{DIY (powder) cloth diaper safe laundry detergent}

I really liked my other laundry detergent recipe for our clothes. But once i started cloth diapering, i needed something that had a little better cleaning power for the poo stains.{sorry TMI, but its true!!} So i havent been using it for months. 

We have been using Rockin green Laundry detergent for our cloth diapers & our clothes & love it! 

But it gets expensive.. like $30 a month. Doesnt sound like a ton, but it adds up over time..{about $360 a year.} & lets be real for a second, We're young, we're married, & we're parents! Lots of added expense & not a lot of extra money. We're all about quality, but not all about dishing out lots of money.. so if we find a product that is a lot cheaper that works just as well as the name band product, we're all for it! 

So, i started experimenting with some recipes i found online, trying to find a homemade detergent that i could make for a lot cheaper that works just as well!

 & I did!! 

Here is my recipe :) 

You will need:

a large bucket with a lid

2 4lb boxes of baking soda

a 3 lb tub of oxi clean

1 box of washing soda

1 box of borax

3 bars of Dr. Bronnors organic vegan soap

 {I did rose, lavender & eucalyptus}  

{I know there are only 2 bars of soap in the pic.. oops!}

Put the grating atatchment on your cuisinart {Or use a cheese grater}

& grate your bars of soap

Pour grated soap into a bowl or onto a plate just for a moment..

Put the regular attatchment on your cuisinart 

& pour your soap shreds back in

Pulse the soap shreds until they look like parmesan cheese :) 

Pour all ingredients into your big bucket

I added half a bottle of purex laundry booster crystals. 

this is optional & not necessary

But they smell so yummy

& they dont irritate G's skin, so i went ahead & added them

Mix it up really well

I got on the floor & used my arms to mix it up 

& you're done!! 

You only need to use 1-2 Tablespoons per load!

Put a portion of your detergent into a smaller container for easier access.

{Im kind of partial to jars}

We really like this detergent. 

It seriously works just as well as our other expensive detergent 

It gets all the poo stains out of our diapers {Sorry TMI}

& it makes all of our other laundry sparkley clean & so yummy smelling!

Best part,  it only costs $25 to make 

& it will last us almost a whole year!! 

$25 a year vs. $360 a year?

I think the DIY detergent wins :) 

{how to: "un-pill" cloth/pocket diapers

What is "pillling"?

"Pilling is the formation of little fuzzy balls on a fabric surface caused by the rubbing off of loose ends of fiber too long or strong to break away entirely."

Cloth/pocket diaper users are very familiar with this "pilling". 
Due to the fact that we are constantly washing the diapers over & over.

It is very annoying. 

It makes your diapers look old & worn out & they are not near as soft as they used to be. 

Plus it makes them a lot harder to clean & more susceptible to staining. 

Today i am going to show you how to "un pill" your cloth diapers & make them like new again!

All you need is a "bristley" brush.

I think i got this one at target for like $4.

This is pilling. 

See how uncomfortable it looks?

{Before}

{During: Simply brush the diaper. & not gently. Brush it GOOD}

{After}

Nice & soft! 

I noticed that after doing this to all of our diapers, Giuliana has a lot less irritation on her skin.

She seems a lot happier! 

You only need to do this once a week or so.

Happy Diapering!

{G's little g diapers}

So you know how a while back i mentioned that we were going to try out g diapers??

Well, We tried them

& Love them.

love Love LOVE them! 

& G loves them too :) 

Using them has already saved us money the past couple of weeks & G is a lot more comfortable. 

& not to mention, so darn CUTE! I love that the bottom of the diapers have a little "g" on them. It makes me feel like we have specially made, monogrammed diapers for our little G.. even though.. thats just how they come! I like to think were special :)

To start our little g diapering experience for OUR little G, This is what we got:

{1 (6) pack of "everyday g diapers"}

{1 (6) pack of snap in plastic liners}

{3 (6) packs of cloth inserts}

Thus far, these quantities have been perfect for us.

