Miscellaneous_: Fels Naptha Laundry Soap

Thanks to Debby & Amy for this Frugal Baby Tip!

Recipe By : Annette Bowser
Categories : Laundry Soap Recipes

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
water
1/3 bar Fels Naptha soap -- grated
1/2 cup washing soda
1/2 cup borax

Felz Naptha - Put in a pan with 3 pints of water, and heat until
dissolved: 1/3 bar Fels Naptha Laundry Soap, grated, Stir in: 1/2 cup
Washing soda, 1/2 cup Borax. Mix until it thickens like honey.

Remove from heat. In a two gallon bucket, put 1 quart of hot water,
then add the soap.

Mix. Fill bucket with cold water. Mix until well blended. Set aside
for 24 hours. It will gel up. Use 1/2 cup for each load

From Amy: One more thing: when I make laundry soap with this, I get
roughly 36 loads out of one bar of soap. I pay $1 for Fels Naptha,
and the A&H Washing Soda is $1.87/box (about 8 c. per box, or about
23 cents/cup).

So I spend about $1.23 for 36 loads of laundry, or about 3.4
cents/load. And it takes less time to mix up a batch of laundry soap
than it does to jump in the car, run to the store, and buy it. And
the Fels Naptha cleans better than anything I've tried, with no
allergic reactions for my kids.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FRUGAL BABY TIPS
Taking care of baby (and mom!) needs naturally, doesn't have to cost a
whole lot of money! Money-saving tips on diapering, diaper washing,
safety, slings and baby carriers, toys, clothing, nursing, menstrual
needs, traveling with kids and more! If you have Frugal Baby Tips to
share, we want to hear them!
http://frugalbabytips.blogspot.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Baby Wipes_: Cheap Wipes

Photo by www.borntolove.com
Thanks to Chrissi for this Frugal Baby Tip!

Just a thought on this, if you are looking for cheap washcloths. I
was at K-Mart yesterday, and in their linen dept they had a whole
aisle of clearance. They had a pack of 25 washcloths (terry) for
$2.50. When I went to the register, the cashier said there was an
additional 50% off.

So I got 25 washcloths for $1.25!!!



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FRUGAL BABY TIPS
Taking care of baby (and mom!) needs naturally, doesn't have to cost a
whole lot of money! Money-saving tips on diapering, diaper washing,
safety, slings and baby carriers, toys, clothing, nursing, menstrual
needs, traveling with kids and more! If you have Frugal Baby Tips to
share, we want to hear them!
http://frugalbabytips.blogspot.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Diapering_: Change-pad protector

Thanks to Julia for this Frugal Baby Tip!

We just use plain old wash-cloths, wetted with warm tap water ... no
soap (I'm freaky about soap reside being left on the skin and
irritating).

We have a different colour than our "regular" face-cloths (just in
case any get mixed in by accident). I bought a "cheapie" pack of
12 "seconds" for about $3 at Zellers - they are really quite soft,
although a bit smaller than our "Cannon" brand good face-cloths.

I also use old flat flannel diapers as a change-pad "protector"
during poopy changes ... I just lay it over the water-proof change
pad to catch any stray "bits". Then, I wrap the wash cloths, poopy
diaper (after shaking the larger bits into the toilet), and whatever
else up in the flat flannel before placing it in the (dry) diaper
bucket.

This way, when I'm loading up the washer I'm saved the "experience"
of sticking my hand into the bucket and having it unexpectedly
connect with a sticky poopy mess - the wrapped up bundle tells me
that it is a poopy one. Plus, I have to wash bulky change pads less
often too.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FRUGAL BABY TIPS
Taking care of baby (and mom!) needs naturally, doesn't have to cost a
whole lot of money! Money-saving tips on diapering, diaper washing,
safety, slings and baby carriers, toys, clothing, nursing, menstrual
needs, traveling with kids and more! If you have Frugal Baby Tips to
share, we want to hear them!
http://frugalbabytips.blogspot.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Diapering_: Wet bags

Thanks to TJ for this Frugal Baby Tip!

When we are out & about I also use plastic market bags for dirty
nappies.

I twist or knot them shut and throw into my backpack (rucksack). Then
I put them into the recycle bin after rinsing quickly. I figure that
since I must recycle them anyway, I get one more use out of them and
I don't have to deal with more laundry as I would with a commercial
bag that requires washing.

For wipes I use cheap thin washcloths. I keep them dry in backpack
and I have two Ziplock bags. One is clear and the other is printed
with a design (because it came from the deli). The clear one holds
clean cloths and the printed one holds used cloths.

I wet the cloth before using with a peri bottle. If water isn't
enough to remove sticky material then I squirt a bit of baby lotion
from a small bottle in sack/pack onto the cloth. So far this method
has worked wonderfully but my daughter is still just nursing, no
solid food.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FRUGAL BABY TIPS
Taking care of baby (and mom!) needs naturally, doesn't have to cost a
whole lot of money! Money-saving tips on diapering, diaper washing,
safety, slings and baby carriers, toys, clothing, nursing, menstrual
needs, traveling with kids and more! If you have Frugal Baby Tips to
share, we want to hear them!
http://frugalbabytips.blogspot.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Child Safety_: Tighten your car seats

Thanks to Ginger for this Frugal Baby Tip!

