Babywearing: Making a Wrap

Have any of you ever tried babywearing? I personally enjoy it because it creates a special bond with my baby and calms her down. When I started babywearing I had a 1 1/2 year old with separation anxiety, I was pleasantly surprised that after a few week of wearing her on my back we no longer had that problem!

In this photo I am wearing Beth (my 5 week old) in the cradle cross carry hold with a wrap I made myself. Very easy to do by the way.

To make your own wrap you will need a few supplies:
5 yards of fabric (I would recommend something breathable like cotton gauze)
Sewing machine that does a zig zag stitch
Coordinating thread

First, fold the 5 yards in half making the 44in wide fabric 22in
Next, cut the fabric creating two 22 in x 5 yard pieces
Then, zig zag stitch all the way around both pieces to stop fraying (I used the tightest zig zag stitch I had to get the best look)
Last, use one wrap and give one to a friend to try!

There are many ways to wrap a baby/toddler. Here is my favorite website for learning how to wrap: http://wearyourbaby.com/

Last summer wearing my toddler in the back cross carry hold.

Have a great day!

~Kym

Verse for Today: Psalm 27:14

How I Fold Prefolds

I have been needing to do this post for a long time. So here it finally is! I do my prefold folding two different ways with a snappi; one for my way 2 year old and one way for my 3 week old. I find that the different folds work better on the bigger/smaller bottoms. Now, you do not have to fold a prefold with a snappi, but I do because I find it contains mess a whole lot better and it keeps the prefold in place inside the diaper cover. I started by not using a snappi and just laying the folded prefold in the diaper cover before I put it on my babys bum, but I found out very quickly that the snappi was a great help in keeping the prefold on my older daughter while she went about doing her normal toddler stuff. :-)
Because both of my beautiful daughters are currently napping...

I am going to use Lucy to show you how I fold prefolds. Lucy is the equivalent of a 15-20 lb baby, or so I would guess.


For the first fold I will show you how I do what I call the "twisty fold". This is what I use on my smaller baby girl
I start by folding the back edge of the prefold down (If you have a boy you might want to put the fold in the front to help catch more liquid :-) )


I then place child on the prefold centering their bottom on the thicker part and making sure the back edge is at the waist.


I then grab the front of the prefold and twist




After that I place both front edges at the hips I bring the back edges forward 

And then secure in place with a snappi!



The other fold I use I would consider the regular diaper fold. This is one I have seen used for a long time and is very easy to master. :-D
I start the same way I do the other fold. Fold back edge down, place baby on prefold. Then I fold in the right front corner to the left edge of the thick middle section.


And repeat with the left front corner.


I then bring the prefold up between babys legs


After that I spread back out the top edge of the prefold being sure to keep it from unfolding in the middle between babys legs.


And bring the back edges forward and secure with the snappi

That is how I fold the prefolds! Once I did these folds for a week I mastered them to the point where they were fast and easy, but it is a bit awkward at first figuring them out. 

After the prefold is folded onto the baby, it is time for the cover. To be sure you get no leaks check for prefold coming out from the edges of the cover

And tuck them under the cover

Well there ya have it, all of what I do for using a prefold and a cover. I need to run now, but if you have any questions please ask!

~ Kym

Todays verse: Colossians 4:5-6

Weekly Wipe Recipe

Here is the weekly wipe recipe!



Anti-Fungal Too
Similar to the other anti-fungal recipe, but less vinegar and water.


1 tablespoon calendula oil
A few drops lavender oil
A few drops tea tree oil
1/4 cup 100% aloe vera gel
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon white vinegar




I got an order in the mail of Alva Baby diapers! So far I am loving them (this is my first day using them), I will put up pictures as soon as I get time. :-)


Have a great Friday!!


~ Kym




Todays Bible Verse: Galatians 6:2

Weekly Wipe Recipe

Here is the wipe recipe for this week. Enjoy!

Magic Baby

Baby Magic products are usually easy to find in local stores.
1/2 cup Baby Magic oil
1/2 cup Baby Magic wash
2 cups water

Welcoming...