We use 1 cloth insert during the day & 2 inserts at night since G has starting sleeping for longer periods, just to be safe. We have figured out the whole g diaper system , & have not had a leak in a while now. 

For cleaning, I use my diaper sprayer to clean the poo of the poopy ones, then I just throw all the dirty liners & inserts in the wash at night after i put G to bed. Its really easy! 

Happy baby :)

She looks more & more like her daddy everyday! Atleast I think she does. 

Even though she is going bald, poor thing. 

We love her so much! 

She is 7 weeks this week. Time goes by so fast! 

{Cloth diaper or not?}

Many of you have been emailing my personal email lately asking me about how cloth diapering is going & asking for advice. {I love hearing from you guys :) } 

Truth be told, we haven't been able to cloth diaper our little girl for a couple of reasons.

She is still pretty darn tiny. We are still using the Newborn size pampers on her and i think she will be in that size for a little while longer.

Also, her little hips are so narrow, and her legs are so straight {because she was breech} its almost impossible to get even the disposable diaper on her! Everything is so clunky. We tried using our fuzzibunz diapers on her, and quickly realized that brand is just not for her! 

*Advice: wait to purchase your cloth diapers until you actually meet your little one. Every baby is different! 

Sooooo, we are going to resell our Fuzzibunz to try & get some of the money back so we can invest into something else

{If you are interested let me know! seriously! I have all of my receipts and extra elastics and liners & everything. All Unused email me!}

We have been doing our research & have decided to test out G diapers, for our little G :) 

Have you heard of them? They're pretty neat. They are a "Hybrid" cloth diaper. Meaning they can be fully cloth, or partial... meaning you can have throw away inserts or cloth.... Does that make any sense? 

Here is a link to their site, they explain it a little better than i do :) 

This is a G diaper. 

They are more narrow then most cloth diapers so were hoping they will fit our little one.

We ordered one to try out a couple of days ago, once we try it out we will let you know what we thought!

If they do work out, we will be using cloth inserts at home & throw away ones on the go! The diaper cover will still need to be washed, of course. 

Well, G turned 5 weeks today, so crazy. She is getting so big! She sleeps so well at night {Only wakes up twice!} she has been wonderful. William and i are really enjoying being parents :) 

& we discovered that she really enjoys taking baths :) 

What a cutie! 

{Benefits of cloth diapering}

This is a long post, so be ready!
A few people have commented lately on my blog & emailed my personal email asking me to be a little more specific about the benefits of cloth diapering & Why we are choosing to do it! I will try to do that today, forwarding some of the knowledge i have gained from my own research, & tips i have gathered from mamas who are already cloth diapering pros! I am no pro, by any means {not yet anyways ;)}

Well to start off, there are many different cloth diapering brands. Cloth diapering isnt like it was back in the old days, no safety pins or diaper service. It is very different now, more "high tech" if you will. 

Some of the more popular brands that i have become familiar with are:

Thirsties, Grovia, Bummis, Bumgenius, Fuzzibunz, flip, G diapers, Happy Heinys, & Lovely bums.

 

 

All of these brands are very good brands to look into, but they are all very unique in their own ways. It is best to choose according to your needs & expectations. We, of course chose to use Fuzzibunz, as i have mentioned many times in the past, reason being, it was the brand i was most familiar with because i  have had first hand experience with them, & I just like the different features a fuzzibunz diaper has to offer!

The Cloth diapering benefits we considered 

Cost effective

Inititally, purchasing your cloth diapers may cost a bit of money. but it is a one time cost versus a monthly cost of the same amount for disposable diapers. They are reusable, & most cloth diaper brands have a "one size" option that gives you the option to cloth diaper with the same diapers from birth to potty training. All of these brands are very durable & your diapers may last you for ALL of your children through out the years!

