey it's that time of year again. The time of year when everyone (okay, maybe not everyone, but a lot of people) set goals for the new year. We set goals such as losing weight, paying off debt, being more green. The sad thing is that a lot of people don't acheive their goals. Well, we're getting ready to start a new year and I'm going to set some new goals and hope that this year, I can acheive them
Goal Number 1: Write in my blog
Yup, that's on my list. I started this blog for a reason. Because I like talking about ways to be green. Namely, I love cloth diapers and talking to other people about them. And I want to share the love with other people. Nothing wrong with that, right? So I've made it my goal to write often and write well. I appreciate any and all feedback. Something you want me to write about? Just tell me!
Goal Number 2: Get Bunny's Fluffy Bum going
At the suggestion of a WAHM, I started a Facebook page for the fleece soakers I'd been making for my friends. I've sold a few once in a while. The truth is, I would love to be a WAHM. I'd be able to see a lot more of my baby girl that way and do something I enjoy. I'm currently making some fitteds for a friend and have had another ask me to do the same. I'd love to get the materials I need and make some fitteds for testers to add them to my lineup as well. I'd also like to get the official liscensing and such needed to run an online store and hope to do that in the very near future. If you feel so inclined, please feel free to check it out at www.facebook.com/bunnysfluffybum
Goal Number 3: Be More Green
I'm always hoping to find little ways to make a difference. So I'd like to find at least three ways to be more green this year. Last year I started using cloth diapers and wipes, making my own cleaning supplies, and using a Lunette cup and mama cloth. This year I would like to switch myself to family cloth fulltime (I don't have enough wipes right now), switch over to unpaper towels (I got some for Christmas!), and start using greener hair and skin care items. And of course, all of these changes will give me something to write about!
Goal Number 4: Lose Weight
Yup, this is the one that so many people set as a goal and so many fail to do. I've been overweight for a lot of my life and it's not the example I want to set for my baby girl. So I would really like to get back into a healthy weight range this year. I would love to lose about 60 pounds, but I'm going to start with the more obtainable goal of 20 pounds.
If one of your goals this year is going green, I hope I can help you take some baby steps towards doing it. If there is anything you would like to see me write about, let me know! I am open to suggestions! Happy New Year! What are your goals this year?
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Friday, December 28, 2012
Product Review: SeatPak
I recently won the 10,000 Facebook Fan Giveaway for Bundles & Buzz. I wasn't 100% sure I would like the item I won until it came to my apartment and opened the package. What did I win? I won a brown SeatPak. Please let me apologize in advance. Blogger is not properly uploading my images so they look funny. The SeatPak is actually a chocolate brown solid with tan piping.
What's a SeatPak? Essentially, it's a mini diaper bag for when you only want to bring a few essentials with you. It circular about 9 1/2 inches across and three inches deep. It was made by a mom who was tired of carrying an infant seat and a diaper bag for quick trips. So she reduced the number of items she had to bring with by creating the SeatPak. It has two sets of hook and loop straps on the back as well as an adjustable strap with hooks on each end. Using either of these methods you can attach it to the handle of your infant seat or to your stroller.
Beacuse of it's size, I didn't think the SeatPak could hold that much when I first looked at it. I was pleasantly surprised by what I was able to fit inside. The front is a perfect pouch for Mommy's cell phone. Inside, the main compartment, I was able to fit a cloth diaper, small wetbag, wipes, small spray bottle for the wipes, a rolled up receiving blanket, my wallet, a 9 ounce Avent bottle and a small baggie of snacks. Wow! I did not expect to fit it all in!
I was really surprised. My daughter is not in an infant seat anymore, but this would have been very nice to have on hand when she was. And the fact that it comes in neutral colors of black or brown means it will match almost any design out there. And best of all, they retail for only $29.99 at www.babybindle.com. And right now, get them for even less! They are currently on sale for $19.99!!
**I received my SeatPak in a giveaway. I was not provided compensation for this post. All opinions are strictly my own.
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Fluff Review: GroVia Bamboo Prefolds
Many of you may have seen the announcement during the start of the ABC Kid's Expo about GroVias new products that will be released in the next few months. I had the pleasure of being a tester for their brand new Bamboo Gauze Prefolds that will be released for sale next month. It has been very hard to keep my mouth shut, but now that I can talk - here's my thoughts on this new product.
Let me start out by saying I am not a big prefold user. In fact, unless you count Flip Organics as prefolds, I only have 4 in my stash - 3 GMD yellow edge (older style) and the new GroVia Bamboo Prefold - infant sized. The GroVia prefold is much trimmer and much softer. I got the GMD prefolds used, but even after just a few weeks of use, the GroVia has a lot more pilling. Doesn't bother me, since no one is looking at it, but I know some people care about these things.
As a tester, I tried my prefold in as many ways as I could think of. It folds narrow enough that you can actually stuff it into a Fuzzibunz Elite. I tried it at night and at nap-time. It worked amazingly for naps. By itself at night, we had leaks, but when paired with a doubler, we had no leaks at all.
Compared to the GroVia soakers, I was quite impressed by how trim these prefolds were. I can barely tell the difference between the soakers and the prefolds when used under the GroVia shells. My model was being a tad bit difficult in posing for pictures, so I apologize that these are not perfect.
The only complaint that I made to GroVia was that the prefold was too narrow when trifolded into a Bum Genius 4.0. Of course we now know that there are four different sizes for the prefolds. I only wish that the larger sizes had more layers, so I could use them without a doubler at night, but that's okay. I have enough doublers laying around. Of course, you also can't use the shell as long, because there is no TPU backing, but for those on a budget, they are more cost effective than the soakers.