Elizabeth Florence, born on my birthday, 8 lbs 7 oz and 20in long :-) (a surprising three days early as I did not expect to see her until after her due date). After days of wondering if I was starting labor my labor finally kicked in on Wednesday afternoon and I had my sweet Beth in my arms a short 8 hours later. I had a totally natural birth (at a birthing center) with no medication in a birthing tub and would recommend the experience to anyone interested. We have been home now for 5 days and are starting to learn about life with two kids. :-D I feel like I still have a lot to learn. :-P 

Cloth diapering is going rather well! Both of my kids right now are in prefolds with Thirsties Duo wrap covers and they fit well and clean easily, so we will probably just use those for a few weeks until I get my energy back. The one thing I realized this week was folding a prefold for an infant and folding a prefold for a toddler are very different. I am going to do a post just on folding prefolds and how I do it sometime in the next couple of weeks to give an idea of what I mean. :-)

Well this is enough of my rambling, I just wanted to make sure that people know I am still alive and doing well. :-) Have a blessed day!
This is a picture of my sweet Beth at 5 days old. :-)

~ Kym

Todays Verse: 2 Thessalonians 3:3

New babies and cloth diapers

Sorry about my posts becoming less frequent. I currently am getting ready for my new baby who is due to arrive any day! Because of this I thought I would do a short post about what I am getting to cloth diaper her and what my thoughts are on cloth diapering from the start.

I currently am planning on doing part time cloth diapering with my newborn simply for my sanity sake. :-)  The plan is for the first few weeks to cloth diaper during the day and to use the paper diapers I have been given at night so that if and when I am crazy tired I wont be fumbling with cloth. My idea is since I am  having my two year old and the newborn at home with me all the time I wont be too tired to keep my two year old busy and happy, my newborn peaceful, and me calm. The cloth diapering I will be doing will consist of several types of diapers to better decide what works for me and my newborn. I will start by using prefolds and the Thirsties Duo Wrap in size one, the reason I have chosen this particular diaper cover is because of the size. Thirsties Duo Wrap supposedly fits babies from about 6lbs to about 18lbs and I want a cover that will work longer than just a few weeks. I am also working on ordering ALVA Baby diapers in the 4.0 style or it is also called the Color Snap, the reason I chose this particular style of ALVA Baby is because it is a pocket diaper with double gussets and with an extra small snap setting. I do not know about the quality because I have never used ALVA Baby before, but I will do a review on them once I get them and understand more about the diapers. :-) Pocket diapers are something I have not really looked into doing full time before simply because of how expensive they are and the fact that the ones I have I (personally) find hard to clean by dunking in the toilet. But, I found the ALVA pocket diapers made in Hong Kong for about $7 a diaper and I recently bought a diaper sprayer attachment for my toilet so pocket diapers should not be as difficult for me now. So to start my pocket diaper stash I am going to get some of those. :-)

Well I think this about wraps up my thoughts and what I am going to try to use with my newborn. I do hope to keep up the blog in the next few weeks, but it might not be exactly all I hope to post because of the new baby. :-D You all be blessed until the next post!

~ Kym

Todays Bible verse: Psalm 139:13-14

Weekly Wipe Recipe!

Here is another wipe recipe! I am just loving some of these ones I am putting up here, they are so nice to use! As with all of these, remember that not every one is going to work perfectly for your baby or for your diapers, so test them on a couple of days worth of wipes before using one for too long. :-) 

Anti-Fungal

(Omit vinegar if baby has a raw rash.)

1/4 cup white vinegar
1 tablespoon calendula oil
A few drops lavender oil
A few drops tea tree oil
1/4 cup 100% aloe vera gel
1 cup water

Just mix up your wipe solution and enjoy the smell! :-)

One trick I have recently been really happy with is putting the solution in a squirt bottle and then spraying my wipes with it when I am putting a couple of days worth into the wipe warmer. Not only is this easy, but it cuts down on the time it takes to "soak" the wipes before I put them into the wipe warmer!

As always if you have any questions please ask! I am more than happy to answer. :-) Have a fun Thursday!

