Can you hear me crunch?

I had an interesting discussion the other night at work that really got me thinking, then I came home and talked about it with Kevin and chatted it over with some mamas in an online group.  This had me doing some serious soul (and pantry) searching, so I thought I would share.

Are you as crunchy as you think you are?

For those with kids... and are you more crunchy since you had kids? 

And... Are you as green as you would like to be?

If you had to guess... what % of the following is "green", organic, natural, etc. Has this changed since you had children? (Of course the baby part will have changed, but the others?)

1. Your food. (home grown, organic and farmer's market type stuff)
2. Your home and car. (solar powered, hybrid, etc)
3. Your clothes/shoes. (Organic, home made)
4. Your baby. (EBF, cloth diaper, natural soaps, lotions and creams, clothes/shoes etc.)
5. Everything else... Cleaning products, beauty products, hair stuff, detergents, soaps, lotions
6. Do you recycle? Repurpose items?

I have to admit that I really thought DH and I were doing really great in our effort to be more "green"... however after some reflection, I realized that we aren't quite as good of a job as I thought we were.

 
1. 30% we buy a lot of fresh fruits and veggies at the farmer's market, but when I opened the pantry to check it out, we had a TON of processed, boxed, packaged foods (mostly pasta, rice, cake mixes, etc) in there. I'm planning to finish what is in there (I HATE wasting food) but make an effort to buy less packaged junk. I also have not made the switch to all organic, grass fed meats yet, mostly because of price. This is something I keep saying I need to just DO, but when I get to the grocery store and see that the good stuff costs 3x as much, I go back to the cheap stuff. I'm disappointed here. I really thought we were doing better.

 
2. 5% Our home is a typical home, nothing green about it. I gave myself 5% for having a pellet stove that we use for heat, but that's it. I drive a gas guzzling SUV so I could probably take away that 5% but it makes me feel better, lol.

 
3. 0% I have maybe 1 or 2 organic/home made items (like scarves)... but not enough to even make a dent. This has not been a priority to me, nor will it ever be I think. Although I do buy a ton of stuff at garage sales or consignment... so maybe I could be generous and give myself 5% here. Maybe.

 
4. 75% Kennedy is much crunchier that I am. She was EBF until we started solids, still BF (never any formula). Her solids are probably 75% organic or natural since I shy away from giving her the boxed crap that I have no problem eating. She is cloth diapered and all of her lotions, soaps, etc are natural/organic. The only area that we are not all organic/natural are her clothes. She has a few organic and a few home made items, but not nearly enough to count for anything.

 
5. 20% In the last 6 months, I have made a big effort to switch over our cleaning products. I switched to Method first, but now I am making most of them myself. I made my own detergent and cleaning solution, I use baking soda and apple cider vinegar for most things. BUT... my soaps, lotions, hair stuff, etc is all store bought (and usually whatever is on sale). My next project is to work on making my own beauty products. Makeup is Target stuff, I don't think I will ever switch to organic, unless is comes down in price.

 
6. 50% We do recycle, but not nearly as much as we should. Maybe 40% on the recycling. We do repurpose often, I am constantly saving bags and boxes and bottles to use for other things. My favorite is the windex bottles that you push down on to make the cleaner pop up (I have to admit I bought this JUST to repurpose the bottle)... I rinsed it out very very good and now use it for my home made cloth wipe solution. It is perfect!!!

So... overall that would give us a 30%.  While we are not anywhere near as green as I would like us to be, I am happy with the changes we have made over the past year or so in our effort to live a healthier life and leave a smaller footprint.  This exercise also helped me to find areas to focus on over the next year so we can continue to make better decisions and positive changes. 

DIY Baby Wipes/Cloth Wipe Solution

I borrowed this idea from a blog a month or two ago and now I can't find the original (sorry!)... I have tweaked their recipe a few times until I found something that works best for us.  This is a great home made alternative to store bought baby wipes (that usually contain drying alcohol).  