Better for baby

Cloth diapered babies have less issues with diaper rash & irritated bums. Reason being, no chemicals are in them that can harm the babies bum. Here is something i read recently about disposable diapers that  freaked me out:
"one of the chemicals found in most disposables is called sodium polyacrylate, which is the chemical that was removed from tampons because of its link to TSS (toxic shock syndrome) in 1985. It is used to make diapers more absorbent (it can hold 100 times it’s weight in liquid), but some sources say it can cause bleeding in the perineal and scrotal tissues of some babies and has even been found in the urinary tracts of some infants."
{Not to scare anyone or make anyone feel bad.  I know we will still use disposable diapers sometimes with our little girl, like on trips & stuff, just not extended long term use.}
The difference with Cloth diapers, is that they are very absorbent simply because of the absorbent material & keep your little one happy & comfortable all day, no yucky skin irritantants! 

Better for the environment 

Reduce, reuse, recycle! best way to put it i guess. Since you reuse & reuse & reuse your cloth diapers, you're not throwing anything away that eventually ends up in a landfill somewhere. 

They're just so darn cute :) 

You have to admit it, if you have seen some of these cloth diapers in person, they are just adorable! They are a part of an outfit automatically. No pants needed! haha 

Other things i Have learned about cloth diapering recently:

A lot of products that you would use for your cloth diapers, such as rash creams & detergents, have multiple beneficial uses.
Many cloth diaper friendly diaper creams, im learning, can also double as a skin moisturizer for little ones with troubled skin. I have eczema & so do many of my family members, so this is a plus in my book! Also, it can be used for minor cuts & scrapes, kind of like a neosporin. & mama can use it for her sore nipples after breast feeding & it is safe for babies mouth!

The diaper cream we chose to use for our little one is Cj's bum BUTTer. We bought many samples of this diaper cream in different scents {they are all so yummy!} and tested them out on our own skin.. {not on our bums, dont think we are that weird} We just purchased our big 12oz tub to have ready for our little girls bum when she arrives :) 

Cloth diaper safe detergents such as Rockin' green {The brand were using} are really wonderful detergents i am learning. & again, they dont just have to be used for your diapers. You can use them for ALL of your laundry & they are actually better for your laundry! They are very strong so they fight stinky diaper odor but gentle on your clothing & diapers & made with natural ingredients. I also am finding out that it can be used for "non laundry" related house chores too. Here is a Link to a site where people are talking about the different uses they have found for Their natural detergent.  {Too many for me to type}
Will give a full report very soon on my results :)


Some tips i have gotten from you Cloth diapering pros!:
use Cloth wipes at home {another money saver & health benefit}
The use of throw away liners make cloth diapering easier when out {throw solids in toilet easily }
Have a good diaper cream {makes clean up easier}
Have a good "Wet bag" for when out & about {no leaks of smells or liquids}
Have a good amount of cloth diapers on hand, atleast 25 {makes laundering easier}
A good diaper pail that is water proof & holds smells!
Get a good diaper sprayer that attatches to toilet {prewashing diapers}
DO NOT USE FABRIC SOFTENER {will make diapers non-absorbent}
Be sure to read & follow the washing instructions for your specific diaper brand.
Use a cloth diaper safe detergent to prevent stinky diapers
The sun is your friend! If diapers stain, after wash leave them out in the sun to help bleach out stains.

Uhm.. that is everything i can think of at the moment!
Told you it was going to be a long post :)

If any of you cloth diaper pros have anything to add, please feel free to leave a comment! Im sure our readers will really appreciate it if you could answer some of the questions i don't have an answer for! 

{& yes, its almost midnight & i am posting... but baby G is dancing around like crazy & wont let me go to sleep! Soon enough though, she will be squirming in my arms instead of my tummy!}

{Cloth diapering, it is almost time!}

If you have been following my blog long, you already know that my husband & I have chosen to cloth diaper our baby {& all babies that follow :)}. It is something that i have always wanted to do! & since i am staying home with our little one, i have the time to invest into cleaning & taking care of them. & not to mention it will save us lots of money in the long run, {which will also be helpful since i am staying home.}

A lot of people give us grief about cloth diapering, telling us we are just crazy! But we truly believe in them & the benefits that they offer, not only financially, but the benefits it offers the baby, & the environment.