These are amazingly soft and I am excited to buy more when they are released in November. And I saw this morning that my favorite cloth diaper store, Kissed by the Moon, will be carrying them. According to GroVia's website, they will retail for $8-16 for a pack of three. This week only, you can enter to win these or any of the other new GroVia products in their giveaway.
If you buy these next month, let me know your thoughts! Hope you'll love them like I do!
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| GMD vs GroVia (GMD on top) |
Let me start out by saying I am not a big prefold user. In fact, unless you count Flip Organics as prefolds, I only have 4 in my stash - 3 GMD yellow edge (older style) and the new GroVia Bamboo Prefold - infant sized. The GroVia prefold is much trimmer and much softer. I got the GMD prefolds used, but even after just a few weeks of use, the GroVia has a lot more pilling. Doesn't bother me, since no one is looking at it, but I know some people care about these things.
As a tester, I tried my prefold in as many ways as I could think of. It folds narrow enough that you can actually stuff it into a Fuzzibunz Elite. I tried it at night and at nap-time. It worked amazingly for naps. By itself at night, we had leaks, but when paired with a doubler, we had no leaks at all.
Compared to the GroVia soakers, I was quite impressed by how trim these prefolds were. I can barely tell the difference between the soakers and the prefolds when used under the GroVia shells. My model was being a tad bit difficult in posing for pictures, so I apologize that these are not perfect.
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| GroVia Bamboo Prefold |
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| GroVia Stay Dry Soaker |
If you buy these next month, let me know your thoughts! Hope you'll love them like I do!
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Wordless Wednesday: Epic Pout
This one speaks for itself. Today was a very crabby day and while this
wasn't taken today, it is very fitting for Addie's mood today.
Sunday, October 7, 2012
All About Fleece
Okay so a lot of people in the cloth diapering community rave about wool. I don't blame them, it's pretty awesome. But it's also pretty expensive, especially if you're buying mainstream stuff. There is an alternative that you can use and while not quite as effective as wool, it works well and still lets your baby's bum breathe - fleece.
A while back I won a pair of fleece longies in a lotto. I finally started using them because they fit now and it's getting cooler out. I recently made my daughter a Green Bay Packer outfit and wanted to make her some pom poms to go with, so I bought some Green & Gold fleece. Well, needless to say, I have a ton of dark green fleece left. So I'm setting out to making some soakers.
It turns out they're pretty easy to make. I used the Katrina's Sew Quick Soaker pattern. The only goof I made was accidentally sewing a leg on inside out. Oops! Well that didn't take too long to fix. A yard of blizzard fleece, on sale, is about $5. You can easily make 5 or more soakers out of that yard of fleece! Five wool soakers would run you a couple hundred dollars, so there is immediate savings right there!
Another benefit of fleece over wool? Laundry is so much easier! You wash it like any other laundry. And to help it be more water resistant you just throw in a dryer sheet. You don't have to worry about lanolizing and the wool taking forever to dry - just throw it in the dryer! And if you're washing cloth diapers, you're doing it every few days anyway, so no extra laundry to be done.
Yes, there are a few downsides to fleece. The main two are that you can't reuse them over and over like you can with wool. Once they get peed on, you have to wash them. The other is that they are not absorbent like wool, rather they repel the pee, hopefully sending it back into the diaper and preventing wet sheets.
Don't get me wrong, I love wool. I have one soaker that I won from a WAHM and I really love it. But it's getting too small and I wool isn't in my budget. Hopefully once winter gets closer I can find some wool sweaters at GoodWill and make some upcycled soakers, but for now, I enjoy my fleece. Just a warning though, I've heard from many mamas that if you start loving your fleece, you will eventually move on to wool!
I haven't been using my fleece long, and would love to hear from mamas who use it regularly. What do you love about fleece? What do you dislike about it?
If there's anyone out there who can't sew that would like some fleece soakers or longies just send me a message! I enjoy sewing and would love to make some for you for a decent price. I am not an official WAHM but would love to be someday.
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| Addie's Packer Outfit |
It turns out they're pretty easy to make. I used the Katrina's Sew Quick Soaker pattern. The only goof I made was accidentally sewing a leg on inside out. Oops! Well that didn't take too long to fix. A yard of blizzard fleece, on sale, is about $5. You can easily make 5 or more soakers out of that yard of fleece! Five wool soakers would run you a couple hundred dollars, so there is immediate savings right there!
Another benefit of fleece over wool? Laundry is so much easier! You wash it like any other laundry. And to help it be more water resistant you just throw in a dryer sheet. You don't have to worry about lanolizing and the wool taking forever to dry - just throw it in the dryer! And if you're washing cloth diapers, you're doing it every few days anyway, so no extra laundry to be done.
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| My first soaker - not bad, huh? |
Don't get me wrong, I love wool. I have one soaker that I won from a WAHM and I really love it. But it's getting too small and I wool isn't in my budget. Hopefully once winter gets closer I can find some wool sweaters at GoodWill and make some upcycled soakers, but for now, I enjoy my fleece. Just a warning though, I've heard from many mamas that if you start loving your fleece, you will eventually move on to wool!
I haven't been using my fleece long, and would love to hear from mamas who use it regularly. What do you love about fleece? What do you dislike about it?
If there's anyone out there who can't sew that would like some fleece soakers or longies just send me a message! I enjoy sewing and would love to make some for you for a decent price. I am not an official WAHM but would love to be someday.
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Homemade Baby Food - Chicken & Noodles
So part of trying to be green has caused me to make a lot of Addie's baby food. First stages it's so asy, steam puree, add liquid if needed, and go. Once they like more substantial food you have to get more creative.