You can use the paper towels as baby wipes (much more gentle than it sounds, trust me.  These work awesome!) or you can just make the solution and pour over cloth wipes.  This also works wonderfully for facial cloths/makeup remover.  Love this stuff!

You will need:

 

Wipes:

• 1 roll of Bounty paper towels (cheap ones don't work, take my word for it)  
• The new Bounty Duratowels work especially well.  
• You will need to cut the roll in half THEN remove the cardboard center
• 1 plastic container (cylinder shaped works best) to hold the paper towels. 
•  Place the 1/2 roll, cut side down, into the container and pull up from the center.

Solution:

• 1-2 cups HOT water 
• I use closer to 2 cups because I like mine wet and soapy.  This works perfectly to clean those nasty, sticky baby poops.  Then I ring the excess liquid from another or grab a dry cloth wipe to dry her off.
• If you prefer your wipes to be damp, start with just 1 cup and adjust as needed.
• 1 tbsp Coconut oil
• 1 tbsp baby soap/shampoo
• I use Dr. Bronner's Unscented Baby-Mild Pure Castille Soap (available at Target or Wegmans)
• (optional) 2-4 drops of Tea Tree Oil

Stir the soap and oil(s) into the hot water until dissolved and pour over the paper towels.  They will absorb the solution and be ready for wiping cute little baby bums in just a few minutes.



I have also used this solution for my cloth wipes, however it does not work well in a sprayer (likely because of the coconut oil) so I just pour it over a stack of wipes in a warmer or use a squirt bottle.

Enjoy!

Cloth Diapering Update

We started using cloth diapers at 3 weeks and change and have been exclusively cloth diapering since Kennedy was about 6 weeks old.  With about 2 months of experience under my belt, I feel like I have learned enough to review and give a bit of advice for anyone thinking about using cloth diapers.

I figured that I would start this with some of my initial questions/concerns...

"But aren't they ugly?  And what about those safety pins?"

First of all, these are NOT your Grandma's cloth diapers.  Not only have they come a long way as far as ease of use and absorbancy... but they are darn cute nowadays.  I have found this extreme cuteness to be both a good thing (for the environment, for my daughter's skin, for promoting CD use in general) and a very very bad thing (for my wallet).  I think I *might* be a bit addicted to buying cute cloth diapers, or at least looking at them.  My mom and my mailman would confirm this obsession as both have witnessed first hand the near daily influx of fluffy mail.

So no, they are NOT ugly... see exhibit A...

 Yep, that's a cloth diaper.  Cute right? 

And no, you do not have to use safety pins.  Most actually come with plastic snaps or velcro-like stuff called "Aplix".  Personally, we stick with the snaps... like this... 

 Moving on...

"But they're really expensive aren't they?"

Obsession aside, cloth diapers are WAY more practical and are no where near as overwhelming as they may seem.

My stash to date includes:

• 4 Rump-a-Roos pockets- these are our favorite for night time
• 3 Bum Cheeks minky pockets
• 4 Bum Cheeks jean pockets
• 4 Fuzzibunz pockets
• 5 Alva 4.0 pockets- our second favorite for night time
• 5 BumGenius pockets
• 2 Sunbaby pockets
• 2 random fitteds
• 1 Flip cover
• 1 Blueberry cover
• A random assortment of prefolds and inserts 

All in all I would say I have spent about $200-$250 on my stash.  The majority of these I have purchased second hand from various Facebook groups.  There is a local store called Basic Baby that sells new and pre-loved cloth diapers as well.  I have a budget of $10 or less per diaper, although I have gone over a few times (mostly for the RaRs as they are pretty heavy duty).  This $200ish investment will likely last us (with maybe a few more additions) until Kennedy is potty trained.  Best part... the diapers can (and will!!!) be re-used for our next little one... and the next one... and the next one... ok I'll stop there.

But seriously... do you know how many disposable diapers $200 will buy?  About 5 cases... on sale... with coupons... maybe.  And do you know how long 5 cases will last?  About 2-3 months.  Maybe.

