When I found out I was pregnant with my first daughter, I began my research of cloth. As I have written about before, I chose the BG 3.0s. They are a one-size, so my daughter has worn them since she was an infant.
We bought the aplix (Velcro) diapers, which I absolutely love for fit. BUT after two years of HARSH diapering (and many diaper chains before I got the hang of the wash tabs and such), my aplix is a little worn out.
My daughter can take the dipes off with ease. Sometimes they fall off on their own (well, okay, with her funky dance moves!) if I don't have something covering them (pants, shorts or anything like this).
BUT.....
When I found out I was expecting another little girl, I wanted to make these dipes last. We paid $17.95 for most of them, and found some of them on craigslist used for about 10 bucks each. Because we received many of the dipes as baby gifts (start your registry at http://www.diaperparties.com/!) we only have several hundred dollars invested.
I contacted Cotton Babies - the maker of BG - about the worn tabs, simply asking if they sold a replacement for them. I must have reached the right person, because although they recently began selling a BG Replacement Kit for about a buck, they sent me 24 kits for free. Just for asking!
I am not an experienced seamstress, but my gracious inlaws recently blessed me with a brand new sewing machine. Tonight, I successfully replaced the tabs on one of the dipes, and immediately put it on my daughter! I know we won't have "leaks" tonight (can you call them leaks if her entire diaper is pulled off?).
The dipe is literally like new. It looks good, and the PUL is still in great shape!
So in addition to the thousands of bucks we have saved on sposies, we are saving ourselves from another stash of brand new diapers.
Now, if I could make myself stop looking at the cute new designs offered at Everything Birth!
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Friday, October 29, 2010
Make your own detergent!
This week I learned how to make my own laundry detergent. It's easy, affordable and pretty good for the environment. Best of all- it's cloth diaper safe, but affordable to use on all my clothes.
Here is the recipe:
1 bar grated Kirk's Castile Soap (which is made with coconut oil, so it helps with yeast!)
1 cup Borax
1 cup Super Washing Soda
Mix it all up, and there you have it. Done.
The recipe says to use 2 tablespoons per load, but I will use slightly less for the diapers. Make sure to wash in hot hot hot water to get it all rinsed out!
Here is the recipe:
1 bar grated Kirk's Castile Soap (which is made with coconut oil, so it helps with yeast!)
1 cup Borax
1 cup Super Washing Soda
Mix it all up, and there you have it. Done.
The recipe says to use 2 tablespoons per load, but I will use slightly less for the diapers. Make sure to wash in hot hot hot water to get it all rinsed out!
Monday, October 18, 2010
Cloth wipes:)
I got a new sewing machine last week, and although I have never used a machine successfully before, I was able to figure out cloth wipes!
I have made only two so far, but I am really excited to get a bit stash!
All I did was take two pieces of flannel and sew them togethering using a zig zag stitch (I don't have a surger). They are totally cute, despite my lack of skills. And after all, they are to wipe my daughter's bum, so I figured they would be a great first project.
Can't wait to keep going! I don't think two wipes are nearly enough;)
I have made only two so far, but I am really excited to get a bit stash!
All I did was take two pieces of flannel and sew them togethering using a zig zag stitch (I don't have a surger). They are totally cute, despite my lack of skills. And after all, they are to wipe my daughter's bum, so I figured they would be a great first project.
Can't wait to keep going! I don't think two wipes are nearly enough;)
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
From Everything Birth; steps to going green
Yes, I am stealing this from Everything Birth Blog. I read it on their blog site, and thought it was well worth re-posting. Visit them at Everything Birth Blog .
5 Baby Steps to Going Green.
Posted on September 29, 2010 by everythingbirth
Choosing to drastically change a part of your routine just after you had a baby is unrealistic. Greening your lifestyle doesn’t have to be as overwhelming as it seems. There are a few little things that you can do to make your carbon footprint just a little bit lighter one baby step at a time.
Stop using plastic water bottles. Drinking water instead of soda is way better for you, but when it take 5 times the amount of water to produce the bottle you are drinking out of, you need to stop and consider the resource you are depleting. In most cases tap water is just as good if not better than the water in those bottles. Stainless steel, glass, and aluminum water bottles are safer and more earth-friendly. There are also many companies manufacturing BPA-free and phthalate-free plastic water bottles.
Use cloth diapers. You knew that one was coming. Just one cloth diaper a day keeps 200 pounds of disposable diaper waste out of our landfills.
Switch to phosphate free soaps and detergents. This requires you to read labels. You vote every time you make a purchase at the store. Whether you avoid toxic chemical ingredients in your soap such as phosphates, or chemicals in your food such as partially hydrogenated oil or high fructose corn syrup. Avoiding these harmful items helps save our planet.