~ Kym

Today Bible verse: 1 Corinthians 15:58

What You Need to Cloth Diaper

As I have previously said I am expecting another baby here in a few weeks and so I thought I would write up a post about what is needed to cloth diaper an infant. What I use with my toddler works well for us, prefold with a cover during the day, pockets or a doubled prefold at night, and then Flip diapers while we are out and about. However, with my newborn since I plan on cloth diapering from the beginning I am getting some different things to try and see what all I like, and I will write about what I get to cloth diaper my little one as I get it and put it to use. :-) What I have learned though is that cloth diapering does not have  to be expensive or a gross mess, with the right tools it can be a simple and extremely cost effective way to diaper your child from newborn to potty training. Here is a list of what you would need to cloth diaper if you were just doing prefolds and diaper covers, I have also put down some prices and my thoughts on why you would want these items. 

For babies smaller that 8lbs.

This is not always an easy stage to cloth diaper, and some people choose to just wait to start cloth diapering until their baby is older and a little bigger. For me, my first baby was 9lbs at birth, so I am not worried about size with newborn cloth diapering. :-)

18-24 Premie Prefolds

2-3 Diaper Covers in a small size

For 8-15lbs

24 Infant Prefolds:

I would get the Indian Cotton Prefold from Cotton Babies ($1.50 each). They have the best price for what you get and have free shipping too.

3-4 Diaper Covers:

I only say 3-4 because if your baby has two blowouts then you only have one cover to use until you wash. So I say 3-4 just to be on the safe side!!

For 15-30lbs

24 Premium Prefolds:

I would also choose to get the Indian Cotton Prefold from Cotton Babies ($2 each). Why so many prefolds? Well, I find that you want have enough for at least two days (I know that most older babies do not use as many diapers in a day as little ones so this might seem like a lot) or if your baby suddenly get sick and goes more than usual, than you are sure not to run out of prefolds.

3-4 Diaper Covers:

Also for the same reason. With diaper covers they can wear out, so get what you think is going to best suit you. I am personally fond of getting snapped diaper covers because they look better longer, but I do have some velcro and those are really convient for a quick diaper change.

Everything Else:

2 Snappis:

These do wear out in about 6 months or so ($7.95 for a 3 pack from Amazon).

3-4 doublers:

I have not done much with any other than the stay dry insert from Cotton Babies, but their are several types out there that are great for doubling up at night so there are fewer leaks and diaper changes.

2 Wet Bags or Diaper Pail Liners:

I use the Planet Wise Diaper Pail Liner ($16.50 from Cotton Babies or Amazon) and it is very nice and simple to use.

Covered Trash Can:

Plastic ones work ($10-15 at Walmart or Target), but if you are worried about the stench go with a metal or stainless steel. Also for the stench you can put baking soda in the bottom of your can. I am currently using Arm and Hammer Lavender Deodorizers in the bottom of the can outside of the pail liner ($6.60 for a 5 pack from amazon)

25-30 Cloth Wipes:

These you can make yourself with flannel if you have scraps (I love my homemade ones!), or you can just use baby washcloths from a place like Wal-mart or Target ($1 or less a washcloth depending on the type you get). The different cloth diaper manufacturers make wipes too, but if you do not want to spend a lot of money on wipes it works to just use washcloths. Also, Etsy.com has lots of people who make cloth wipes for very reasonable prices.

Wipes Warmer:

This is not a necessity, but it makes it so that you can moisten your wipes and they are warm and ready to use on baby’s tender bottom (Prince Lionheart Wipes Warmer $19.17 on Amazon).

Wipes Solution:

I have lots and lots of ideas for that, so make your own. It is very inexpensive to do so and you will use stuff you have around the house. Just check back every week for a new recipe!

Diaper Sprayer:

Not a necessity, but f you are serious about cloth diapering I would get one. It will save you a lot of sweat and tears and makes the $45 you will spend on it totally worth it!

Diaper Laundry Detergent:

After reading about all of the different types of detergent and looking at the reviews, I have come up with two that look like they get stuff clean and work well. Rockin' Green Detergent and Nellies All Natural Laundry Soda. These are not totally cloth diaper specific, but they are exactly what cloth diapers need. Rockin' Green is about 18 cents a load and Nellies is about 11 cents a load if you buy it from Cotton Babies (again because they have the best price). Right now I use Nellies, but I do plan on trying Rockin' Green once I use up all of the Nellies that I have right now.