The average estimate for the cost of diapering a child, with disposables, from birth until potty training ranges from $1500-$2000.  The cost of cloth diapering, laundry included, is around $500.  Let that sink in for a minute.

If you weren't thinking about cloth diapers before, you are now, right?

"But what about the laundry?  And the poooooooop?"

Yeah yeah... the poop.  Well, let me start by saying that we definitely used disposables for that wicked meconium poop (the black sticky tar like stuff that you swear paint thinner would have a tough time cleaning).  I wasn't about to mess with that stuff and risk staining my cloth diapers forever.

Once you are past the tar poop stage, for an exclusively breastfed baby, there is no need to mess with the poop at all.  You can toss the poop and pee diapers in a wet bag or diaper pail and wash them all together.  No pre-treating, poop scraping or soaking necessary.  Just toss and wash!!  Cool, huh?  Once Kennedy is old enough to start solids, I will have to pre-rinse, soak or somehow take care of the poop (we may try disposable liners... not sure yet)... but until then it's super simple.

My cloth diaper laundry routine:

• All wet and dirty diapers go into a pail with a pail liner.  I separate the inserts from the diapers as I toss them in so I don't have to go fishing through a bag full of stinky presents to separate them before washing.
• When ready to wash I take the whole bag, liner and all, and toss it in the washer. 
• I run one Rinse & Spin cycle with COLD water- NO detergent.  Every so often I run a second Rinse & Spin.
• Next I add 1/2 the normal amount of All Free and Clear detergent and I run a Whitest Whites cycle (which is just a regular cycle with HOT water followed by an extra rinse & spin with WARM water).
• I "sun" (line dry or dry outside somehow) my diapers as much as possible.  All of the stains sun out in minutes.  It's pretty amazing.  When unable to sun (thank you Syracuse weather) I dry the diapers in the dryer on LOW heat with NO dryer sheets.

That's it.  No big deal, right?  And with our diaper stash (what was it... 30ish diapers?) we do a load of diaper laundry about every 3ish days.

"But they don't work as good as disposables, right?"

Leaks, blow outs, explosions... I won't lie... we have had a few.  Cloth diapering definitely has a learning curve, although I had a few leaks and explosions pre-cloth as well... so maybe diapering in general has a learning curve.  We use primarily one-size snaps and sometimes it can be tough to get a perfect fit.  We also had trouble at first finding the perfect diaper for night time as baby girl started to sleep longer/wet more.  We are still trying out different kinds of diapers, inserts, covers, etc. and learning our likes and dislikes.  

"But I don't know what the heck I'm doing!!"

And neither did I.  As a matter of fact, we have been doing this for several weeks now  and I still have many questions.  I have found several CD centered groups on Facebook, a few local moms in a moms group I attend and a few moms at my church who have been more than happy to show me the ropes.  The owner of Basic Baby (local store that sells cloth diapers)...  is a wealth of information and even holds classes and get togethers in the store to help new moms figure things out.  One thing I have learned about the mamas who CD is that they all seem to be very helpful and excited to share their knowledge and experience.  So ask around!  You just might be surprised at who else is into cloth.

So that's it... so far.  My thoughts on cloth.  And now I am off to go change a diaper, lol.  :)

Kennedy's 4 Week Check In

My baby girl is almost a month old (or is a month old, depending on how you look at it... but I'm going with almost).  I know I say it every week, but I really can't believe how fast the time is flying.

How cute is this little tush??

 How Big Is Baby?

• No official weight, but she has to be 10 pounds by now.  Grow, baby, grow!!
• She has outgrown a few of her newborn size onesies and one NB dress... sad sad day.
• Still in size 1 diapers... and we have also started using cloth diapers part time.  She is in size small or one size for cloth.

Development & Milestones

• Kennedy tracks wonderfully now... it's really exciting to know she is actually looking at me and watching me when we interact now.  So cool
• She has been enjoying lots of tummy time and like to scooch on daddy's chest.  This little girl has some strong legs, just like her daddy.
• She has also been working really hard on her smiles.  Absolutely love them!! 

