Hiking With Your Little Ones

I am a cloth diapering mother of a very active 7 month old girl.  We love spending our time outside hiking, singing and working in the yard.  We try to live a green lifestyle as much as possible.  I blog about my daily adventures with my daughter on my blog Adventures in Mothering.

Fostering a love of the outdoors in our children can start from the moment they are born.  A great way to foster this love is through hiking.  It is an activity that you can participate in year round.

Hiking is a great way to burn off that extra pregnancy weight while bonding with your child.  Hiking also gets you out of the house and is a great way to meet other new moms.  I also find that if my daughter is having a rough day, if we head out for a hike, spirits are lifted and she is happy as can be.  Hiking gives little ones the chance to start learning about the world around them and stimulates their brains immensely without over stimulating them.  It can have a calming effect on them.

Not much is needed to get started - all you need is a good pair of shoes (make sure they have a decent grip) and a baby carrier.  A walking stick can also be handy if you will be hiking on any trails with hills just to give you some support to help prevent falls.

When looking at a carrier you will want to find one that is going to give you the most bang for your buck.   To do this you want to look at the weight and height limits for your baby, the age at which the baby can go in the carrier as well as what size bodies the carrier can fit (your size).  There are many options out there.  I recommend a soft carrier to start that can accommodate a newborn to toddler (it will go from front to back).  Some prefer using a wrap for the first couple of months.  These are great when your little one is small if they are born during warmer months.  I prefer the soft carrier for the colder months since it is easier to fit a little one in a snowsuit and layers in them as well as being able to add a cover.

You may want to wait until your child is born before purchasing to determine sizing of the carrier.  I had a tall baby so I had to find a carrier that could accommodate a taller little one, whereas the average baby is not as tall so there are more options for you.  I also recommend that you find a store that carries a few different brands so you can try them on before buying.  Once you determine the carrier you would like try checking out local Mom to Mom sales,Kijiji , or Craigslist for a used one.

Things to look for in a carrier:

- You want to make sure that your little one, once they are over 3 months is in a sitting position rather than hanging from their crotch.  This will ensure that your little one is comfortable and also helps in promoting proper hip development

- If you are hiking in cooler weather, see if it can accommodate a cover to keep your little one warm.

- The waist band sits on your hips comfortably and not up around your middle, this will help ensure that your hips take some of the weight rather than just your shoulders.

- You can adjust it easily when wearing it, and also that you can put it on yourself without help.

- If both you and your spouse will be using the carrier, you will want to make sure that it can accommodate both of your builds

Rainy Day hike using soft carrier with a cover

Handy to have but not necessary:

- A pocket where you can store your keys, cash

- Foot rests for when your child is a toddler (this will help prevent their legs from going numb on longer hikes)

- A hood to keep sun off and to cover your little one with if they fall asleep (or for nursing on the go)

Once your child is 6 months, depending on their size you can then move up to a backpack style carrier if you find they are getting too heavy in the soft carrier.  We transitioned our daughter to the pack at just over 6 months when she was nearing 20 lbs.  I use the backpack for most hikes now, but if it is a cooler day I will still use the soft carrier since I can put a cover on over her in the soft carrier.  Again there are many options for a backpack carrier as well.  This is one I definitely recommend trying in the store with your child if possible, since they all fit and adjust differently and come in varying weights as well.

So once you have your carrier then you are ready to go.  Check out your local conservation areas, Provincial Parks or National Parks.  If you Google hiking with your postal code you may discover some new hiking trails.  Another great way is to check out Meetup to see if there is a local hiking group in your area.  If there isn't a group, you could start one!!

A hike I organized with a group of moms

Even if your child is too big for a carrier you can still get out hiking, just keep the hike short enough for your child and maybe stop for a picnic at the halfway or turnaround point.  Keep it interesting by helping them identify birds, trees or wildflowers with a little guide that is easy to use, or in the fall maybe collect a few different leaves to press after your hike that they can later use in a craft.

The key to success is start small.  Try a 2-3km hike your first time out or an even shorter one.  Whatever your are comfortable with.  A short hike to start is good since it will allow you to find the right settings on your carrier and you will be using new muscles wearing your child than without.  Once you are comfortable with the 3km distance, aim for a slightly longer hike the next time. 

As for attire, layers are always best since you could be working up a pretty good sweat out on the trails.    Always remember to make sure you have some water and a snack with you and look at a map before you head out.  If you are unsure of the trail or it is not marked clearly, then find someone who knows the trail, or use some trail marker to mark your way so that you can find your way back out.

Remember, the most important thing is to have fun and enjoy the outdoors.  If you aren't having fun, then your little one is not going to have fun either.

DIY: Easy Peasy Household Products

Tracey Johnson is a mom blogger at Mamas & Papas, a fiber artist, a wife, and a mother to a beautiful baby girl named Olive. She sells custom knitting and crochet pieces of all varieties on her Etsy shop, rather obviously called Tracey Johnson's Shop.  