Also if you have the option you will want clothes pins for hanging diapers in the sun. You can just dry them in the dryer most of the time, but stains come out so well if put in the sun for a few hours.

Good Support Team:

Sadly enough this cannot be bought; but, you can go online to any cloth diapering forum or ask questions on my blog and I will be willing to give you advice, encourage you when problems occur (because this is not a science and problems do happen!) and be happy with you when things are corrected again! Also it is extremely helpful to have your partner on board with cloth diapering, someone who is always there to help out. :-)

This is everything I could think of for starting out with cloth diapering on the cheap. But please do realize this is not the only way to cloth diaper, it is simply cheaper than other ways out there. I look forward to getting the rest of the items on my list for my new baby on the way and I will keep you posted as to what I am buying and trying and my thoughts on them! 

Have a wonderful first day of May! 

~ Kym

Todays Bible Verse: Proverbs 9:10

Flip Diaper Review

Hello!

I am going to do my first review on here for the CottonBabies Flip Diaper. The Flip is a hybrid diaper which means it has a disposable liner and a reusable liner. This is my out and about diaper as it does not take up a lot of space in my diaper bag and since the cover is reusable by just wiping it out I do not have to take as much stuff with me. This is one reason I use them while out and about. Now, the Flip diaper does have the disposable liner, but I personally have never used the disposable liner so I am going to just review the cover and the reusable liner for right now.

First, for the One-Size Flip cover.


This is a one size diaper cover that fits from about 7-8lbs to about 35lbs. My toddler has used this diapers since she was about 9 months old until now (she is 2 and weighs about 32 lbs), and have been very impressed with the fit. Here is a photo of the smallest setting and the largest setting. 

My two favorite features about this cover are the snap system and the inside flaps. The cover has two snaps on each side that are vertical to each other. This is very nice because the snaps are customizable! My toddler has chubby legs and a skinny waist, so I put the snaps at a bigger setting for the lower one and a smaller setting for the upper one.


Because I am able to do this I get a good fit around her tummy and waist which prevents any leaks or blowouts (I have never had none!). Now, if your baby has skinny legs you can do exactly the opposite of what I do to get a nice snug fit around the babys legs and waist.
The other feature I like is the inside flaps.


The reason I really like this is because that makes the diaper easy to stuff and prevents urine from seeping out the front or the back. I have used this cover with both the stay dry insert and with a cotton prefold and it works just fine, like I siad before I have never had a leak!

Next, the Stay Dry Insert.


I normally use the flip cover with the reusable liner, or it is better known as the stay dry insert. The insert creates a very trim fit and is extremely absorbant. This particular insert is one-size, just like the diaper cover.


There is a small, medium, and large setting which you get by folding over the insert at the appropriate line. The insert fits very well inside the Flip cover and is easy to put in because of the inside flaps on the cover. When I leave my husband watching our two year old I can just have this cover ready to go with the insert and he has no stuffing or folding to worry about, so even he will cloth diaper! :-)
The insert is made up of two sides, it has a microfiber and a stay-dry suede. The stay dry side goes against the babys bottom to wick away urine and keep the babys bottom from getting a rash if they end up sitting in the diaper for longer than expected. No, this does not last as long as a disposable, but will last longer than a prefold. That is another reason I use this as an out and about diaper, if we are in the car longer than expected it is not such a big deal. I also recently have tried using this at night with my daughter (she is a heavy nighttime wetter) as the top to a prefold, and also folded and fastened (with a snappi) inside of the prefold. I have been very happy with the results and my toddlers bottom is not as damp in the morning when she gets up.

Overall I really like the system, my only two complaints about it are no double gussets, and the insert (at least for me) seems to soak up more detergent and then gets that ammonia smell. The double gussets really are not that big of a deal because of the way the snap system works with it being customizable. With the insert it could be the way I am washing it, but how I have resolved that is by running a special load with all of my microfiber inserts and stripping them about once a month. It is a little more work for me, but I like the system so much that I do not really mind the extra work.     
(This is my toddler in the diaper, she was not too into posing for a picture so sorry about the poor quality :-/)
Well there you have it, my thoughts on the Flip Diaper! I am off to finish my laundry and take a quick rest, have a great day!