One of my co-workers gave me a bunch of Gerber stage 3 baby food that his son didn't like. One of them was the Chicken and pasta one. Addie LOVED it. So it was time to make it at home.
Homemade Chicken & Pasta Baby Food
Ingredients
Canned Chicken
Small pasta - such as stars or the small ring pastas
Frozen Peas
Carrots
Campbell's Cream of Chicken & Herbs
Cheese, if desired
Directions:
This is pretty basic. Cook the pasta, steam the veggies (if you're really short on time you can get a bag of Frozen Peas & Carrots). Chop up the carrots if needed. Drain and shred the chicken. Mix everything together, adding the soup last. Add enough soup to hold it together but not be runny.
Variations:
Use brown rice instead of the pasta and use broccoli instead of the peas & carrots.
This is nice because it freezes and thaws well, so you can make a large batch and freeze it for later use. I tried some and trust me - It was much more edible than the Gerber variety!
One of my co-workers gave me a bunch of Gerber stage 3 baby food that his son didn't like. One of them was the Chicken and pasta one. Addie LOVED it. So it was time to make it at home.
Homemade Chicken & Pasta Baby Food
Ingredients
Canned Chicken
Small pasta - such as stars or the small ring pastas
Frozen Peas
Carrots
Campbell's Cream of Chicken & Herbs
Cheese, if desired
Directions:
This is pretty basic. Cook the pasta, steam the veggies (if you're really short on time you can get a bag of Frozen Peas & Carrots). Chop up the carrots if needed. Drain and shred the chicken. Mix everything together, adding the soup last. Add enough soup to hold it together but not be runny.
Variations:
Use brown rice instead of the pasta and use broccoli instead of the peas & carrots.
This is nice because it freezes and thaws well, so you can make a large batch and freeze it for later use. I tried some and trust me - It was much more edible than the Gerber variety!
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Hi again...Long Time No See!
Okay, so I guess I've been slacking...a lot. My apologies. I guess life just got a little crazy and the last thing on my mind was trying to keep up with my blog.
Some exciting news on my end is that I have now become an affiliate from my favorite cloth diapering store, Kissed by the Moon! Free shipping on every order and the best customer service you could ask for. And the Mystery Fluff? So amazing and exciting, it's like a fluffy Christmas morning! No really, if you haven't checked out Kissed by the Moon, I highly recommend it. And if you're purchasing, I'd really appreciate it if you use my link! The link is listed below...it's also now on the sidebar right under the "About Me" section!
So that's all for tonight! I'll be back again soon!
http://www.kissedbythemoon.com/?AffId=76"
Some exciting news on my end is that I have now become an affiliate from my favorite cloth diapering store, Kissed by the Moon! Free shipping on every order and the best customer service you could ask for. And the Mystery Fluff? So amazing and exciting, it's like a fluffy Christmas morning! No really, if you haven't checked out Kissed by the Moon, I highly recommend it. And if you're purchasing, I'd really appreciate it if you use my link! The link is listed below...it's also now on the sidebar right under the "About Me" section!
So that's all for tonight! I'll be back again soon!
http://www.kissedbythemoon.com/?AffId=76"
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
How Do You Fold your Flats?
I am taking part in the Second Annual Flats and Handwashing Challenge hosted by Dirty Diaper Laundry.
For 7 days I will be using only flat cloth diapers and handwashing
them in an effort to prove that cloth diapering can be affordable and
accessible to all. You can learn more about the rules and why this
challenge was started by visiting the announcement post. This year there are over 450 participants from all over the world!
How do you fold your flats? Me? I'm mostly padfolding. Why? Because my mom and hubby don't want to deal with complicated folds. For the hubby, I put the padfolded flats into pocket diapers - he won't use the Flips. For my mom. who watches Addie while I'm working, I just padfold them for her to put into the Flip covers.
Once I get home from work, I have tried a diaper bag fold and a kite fold. I'm not going to lie, putting on the Boingos is challenging when you have a squirmy 8 month old on your changing table - especially when you're new at it. So far, I'm finding the Snappi more convenient as I have yet to get a good hold with the Boingos and still hold up the middle of the diaper. It tends to fall out on me - and of course that is a MAJOR problem! No middle diaper = no coverage in the wet zone. I'm hoping that by the end of the week I can try out some more folds and master the Boingos. I want my little girl to run around in the cute tie dyed diapers without a cover!
Just in case there is someone who doesn't know, a padfolded flat is basically a flat folded down to a rectangular shaped insert. Essentially you fold the flat into quarters and then trifold it. You can flare out one end a bit to have more coverage in the bum area.
Padfolding is a lot more absorbent than I expected. I am highly considering replacing the microfiber inserts for my pockets with my flats after the challenge is over!
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| Padfolded flats ready for tomorrow! |
Once I get home from work, I have tried a diaper bag fold and a kite fold. I'm not going to lie, putting on the Boingos is challenging when you have a squirmy 8 month old on your changing table - especially when you're new at it. So far, I'm finding the Snappi more convenient as I have yet to get a good hold with the Boingos and still hold up the middle of the diaper. It tends to fall out on me - and of course that is a MAJOR problem! No middle diaper = no coverage in the wet zone. I'm hoping that by the end of the week I can try out some more folds and master the Boingos. I want my little girl to run around in the cute tie dyed diapers without a cover!
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| Diaper drawer! |
Padfolding is a lot more absorbent than I expected. I am highly considering replacing the microfiber inserts for my pockets with my flats after the challenge is over!