DIY: Easy Peasy Household Products 

I don't know about you guys, but I am sick of buying beauty and cleaning products with crazy ingredients I can't pronounce. Oh, and the super expensive "natural" alternatives? I'm no sucker. For just a little bit of work and a fraction of the cost, you can make your own products that are safe, effective, and very simple. Here are some tried-and-true recipes I've acquired and tweaked according to what works for me. Most of the recipes are based on a mix of Tsh Oxenreider's  Organized Simplicity, Home Comforts by Cheryl Mendelson, and plain old trial-and-error. Feel free to pass it on to your friends and family and experiment with them. It's actually pretty fun and rather addicting...

For Your Hair & Body

Shopping List for your whole family: 

Baking Soda

Vinegar (Apple Cider or White)

Coconut Oil

Stevia powder

Peppermint Extract

Witch Hazel

Shea Butter

Almond Oil

Beeswax

Grapefruit Seed Extract

Dr. Bronner's Pure Castille Soap
Squirt Bottles
Cornstarch
Ground Oats
Powdered Milk

Hair Cleanser:
1 tbsp Baking Soda to 1 cup of water.

Add Baking Soda to a squirt bottle and fill with warm water. You can keep the squirt bottle in your shower...shake it and squirt it into your roots! Scrub it in, rinse it off, and follow with the vinegar rinse (see below). 




Hair Conditioning Rinse:
1 part Apple Cider Vinegar to 3 parts warm water.

Combine the vinegar and water in a squirt bottle and keep in your shower along with the cleanser. Squirt it through your hair (avoid the roots) and comb it through. Rinse it off immediately or your hair might end up greasy pretty quick. 



Toothpaste: 
2 tbsp. Coconut Oil
2 tbsp. Baking Soda
1/4 tsp. Stevia powder
2-3 drops peppermint extract

Mix it all together and store in a small jar with a lid or an empty squeeze tube. Just use it like any other toothpaste and it works just as well! 




Deodorant Mist: 
1/2 cup Witch Hazel
1 tbsp. Baking Soda
splash of Dr. Bronner's Pure Castille Soap--any scent (I prefer the Tea Tree Oil kind)
1/2 cup Distilled Water 

Combine ingredients into a spray bottle, then just shake and spray! I like to use a recycled body mist bottle, as the mist is much finer and dries quicker. This mist is so much more refreshing than any deodorant you have ever experienced and it is non-irritating! 




Oh, and...
Shaving Cream! 


For more info on "No-Poo" (going shampoo-free) check out my other post.  

For Your Baby

Like most moms, I obsess over what products to use on my child. Baby's skin is so new and sensitive, you really ought to research what every ingredient is and how it can affect them. You'd be amazed by how many "baby products" on the market right now are not good for babies. Steer clear of anything containing parabens, fragrance, Propylene Glycol, SLS, or Dioxane. Even "Unscented" or "Fragrance-Free" products can contain phthalates to mask odors. Use less products. It seems pretty obvious, but babies don't need to be slathered in creams and powders. The skin they are born with is *usually* perfect and won't need much more than a bit of warm water and a washcloth to clean. As they get older, though, they get messier. So then you need to use a little soap. Here is a cheat sheet for soaps that are currently on the market, by SafeMama: Cheat Sheet PDF.

If you'd like to make your own cleanser, so you know exactly what your putting on your baby, try a nice little Bath Milk Recipe. This one comes from a DIYer at Momfuse.com: 

Baby Bath Milk:

1 cup powdered milk

1/4 cornstarch

1/4 cup finely ground oats

2-3 drops lavender or chamomile essential oil

Mix them all together into a shaker style bottle. Sprinkle a little bit into warm bath water for  baby! 

Baby Bottom Cream for cloth diapering:

1 oz Coconut oil

1 oz Olive Oil

1 oz Shea Butter

1/2 oz beeswax

5 drops grapefruit seed extract

3 drops your choice of essential oil

Use a double boiler to melt down the coconut oil, shea butter, and beeswax followed by the olive oil. Mix it well, then transfer it to a mixing bowl to let it cool. Just before it reaches room temperature, add the grapefruit seed extract and essential oil and mix it with a hand mixer or a whisk until it is "whipped". If it is too runny, just add more beeswax. This is cloth diaper safe and antiviral, antifungal, anti-yeast, antibacterial, and highly moisturizing! 

For Your House

These recipes are very basic and have been around for as long as houses have been cleaned. Mix them up with care, as cleaning chemicals can have toxic reactions if mixed improperly (i.e. bleach and ammonia can create toxic fumes). 

I really love how they put the recipe on the labels...neat!

Shopping List:

Bleach

Baking Soda 

White Vinegar

Powdered laundry detergent 

Ammonia 

Washing Soda 

Squirt bottles

All-Purpose Disinfectant:

3/4 cup of bleach

1 gallon of warm water

1 tbsp powdered laundry detergent

Wash surface with solution and keep it wet for 5 minutes. Rinse and let dry. You can use this pretty much anywhere in your home, but avoid using it on metal fixtures). 