I read all the posts a few weeks ago about the car seats kinda
halfheartedly - I mean I'm NEVER going to be in a wreck - right?
WRONG!

Yesterday morning, for some reason, I decided I just had to tighten
up the girls' seats. I remembered someone saying how they basically
climbed in, and used their knees to tighten them up as much as
possible. So I did that, and took up about 2" from both of them.

Yesterday afternoon we were involved in a major wreck (to me at
least). My van is probably totalled, and the other car definitely is.
My middle daughter bumped her head cause she had the shoulder belt
behind her, but she's okay. The car seats held firmly.

My seat belt came undone somehow, and I ended up in the back with the
kids. This morning we are all bruised and sore. So please don't ever
ignore or brush off the importance of seat belts, and especially
those car seats! If not for them, my kids might be really hurt today!

Buckle Up Basics - Test Yourself
http://www.safety-council.org/quiz/buckleq.htm

Keeping Kids Safe During Crashes: How to Install Your Child's Car
Seat or Booster Seat
http://www.chop.edu/consumer/jsp/division/generic.jsp?id=77971

Tips for Installing Child Car Seats
http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/safety/carseat/tips.htm

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FRUGAL BABY TIPS
Taking care of baby (and mom!) needs naturally, doesn't have to cost a
whole lot of money! Money-saving tips on diapering, diaper washing,
safety, slings and baby carriers, toys, clothing, nursing, menstrual
needs, traveling with kids and more! If you have Frugal Baby Tips to
share, we want to hear them!
http://frugalbabytips.blogspot.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Diapering_: Diaper pinning

Thanks to Catherine for this Frugal Baby Tip!

Leah asked: What does it mean when you say pin "away from the baby" ?

Catherine answered: You push the pin into the diaper near baby's
belly, and push the pin out of the diaper towards the hip.

Leah asked: Does the pin have to go through every single piece of
fabric?

Catherine answered: No, you only need to go through the layers of the
diaper that you brought around the waist from the back, and at least
one layer of the bottom layer (or folded front waist) of the diaper.

Leah asked: Can babies pull at the heads to unlock them? Until what
age is it safe to pin?

Catherine answered: I have pinned diapers right up to toilet
training - in Josh's case that was 3.5 years old. The majority of
children would not have the manual dexterity to open the safety lock
pins. Although there might be the rare child. If that were to happen,
I would simply stop using pins immediately.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FRUGAL BABY TIPS
Taking care of baby (and mom!) needs naturally, doesn't have to cost a
whole lot of money! Money-saving tips on diapering, diaper washing,
safety, slings and baby carriers, toys, clothing, nursing, menstrual
needs, traveling with kids and more! If you have Frugal Baby Tips to
share, we want to hear them!
http://frugalbabytips.blogspot.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Miscellaneous_: Great Potty Training Tip!

Photo by windchime
Thanks to Catherine for this Frugal Baby Tip!

THE GREATEST POTTY TRAINING TIP IN THE WORLD!
I used this on both my boys when they were training and it worked
perfectly, it was so easy. First is to make sure your child is ready
for potty training, shows interest, etc.


Make this a game, make it fun and you will not run into stubborn
opposition (after all it is the child's body). Go out and buy or find
around the house items you don't normally let your child play with
that could fit into this catagory, some kind of toys that can be
water toys (3 or 4 things), could be little plastic pitchers, balls,
whatever, but make them SPECIAL.

The only real rule to this game, you must be VERY STRICT with or this
whole thing won't work. These special "potty" toys can only be played
with while the child is sitting on the potty!!!!! Very important, no
giving out on this one.

Once the child is sitting on the potty fill a large bowl or small
bucket with lukewarm or tepid water, place the new "potty" toys in
the bowl and set the bowl of water in front of the child. On the
floor if the potty seat is low, or if it's a potty seat that sits on
top of the regular toilet, set the bowl of water on a TV tray in
front of the child.

When the child places his/her hands in the lukewarm water to play
with the toys, if the child needs to pyscially go, they nearly
instantly go (it's almost an instinctive type physical reaction),
then cheer, cheer, cheer! Give lots of praise, and if you wish to
give some type of a treat, go ahead.

Let them play as long as they want, as long as they sit on the potty.
When they are done playing, put the toys away for next time. This is
really great because it makes it fun for them so they cooperate, it
totally ends power struggles, there is NONE, and also no more waiting
and waiting for them to go, only to go as soon as the diaper goes
back on.

They also feel good because they have immediate success. Potty
training NO. 2 was more difficult I found, that just came with some
time and patience and them learning in their own time and way, relax,
it will happen.

You know how I got this idea? It's kind of a funny thing, my husband
used to be in the military and when he was young in boot camp they
used to always play jokes on each other in the night by dipping a
hand of someone who was sleeping, into a pan of lukewarm water, thus
making the person wet the bed.

It just seemed like a natural progression to use this trick for good
in the potty training area and it worked great!!!!!



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FRUGAL BABY TIPS
Taking care of baby (and mom!) needs naturally, doesn't have to cost a
whole lot of money! Money-saving tips on diapering, diaper washing,
safety, slings and baby carriers, toys, clothing, nursing, menstrual
needs, traveling with kids and more! If you have Frugal Baby Tips to
share, we want to hear them!
http://frugalbabytips.blogspot.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Diapering_: Environmental Concerns

Thanks to Michaela for this Frugal Baby Tip!