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
The Basic Supplies - Cloth Diapering with Flats
I am taking part in the Second Annual Flats and Handwashing Challenge hosted by Dirty Diaper Laundry. For 7 days I will be using only flat cloth diapers and handwashing them in an effort to prove that cloth diapering can be affordable and accessible to all. You can learn more about the rules and why this challenge was started by visiting the announcement post. This year there are over 450 participants from all over the world!One of the neat things about the Flats & Handwashing Challenge is that it was initiated to show low income families that they can cloth diaper for very little money, instead of reusing disposables and having to buy more every month. While I am using some things that I don't necessarily need, like the pocket diapers for my husband to use and my diaper sprayer, I am trying to also use items that can be pretty easy for the general public to buy.
My supplies and their approximate costs:
Diapers
Seven flour sack towels, five of which are from Wal-Mart and two that were old kitchen towels being re-purposed. Cost - $4.38
Four receiving blankets that were purchased at Goodwill. Two are regular sized and two are extra large - essentially just longer than normal. Cost - $4
Microfleece liners - I have a handful of these and use them to provide a stay-dry liner between my little one's bum and her diaper. Cost - $5
Covers - Flip Covers. Today we went through three of them because Addie pooped in two and the other was her overnight diaper. Cost - $14 each I also am using a wool cover for nights. I actually did not pay anything for this cover because I won it on Facebook from 123 Cloth Me. Pockets - Yesterday we used 5 BumGenius 4.0 pockets stuffed with flats, because Daddy only uses Pockets & AIOs. I am not including the cost here because this is not a necessary item.
Wipes - I am using cloth wipes with a homemade solution. You can find my solution recipe on a previous post. I use Bumkins flannel wipes and baby wash clothes. I have 4 dozen wipes total costing about $20 total. Handwashing daily, I only use a dozen max, so you could get away with about $7 worth.
Fasteners - A boingo and snappi, cost about $11 for both
Washing Set-up
Washer - I am using a 5 gallon bucket and my plunger. The bucket is repurposed as it used to hold salt for our saltwater fish tank. I did not buy a separate plunger; I am using the one that we already had.
Detergent - The detergents I am using are the random samples I have laying around, most of which I got for free at the Great Cloth Diaper Change in my Swag Bag. The rest were freebies that were sent with Diapers I had ordered.
Drying - My diapers are being dried on a tiered drying rack that we have had for years. I can't find the exact model I own, but it seems like most of them are around $25-$30.So if I add up the values of the necessary items I am using, the cost comes to about $97.50. Now this doesn't include the cost of the detergent, bucket, or plunger because most people will have something laying around they can use for these. Considering the fact that you can buy less expensive covers, or even make them, this isn't so bad. I spent almost $300 on disposables by the time my little one was five months old (averaging $60 each month) I do not feel that a little under $100 on cloth diapers is that big of a reach. For less than the average family spends in two months on disposables, they could cloth diaper their baby through potty training.
Monday, May 21, 2012
Handwashing!? Are you Crazy?
I guess I am!
For anyone who didn't read the other day, I am taking part in the Second Annual Flats and Handwashing Challenge hosted by Dirty Diaper Laundry. For 7 days I will be using only flat cloth diapers and handwashing them in an effort to prove that cloth diapering can be affordable and accessible to all. You can learn more about the rules and why this challenge was started by visiting the announcement post. This year there are over 450 participants from all over the world!
As I write this, I have yet to wash my diapers for tonight, but they are soaking. And in the spirit of experimentation, I did handwash a load on Saturday and it did not really take that long.
So why I am I doing the challenge? Well first of all, I thought the history behind the challenge was pretty cool. Since switching to cloth I have realized how gross disposable diapers are. I can't imagine having to reuse them because I couldn't afford to buy new ones. So it's cool to show others that you can cloth diaper for very little money.
The second reason? I had never tried flats before and thought it would be fun to give it a try! I even spent the time tie dyeing some of them over the weekend to make things more interesting. I was able to dye five flats and a t-shirt for my little girl and had a lot of fun doing it. Here's a few pictures of my dye job. I am looking forward to letting my baby wear these on her bum!Day 1 my little girl wore pockets (namely BumGenius 4.0s) stuffed with padfolded flats because Daddy was home with her and he won't use anything but pockets and AIOs. She is currently sleeping in an extra large receiving blanket that was padfolded and put inside a Flip cover. She is wearing a pair of woolies over the top.
Well I suppose I should stop procrastinating and wash my diapers! I'll be back tomorrow with an update after day two.
Friday, May 18, 2012
Flats and Handwashing Challenge...Ready or Not, Here I Come!
And right now that is leaning more towards the not....
The Second Annual Flats and Handwashing Challenge starts on Monday. While I am excited to have a full week devoted to flats, I am a bit nervous at the same time. I decided to do the challenge because I have never used flats and I think it would be nice for Addie to run around cover-less when its triple digits here in the summer. But because I'm new to flats, the challenge is a bit scary too. Finding out which folds will work best for us might be interesting.
Oh and not to mention, I haven't even told my hubby or mom, who is my daycare provider, that I'm doing this. I plan on padfolding/stuffing pockets for them. And I'm pretty sure they would think I'm crazy if I told them I was handwashing my diapers.
In regards to the supplies, I guess I'm mostly ready. I don't have any real flats. I have about seven flour sack towels and four receiving blankets. I have the five gallon bucket and detergent, and of course, I have the covers I need. What I don't have is a plunger. I guess I'll have to pick one up tomorrow to drill holes in. Really I guess the lack of plunger is what makes up the majority of not being ready.