Mild All-Purpose Cleaner:

4 tbsp. Baking Soda

1 quart warm water 

(optional) A few drops of essential oil

Wipe surfaces with a sponge soaked in the solution. This is great for the fridge or trash cans as it cleans light soil and deodorizes. 

Mild, Gently Abrasive Cleanser:

Add enough drops of water to Baking Soda to form a paste. Can remove crayon from walls and shine your sink! 

Strong All-Purpose Cleaner:

Add 1 tbsp of ammonia and liquid laundry detergent to a pint of water. 

OR 

Add 1.2 cup Washing soda to 1 gallon warm water

Can be used in kitchens or bathrooms, but shouldn't be used on fiberglass or aluminum. 

Toilet Bowl Cleaner: 

1/4 cup Baking Soda 

1 cup White Vinegar

So, there you have it. All pretty simple recipes and all made with stuff you know is safe. Buy some ingredients and try a couple out. Come on...I've done most of the work for you!

Real Diaper Week: Day 5

Since Booty Buns Cloth Diapers decided to co-host the Great Cloth Diaper Change 2012, so many cool things have happened! I am so grateful to take part in such an amazing experience & help educated people about cloth diapering.

Real Diaper Week is the week right before the big event {April 21, 2012}. Everyday between April 16 & 21 there will be a new topic to blog about to help get our readers pumped for the record breaking event. If you want to blog during the Real Diaper Week, click here & add your blog to the linky, then pick a topic {or all of them} and start writing!

If you are in Orange County & would like to join us, please email Rose at {rose (at) rosieposiebaby (dot) com} with your name, your baby's name & baby's height. Even if you don't live in Orange County, CA you can still participate! Click here & search for a host near you. Just type in your zip code & look for some where to join in.

Today's Topic is:

 Real Simple Real Diapers Reuse –  Reuse, traveling with cloth, cloth diapering at night

In our family the places we most frequently travel are to church, Trader Joes & the park. Cloth diapering for these outings is relatively simple.

If you can pack disposable diapers for a trip to church, the store, the park or a friend's house; then, you can pack cloth diapers for those outings! 


Things You'll Need To Use Cloth Diapers When Traveling:

* Cloth Diapers
* Cloth Wipes
* Wet Bag
* Wipes Wet Bag
* Baby Powder
* Changing pad or blanket

Try to figure how long you'll be gone, then pack your diaper bag accordingly. We like to pack 1 cloth diaper for every 1 1/2-2 hours & 1 wipe per diaper + 1 for every 2 in case there is a BM. So, if we are going to be gone for 3 hours we pack 2 cloth diapers & 3 cloth wipes.

Some parents prefer to keep a wipe solution in a spray bottle or peri-bottle.  At our house, we have a container that is set aside just for wipe solution {see here for a really easy solution you can make at home}. When we're getting ready to go, we soak the wipes, then ring them out so they are just damp & zip them up in the wipes wet bag.


When a diaper change is needed, we lay out the changing pad & change the diaper. We use an ample amount of pure cornstarch baby powder to help keep our little one dry. The soiled diaper & the wipe used to clean up are both tossed in the wet bag.

That's it!


To Travel Overnight {or longer} With Cloth:
You will need:
* Cloth Diapers
* Cloth Wipes
* Wet Bag
* Wipes Wet Bag
* Baby Powder
* Changing pad or blanket

* Storage Tote with Snapping Lid {15-20 quarts should be fine}


First you'll need to decide how long you'll be gone. If you're going to be gone 2 days or longer you may need to bring your whole stash {or at least 20 cloth diapers from it}. You will also need to bring cloth diaper soap so you can wash while you're visiting. If you'll be gone for just one night, plan on bringing 10-12 cloth diapers. If your child is older {like 2+} you may only need to bring 6-8 cloth diapers.

If you're visiting family or friends on your long trip, be sure to tell them that you use cloth diapers. Tell them that you will be bringing a plastic tote with a snapping lid to keep any odors contained. All of our family knows that we use cloth; so, we just remind them that all the solids get flushed. If any gets on the lining we also scrub it so it gets flushed as well. We like to remind them that when the diapers get thrown in the wash, its no different than when a child pees the bed and the sheets need to be washed.


Other than that, using cloth diapers on trips is no different that using them at home. If you're trip is long, just make sure to take breaks every couple of hours to change diapers & stretch!