~ Kym

Todays verse: Isaiah 1:16-17

Weekly Wipe Solution Recipe

The cloth wipe solution recipe for this week is:

Chamomile'n' Honey

Brew the tea, add the honey, and drink any leftovers!

1 chamomile teabag
1 teaspoon honey

1 cup boiling water 

After I made this recipe I soaked one-two days worth of wipes in the solution and then put them in my wipe warmer. 

Look back next week for another wipe solution recipe!

~ Kym

Today Bible verse: 1 Peter 5:10

Refreshing Cloth Diapers - Putting on Snaps

Now, as some of you may know, cloth diapers do not last forever. Because of this they sometimes need a facelift. :-) My BumGenius pocket diaper were not bought new. I got them for between $12-15 a diaper at a big used children stuff sale. So, after about 6 months of on and off use and 2 months of solid use the diapers are starting to fall apart in the velcro department. I personally am not a huge fan of velcro, but I do feel that it does have its place in the cloth diaper world. Velcro works great when it is new, and is an excellent option for tiny babies simply because they do not hold still for diaper changes as well as older infants. But, once the velcro wears out it has to be replaced. I decided because of the velcro was wearing out on my pocket diapers that I would try and change the velcro and refresh my diaper stash. Now, BumGenius sells diaper refreshing kits, but these do not include the velcro strip on the front of the diaper and the ones I had were completely ruined and pilled. So, I opted to just try and figure out how to fix them myself. :-)

I started by pulling off all of the velcro pieces on the diaper, here is the comparison of the diaper with velcro and the diaper without velcro, and also the pieces of velcro I took off the diaper.


After I accomplished that I did some test runs in my mind and I also did some consulting with my mom on how I was going to get velcro back onto the diaper without ruining it completely. I looked at getting fabric glue and gluing the velcro on then hand sewing it to the front panel and tabs, I looked at just sewing the velcro on with my sewing machine, I looked at not removing the front panel and hoping that it would just work to replace the side tabs... You get the idea. I was not really happy with any of these options because any one of them could completely ruin the outer PUL (polyurethane laminate) layer and make the diaper unusable. Once I got to the craft store (I personally like Hobby Lobby because they always have an online coupon) I looked at what they had for all of these options. Now, I have 5 of these diapers I need to fix, so I wanted something that was not going to be expensive, but be able to last a very long time (or at least for two more kids). To my surprise the velcro was not cheap and I could not find the right size. So I kept looking down the isle for more ideas on how to fix the diaper that was now unusable because it had no velcro on it. :-) I ran across the Babyville Boutique brand on my way out of the particular isle I was in. Babyville Boutique sells PUL fabric, plastic snaps, velcro, fold over elastic, and everything you would need for making cloth diaper covers or anything waterproof and baby. One of their items is snap pliers and plastic snaps. Since I had a 40% off coupon I decided to go ahead and try changing the diapers from velcro to snaps.
Once I got home I looked at the other Cotton Babies diaper items that I had in the house. One of my favorite items that I have is the Flip diaper cover, and after turning both the Flip cover and the 3.0 pocket inside-out I found something interesting.


They are both of the same. So, I just copied the snap pattern from the Flip cover and put it on the pocket diaper.
After following the directions on the snap pliers and putting on all of the snaps I have a diaper that should work for another couple of kids!


Now, this was a very easy process once I got all of the pieces figured out. The total project cost me about $22 and took me 45 min (but most of that time was figuring out how to use the snap machine :-D). For me this was more cost effective than doing the refresher kits because of how bad my diapers were getting.

If you have any questions about more details on what I did please ask!

~ Kym

Todays Verse: Matthew 5:10

Washing Cloth Diapers

Washing cloth diapers happens in several steps for me: rinsing, storing soiled, washing, drying. 