I did some trial runs this week to try to figure out a night diaper. I had success with padfolding a standard receiving blanket with a microfiber doubler inside of it. I also tried padfolding a flour sack into an origami fold with a wool cover. That one didn't work, everything was wet in the morning. I would like to try to only use flats, so I am going to try padfolding the extra-large receiving blankets (They are the same width but longer and rectangular, which will provide extra layers) into a Flip cover followed by the wool. We'll see how it works.
So ready or not, here I come! I will make sure I am ready by Monday!
The Second Annual Flats and Handwashing Challenge starts on Monday. While I am excited to have a full week devoted to flats, I am a bit nervous at the same time. I decided to do the challenge because I have never used flats and I think it would be nice for Addie to run around cover-less when its triple digits here in the summer. But because I'm new to flats, the challenge is a bit scary too. Finding out which folds will work best for us might be interesting.
Oh and not to mention, I haven't even told my hubby or mom, who is my daycare provider, that I'm doing this. I plan on padfolding/stuffing pockets for them. And I'm pretty sure they would think I'm crazy if I told them I was handwashing my diapers.
In regards to the supplies, I guess I'm mostly ready. I don't have any real flats. I have about seven flour sack towels and four receiving blankets. I have the five gallon bucket and detergent, and of course, I have the covers I need. What I don't have is a plunger. I guess I'll have to pick one up tomorrow to drill holes in. Really I guess the lack of plunger is what makes up the majority of not being ready.
I did some trial runs this week to try to figure out a night diaper. I had success with padfolding a standard receiving blanket with a microfiber doubler inside of it. I also tried padfolding a flour sack into an origami fold with a wool cover. That one didn't work, everything was wet in the morning. I would like to try to only use flats, so I am going to try padfolding the extra-large receiving blankets (They are the same width but longer and rectangular, which will provide extra layers) into a Flip cover followed by the wool. We'll see how it works.
So ready or not, here I come! I will make sure I am ready by Monday!
Monday, May 14, 2012
Wipe Away!
Cloth wipes. If you use cloth diapers, you might as well use them too. After all, it is no fun picking disposable wipes pieces out of the aplix in your diapers. Sound complicated? Nope, it definitely is not.
So what do you use? There are a lot of different brands of wipes out there made out of a lot of different materials. My favorite? Single-layer flannel wipes are the most similar to disposables. Bumkins flannel wipes are not very expensive, about $7 per dozen. They maybe aren't the cutest wipes, as they are a natural tan, but the rainbow serging helps make up for the lack of prints. They are soft and the serging holds up great. For people used to disposable wipes, I would definitely recommend the Bumkins.
And now for the solution. I have heard of some moms that just use plain water, or water with a little baby soap. I use a variation on that. And I like my variation because it not only gets baby's bum clean, it also uses coconut oil for slight diaper rash prevention.
I don't really have an exact recipe. I mix my solution in an empty baby wash bottle (9 oz). I put in three squirts of baby wash, like California Baby (or one squirt of Dr. Bronners Castile Soap), a three second pour of coconut oil (should be about the same amount as the baby wash), and 3 drops of Tea Tree Oil. Then, I fill up the rest of the bottle with hot, purified water. Shake, and dump over the wipes. Let it sit for about 20 minutes and ring any excess solution out of the wipes. Store it in your mixing bottle to use next time, or put it in a mini spray bottle for the diaper bag.
Why hot, purified water, you ask? I actually use reverse osmosis water, but distilled would work also. Basically, you want it purified to help get any sediments or bacteria out. The water I use is actually also boiled first. It comes from the RO system into a water heater used to make tea, so the temperature is usually around 160 degrees. You also want hot water to make sure the coconut oil is in liquid form instead of solid. Oh and the tea tree oil should help prevent future bacteria growth.
I store my wipes in a disposable wipes container and fold them so they pop up. I found the Huggies containers work well for this. More on the folding some other day. With the recipe above, I find I can make about 20 wipes or so and not need to wring out excess solution.
So, cloth wipes anyone? I like these because they clean my baby's bum quite well and I can also use them to wash her face and hands without worrying too much about her ingesting a lot of chemicals. Yes, there might be some, depending on what baby soap you use, but at least I have more control over what's going on her bum - I know exactly what is in the solution.
So, are you ready to get wiping?
So what do you use? There are a lot of different brands of wipes out there made out of a lot of different materials. My favorite? Single-layer flannel wipes are the most similar to disposables. Bumkins flannel wipes are not very expensive, about $7 per dozen. They maybe aren't the cutest wipes, as they are a natural tan, but the rainbow serging helps make up for the lack of prints. They are soft and the serging holds up great. For people used to disposable wipes, I would definitely recommend the Bumkins.
And now for the solution. I have heard of some moms that just use plain water, or water with a little baby soap. I use a variation on that. And I like my variation because it not only gets baby's bum clean, it also uses coconut oil for slight diaper rash prevention.
I don't really have an exact recipe. I mix my solution in an empty baby wash bottle (9 oz). I put in three squirts of baby wash, like California Baby (or one squirt of Dr. Bronners Castile Soap), a three second pour of coconut oil (should be about the same amount as the baby wash), and 3 drops of Tea Tree Oil. Then, I fill up the rest of the bottle with hot, purified water. Shake, and dump over the wipes. Let it sit for about 20 minutes and ring any excess solution out of the wipes. Store it in your mixing bottle to use next time, or put it in a mini spray bottle for the diaper bag.
Why hot, purified water, you ask? I actually use reverse osmosis water, but distilled would work also. Basically, you want it purified to help get any sediments or bacteria out. The water I use is actually also boiled first. It comes from the RO system into a water heater used to make tea, so the temperature is usually around 160 degrees. You also want hot water to make sure the coconut oil is in liquid form instead of solid. Oh and the tea tree oil should help prevent future bacteria growth.