*** If you are traveling somewhere that you will be in a hotel room {like the beach in Bora Bora} & want use cloth while you're there, you probably aren't going to be able to cloth diaper like normal with full access to your family's washing machine. I thought, if I ever had to travel somewhere that I wouldn't be near a washing machine for a few days, this is what I would do:

I would bring enough pre-folds to get me through 2-4 days of diaper changes {or however long I was going to be gone} and use the pocket diapers as an all in two style diaper. That way I'd only have to change the shell every 3-4 changes & I could hand wash the pockets & pre-folds if I had to & hang them over the shower to dry. I would also ask the hotel manger before hand if I could have access to the washing machine for the diapers. I would tell him or her the same thing I tell my family about how by the time the diapers reach the washing machine they are no different than when a set of peed sheets when they reach it.


Using cloth diapers at night is also really simple. If your baby is still little, diapering at night is pretty much the same as diapering during the day. As your baby grows into a toddler, you may find that more absorbancy is needed at night. Our daughter is 17 months old and we just started using 2 inserts in our diapers at night for her. Some parents like to use different types of insert fibers for night time {like like hemp or bamboo instead of micro-fiber} while others swear by using wool longies, and then there are others like us who just add an extra insert and are fine. As your child grows you will find what works best for you.

The most important thing to remember in all of this is that you're doing great! Things will become more organic for you as you go along & this is not a race or competition. You will get it down & before you know it, you may be teaching your friends and family how to use cloth diapers!!

Real Diaper Week: Day 4

Since Booty Buns Cloth Diapers decided to co-host the Great Cloth Diaper Change 2012, so many cool things have happened! I am so grateful to take part in such an amazing experience & help educate people about cloth diapering.

Real Diaper Week is the week right before the big event {April 21, 2012}. Everyday between April 16 & 21 there will be a new topic to blog about to help get our readers pumped for the record breaking event. If you want to blog during the Real Diaper Week, click here & add your blog to the linky, then pick a topic {or all of them} and start writing!

If you are in Orange County & would like to join us, please email Rose at {rose (at) rosieposiebaby (dot) com} with your name, your baby's name & baby's height. Even if you don't live in Orange County, CA you can still participate! Click here & search for a host near you. Just type in your zip code & look for some where to join in.

Today's Topic is:
 Real Simple Real Diapers for Babies – Health benefits, cloth diapers in hospitals, or cloth diapers in day cares





Crude oil. 


Yep, I said it, crude oil.  

The same stuff that keeps your car running, keeps wars going & makes you curse at the gas station. Did you know that its also the same stuff that is used to make disposable diapers?

Its true!!!

Click here to see the Power Point presentation that will open your eyes to a whole new world of information.

People often think that using cloth diapers is dirty, or hard, or unsanitary; while they praise the ease & sanitation of disposables. Let me tell you, once I found out that it takes 1 cup of crude oil just to make 1 disposable diaper, I was so happy that I made the switch to cloth.

There are a whole slew of health risks surrounding crude oil including respiratory problems,
  liver, kidney, reproductive, blood, immune system and nervous system damage, cancer and birth defects. These are long term side effects of a major ingredient in disposable diapers!!!! Also, dioxin is a by-product of paper bleaching and is listed on the World Heath Organization's {see chapter 6: Dioxins} list of persistent environmental pollutants.


"Dioxin exposure as a child will impede the immune system of the individual forever.  It means that they will never be as strong as they should have been.  Dioxins are responsible for a range of reproductive and developmental problems, damaging the immune system, along with causing major hormonal imbalances and cancer.  Many infants are now exposed to dioxins 24 hours a day, and yet society wonders why girls are beginning puberty younger than ever, and hormonal disorders are becoming increasingly common in children." {excerpt from healthwyze.org}


If you've ever used disposable diapers, then chances are you've seen those little gel balls that form once the diaper is wet. If you're like me, you may have wondered what in the world they are; well, they are sodium polyacrylate. Sodium polyacrylte used to be found in tampons until it was discovered that it causes toxic shock syndrome. For those who don't know what TSS is, its a very deadly bacterial infection. I actually had an uncle pass away from it when I was in elementary school. Its serious stuff. It can come on and take a life in what seems like a blink of an eye.  

Tampons come with a TSS warning; its too bad that disposable diapers don't also come with a warning as well.

Maybe one of our savvy readers can create a petition and get a movement started. It may help save a baby from TSS, or a lifelong complication from exposure to dioxin & sodium polyacrylte.

Not satisfied with the dangers of disposable diapers yet? Well, today is your lucky day! There's more!! Disposable diapers create Volatile Organic Compounds {VOC} which can wreak havoc on little nervous systems, immunity & can cause eye irritation. The EPA even lists some VOCs as carcinogens. The VOCs found in disposable diapers include: ethylbenzene, toluene, and xylene.

Wow!! If parents were really educated about all these things, they may make a different choice about diapering their little ones. This isn't some thing that people can claim no control over, this is something that every one can make a choice and a difference by doing. If you don't care about the global reasons to use cloth, think about the little reason you care for day in and day out.



Sooo . . .  are cloth diapers any better?

YES!!!

Babies who are lucky enough to use cloth diapers are not exposed to the health risks associated with the chemicals found in disposable diapers. They don't end up with chemical burns or disposable diaper rash. Did you know that one of the leading causes of diaper rash is chemical burn caused from the chemicals & dyes found in disposable diapers?