Diet/Nursing

• Kennedy continues to be a rock star with breast feeding.  She eats every 2-3 hours during the day and every 3-4 at night.
• We introduced the bottle a few weeks ago and continue to give her one bottle feeding per day.  Hopefully. this will make the transition to daycare a little more smooth for her when I go back to work.

Sleep

• Kevin and I are still working on our bed time routine, but things are getting better.  We *try* to get K into the bath around 7 then lotion (which she HATES), nurse, sing some lullabyes and hopefully get her to sleep by 8.  This almost never happens as planned, but it is a work in progress.  Lately we have been able to get her in the bath by 7:30-7:45 and get her to sleep by 9.  We have managed, for the most part (knock on wood) to avoid her witching hour.  Hopefully this week will be even better.

PP Mommy Check In

Loving my $12 dress!!!

• Physically I am doing great!  I still haven't gone for a run yet.  No real reason... now I'm just plain being lazy.  :P  I have been doing lots of ab work and stretching, which is always tough for me to get motivated to do... but feels great once I am done.
• I have been a bit weepy/emotional lately... I blame the hormones.  It's never a sad cry... as a matter of fact usually a happy cry, but crying nonetheless- which is weird for me.  Lately it has been the book "Guess How Much I Love You" which Kevin reads to Kennedy every night (and I cry every night when he reads it, lol).  It's such a sweet book and gets me all teary eyed.
• Oh- I almost forgot- Kevin and I have a wedding to attend next week and I have been holding onto a dress that I was hell bent on wearing.  I bought the dress last year and it fit perfect... when I got pregnant, I kept it as my motivation to lose the baby weight quickly.  Well, it fits great... except for my humongous nursing boobs.  :/  This has never been an issue for me.  I was stressing out over how I was going to find (and afford) another dress to wear.  Well... I managed to score a gorgeous dress on clearance for... wait for it... wait for it... $12!!!!  It fits great and will contain the ladies no problem.  Totally made my week!
• Right now I weigh about 136lbs.  
• *For reference, my highest pregnancy weight was 162, my pre-pregnancy weight was 130 and my goal weight is 125*

How Is Daddy?

• Kevin is doing great!  He was supposed to start back to work this week, but managed to swing an extra week off... and boy am I glad to have him around for another week!  I am very very lucky!  We decided to start using cloth diapers this week and he has been a champ with them!  He is excited to learn and help and do anything he can to make Kennedy comfortable and mama happy.  I've got the best husband ever!

Any appointments, visitors or outings?  Anything else new?

Kennedy rocking some cloth

• Kennedy enjoyed her first trip to the NY State Fair this past Thursday.  Our little family of 3 ventured out on opening day (are we nuts?) and had a great time!  Kennedy snoozed in her stroller through the majority of the trip, but Kevin and I really enjoyed eating all of the delicious fair food.  We didn't go through any of the animal buildings (Kennedy hasn't had any shots yet and I was a bit nervous)... but I can't wait to take her through next year when she will be really alert and interested in the animals.  All in all a great day!
• Like I mentioned briefly above, we started using cloth diapers this week.  I did tons and tons of research (there is SO MUCH information out there) and spent hours bargain hunting to try to get the best deals... and finally just dove in head first.  So far, we are only using cloth when we are at home and during the day time, until we build up a good stash, feel completely comfortable with it and actually feel like we know what we're doing... but it's a start.  We are hoping to be able to do cloth full time by the end of September.  So far, so good though! 

  Love/Hate: 

Kennedy loving her Hip Bums cloth diaper

• Love:  My new cloth diapers... in particular the ones from Hip Bum, a locally owned business.  Such a shame that these cute things are made to be pooped and peeed on.
• Hate:  ???

Any upcoming developments, milestones?  What's next?

• Next appointment isn't until her 2 month check up.... how awesome is that?  
• I have a post partum checkup in early September.

Picture Time!!