Environmental Concerns II - Looking at Both Sides of the Issue
http://borntolove.com/e-concerns2.html

Wow! Awesome article. I don't know how anyone could claim it was a
grey area after reading that.

My only suggestions for the list of ways to lessen the impact would
be:

• Use woolen covers ,thus avoiding synthetics usually found in covers.
• Use flats for reduced drying time (not sure if this applies to
machine drying because I don't do that).
• Pass on stuff you no longer need/ Buy used stuff if possible.
• You did mention sunshine for bleaching but not for drying (I hope
that is not too nit-picky)
• I did also wonder about solar hot water and reed beds for water
treatment, but I think that's probably straying a bit too far from
cloth diapers (and is a lot less do-able for most people) (it's a
dream of mine to have a solar hot water heater some day).


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FRUGAL BABY TIPS
Taking care of baby (and mom!) needs naturally, doesn't have to cost a
whole lot of money! Money-saving tips on diapering, diaper washing,
safety, slings and baby carriers, toys, clothing, nursing, menstrual
needs, traveling with kids and more! If you have Frugal Baby Tips to
share, we want to hear them!
http://frugalbabytips.blogspot.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Diaper Washing_: Lanolin for wool covers

Photo by www.borntolove.com
Thanks to Tammi for this Frugal Baby Tip!

They keep the lanolin behind the counter at most drugstores. You have
to ask the pharmacist for it. And at $1.79 per tube at Eckerd, it's a
lot cheaper than Lansinoh -- and dissolves into water more easily.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FRUGAL BABY TIPS
Taking care of baby (and mom!) needs naturally, doesn't have to cost a
whole lot of money! Money-saving tips on diapering, diaper washing,
safety, slings and baby carriers, toys, clothing, nursing, menstrual
needs, traveling with kids and more! If you have Frugal Baby Tips to
share, we want to hear them!
http://frugalbabytips.blogspot.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Diapering_: Where do you store it all?

Thanks to Rachel for this Frugal Baby Tip!

Basically, we have a dresser with a "locker" attached, the locker is
higher than the dresser. So on top of the dresser, we have a
contoured changing pad. On top of the locker, I have a Wipe Warmer
with water & castille soap and a box of tissues.

In the locker there are 3 shelves - top is for my fitted diapers, and
soakers are in the back (need to be re-lanolized).

Middle shelf is for my prefold diapers (I can stack 3 dozen in
there). Bottom shelf has my 2 dozen newborn prefolds, and my "icky"
prefolds that I use for doublers.

Beneath the window I have 2 diaper pails - a Sterilite for wets and a
Diaper Champ for poopies.

Next to the window I have a white wire thing from the Container Store
for pantries. I use it to store my washcloth-wipes, my lotions/extra
Snappis, covers, and my liners for the changing pad.

I have a hook above the changing table for a windchime, and I use
that for air-drying covers. But I want more hooks.

See more pictures and ideas for diapering set-up!
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Shores/6929/cloth_diapering.htm

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FRUGAL BABY TIPS
Taking care of baby (and mom!) needs naturally, doesn't have to cost a
whole lot of money! Money-saving tips on diapering, diaper washing,
safety, slings and baby carriers, toys, clothing, nursing, menstrual
needs, traveling with kids and more! If you have Frugal Baby Tips to
share, we want to hear them!
http://frugalbabytips.blogspot.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Diapering_: Diapering on the go!

Photo by planetka
Thanks to Anne Lee for this Frugal Baby Tip!

This may sound strange, but when our daughter was about 4 or five
months old my husband came up with a good place to change diapers on
the go. He made a nice space in the trunk of the car with blankets
and a changing pad on top.

He even made a little place to put the dirty diapers! Actually, it
still works out great! A lot of public places are not very baby
friendly, and with this method you get privacy, and you don't have to
worry about unknown viruses or bacteria. And the trunk is at just the
right level for ease of changing.
Wierd, huh?!



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FRUGAL BABY TIPS
Taking care of baby (and mom!) needs naturally, doesn't have to cost a
whole lot of money! Money-saving tips on diapering, diaper washing,
safety, slings and baby carriers, toys, clothing, nursing, menstrual
needs, traveling with kids and more! If you have Frugal Baby Tips to
share, we want to hear them!
http://frugalbabytips.blogspot.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks to Catherine for this Frugal Baby Tip!

Denis asked: we have an old console TV that needs a new picture tube.
It is useless as a TV, but since we don't watch much anyway I could
care less. I was thinking...

Since it is very old, and in beautiful condition as a piece of
furniture, wouldn't it make a lovely fish tank? Imagine the TV in the
livingroom with fish swimming around in it for everyone to enjoy.

Anyone have any idea how to gut a tv set or how to place a tank
inside the console frame??