I store my wipes in a disposable wipes container and fold them so they pop up. I found the Huggies containers work well for this. More on the folding some other day. With the recipe above, I find I can make about 20 wipes or so and not need to wring out excess solution.
So, cloth wipes anyone? I like these because they clean my baby's bum quite well and I can also use them to wash her face and hands without worrying too much about her ingesting a lot of chemicals. Yes, there might be some, depending on what baby soap you use, but at least I have more control over what's going on her bum - I know exactly what is in the solution.
So, are you ready to get wiping?
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Review: BumGenius 4.0 Pockets
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| Addie at about 6 months in an Eiffel Tower from the Artist Series |
BumGenius 4.0s are a One-Size pocket diaper that is listed to fit from 7-35 pounds and up. The front of the diaper snaps down to adjust the rise for a small, medium, or large setting. They come with both a one-size microfiber insert that is three layers as well as a two-layer newborn microfiber insert. The inner of the diaper is suede cloth and there is flap covering the back of the pocket, so your baby won't be exposed to any PUL from the outer. They currently come in 15 colors and 2 prints in both Aplix (hook & loop) or Snap options.
Pros: The one-size insert has a snap down setting on it to adjust for the different lengths. There are small, medium, and large settings. The small makes it the same length as the newborn insert. It is a bit difficult to see the snaps, but a photo of the newborn and one size insert is to the right. The snaps are on the bottom of portion of the insert in the picture shown. I love that the insert snaps down because I don't have to worry about it unfolding while stuffing the diaper or putting it on.These diapers fit my daughter very well. With the one-size insert, these are pretty trim diapers. This was important to me since I used disposables until my daughter was about five months old.
The variety of colors. There are enough colors for you to have one to match just about any outfit.
The snaps on these diapers are pretty strong. I do not have problems with the snaps on the rise setting coming undone like I do on other one-size diapers I own.
The pocket on these diapers is fairly wide and they are easy to stuff. The PUL is not as sticky as other diapers, which adds to the ease.
Cons: The aplix on these diapers is not super strong and fuzzies get stuck in it fairly easily. While the diaper does have laundry tabs, they are only useful while your aplix stays put. These diapers have been used for about 3 months and the aplix needs to be cleaned out or replaced already.
My only other complaint is also about the aplix. I wished it matched the diaper. It's not a huge deal, but matching aplix just makes the diapers look a bit nicer.
Overall, I really like these diapers. They are not too expensive and fit my daughter very well. With the one-size insert they are fairly trim, as you can see in the Dazzle Addie is wearing (on right, 7 months). With all of the other insert options available, you can customize the diaper to fit your needs. I enjoy these diapers and would not mind adding a few more to my stash.
***These diapers were purchased by me and not provided free for this review. I am not affiliated in any way with CottonBabies and wrote this review for informational purpose of my readers only***
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
My New Laundry Routine
We do a lot of laundry around here. Between my husbands work and school uniforms, regular clothes, Army Uniforms, my clothes, and our daughter's clothes I feel like I'm doing it constantly. And laundry detergent is not exactly cheap. You pay about $18 for the big container of Tide and it would only last about a month. I figured there had to be a way to do laundry and not spend as much on the process.
A few years ago, I saved a bit of money by replacing dryer sheets with "homemade" dryer sheets. I bought a 3 pack of washcloths at the dollar store. Then I took my favorite liquid fabric softener and mixed it half and half in a spray bottle. Spray on the washcloth and throw in the dryer. One bottle of fabric softener lasted about a year.
But I wanted to do more. So I looked up homemade laundry detergents. There were actually quite a few different recipes out there. I picked the easiest one. The recipe is below:
Powdered Laundry Detergent
1 cup washing soda
1 cup Borax
1 grated bar of castile soap
Mix all ingredients in a food processor and store in a covered container. Use 1-2 Tbsp per load of laundry.
The washing soda and Borax are about $4 a box and you can get a 3 pack of castile soap for about $3.50 at Wal-Mart. All of the ingredients cost less than one large jug of Tide and will last much longer. You can use any bar soap you want, but in the effort to be more green, I chose a natural one.
The new laundry routine consists of 1 Tbsp detergent, 1 Tbsp OxyClean and a Downy ball filled to the XL line with Vinegar. The vinegar works as a fabric softener/static reducer. And no, your clothes will not smell like vinegar. The smell will go away as the clothes dry.
If you prefer not to use vinegar, you can use the dryer sheet idea mentioned above. And if you want to add fragrance to your detergent, you can add a few drops of essential oil to it and mix it in.
So that's my new, green laundry routine.
A few years ago, I saved a bit of money by replacing dryer sheets with "homemade" dryer sheets. I bought a 3 pack of washcloths at the dollar store. Then I took my favorite liquid fabric softener and mixed it half and half in a spray bottle. Spray on the washcloth and throw in the dryer. One bottle of fabric softener lasted about a year.
But I wanted to do more. So I looked up homemade laundry detergents. There were actually quite a few different recipes out there. I picked the easiest one. The recipe is below:
Powdered Laundry Detergent
1 cup washing soda
1 cup Borax
1 grated bar of castile soap
Mix all ingredients in a food processor and store in a covered container. Use 1-2 Tbsp per load of laundry.
The washing soda and Borax are about $4 a box and you can get a 3 pack of castile soap for about $3.50 at Wal-Mart. All of the ingredients cost less than one large jug of Tide and will last much longer. You can use any bar soap you want, but in the effort to be more green, I chose a natural one.