Since cloth diapers are made from cloth, babies enjoy a more comfortable diapering experience. If you want to test this out on yourself, go to Etsy & search for 'mama cloth' & buy some. Try them for one day the next time you have your cycle, then go back to paper pads. Heck, you can even try it when you're not having a cycle just so you can see what it feels like {Daddy can do this too!} Your baby also can tell the difference.


Here's some food for thought: 

Our society has become a very instant-gratification centered group of people. We have become so accustomed to short cuts & easy way outs that we tend to forget that slow and steady wins the race. In all the generations of cloth diapers, no baby had an allergic reaction to chemicals because there are none{maybe in the laundry soap, but not the cloth itself - so use cloth friendly soap}; no baby ever got cancer or organ problems from dioxin in a cloth diaper and no baby ever died from TSS caused by a cloth diaper. Those are all things that have happened from using disposable diapers though.




I wonder if hospitals and daycare centers looked a little more closely at these issues, would they be more fluffy friendly? 

 

If you want to help make a difference you can contact your local hospitals and daycare centers about allowing and offering cloth diapers. You can make a difference! Even the largest of movements were started by 1 person or a small group of people. 



You can give them Booty Buns contact info {bootybuns (dot) clothdiapers (at) gmail (dot) com} if they are interested in learning more or bringing cloth back into their facilities. It may also be a good idea to print & share this Power Point with them about how disposable diapers are made.

Real Diaper Week: Day 3

Since Booty Buns Cloth Diapers decided to co-host the Great Cloth Diaper Change 2012, so many cool things have happened! I am so grateful to take part in such an amazing experience & help educate people about cloth diapering.

Real Diaper Week is the week right before the big event {April 21, 2012}. Everyday between April 16 & 21 there will be a new topic to blog about to help get our readers pumped for the record breaking event. If you want to blog during the Real Diaper Week, click here & add your blog to the linky, then pick a topic {or all of them} and start writing!

If you are in Orange County & would like to join us, please email Rose at {rose (at) rosieposiebaby (dot) com} with your name, your baby's name & baby's height. Even if you don't live in Orange County, CA you can still participate! Click here & search for a host near you. Just type in your zip code & look for some where to join in.

Today's Topic is:
 Real Simple Real Diapers Savings – Cost savings, diapering on a budget, cloth diaper banks or support organizations.

"I could never afford to cloth diaper. It costs so much money & we're on a budget."

This is a statement that I hear people say quite often. It makes me laugh a little inside every time too; because, I do use cloth diapers for that same reason.  I wanted to save money for my family & cloth diapering saves us a ton! $70+ per month actually. 

There are two wonderful quotes that come to mind every time I hear this:

'Whether you think you can or you can't, you're right.'

'Where there is a will, there is a way.'

People who think they can't do something, will never do it. So when they say they could never use cloths {even though tons of us know that its really EASY to cloth diaper} they are right. Its a tough job being green & saving money while doing it, but:

If anyone out there has ever wanted to thought you could never afford to use cloth diapers, stay put because

I have a way to go with your will!

Using the numbers for one of the most popular disposable diaper brands, I'm going to show you how Booty Buns Cloth Diapers is actually MORE AFFORDABLE than disposables.When we were using disposables, we were buying 2 large boxes or 1 extra large box {if we could find them} per month. Either way were spending about $50 per month on diapers. Using generic wipes can save a few extra dollars each month, so we used them before we switched. Each box of wipes costs around $20 and lasted for about 5 weeks. The combined amount spent on disposable diapers & wipes was about $70 per month.

That's more than my cell phone bill.

Since most children aren't potty trained until 2 1/2 - 3 years, their parents are buying diapers for 30-36 months or more. So if these parents spent $70 per month over this time period they would be spending $2,100 - $2,520+  just to diaper their child. 

A lifetime supply of Booty Buns Cloth Diapers  

for their baby & a baby in need is only $510.

 THAT'S OVER $2,000 SAVINGS FROM USING DISPOSABLES! 

 

Now that I've shown you how much money you can save by using cloth diapers, I'm going to show you how you can afford to buy a lifetime supply of Booty Buns Cloth Diapers on a budget.

Don't be intimidated by a large start up cost. Nobody said you have to buy all 20 at once! We actually have a special offer for parents who want to buy their cloth diapers over time. If you buy 20 Booty Buns Cloth Diapers in an 8 month period; we'll give you a free Original Booty!

If you buy 3 Booty Buns Cloth Diapers in 1 month, the cost would be $76.50 including shipping. That's just over $6 more per month than what we used to pay for disposable diapers. A huge difference though, is that you would only need to by 3 diapers for 6 months & 2 diapers for the 7th month then YOU WOULD BE DONE BUYING DIAPERS!  