Here's some great ideas!
Convert an Old TV Into a Fish Tank
http://www.wikihow.com/Convert-an-Old-TV-Into-a-Fish-Tank

How to Convert an Old TV into a Fish Tank
http://www.ehow.com/how_2032674_convert-tv-tank.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FRUGAL BABY TIPS
Taking care of baby (and mom!) needs naturally, doesn't have to cost a
whole lot of money! Money-saving tips on diapering, diaper washing,
safety, slings and baby carriers, toys, clothing, nursing, menstrual
needs, traveling with kids and more! If you have Frugal Baby Tips to
share, we want to hear them!
http://frugalbabytips.blogspot.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Miscellaneous_: Make Your Own Energy Healing Pads

Thanks to Catherine for this Frugal Baby Tip!

YOU WILL NEED:

- One piece of 8" x 12" (20 cm x 30 cm) of 100% cotton fabric
(prewashed 3 times).
- One piece of 4" x 5" (12.5 cm x 10 cm) of 100% cotton batting.

TO MAKE: Fold over, right sides together, into 8" x 6" (20 cm x 15
cm). Stitch along bottom and side to form a bag. Turn under and hem
top. Turn right side out. Tuck pad of cotton batting inside bag,
folding inside excess fabric. (To wash, remove cotton batting, and
wash bag only.)

TO CHARGE UP PAD: Practice first by holding your hands up, palms
facing, about 4 inches apart. Slowly bring your hands closer
together . . . then further apart, repeatedly, until you begin to
feel the push and pull of energy building between your hands.

Once you are able to sense this energy, place your Energy Healing Pad
in the palm of one hand and repeat the above method to charge up the
pad. Then switch the healing pad to your other hand and continue
charging until you can feel the curved edges of the energy field
strongly. The Energy Healing Pad can hold this charge for about 6
months to one year.

TO USE: Simply place your charged Energy Healing Pad over any body
area in need. Leave in place for 10-20 minutes, or until relief is
felt. Suitable for any age. (Shorter time is best for the very young,
very old or the very ill.)



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FRUGAL BABY TIPS
Taking care of baby (and mom!) needs naturally, doesn't have to cost a
whole lot of money! Money-saving tips on diapering, diaper washing,
safety, slings and baby carriers, toys, clothing, nursing, menstrual
needs, traveling with kids and more! If you have Frugal Baby Tips to
share, we want to hear them!
http://frugalbabytips.blogspot.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Diapering_: Natural Remedy for Yeast

Thanks to Lauren for this Frugal Baby Tip!

We struggled with thrush for Katie's first three months of life. I
was resolved to use all-natural remedies rather than put an over-the-
counter or prescription cream on my tiny baby's vulnerable skin, or
in her mouth!

Plus the antifungals in those creams may simply breed resistant yeast
rather than bringing the body back into balance. Just my .02.

But for those who are interested, we used:

• scrupulous hygiene when nursing or changing dipes to avoid
spreading yeast

• acidophilus culture, liquid, applied on the skin & rubbed around
the inside of the mouth & on nipples

• Pau d'arco herb, taken internally by me in teas and capsules (this
is what finally got rid of it)

• mild vinegar rinse after diaper changes (*very* dilute!)

Once the yeast took up residence in *me* (after we got rid of them on
Katie!!) I used several remedies in Rosemary Gladstar's "Herbal
Healing for Women" book with success. Now they have been gone for 6
months.

Hope this helps someone! Not that using Lotrimin is necessarily bad
(& milder than the prescrip stuff for sure), I just wanted to present
the methods we used with success. My family doc encouraged me *not*
to use the prescrip stuff as with a newborn babe as it is harsh, and
(according to doc) yeast overgrowth is not a serious problem, more of
a nuisance (but a big nuisance!!)



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FRUGAL BABY TIPS
Taking care of baby (and mom!) needs naturally, doesn't have to cost a
whole lot of money! Money-saving tips on diapering, diaper washing,
safety, slings and baby carriers, toys, clothing, nursing, menstrual
needs, traveling with kids and more! If you have Frugal Baby Tips to
share, we want to hear them!
http://frugalbabytips.blogspot.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Miscellaneous_: Other Uses for Diapers

Thanks to Catherine for this Frugal Baby Tip!

You can use a disposable diaper as a pattern, to make cloth diapers:
http://www.geocities.com/myfreediaperpattern/
http://diapersewing.wordpress.com/2006/12/07/how-to-make-diapers-for-
baby/

__Make a heating pad__
Soothe your aching neck. Or, for that matter, your aching back or
shoulder. Use a disposable diaper's high level of absorbency to your
advantage by creating a soft, pliant heating pad. Moisten a
disposable diaper and place it in the microwave on medium-high
setting for about 2 minutes. Check that it's not too hot for comfort
and then apply to your achy part.

__Keep a plant watered longer__
Before potting a plant, place a clean disposable diaper in the bottom
of the flowerpot -- absorbent side up. It will absorb water that
would otherwise drain out the bottom and will keep the plant from
drying out too fast. You'll also cut back on how often you have to
water the plant.

__Pad a package__
You want to mail your friend that lovely piece of china you know
she'll love. But you don't have any protective wrapping on hand. If
you have disposable diapers, wrap the item in the diapers or insert
them as padding before sealing the box. Diapers cost more than
regular protective packaging wrap, but at least you will have gotten
the package out today, and you can be assured your gift will arrive
in one piece.
http://www.rd.com/tools-and-quizzes/extraordinary-uses/extraordinary-
uses-for-disposable-diapers/article.html

I once used a cloth prefold diaper to wrap up a gaping wound till we
got to the hospital.