The brand of cloth diapers we are using is called "Fuzzibunz".  They look like this>>

{Image source}

Fuzzibunz come in Many different colors. You can choose to do perfect fit, or one size. We are doing the one size option. This just means our diapers will last us from newborn until potty training! 

How is this possible?

{Image source}

On the front of each diaper are multiple "snaps" that you can adjust to the perfect size, along with adjustable elastics in the legs so you can make the leg holes fit perfectly around their little legs, also an adjustable elastic waste band. 

Ok i will quit advertising for fuzzibunz now :) haha i am just so excited to use them! I only have a couple of dear friends who cloth diaper, where i can see the benefits and challenges first hand. 

{Our fuzzibunz, waiting patiently in the drawer to cover Giulianas little bum!}

A few of our readers that also cloth diaper have begun to email me cloth diapering tips & i am SO thankful! 

KEEP THE TIPS COMING LADIES!!! serisously! :) I am all ears! 

Only a few weeks until this cloth diapering dream is my reality, so any pointers or comments will be greatly appreciated :) 

Happy Saturday! 

{DIY Reusable Clothe Wipies}

Hello friends! Remember a while back I mentioned that i kind of wanted to try doing cloth wipes instead of store bought wipes, since were doing cloth diapering? Alot of you advised against it, because you thought it was weird :) & after thinking about it for a while, i decided that i atleast want to give it a try, & if we end up hating it, well, atleast we tried!! So, I made my first set of reusable cloth wipies & here is my very own turorial with some pics! :

{DIY Reusable Cloth Wipes}

You will need:

*A rotary cutter & board

*fun colored flannel

*a wipie box, {for measuring the length & to store wipies in}

*a sewing maching

*Thread

First thing you need to do is cut your flannel to size. I measured my store bought wipie box, & decided to cut my flannel {6 3/4" x 3 3/4"} so that they would fit nicely into the box. You will need your rotary cutter & board to do this, or you can do it by hand with scissors. Up to you! 

{see my belly pop??}  :) 

 Once you have all of your flannel cut, put two matching pieces together & sew them together. 

Dont worry about them being perfect, they are going to be used to wipe a babies bum, after all :)

Place your finished wipies in the store bought wipie box & there ya go! Home made Reusable wipies. I found a recipe for the cleansing solution that i would like to try, but i will wait to make it until were a little closer to the time when the baby is actually here :) 

We found a pretty box at Joannes for $10. I thought it would be fun to keep our wipies in it so they arent as noticable on the changing table. We didnt like the yucky color it was though, so we painted it white :) 

I just think that hiding the wipie box in this pretty box  looks so much nicer :) & there are our Fuzzibunz diapers next to it, ready to go! 

#24 Make Cloth wipies

#25: Buy a pretty box to put wipies in  

Our checklist is slowly getting done!! yay! 

{Begginnings of Clothe diapering}

Remember the promotion that Fuzzibunz is having that i told you about a little while ago?

Well, William & I took advantage of this promotion & ordered a set of 6 diapers of our color choice! They arrived in the mail yesterday! Aren't they cute? 

{Yay!!}

In order to get our 2 FREE diapers, I went to Fuzzibunzstore.com & printed out the rebate form. I then cut off all the original UPC's from each diaper package {The barcode on the back}. In an envelope, i put all the UPC's, the rebate form & a copy of our receipt & sent it to the address they listed. Within the next couple of weeks, we should have 2 more FREE Fuzzibnuz arriving! So easy & so worth it :) 

We purchased the "One size" Fuzzibunz. With the one size Fuzzibunz, your baby can wear them from the time they are a new born until they are potty trained! Saving you LOTS of money while keeping your little one comfy. In order for this to work, each Fuzzibunz diaper has a sizing system installed. On the legs & waist there are adjustable elastics. & the buttons on the front have a wide connection range. The next few days, we will be resizing the diapers we got to the "Newborn size" so that they are ready for when our peanut gets here!

Do you have any Cloth diapering tips?Or questions about what you have seen so far? 

Well friends, Happy Wednesday!!