That's 23-29 months of saving $70 per month!! You would end up saving $1610-2030 by using cloth diapers on your baby; oh and did I mention, you can reuse cloth diapers with other children thus multiplying the savings!

 So no more, 'I can't afford to use cloth diapers!' After reading this post you should be saying, 'I can't afford NOT to use cloth diapers!'  

 

DIY Natural Lice Shampoo

*SIGH*

I grew up in a house where we played a lot of sports. I was in year round soft ball, one of my brothers was in year round baseball, one of my sisters was in year round soccer & the rest played baseball and softball in the season. Needless to say there was always a practice or a game going on.

Do you know what else goes on when your kid plays baseball or softball? 

HELMET SHARING

Do know what happens when your kids shares helmet with other kids? Well its the same thing that happens if your kids share brushes, hats or other hair things with other kids, they run the risk of catching lice. And boy did we ever get it when I was little. Its actually quite embarrassing. 

Some where in the middle of the regular season of baseball and softball someone would catch it from their team, bring it home & the following week there were 4 other teams that all had lice. Every year for about 3 or 4 years this happened. The last year my parents finally decided that they would just buy everyone their own helmets. Since my little brother & I also played catcher, it meant buying us our own catching gear {YES!!} We never got lice again after that.

But, having it that many times as a young kid left me TRAUMATIZED! I have been horrified of my daughter coming home from school with lice ever since I put her in preschool. In fact I was so concerned that I wouldn pull her hair back into tight buns every morning so her hair wouldn't hit someone else's on the playground. It was overkill, I know; but, dealing with lice is no fun!!

These days I breathe a little easier; but, its not because my daughter is no longer at risk of catching lice. Oh no, no, no! In fact she has come home with 3, yes 3 letters in the last 4 weeks about someone at school, in her class actually that has lice. 

*SIGH* 

As much as I still really hate seeing that letter; I sleep easy knowing that I have the best secret weapon for preventing and killing any lice that ever cross the threshold of my daughter's hair. In fact she is 10 years old and has never had lice - EVER!! 

YAY!!!!!

I am going to share this with all of you because it really is too good to keep a secret. Those over the counter shampoos & sprays really aren't all that they're cracked up to be. After you leave the super itchy shampoo in everyone's hair for 30 minutes, you have spend the next few hours doing all the laundry in the house & spraying all the places anyone sits or sleeps. Oh and the best part is you get to spend the next week or 2 going through everyone's hair looking for knits. The best part? If you miss 1 little knit, you get to start all over! So not fun. Just look at how small those suckers are!

{picture from pedatrics.about.com}

The way that you keep lice from ever coming into your house and causing you stress is to make your own lice shampoo. Its super easy!!!

Here Is What You'll Need:

* Shampoo & Conditioner
{the kind you normally buy or make is fine}

* Eucalyptus Oil

* Rosemary Oil

* Oregano Oil

* Lavender Oil

* Tea Tree / Melaluca Oil

* Peppermint Oil

Take a new bottle of your shampoo & conditioner {try to use one with a neutral or light scent, strawberry shampoo mixed will all those oils probably wouldn't smell too good} and add about 10 drops of each oil to the bottle. Shake it until you feel that its well combined & have everyone wash their hair 1-2 times per week with it for 2-3 weeks. Let it sit for about 5 minutes before washing out. Follow with the conditioner.

 

Yes you will smell like the essential oils section of Whole Foods after you wash your hair; but, the smell will wear off. Plus, its way better than having to go through the whole routine of over the counter lice treatments & it actually has a pleasant smell to it.. 

The reason that this works is 2 fold. First, this blend of oils can eat right through those pesky knit casings & kill the knits before they have a chance to hatch. Secondly it kills any lice that may have landed in your child's hair almost on contact. The oils eat through the exo-skeleton of the lice killing them on contact. The lice don't like the smell of the oils and will not transfer to your child if their hair has been recently washed in this shampoo. 

The first time I tried this I was super surprised at how well it works. We went on vacation with another family; and, I didn't find out until we were headed out that they just had to go through a full blow de-licing the day before they came out. I didn't want to cancel the trip, so I talked to one of my close friends who's daughters caught lice at gymnastics. When I told her what was going on she told me about this mixture & said she used it in her girls' hair instead of over the counter stuff. She said she did 1 treatment and their heads stopped itching. We wash our hair twice a week for 3 weeks after a scare just to be on the safe side. 

Good Luck!

Real Diaper Week: Day 2

Since Booty Buns Cloth Diapers decided to co-host the Great Cloth Diaper Change 2012, so many cool things have happened! I am so grateful to take part in such an amazing experience & help educate people about cloth diapering.

Real Diaper Week is the week right before the big event {April 21, 2012}. Everyday between April 16 & 21 there will be a new topic to blog about to help get our readers pumped for the record breaking event. If you want to blog during the Real Diaper Week, click here & add your blog to the linky, then pick a topic {or all of them} and start writing!