Flat & prefold diapers can be used as sunscreens, burp cloths, thin
blankets, nursing cover-up, pot holders, Swiffer pads, dust rags,
reuseable "paper" towels, window cleaners, face washies for after
meals, traveling diaper changing pads, reusable travel washies, bibs,
to wash the car, and so much more!

And of course, there is always the diaper shower cake - there are
patterns for both cloth and disposable diapers.

Here's one more use for diapers...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KcICmV2ySM
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FRUGAL BABY TIPS
Taking care of baby (and mom!) needs naturally, doesn't have to cost a
whole lot of money! Money-saving tips on diapering, diaper washing,
safety, slings and baby carriers, toys, clothing, nursing, menstrual
needs, traveling with kids and more! If you have Frugal Baby Tips to
share, we want to hear them!
http://frugalbabytips.blogspot.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Diapering_: Diaper pinning

Thanks to Marie, Catherine & Toni for this Frugal Baby Tip!

Catherine wrote: I pin on an angle - with the head of the pin higher
than the other end,and pointing away from the baby's body. This is
recommended, so that if the pin *should* open, it is less likely to
stick the baby.

Marie wrote: I have always pinned my baby's diapers at an angle, and
recently have actually started using 4 pins, pinning one pair at an
angle, and the other straight across. This seems to help keep the
diapers snugger and keep them from drooping. The more active my dd
has gotten, the harder it's been to keep them from drooping around
her little butt. Using 4 is a bit of a pain, but it seems to be
working!

Toni wrote: I double pin my diapers. The first go straight across
near the top. The second set go below that. Near the bottom at an
angle that follows the way the diaper lays across the thigh.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FRUGAL BABY TIPS
Taking care of baby (and mom!) needs naturally, doesn't have to cost a
whole lot of money! Money-saving tips on diapering, diaper washing,
safety, slings and baby carriers, toys, clothing, nursing, menstrual
needs, traveling with kids and more! If you have Frugal Baby Tips to
share, we want to hear them!
http://frugalbabytips.blogspot.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Diapering_: Gerber EZ Liners

Thanks to Marie for this Frugal Baby Tip!

I also use the Gerber EZ Liners and think they're great. I have one
box that I've been using for six months and figure that at this
point, that's all I'll ever use. We wash all of them along with the
diapers. The poopy ones just get shaken off into the toilet (which
works with a baby on solids), but even the few times that she's had
breastfed type poops, they're a lot easier to rinse off/dunk than the
diaper. For some reason, the poop seems to slide right off in the
water.

When you first use them out of the box, they're pretty rough, but the
more you wash them, the more they soften up - almost feel like
fleece. I know that other folks talk about flushing them, but it says
on the box not to flush them, and I figure that's one more thing that
has to be cleaned out of the water at the sewage treatment plant. So
if they're REALLY gross, once they're rinsed as much as I can, I toss
them, which is rarely.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FRUGAL BABY TIPS
Taking care of baby (and mom!) needs naturally, doesn't have to cost a
whole lot of money! Money-saving tips on diapering, diaper washing,
safety, slings and baby carriers, toys, clothing, nursing, menstrual
needs, traveling with kids and more! If you have Frugal Baby Tips to
share, we want to hear them!
http://frugalbabytips.blogspot.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Diapering_: Flushable Liners

Thanks to Angela for this Frugal Baby Tip!

My mom told me to use Scotties facial tissues, but none of my local
stores carried them. Instead, I bought Puffs Advanced Strength facial
tissues (white, not dyed) and used them as liners in my daughter's
diapers during her tiny-breastfed-baby-liquid-poop stage.

Results: They helped some (smaller poops could sometimes be tipped
into the toilet, no rinsing of diaper necessary, and usually less
rinsing/scrubbing anyway), and they didn't disintegrate. And they're
flushable.

Plus you get 170 or something in a box for less than $2 - a lot less
if you can find them on sale and stock up. Once baby gets mobile,
they don't hold up, but by then baby is probably beginning to eat a
few solids anyway.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FRUGAL BABY TIPS
Taking care of baby (and mom!) needs naturally, doesn't have to cost a
whole lot of money! Money-saving tips on diapering, diaper washing,
safety, slings and baby carriers, toys, clothing, nursing, menstrual
needs, traveling with kids and more! If you have Frugal Baby Tips to
share, we want to hear them!
http://frugalbabytips.blogspot.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Baby Wipes_: Make your own wipes recipe

Thanks to Andira for this Frugal Baby Tip!

I thouught I'd like to pass this to you moms. It's a wipe recipe,
maybe it'll be useful

From: ASK THE MAKEUP DIVA


QUESTION: My baby has really sensitive skin, so the commercial diaper
wipes seem too strong for her (plus costly!). Are there any
alternatives?

ANSWER: I was tired of spending tons of money on commercial baby
wipes that I was just throwing away, and that irritated my baby's
skin, so I decided to buy some washable terrycloth wipes from a
catalog called Natural Baby. You can also make your own by using
regular washcloths either full size or cut in half and hemmed.

To wet the wipes, I fill a commercial wipe container (left over from
the old wipes) about 1/4 full of water, add about 1 Tbs. or so of
Mustela Cleansing Lotion, and about 1/4 tsp. of apricot oil. You
don't have to make your solution just the same, but the idea is to
have something as a gentle cleanser and something oil-based to
condition the skin. Sweet almond oil is another good choice for
babies.

