Organically Inclined » cloth diapers

How to Make Your Own Baby Wipes

Mish — Fri, 14 May 2010 17:00:58 +0000

I recently read the book by the Duggar family and inside they share several tips, including how they make their own baby wipes. I really liked their idea and will probably use it at some point, however, I have been making my own baby wipes for quite sometime – and like mine because they are not just frugal – but also eco-friendly!

Really, it’s very simple. Just take a plastic container (an ice cream bucket works great, as does any larger Tupperware-style container) or a gallon-size Ziplock bag and fill it one-quarter full of water. You can add a little soap if you want, but I don’t.

Place 10-20 (depending on your container size) terry cloth washcloths (bar-style rags or flannel squares you have cut and hemmed yourself) into the container. Just toss in the diaper pail when finished. I like a nice large terry cloth washcloth because it gets the whole baby’s butt, even a messy one, usually in one wipe!

Voila! Baby wipes. So simple, even I can do it!

The Duggar’s tip for baby wipes is equally as simple – take a roll of Bounty paper towels (yes, Bounty – only their brand really works) and cut the roll in half with a serrated knife (be careful). Get an ice cream bucket and fill about a quarter of the way with warm water. Place the paper towel roll half into the bucket. Take out the cardboard tube after the wipes are in. Cut an ‘X’ in the lid and you can feed the towels through the top.

Presto! Baby wipes.

The Duggar version costs about $1 for 50-100 wipes. My version costs about $5 for 1,000 or more…not including water and the cost of the ice cream that was originally in the bucket! Either way, a great savings.

Technorati Tags: baby, baby wipes, cloth diapers, duggar family, homemade baby wipes, make your own baby wipes, new baby

“Green” Isn’t Always Green

Mish — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 15:26:29 +0000

And it’s definitely not frugal…”
I recently read about all of the things that we can buy as consumers to make our lives “greener.” Eco-friendly detergents, paper towels, bathroom cleaner, towels, place mats, you name it. Rather than encourage people to live simpler and do without, we’ve simply created a newer, more expensive marketing machine for “green” products.

I appreciate that some people would like to help and buying a name-brand expensive eco-friendly cleaner makes them feel good, but aren’t we then just contributing to the problem further?

So, instead of buying paper towels – even eco-friendly ones – use an old bath towel cut up into washcloth sizes. You can even hem them to keep them from fraying. Or if you must BUY something, buy a huge pile of rags or microfiber cloths they sell in the automotive department. Their cheap – and get this – reusable!

Make your own laundry detergent. Here’s the recipe.

Need a bathroom cleaner? Fill a spray bottle (recycled of course) with half vinegar and half water. Need a scrubbing agent in the tub? Use a little baking soda. Hate the smell of vinegar? Try lemon juice instead.

Stains in the laundry or on your carpet? Don’t go for your chemical stain stick, look for remedies that utilize rubbing alcohol (ink); vinegar (carpet); cold water (protein-based); and hot water (grease and oil) to get rid of those stains.

Baby wipes are handy. But rather than buy a bunch of disposable ones, go to the washcloth again. Place about an inch or two of water and a mild soap (Ivory liquid works great) in a bucket with a lid (ice cream buckets are perfect). Fold up a bunch of washcloths or rags and place them in the bucket. Need a wipe? Grab one out of the bucket. This method is also portable. If you don’t want to bring the bucket, use a waterproof nylon bag (the kind to keep valuables safe camping or at the beach) and place your wipes in there. Get a second one and label it or use a different color and keep the used ones in there.

Technorati Tags: baby wipes, bathroom cleaner, earth day, earth day 2010, eco-friendly, eco-friendly paper towels, frugal, green, green cleaner, homemade, homemade baby wipes, homemade laundry detergent, homemade paper towels, laundry detergent, natural stain remover, stain remover, stains, vinegar, vinegar uses

Babies Dancing in Cloth Diapers (VIDEO)

Mish — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 19:08:20 +0000

This was just too adorable (and green and frugal, of course) not to share! Courtesy of a great blog called: Dirty Diaper Laundry:

Find the perfect gift for the natural mom at babyearth.com

Technorati Tags: babies, baby, baby diapers, cloth diapers, dirty diapers, disposable diapers, eco-friendly, environment

gDiapers Coupons are outta here…

Mish — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 18:12:30 +0000

Thanks so much for your overwhelming response to my gDiaper coupon offer!

I love gDiapers and am glad I was able to give so many of you a head start on them. While I don’t exclusively use gDiapers – I do love their covers but I often use regular cloth diapers in them. I find them to be a wonderful company, though, and a great transition diaper for those who started in disposables.

Give them a try at gdiapers.com

Technorati Tags: cloth diapers, gDiapers

A concerned frugal reader’s questions

Mish — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 22:51:22 +0000

This is the text of an email I recently received from a new reader. She made an excellent point and so I have asked her if I can publish her concerns here. I have also published my response. I did edit (just a little) for grammar and spelling.

Hey Michelle:

I am a new subscriber to your blog, and I love it! Well most of it. The thing is ( and please don’t take offense) I think that promoting gDiapers goes totally against what your blog seems to be trying to say. I feel like you talk about frugality and sustainability and staying away from consumerism as much as possible.

G-diapers are pretty rad, Iwill give you that. But they are expensive as all get out and not really that sustainable because they have to be made from natural resources that just get tossed at the end of the change. Plus you are buying refills all the time just as you would with disposables. I read your article about the ten things you don’t need when you are having a baby and frankly these seem like they would fit on that list. I feel good old pre folds (or any reusable diaper) are the most cost efficient and the best choice for sustainability.