If you are in Orange County & would like to join us, please email Rose at {rose (at) rosieposiebaby (dot) com} with your name, your baby's name & baby's height. Even if you don't live in Orange County, CA you can still participate! Click here & search for a host near you. Just type in your zip code & look for some where to join in.

Today's Topic is:

 Real Simple Real Diapers Waste Reduction –  Waste Reduction, Environmental benefits, Elimination Communication (diaper-free baby)

Using cloth just makes sense. It doesn't matter if you are using it for financial reasons, health reasons, environmental reasons or ethical reasons - whatever your reasoning, we are all working together to create less waste.

Did you know that on average there are 2,920 diaper changes in the first year of a baby's life {8 changes a day for 365 days}? If you use disposable diapers that means that you are throwing away 2,920 diapers in the first year of life for each of your children. That's 2,920 diapers that nobody is really sure how long it will take to decompose. Some reports guess that it will take 500 years, while others say they really have no way to tell how long it will take because disposable diapers haven't been around for anywhere close to 500 years. If you had a penny for every diaper you changed in the first year of life you could buy a pair of Tiny TOMS!

And did you know that on average over 18 BILLION, yes BILLION, disposable diapers are thrown away in the US each year? If you were to lay each diaper side by side, it would be able to reach the moon & back 9 times with the amount of disposable diapers that are thrown away each year. Think about how much waste would be kept out of the landfills if more people used cloth. According to the Real Diaper Association, disposable diapers are the third largest consumer item to take up space in landfills & make up 50% of the waste of a family who uses disposable diapers. WOW! 

How can using cloth help reduce waste? Well lets look the math:

2,920 diaper changes in the first year of live

That's 2,920 disposable diapers in one year

or

20 cloth diapers in total

Each cloth diaper is worth the equivalent of 146 disposable diaper in the first year alone. Each cloth diaper would be worth 292 disposable diapers after 2 years of use; and, each cloth diaper would be worth 438 disposable diapers after 3 years of use.

That means that 1 disposable diaper does the same job as 2 extra large boxes of diapers! So if you buy 1 cloth diaper @ $25.50 you save your self from having to spend $90 on 2 extra large boxes of disposable diapers. That's a saving of $64.50 times 36 months = $2,322. 

Who would have thunk that you could save money while cutting back on waste & helping the environment? ;) 

 If you chose to use a cloth diaper for even just one diaper change on your child per day, you could make a huge impact. That one cloth diaper alone would keep 1,095 disposable diapers out of landfills. Inside Medford stated that there were a approximately 312,152,800 children under the age of 2 in the world in 2011. Assuming that number was correct, I am going to use it to show one more astounding math problem. It is the most recent number I could find when I searched for how many babies there are under the age of 3, so that's why I'm using it. 

If each of the 312,152,800 babies under the age of 2 used 1 cloth diaper for 1 change a day  it would keep

341,807,316 ,000 disposable diapers out of landfills.

That's over 341 BILLION diapers!!! 341 BILLION disposable diapers that would be kept out land fills while all of those children are in diapers if they all used just 1 cloth diaper for 1 diaper change a day!!! 
 

Real Diaper Week: Day 1

Since Booty Buns Cloth Diapers decided to co-host the Great Cloth Diaper Change 2012, so many cool things have happened! I am so grateful to take part in such an amazing experience & help educate people about cloth diapering.

Real Diaper Week is the week right before the big event {April 21, 2012}. Everyday between April 16 & 21 there will be a new topic to blog about to help get our readers pumped for the record breaking event. If you want to blog during the Real Diaper Week, click here & add your blog to the linky, then pick a topic {or all of them} and start writing!

If you are in Orange County & would like to join us, please email Rose at {rose (at) rosieposiebaby (dot) com} with your name, your baby's name & baby's height. Even if you don't live in Orange County, CA you can still participate! Click here & search for a host near you. Just type in your zip code & look for some where to join in.

Today's Topic is:

 Real Simple Real Diapers Outreach – Cloth Diapering 101 

There are so many different things to discuss when it comes to Cloth Diapering 101. I can't cover all of them in one post; so, I will be discussing how to use a pocket style diaper, daily cloth diaper care, how to wash your cloth diapers, how to strip cloth diapers & tips for prolonging the life of the PUL on your cloth diapers.

HOW TO CLOTH DIAPER

Wash before first use as described below. Snap the riser snaps on the front of the diaper to the size that fits your baby.  Stuff the pocket with the inserts{s} and snap into place. If you are using the newborn insert as a doubler, it will not snap to the regular insert, but it will stay in the pocket. Place the 100% cotton flannel liner on top of the suedecloth layer of the diaper shell. Place your baby on the diaper just as you would with a disposable diaper and apply an ample amount of pure cornstarch baby powder to help keep baby dry. This step will help keep diaper rash at bay. Snap the diaper shut at the waist and hip snaps, and you're done!