Once I've got the cleanser, oil, and water all mixed together in the
container, I wrap a wipe warmer around the container (you can also
put everything into a small crockpot) to keep the water warm. My baby
always has a panicked look on her face if the wipe is cold!

When I need a fresh wipe, I just dip the cloth into the water, gently
squeeze out the excess, and it's ready to go. I used to keep the
wipes in the container with the water, but I found it harbors
bacteria really easily and starts to smell like mildew after only a
day or two. Yuck!

When you've used the wipe, just throw it in the baby hamper to wash
with the rest of the baby clothes.

You can get the oils for the "recipe" at a health or natural food
store. I am currently using Baby Bee Apricot Baby Oil from Burt's
Bees (1-800-849-7112). I has apricot kernel oil, wheat germ oil,
vitamin E, rosemary extract, and fragrance. If your baby is really
sensitive, you might want to go with a straight oil and not something
with fragrance. A nice oil is also great if you do any kind of infant
massage. I use the Baby Bee oil on my daughter Hannah on her legs and
feet after a bath.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FRUGAL BABY TIPS
Taking care of baby (and mom!) needs naturally, doesn't have to cost a
whole lot of money! Money-saving tips on diapering, diaper washing,
safety, slings and baby carriers, toys, clothing, nursing, menstrual
needs, traveling with kids and more! If you have Frugal Baby Tips to
share, we want to hear them!
http://frugalbabytips.blogspot.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Diaper Washing_: Energy & Water Costs

Thanks to Catherine for this Frugal Baby Tip!

Here's an excerpt from Alternatives in Diapering:
------------------------------------------

Following are sample calculations. Practices, supplies and utilities
cast vary. You can insert your own costs for a personalized total.
6,500 diaper changes over 2.5 years represents an average of 7-8
changes/day (10-11 for newborns, 5-6 for 2-year olds.)

_Laundry_ (based on 6,500 diaper changes), 24 diaper changes/washload
= 271 loads:

detergent (@ 27 cents/load x 271 loads) $73.17;

diaper pail additive (200ml of vinegar @ 15 cents/load) $40.65;

water and sewer (for 4 toilet flushes, 16 gal; 1 normal wash cycle,
45 gal; rinsing and filling pail, 7 gal. Total of 68 gal. @ $.0067 =
46 cents/load) $124.66;

natural gas to heat water (20 cu.ft. of natural gas @ $.0015 = 3
cents/load) $8.13;

power to run dryer (5.76 kw/hr. for 1 hr., 5.76kwh @ 7 cents = 40
cents/load) $108.40;

power to run washer (.76 kwh@ 7 cents = 5 cents/load) $13.55;

depreciation on washer and dryer (16 cents for washer + 9 cents for
dryer = 25 cents/load [a] ) $67.75 = $436 ($1.60/load). [b]

To calculate labour costs for home laundering, allow at least 40 hours
over 2.5 years. [c]

[a] A $600 washer is estimated to last a family of 4 for 12 years.
Based on 6 loads/wk x 624 wks., a washer will wash 3,744 loads before
having to be replaced. $600 / 3,744 loads = 16 cents/load. Dryer is
estimated to last 15 years and dry 4,680 loads. $400 / 4,680 loads =
8.5 cents/load.

[b] _Laundromat_: detergent $73.17, vinegar $40.65, flushing $29.05 =
$142.87 + washing ($1.25 x 271 loads = $338.75) + drying ($1.00 x
271) = $752.62.

[c] 8-10 minutes per load x 271 loads = 40 hours. Time test assumed:
10 washer and dryer in the basement; 20 no-fold diapers left in basket
until used (i.e. no folding or stacking); and 3) exclusion time when
washer or dryer runs unattended.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FRUGAL BABY TIPS
Taking care of baby (and mom!) needs naturally, doesn't have to cost a
whole lot of money! Money-saving tips on diapering, diaper washing,
safety, slings and baby carriers, toys, clothing, nursing, menstrual
needs, traveling with kids and more! If you have Frugal Baby Tips to
share, we want to hear them!
http://frugalbabytips.blogspot.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Miscellaneous_: Make your Own Hand Soap

Thanks to Cynthia for this Frugal Baby Tip!

These recipes were in The Dollar Stretcher this week, hope they
help...

Liquid Hand Soap #1

1 bar Ivory soap, grated
1 cup washing soda (NOT baking soda)
1 saucepan
1 bucket

Put soap gratings in pan, and cover with water. Heat on medium heat
until the soap has dissolved. Stir constantly and do not let boil.
Add soapy water to 3 gallons of hot water in the bucket. Stir, then
slowly add washing soda. Keep stirring until all is dissolved. Put
into pump when cool. Shake before using.


Liquid Hand Soap #2 (from Miserly Moms)

1 bar hand soap (any type), grated
1 cup boiling water
1 T. honey
1 tsp. glycerin (available at drug stores)

Put grated soap and boiling water into a blender and whip. Add honey
and glycerin and stir in blender. Let it cool for 15 minutes and whip
again. Add cold water until the mixture reaches the six-cup mark.
Whip again. Pour into a storage container, and let cool for one hour
with lid off. Shake before using.