First, for the rinsing. When a child is only breastfeeding the diapers do not have to be cleaned out before washing them, but once they start eating solid food the dirty diapers have to be dunked or sprayed off. Right now I only have a toddler and so I have to rinse off all of the poop before going to the next step in the washing process. What I personally do when my toddler has a bowel movement is dunk the diapers in the toilet to get off all of the solid pieces and then scrub the diaper in the sink or bathtub to get the rest of the poop off. Now, this is not the only method to cleaning off diapers. Right now there are several diaper sprayer systems out there, and if you have ever heard of a bidet they are quite similar. The diaper sprayers attach to the toilet and have a on/off valve, then when you want to use them all you have to do is take the dirty diaper, put it low into the toilet (to avoid any type of spattering), turn the valve on, take the wand of the system and spray off the poop into the toilet. This is much easier than dunking and scrubbing the diapers, and makes cleaning them easier. I personally do not have one of these systems yet, but I do look forward to hopefully getting one soon.

Next, storing the soiled diapers. I use a plastic trash can that has a cover on it and a diaper pail liner in the can to help keep the smell of the diapers out of my bathroom.

This is where I keep all of my soiled diapers, and unless it is absolutely stuffed I do not smell the diapers. I also put an Arm and Hammer deodorizer into the bottom of the can just to make sure the diapers do not make any extra stink (the people who live in my house do not like dirty diaper smell :-)).

Next, washing all of the stinky diapers. I take my diapers, can and all, to the laundry area in my basement. I then set my washing machine to a super sized load and hot water and run the machine on a rinse without anything in it. Since one of the people using the washing machine uses about two times as much soap as needed, sometimes it leaves a residue in the machine after he has used it. I had been skipping this first step, and after a couple of weeks my diapers smelled like ammonia and were starting to burn my toddlers bottom (not a good thing). Cloth diapers are not meant to be washed in regular detergent, they need a detergent that has no extra chemicals in it like: Nellies All Natural Laundry Soda or Rockin' Green Detergent. After I get my machine ready, I put my diapers in with half a scoop of soap on a hot regular wash with an extra rinse. Even tho I do not have enough diapers to fill a super sized load, I go ahead and leave my machine on this setting to soak the diaper a little bit before they start washing. That, along with the extra rinse makes the diapers come out of my wash smelling and feeling extremely clean.    

The last step to my cleaning process is drying. I do this one of two ways. The first way is to toss the diapers into the dryer and dry them on high heat for about an hour. The second way I do this is by hanging my diapers on the clothes line outside in the warm air. 

However, I live in Michigan, so this is not always an option. My preference is to hang my diapers out on the line because the sun naturally bleaches them and takes out any and all stains that my diapers might get. Also, it saves me some money because I am not using the electric dryer. :-)

The one other washing that cloth diapers need every few months is called stripping. What happens with cloth diapers is they loose their absorbency over any continued washing time just because (no matter how hard we may try) chemicals get into them. chemicals are everywhere, and whether it is from the water we are using or from extra unneeded soap in the washing machine, it happens. Stripping cloth diapers is really easy, all I do is put all of the diapers in the wash on a full load setting, then I stick a couple of squirts (not too much or this will make too many suds) of dawn dish soap in with them and let the washing machine do the rest on a normal cycle. After I wash the diapers with dish soap I then run the washing machine on two more rinses without any type of soap or detergent (or until I see no more suds). Ta-dah! The diapers are now stripped! Very simple. :-) Like I said before, it is good to do this every few months so that the diapers will stay absorbant and ammonia free.

So there you have it, my whole cloth diaper washing routine. If you have any questions about this I would love to answer them for you, so please ask!

~ Kym

Todays Bible verse: 1 John 4:7-8

  

Cloth wipes and more

Today is one of the days that I am grateful for cloth diapering. Josie (my 2 year old) has had diarrhea this morning. In a regular disposable diaper we would have had leaks galore, but thanks to a good cover (Thirsties Duo Wrap) and a properly folded prefold, we have had no leaks and a lot less laundry. :-) 

I am all for using cloth wipes. Since I have only recently started cloth diapering I had some (a lot) of open disposable wipes. So, after using all of those up we are now using cloth wipes. I have several types in my litte stash: homemade flannel wipes, baby washcloths (I have no idea on the brand), and Ikea kids washcloths. The homemade flannel wipes and the baby washcloths work great for not so messy messes, but the Ikea washcloths are for the dirty work. I store my wipes in a wooden box (it was something that I had around the house) along with my wipes solution and a bottle I can put warm water in if I need it.