Avoid High Fructose Corn Syrup and Partially Hydrogenated Oil. Any highly processed foods for that matter. Shopping around the outside of the grocery store will help with this choice. Just read your labels. HFCS and PHO are toxic for you and for the environment.
“Phosphorous is like a fertilizer. It increases algae and aquatic weed growth in water bodies,” Bernie Duffy, natural resource specialist with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, told the AP. He said too much algae depletes oxygen needed for healthy fish and aquatic life.
Sewage treatment plants and private septic systems can remove much but not all of the phosphorous from wastewater, so some of it ends up in lakes, streams and rivers.16 states ban phosphate-laden dishwasher soap
Bring your own bags when you go shopping. Not just at the grocery. Everywhere.
•Approximately 60 – 100 million barrels of oil are required to make the world’s plastic bags each year
•Most plastic bags take over 400 years to biodegrade. Some figures indicate that plastic bags could take over 1000 years to break down. (I guess nobody will live long enough to find out!). This means not one plastic bag has ever naturally biodegraded. -Environmental Impact of Plastic Bags
5 Baby Steps to Going Green.
Posted on September 29, 2010 by everythingbirth
Choosing to drastically change a part of your routine just after you had a baby is unrealistic. Greening your lifestyle doesn’t have to be as overwhelming as it seems. There are a few little things that you can do to make your carbon footprint just a little bit lighter one baby step at a time.
Stop using plastic water bottles. Drinking water instead of soda is way better for you, but when it take 5 times the amount of water to produce the bottle you are drinking out of, you need to stop and consider the resource you are depleting. In most cases tap water is just as good if not better than the water in those bottles. Stainless steel, glass, and aluminum water bottles are safer and more earth-friendly. There are also many companies manufacturing BPA-free and phthalate-free plastic water bottles.
Use cloth diapers. You knew that one was coming. Just one cloth diaper a day keeps 200 pounds of disposable diaper waste out of our landfills.
Switch to phosphate free soaps and detergents. This requires you to read labels. You vote every time you make a purchase at the store. Whether you avoid toxic chemical ingredients in your soap such as phosphates, or chemicals in your food such as partially hydrogenated oil or high fructose corn syrup. Avoiding these harmful items helps save our planet.
Avoid High Fructose Corn Syrup and Partially Hydrogenated Oil. Any highly processed foods for that matter. Shopping around the outside of the grocery store will help with this choice. Just read your labels. HFCS and PHO are toxic for you and for the environment.
“Phosphorous is like a fertilizer. It increases algae and aquatic weed growth in water bodies,” Bernie Duffy, natural resource specialist with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, told the AP. He said too much algae depletes oxygen needed for healthy fish and aquatic life.
Sewage treatment plants and private septic systems can remove much but not all of the phosphorous from wastewater, so some of it ends up in lakes, streams and rivers.16 states ban phosphate-laden dishwasher soap
Bring your own bags when you go shopping. Not just at the grocery. Everywhere.
•Approximately 60 – 100 million barrels of oil are required to make the world’s plastic bags each year
•Most plastic bags take over 400 years to biodegrade. Some figures indicate that plastic bags could take over 1000 years to break down. (I guess nobody will live long enough to find out!). This means not one plastic bag has ever naturally biodegraded. -Environmental Impact of Plastic Bags
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Tuesday's Tip (10-5-10)
Tuesday's Tip: Knowledge is power!!!!
Did you know that it takes up to 500 years for a disposable diaper to decompose? It does.
It takes around 80,000 pounds of plastic and more than 200,000 trees each year to manufacture enough disposable diapers for American babies!!
It is estimated that roughly 5 million tons of untreated waste and a total of 2 billion tons of urine, feces, plastic and paper are added to landfills each year.
A cloth system can start at only a few hundred dollars. Over the course of diapering one child, you can spend more than $2,000! Plus, you can save cloth and use them on siblings.
Still aren't interested in learning more about the modern (EASY TO USE!) cloth diapers?
Did you know that it takes up to 500 years for a disposable diaper to decompose? It does.
It takes around 80,000 pounds of plastic and more than 200,000 trees each year to manufacture enough disposable diapers for American babies!!
It is estimated that roughly 5 million tons of untreated waste and a total of 2 billion tons of urine, feces, plastic and paper are added to landfills each year.
A cloth system can start at only a few hundred dollars. Over the course of diapering one child, you can spend more than $2,000! Plus, you can save cloth and use them on siblings.
Still aren't interested in learning more about the modern (EASY TO USE!) cloth diapers?
Saturday, October 2, 2010
It starts tonight!
Okay, I am going to start replacing the diaper tabs by hand tonight.
Dum dum dum, dum, dum dum, dum, dum dum....
Dum dum dum, dum, dum dum, dum, dum dum....
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