Other uses for leftover soap bits are marking hemlines (instead of
chalk), rubbing gliders on drawers to glide more smoothly, and
running over metal zippers to ease the pull.

Other recipes for soap, including shampoos, can be found at:

http://www.the-sage.com/recipes/recipes.php3
http://www.alcasoft.com/soapfact/history.html



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FRUGAL BABY TIPS
Taking care of baby (and mom!) needs naturally, doesn't have to cost a
whole lot of money! Money-saving tips on diapering, diaper washing,
safety, slings and baby carriers, toys, clothing, nursing, menstrual
needs, traveling with kids and more! If you have Frugal Baby Tips to
share, we want to hear them!
http://frugalbabytips.blogspot.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Diaper Sewing_: Make Your Own

Thanks to Ingrid for this Frugal Baby Tip!

I am going to attempt to make my own diapers too. While I haven't
done it yet, these are few hints that I can give you before you start
that I was told...

Start by using materials around your house like receiving blankets
and old towels. When you become good at it, you can go out and buy
some flannel and/or terry to make more.

There are some patterns out there that you can buy, but I know a lot
of people use diapers they already have (usually their favorites) and
make patterns out of them. You can even use a disposable to make a
pattern.

If there are specific questions you have, you can always subscribe to
the sewdiapers list on Yahoogroups. It's just like this one, but you
can ask about sewing diapers specifically.

For nighttime, you can make your own fleece covers, make covers from
old wool sweaters that have become felted, or use woven wool to sew a
cover (you'll probably have to lanolize the last two).

If you know how to knit, there is a pattern on the Borntolove.com
site that you can use.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FRUGAL BABY TIPS
Taking care of baby (and mom!) needs naturally, doesn't have to cost a
whole lot of money! Money-saving tips on diapering, diaper washing,
safety, slings and baby carriers, toys, clothing, nursing, menstrual
needs, traveling with kids and more! If you have Frugal Baby Tips to
share, we want to hear them!
http://frugalbabytips.blogspot.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Diaper Washing_: Line Drying

Thanks to Michele for this Frugal Baby Tip!

I am presently lucky to be living in a house with a line outside, you
know the square kind that looks like a tree or umbrella? Even though
I had to fix it because NO one else had figured out how to make it
square and all the lines were droopy (they were actually going to
scrap it and buy another)

Anyway, it is fine now and I'm grateful but I was living in a
townhouse in Edmonton Alberta last year and I had my husband buy a
retractable clothesline at Canadian Tire (hardware store) for about
$20 CAN and he installed it in our basement and it worked great.

Just don't leave it out when the neighbor kids are over because they
try to swing from it *boggle* I don't know WHY, my son knew to leave
it alone!

It has 4 lines with a total of 50" and that was enough to dry 2-3
dozen diapers and assorted paraphernalia. I have it installed in my
basement now and I used it through the winter here because it's just
too darn cold outside here in February to hang outside IMHO, not that
the diapers wouldn't dry, I just am NOT a winter person

You can't dry anything really heavy on it but it is perfect for
diapers and most handwashables. I think it would be perfect to hang
in a bedroom, out of sight and the room would be long enough and when
not in use it is barely noticeable against the wall because it is
white with a light gray knob.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FRUGAL BABY TIPS
Taking care of baby (and mom!) needs naturally, doesn't have to cost a
whole lot of money! Money-saving tips on diapering, diaper washing,
safety, slings and baby carriers, toys, clothing, nursing, menstrual
needs, traveling with kids and more! If you have Frugal Baby Tips to
share, we want to hear them!
http://frugalbabytips.blogspot.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Diaper Washing_: Sunning Stains

Thanks to Elke for this Frugal Baby Tip!

I just had to say that I finally tested the "put it in the sun"
theory (to me) today!

Okay, so we haven't had much sun lately! But we have had 2 days in a
row and I did it (put some stuff out to sun bleach), and it worked on
a nasty baby outfit with organic cotton with yucky and plentiful baby
puke yellow stains - you know the kind that you find when you packed
away something clean and pull it out all YELLOW, blah!!!!

They are almost all gone after 2 washings and 2 days in the
sun!!!!!!!! And then today I put out a Rainbow diaper that had a huge
yellow stain on it (thinking, hmmmph... this will never in a million
years go all the way away...LOL) and when I came home from an
afternoon out I couldn't believe my eyes! It was 100% white, well
exclusive of the rainbow trim. You absolutely could not see one tiny
trace of stain! woooohooooo!

Now I just need to live somewhere that it sunshines more LOL

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FRUGAL BABY TIPS
Taking care of baby (and mom!) needs naturally, doesn't have to cost a
whole lot of money! Money-saving tips on diapering, diaper washing,
safety, slings and baby carriers, toys, clothing, nursing, menstrual
needs, traveling with kids and more! If you have Frugal Baby Tips to
share, we want to hear them!
http://frugalbabytips.blogspot.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Diaper Washing_: Drying Rack
Thanks to Anne & Jessie for this Frugal Baby Tip!

Jessie: I live in an apt too, and I have a wood drying rack that I use
all the time. The dryer here NEVER gets my diaper loads all the way
dry, so every time they end up on the rack. I got it at Kmart I think.
It folds up when not in use. It was about 10 dollars I think.