 One reason I choose to use cloth wipes is how easy it is with cloth diapering. Instead of having to keep a trash can full of dirty stinky wipes near the diaper changing area, the cloth wipe just goes right into the cloth diaper bin along with the soiled diaper! Easy, simple, and straightforward. For storing my wipes solution I use a spray bottle I have in the house. After throughly cleaning it out it was ready to hold whatever I wanted to use for a wipe solution.

For my wipe solution this week I used a simple 3 ingredients that required no measuring and I had everything needed already in the house. I started by mostly filling my spray bottle with warm water, then I added a squirt of baby shampoo and a squirt of baby oil (I only had the gel kind in the house, so I am hoping this will work). I then gave my spray bottle a generous shake and it is ready for when I need it!



You can also, if you prefer, measure everything, put it in a mason jar and mix it that way. That is also very easy to do. Here is the recipe for the week in measurements:

Basic Wipe Solution

This basic recipe can be adapted by changing the type of soap or oil.
1/2 cup baby oil
1/2 cup baby wash
2 cups water

If you are having trouble deciding if you should use cloth wipes my recommendation would be to go out and buy wipes, or just use whatever baby washcloths you have around the house, and try it. If you can make your own wipe solution then it will possibly not cost you anything! I was able to find everything I needed around the house for cloth wipes, so it is a very cost effective choice for me.

Enjoy using this weeks wipe solution, and look back next week for another one!

~ Kym

Today's verse: Ecclesiastes 11:5

Starting Cloth Diapering

My personal goal with cloth diapering is finding a natural and cost effective solution for diapering two kids. 

Or that is what it started out as...

I now know way more about cloth diapering than I ever thought possible, and I have only been cloth diapering for a month! The biggest gap in cloth diapering that I have found is just simple information on how to and what to use for basic cloth diapering. So, that is what my hope is for this cloth diapering blog. I (Kym) get to tell you what I am finding out and what I have learned from doing cloth diapering with my girls, and you all can have a better understanding of what is available in the cloth diapering world.

For this post I will briefly explain what I have in my diaper stash, and how I use it. My stash is a basic starter stash with some used and some new diapers. I tried to cloth diaper when my older daughter was about 10 months old, and it just did not work. Between diaper rash from chemicals in my detergent and a poor diaper stash I was going crazy. Now that I have done more research, and have a better understanding of how cloth diapering works, I have changed my diaper stash to accomodate everything I personally am wanting out of cloth diapers. Here is a list of what I have in my stash right now for cloth diapering my two year old, Josie (I am still currently pregnant with my second daughter). 

4 BumGenius pocket diapers (these I bought used, I think they are 3.0)

3 Flip diaper covers

2 Thirsties Duo Wrap size 2 diaper covers

1 Thirsties Diaper cover size large

1 Bummis Super Brite diaper cover size large

15 Indian Cotton Prefolds

6 Flip stay dry inserts

2 toddler size Snappi's

1 Planet Wise pail liner

1 covered plastic trash can

Nellies All Natural Laundry Soda

As you can tell I have 3 different diaper types in here: pockets, prefolds with covers, and the Flip hybrid system. I use my pocket diapers only at night, I do not have diaper sprayer, so trying to get poo out of the cover for a pocket diaper is a little bit of a nightmare for me. Durring the day I use my prefolds with a cover, I go back and forth in-between using a snappi and just folding my prefold in the cover depending on what I am needing (I will talk more about that in a later post on prefolds). When I am out and about I use the Flip hybrid system with the stay dry insert, Flip does have a disposable insert, but I find it is just as simple to put the stay dry insert in and and once it is soiled put it in a plastic bag and then wash it when I get home. Right now I only have one diaper pail, and that sits in the bathroom for ease of cleaning up poo filled diapers. Nellies All Natural Laundry Soda is what I use for washing, and I have been very happy with that so far. I am wanting to further expand my diaper stash, but what I have right now works for what I need. Once my second daughter is born I will write another post on what I use to diaper her. :-)

Well my daughter Josie just woke up from her nap and I need to go put my cloth diaper laundry into the dryer. So, this is going to be all for today. Be sure and check back frequently as I will be posting lots of information on here every single week!

~ Kym

Verse of the Day: Ephesians 5:1-2