Maybe i am totally off base. I am relatively new to all of this ( diapering, parenting, living as green as I can etc.) I know you said you used to use cloth so you have experience with both and probably have great reasons for switching (please feel free to share).

I really really don’t want you to think I am rude, I love your site and all your great tips for living frugally and in harmony with the earth. I too am a stay at home mom with ambitions to homeschool and am always looking for ways to stretch our one small income. I am so thankful for stumbling onto your site as you are really an inspiration.

I hope my loud opinion does not irritate you too much.

Thanks for your time

Dana

And here’s my reply (I sent this to Dana by email and am now publishing it here):

Hi Dana,

Not at all! What a great point you make! Can I post your comment on my site? First off, I must state that I love the gDiapers covers and use them often with plain old cloth diapers. However, I know many people who, for them, a gDiaper is a good first stepping stone. I like the idea of bridging the gap between disposables and cloth. For those people, to see that using a cover isn’t such a pain, is a good experience – whether with a liner or a cloth diaper.

But your point is well taken that I am not exactly promoting frugality. Although, I do promote investing in cloth diapers and covers of your choice and passing them on to other children (whether your own or someone else’s). I guess I thought of gDiapers as an investment in the same way – but giving parents the option of going a more “disposable route” or “cloth route” – I guess in this case, I figure if people are going to eschew frugality for convenience – I’d rather have them at least be green about it!

Does that make any sense?

Thanks so much for writing!

All best,

Michelle

What is your opinion on this issue? I do not use gDiapers exclusively (because they are expensive), but do like their covers a lot. Please leave your comments – and remember, the contest is still going on!

Technorati Tags: babies, baby, cloth diapers, diapers, gDiapers, mothering

gDiapers Coupon giveaway!

mishakennedy — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 15:36:42 +0000

THIS OFFER IS NOW OVER – BUT THANKS FOR VISITING, AND WE HOPE YOU WILL VISIT OTHER PAGES ON THE SITE!

`Michelle

Hey! Want to try out gDiapers? I love them. I don’t sell them or anything – I just love them and I am trying to spread the word. gDiapers have these great cover designs and the liners are flushable or compostable! How cool is that? And if you run out of the liners, you can throw a cloth diaper in the cover. Seriously, I’m a convert. So much so, that I emailed gDiapers – told them how much I love them, and they sent me 50 coupons for $2 off to give out to anyone I wanted. So – do you want the coupon? Just send me an email and I’ll mail it to you. What do I want in return? Healthier babies and a healthier planet. (and if you want to link or tell your friends about OI, that would be great too:-)

So email me – michelle@organicallyinclined.org – and I’ll mail out the coupon. Super easy. And I’ll post here when I run out.

Thanks!

Misha

Technorati Tags: baby, cloth diapers, family, gDiapers, kids, mothering

We've Moved…

Mish — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 15:26:08 +0000

Our blog is now located at www.organicallyinclined.org

Please update your links!

Thanks!

Misha

Frugal and Green Tip of the Day – Cloth Diapers, not just for a baby’s butt…

mishakennedy — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 13:29:33 +0000

Although that’s the first thing I’m going to suggest you do with it – put a cloth diaper on your baby or toddler’s butt. As you can see from this post, there are many reasons to do that. Not the least of which is that potty training is easier!

You can also use a cloth diaper…

…as a cleaning rag. They don’t leave streaks and are great for polishing furniture (not that I really ever do this).

…in place of a paper towel – they are superabsorbant, after all.

…as a baby spit-up cloth.

…as a breast pad when nursing – just cut them into little squares or circles.

…in a first aid kit. They are great for stopping blood, padding splints, or rolling up behind someone’s head.

…for craft projects – they are great organic batting. I have a great kneepad for the garden made with a few cloth diapers sewn inside some pretty, waterproof fabric.

…as dishtowels.

…as a pad under a baby’s butt in the bath.

That’s just a few…have another idea? Let us know!

Technorati Tags: breastfeeding, cloth diapers, family, frugal, kids, mothering, parenting

Frugal and Green Tip of the Day – Cloth Diapers, not just for a baby's butt…

Mish — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 13:29:33 +0000

You can also use a cloth diaper…

…as a cleaning rag. They don’t leave streaks and are great for polishing furniture (not that I really ever do this).

…in place of a paper towel – they are superabsorbant, after all.

…as a baby spit-up cloth.

…as a breast pad when nursing – just cut them into little squares or circles.

…in a first aid kit. They are great for stopping blood, padding splints, or rolling up behind someone’s head.

…for craft projects – they are great organic batting. I have a great kneepad for the garden made with a few cloth diapers sewn inside some pretty, waterproof fabric.

…as dishtowels.

…as a pad under a baby’s butt in the bath.

That’s just a few…have another idea? Let us know!

Technorati Tags: cloth diapers, family, kids, mothering, parenting

A New Baby!

mishakennedy — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 14:31:37 +0000

Well, my apologies for not posting lately, but I have been a bit preoccupied…

Our sixth baby – and second girl – arrived on Oct. 3! Kiara was born at our local birthing center after about five hours of labor. She is 9 lbs 2 oz and not my biggest baby – but in the top 3! We had another natural birth – although no tub this time, which I kind of missed. But I was a little too erratic this time to stay in one place.

She was born at 7 am and we came home that night. We are happily ensconced in loafing on the couch, catching up on email and light publishing duties, and watching DVDs from Netflix!

Thanks to all the subscribers and posters who have wished us well. I will post the “official” birth story a little later.

And yes, the cloth diapering, breastfeeding and co-sleeping have begun…and I love every snuggly second of it!

Best,

Misha

Technorati Tags: , attachment parenting, baby, birth, breastfeeding, childbirth, cloth diapers, co-sleeping, new baby