***Flannel liner is unique to Booty Buns Cloth Diapers

DAILY CLOTH DIAPER CARE

After each BM, shake the solids from the liner into the toilet. If you are using enough baby powder, it should fall off the flannel with ease {teething BM require a little more work; but, the flannel is still easier to clean than suedecloth or fleece}. Rinse the flannel immediately, followed by a light scrub with your bathroom hand soap. If any BM found it's way onto the suedecloth, follow the same steps. Following these simple steps will ensure that your diapers stay stain free & new looking. DO NOT soak your diapers in your pail with soap, as this may ruin the PUL. We keep our diapers in 15 quart storage bin with a latch lid to contain any smells until we are ready to wash. On wash day, follow the same steps as mentioned below.

If you smell something, change your baby right away. We don't like to sit in wet clothing, neither do our babies. If you don't smell anything, its still a good idea to check every hour to hour and a half. You don't have to change your baby that often, but you should at least check. After you change your baby, apply an ample amount of pure cornstarch baby powder. It will help prevent chaffing and keep baby's skin dry. 

CARE FOR YOUR CLOTH DIAPERS

Unsnap the inserts from the pocket. There is no need to fully remove the inserts; because, it will agitate out in the wash. Throw all 4-5 pieces {diaper, insert(s), liner & wipe} into the wash. 

* Run a cold water rinse
* Followed by a warm wash
* Cold rinse cycle.

 We recommend that you not use a commercial detergent as they may build up in your diapers, which will cause you to have the need of stripping them more often. Instead, we recommend using a detergent made just for diaper washing. Cloth diapers should be line dried to preserve the PUL and help prevent rash. Dryers may be used, but should only be used as a last resort such as on a rainy or dark day since overuse may weaken the PUL. If you use a dryer, keep the heat to low-medium. I know it will take longer to dry, but it will save your diapers in the long run.

STRIPPING YOUR CLOTH DIAPERS

 You will need to strip your diapers if:

* They are brand new

* You have a commercial detergent build-up in them

* Your baby has an extra strong smell when soiled

* Your baby develops a rash

* Your diapers smell like ammonia after washing.

This is the method we recommend for stripping your cloth diapers:

* Double rinse with cold water
* 1 hour soak in warm water with double the recommended amount of cloth diaper soap
* Double rinse with cold water
* Line dry everything to let the sun work its' magic

Preserve The Life Of PUL In Your Cloth Diapers:

1. Hang the diapers to dry. When you line dry your cloth diapers you are doing 2 good things at the same time ~ you are saving the PUL from the heat of the dryer and sunning the suedecloth, which may help prevent diaper rash. 

Did you know that the most common reason that the PUL wears out or delaminates is heat? Its true! When washing your Booty Buns Cloth Diapers, please keep this in mind & make sure that the water temp does not exceed 86 F. If you are in pinch and need to through your cloth diapers in the dryer, please make sure that the temp is set to low or low medium.

2. Wash your cloth diapers in a cloth diaper friendly soap. Some laundry soaps contain harsh chemicals that can wear down the PUL; which is why it is important to make sure that the soap you are using is safe for cloth. Another thing to consider when using commercial laundry detergent is that it can cause a build up in the diaper; causing the diaper to smell really bad when your baby soils it. If the build occurs you will have to strip your cloth diapers. 

3. Don't soak your cloth diapers in the pail.  Soaking cloth diapers for long periods of time in a pail with soap can damage the PUL and cause it to delaminate or wear thin and tear. If you would like to soak your cloth diapers as part of your wash routine, please limit the soak time to 1 hour at most.


4. Wash your cloth diapers more often. I know the thought of only washing diapers once or twice a week may sound appealing; but, the longer the diaper sits, the longer the ammonia-based urine is able to sit and work on the PUL. You even may want to consider un-stuffing the pocket and rinsing the PUL before putting the diaper in the pail.


5. Let the inserts cool before stuffing them back in the pocket. When clothes come out of the dryer they are usually hot enough to be comfy. This is great if its cold out side and you want to warm up, or its late and you want to get cozy & fall asleep. Its very bad if you're PUL on a cloth diaper though! If you put hot inserts in a pocket of a cloth diaper you just lined dried, then you are putting heat you were trying to avoid directly on the PUL. It is best to let the inserts cool completely before stuffing the pocket.

6. Do not use bleach, vinegar or other additives in the wash. These things can damage the PUL very quickly. Bleach is, well bleach. Its a harsh caustic chemical that can cause burns to your skin. Imagine what it can do to a rubber-like film. Vinegar is very acidic and can also damage the PUL. Stick to a cloth diaper friendly soap. If you're diapers start to get stinky aver after washing, try the method of stripping found above.


* * * I realize that there are a lot people who swear by any or all of these things with their diaper; but, there are also many more who have used them thinking it was safe only to find later that their cloth diapers had delaminated. As with many things in life it is better to be safe than sorry. Please care for your cloth diapers properly so they can last you for the longest amount of time possible.