The new laundry routine consists of 1 Tbsp detergent, 1 Tbsp OxyClean and a Downy ball filled to the XL line with Vinegar. The vinegar works as a fabric softener/static reducer. And no, your clothes will not smell like vinegar. The smell will go away as the clothes dry.
If you prefer not to use vinegar, you can use the dryer sheet idea mentioned above. And if you want to add fragrance to your detergent, you can add a few drops of essential oil to it and mix it in.
So that's my new, green laundry routine.
Monday, April 23, 2012
The Great Cloth Diaper Change
Or the "diaper changing party" as the local news station put it. The event was Saturday, and it was a pretty hot one. Literally. We broke the record high for the area on Saturday, with temperatures in the triple digits. But enough about the weather.
For those of you who don't know, the Great Cloth Diaper Change is an event where people around the world change their baby's diapers at the same time. It's actually in the Guinness Book of World Records, with over 5000 diapers changed simultaneously last year. And the point? To raise awareness for cloth diapers and to show the general public how easy cloth diapering can be.
Since my daughter wasn't born yet last year, this was my first time going. Our event was small, with about 28 pairs, just enough for our location to qualify towards the record. It was really neat getting to chat with other moms who use cloth diapers in real life. The event had some pretty neat giveaways and swag bags. I came home with about $100 worth of freebies. While the freebies were fun, I think the best part was getting to talk to other moms with the same interest, okay - addiction, as I have. There were babies ranging from just a few weeks old to toddlers, all getting their cute fluffy bums changed at the same time.
If we break last year's record, which I think we will since there were many more countries and locations this year, I can say that my daughter and I were part of the Guinness Book of World Records. Now that's pretty cool. I will definitely be going next year and as long as I have kiddos in cloth.
If you want more information on the Great Cloth Diaper Change, visit http://greatclothdiaperchange.com.
For those of you who don't know, the Great Cloth Diaper Change is an event where people around the world change their baby's diapers at the same time. It's actually in the Guinness Book of World Records, with over 5000 diapers changed simultaneously last year. And the point? To raise awareness for cloth diapers and to show the general public how easy cloth diapering can be.
Since my daughter wasn't born yet last year, this was my first time going. Our event was small, with about 28 pairs, just enough for our location to qualify towards the record. It was really neat getting to chat with other moms who use cloth diapers in real life. The event had some pretty neat giveaways and swag bags. I came home with about $100 worth of freebies. While the freebies were fun, I think the best part was getting to talk to other moms with the same interest, okay - addiction, as I have. There were babies ranging from just a few weeks old to toddlers, all getting their cute fluffy bums changed at the same time.
If we break last year's record, which I think we will since there were many more countries and locations this year, I can say that my daughter and I were part of the Guinness Book of World Records. Now that's pretty cool. I will definitely be going next year and as long as I have kiddos in cloth.
If you want more information on the Great Cloth Diaper Change, visit http://greatclothdiaperchange.com.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
A Cleaner Face...Naturally
One of the very first "green" things I ever did as an adult was to make my own facial cleaner. When it comes to skincare, I like simple. Products like Pro Active work great, but that many steps....I get lazy and just stop using it after a week or so. I wanted something simple, quick on and off. So I turned to astringent cleaners. They are so easy, but can be very drying. I decided to try making my own to see if I could come up with something just as easy, but less drying. This was the result.
Witch Hazel Astringent
1 16 oz bottle of Witch Hazel astringent, costs about $5.50 at Walgreens for the Dickinson brand
Tea Tree Oil
Lavender Essential Oil
Add about 8-10 drops each of Tea Tree Oil and Lavender Oil.
To apply, shake bottle, squirt some onto a small piece of flannel or cotton velour rounds (or a cotton ball) and wipe your face. That's it! It's so simple
Now....why does it work? A little about the ingredients.
Witch Hazel: an astringent made out of the twigs and bark of the North American Witch Hazel bush. It works as a toner, cleanser, helps treat acne, and reduce the size of pores.
Tea Tree Oil: an essential oil made out of the Melaleuca alternifolia plant, which grows in Australia. It's a natural antiseptic, which also aids in the healing of wounds - this makes it great for helping with acne treatment, among other things. There are tons of uses for Tea Tree Oil, so it's great to have around.
Lavender Oil: an essential oil made out of lavender flowers. It is a natural disinfectant and also enhances blood flow to the area in which it is used. It also smells great, so it helps tone out some of the smell of the witch hazel.
So from the above, you can tell that each of the ingredients in this formula have cleaning and healing properties. In my opinion, witch hazel does not smell the best, but the scent does fade from your skin over time.
Try it out, let me know what you think! You can, of course, adjust the amounts of the essential oils as you see fit.
Sources
http://www.dickinsonsusa.com/index
http://altmedicine.about.com/od/herbsupplementguide/a/TeaTreeOil.htm
http://www.organicfacts.net/organic-oils/natural-essential-oils/health-benefits-of-lavender-essential-oil.html
Witch Hazel Astringent
1 16 oz bottle of Witch Hazel astringent, costs about $5.50 at Walgreens for the Dickinson brand
Tea Tree Oil
Lavender Essential Oil
Add about 8-10 drops each of Tea Tree Oil and Lavender Oil.
To apply, shake bottle, squirt some onto a small piece of flannel or cotton velour rounds (or a cotton ball) and wipe your face. That's it! It's so simple
Now....why does it work? A little about the ingredients.
Witch Hazel: an astringent made out of the twigs and bark of the North American Witch Hazel bush. It works as a toner, cleanser, helps treat acne, and reduce the size of pores.
Tea Tree Oil: an essential oil made out of the Melaleuca alternifolia plant, which grows in Australia. It's a natural antiseptic, which also aids in the healing of wounds - this makes it great for helping with acne treatment, among other things. There are tons of uses for Tea Tree Oil, so it's great to have around.
Lavender Oil: an essential oil made out of lavender flowers. It is a natural disinfectant and also enhances blood flow to the area in which it is used. It also smells great, so it helps tone out some of the smell of the witch hazel.
So from the above, you can tell that each of the ingredients in this formula have cleaning and healing properties. In my opinion, witch hazel does not smell the best, but the scent does fade from your skin over time.
Try it out, let me know what you think! You can, of course, adjust the amounts of the essential oils as you see fit.
Sources
http://www.dickinsonsusa.com/index
http://altmedicine.about.com/od/herbsupplementguide/a/TeaTreeOil.htm
http://www.organicfacts.net/organic-oils/natural-essential-oils/health-benefits-of-lavender-essential-oil.html
Saturday, April 14, 2012
The Road to Cloth...
Unlike many families who start out using cloth diapers, we were not one of them. When I was pregnant, I saw an advertisement for gDiapers while surfing a baby website. They seemed so interesting to me and I loved the fact that I could use disposable or cloth inserts. I thought that because of the disposable option, I might be able to convince my husband to use cloth diapers. I was met with a great big "No way. Gross. We are not using cloth diapers."
Fast forward to the birth of our baby. While my husband loves our daughter, he does not love changing diapers. I guess I don't blame him. Changing disposable diapers really isn't fun. He will only change diapers when he is the only person home with Addie. If anyone else is home and she needs to be changed, he hands her off.
When Addie was five months old, I added up how much money we had spent on disposable diapers. It was over $300. And we didn't even buy all of them ourselves! It just felt so wrong throwing all of that money into the landfill. So I started researching cloth diapers. I found a couple of websites that did diaper trials. Since my mom watches Addie while we work, I ran the idea by her. She was hesitant but was willing to give it a try.
After about a week or so of researching, I decided to order an organic day pack of Flips, 3 stay dry inserts, an Econobum pack, and some Rockin Green detergent. I ordered from Cotton Babies because of their 30 day trial period and free shipping. And I didn't tell my husband until after I placed the order. Because he barely changes any diapers, I wasn't too worried about his opinion. If he didn't want to use them, he could use the disposables.
Almost as soon as I received my diapers, I fell in love. Not with the Econobum so much, but with the Flips. I soon ordered more and needless to say, I think I am addicted to Fluff. They are so much softer than disposables, and while a bit bulkier, I would much rather have cotton on my bum than plastic. I think my daughter would probably agree if she could talk. I also feel better about not throwing so much into the landfill and love how cute Addie is with her fluffy bum. My mom and husband are also on board and the disposable diapers we had left are rarely used.
So that's how we started our cloth diaper journey. What prompted you to cloth diaper?
Fast forward to the birth of our baby. While my husband loves our daughter, he does not love changing diapers. I guess I don't blame him. Changing disposable diapers really isn't fun. He will only change diapers when he is the only person home with Addie. If anyone else is home and she needs to be changed, he hands her off.
When Addie was five months old, I added up how much money we had spent on disposable diapers. It was over $300. And we didn't even buy all of them ourselves! It just felt so wrong throwing all of that money into the landfill. So I started researching cloth diapers. I found a couple of websites that did diaper trials. Since my mom watches Addie while we work, I ran the idea by her. She was hesitant but was willing to give it a try.
After about a week or so of researching, I decided to order an organic day pack of Flips, 3 stay dry inserts, an Econobum pack, and some Rockin Green detergent. I ordered from Cotton Babies because of their 30 day trial period and free shipping. And I didn't tell my husband until after I placed the order. Because he barely changes any diapers, I wasn't too worried about his opinion. If he didn't want to use them, he could use the disposables.
Almost as soon as I received my diapers, I fell in love. Not with the Econobum so much, but with the Flips. I soon ordered more and needless to say, I think I am addicted to Fluff. They are so much softer than disposables, and while a bit bulkier, I would much rather have cotton on my bum than plastic. I think my daughter would probably agree if she could talk. I also feel better about not throwing so much into the landfill and love how cute Addie is with her fluffy bum. My mom and husband are also on board and the disposable diapers we had left are rarely used.
So that's how we started our cloth diaper journey. What prompted you to cloth diaper?
Welcome
So having my own blog is something that I never really thought about before today. I like talking cloth diapers, no scratch that, I love talking about cloth diapers. I started using them on my daughter about two months ago and fell in love. Well, my family tolerates them and my rantings, but they do not share the love. So it prompted me to start a blog, kind of spur of the moment. I guess this way people can choose whether or not they wish to listen to my rantings. Maybe I'll have followers, maybe I won't. I guess it doesn't matter much as long as I can express myself, right?
I'll start out by saying that I'm not the Green Queen, but I'm trying to do what I can to help preserve our planet. Since my little girl was born, I've been changing more and more things to be more and more green. They've included changing the hand soap and shampoo I use, making my own laundry detergent, cloth diapers and wipes and more. There will be more posts to follow going into detail with what I changed and the recipes I've used.
If anyone has actually read this, welcome! I hope you will visit again!
I'll start out by saying that I'm not the Green Queen, but I'm trying to do what I can to help preserve our planet. Since my little girl was born, I've been changing more and more things to be more and more green. They've included changing the hand soap and shampoo I use, making my own laundry detergent, cloth diapers and wipes and more. There will be more posts to follow going into detail with what I changed and the recipes I've used.
If anyone has actually read this, welcome! I hope you will visit again!
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