Anne: I have the wood rack too, and I use it on my back patio and
indoors... in the winter it does great near the heater :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FRUGAL BABY TIPS
Taking care of baby (and mom!) needs naturally, doesn't have to cost a
whole lot of money! Money-saving tips on diapering, diaper washing,
safety, slings and baby carriers, toys, clothing, nursing, menstrual
needs, traveling with kids and more! If you have Frugal Baby Tips to
share, we want to hear them!
http://frugalbabytips.blogspot.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Diaper Washing_: Drying thick diapers
  Thanks to Julia for this Frugal Baby Tip!

I have a stretchy line with clips on it that I got at Target and I put
it in my washroom. I especially use this when I am drying the really
thick diapers and they are only damp and the rest are dry. Works great!


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FRUGAL BABY TIPS
Taking care of baby (and mom!) needs naturally, doesn't have to cost a
whole lot of money! Money-saving tips on diapering, diaper washing,
safety, slings and baby carriers, toys, clothing, nursing, menstrual
needs, traveling with kids and more! If you have Frugal Baby Tips to
share, we want to hear them!
http://frugalbabytips.blogspot.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Diaper Sewing_: 4 soakers & a hat
Thanks to Johanna for this Frugal Baby Tip!

Thanks for the great sweater-soaker instructions - (
http://frugalbabytips.blogspot.com/2006/05/diapering-make-your-own-
baby-bum.html )! I just wanted to share with you that from one wool
turtleneck sweater, I made:

- 2 soaker shorts (front & back of sweater & divide the cuffs into 4
short pants legs),

- a pair of soaker pants (each sleeve & shoulder sewn together for
the right & left leg...soooo easy),

- and a hat from the neck (bind the top of one end of the neck with
another piece of yarn & add some yarn to tie under the chin).

Maybe this would be nice to add to your instruction page.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FRUGAL BABY TIPS
Taking care of baby (and mom!) needs naturally, doesn't have to cost a
whole lot of money! Money-saving tips on diapering, diaper washing,
safety, slings and baby carriers, toys, clothing, nursing, menstrual
needs, traveling with kids and more! If you have Frugal Baby Tips to
share, we want to hear them!
http://frugalbabytips.blogspot.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Miscellaneous_: Pinworms
Thanks to Ginger for this Frugal Baby Tip!

Quoting straight from "Natural Medicine for Children":

A tea made from wormwood or Tansy will stun the worms.
Dosages are: Adults - one heaped 5ml tsp of leaves or 1 level 5mls
tsp of roots.

For children 1/4 to 1/2 adult dosage and for babies one 5mls tsp of
infusion or decoction. It also says that cayenne will work for older
children. I've used black walnut extract for this problem. Hope that
helps!


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FRUGAL BABY TIPS
Taking care of baby (and mom!) needs naturally, doesn't have to cost a
whole lot of money! Money-saving tips on diapering, diaper washing,
safety, slings and baby carriers, toys, clothing, nursing, menstrual
needs, traveling with kids and more! If you have Frugal Baby Tips to
share, we want to hear them!
http://frugalbabytips.blogspot.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Diapering_: Pining diapers
Thanks to Julie for this Frugal Baby Tip!

When I first switched to cloth, I met a mom on this list who told me
she pinned her prefolds. I said "Oh no! If I have to pin there's no
way I'm going to switch!" But, really it is no big deal, and the fit
is so much better. Plus they can run around with just the diaper, if
need be. I actually even pin my fitteds instead of using snaps or
Velcro.

Here are some sites:

http://www.dy-dee.com/html/bikini_twist.html
Bikini Twist
This is a pretty good fold, especially for those with chunky thighs,
however it doesn't contain the bowel movement blowouts on my daughter
very well. But a fun change of pace I find I have to fold down the
front, and in the sides although it does not show that in this
illustration

http://www.dy-dee.com/html/in_diaper_covers.html
The Pocket Fold
That's just my adopted name for it. This is my stand-by fold. I
contains the poo great, and gives a nice snug fit.

That should get you started, just remember to get good pins (I like
Dritz), and keep your fingers between baby and pin, and baby won't
get stuck. Although I do get stuck myself sometimes!


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FRUGAL BABY TIPS
Taking care of baby (and mom!) needs naturally, doesn't have to cost a
whole lot of money! Money-saving tips on diapering, diaper washing,
safety, slings and baby carriers, toys, clothing, nursing, menstrual
needs, traveling with kids and more! If you have Frugal Baby Tips to
share, we want to hear them!
http://frugalbabytips.blogspot.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Diapering_: Bad Diaper Rash
Thanks to Catherine for this Frugal Baby Tip!

QUESTION: My BF little one seems to have diarrhea and a rash. She has
had 5 loose bowel movements so far today, and with the last one, she
had an awful redness all over her diaper area! I feel so awful for
her! She has eaten nothing out of the ordinary today... She is
recovering from an ear infection and yeast infection, but I've been
treating her for the yeast infection with acidophilus and Lotrimin,
but this redness is -all- over.

ANSWER: "Mom " says no juice of any kind. Breastmilk only till the
diarrhea clears. Maybe a little water, but no solid food. A lukewarm
bath after every bowel movement, no soap. Add baking soda or oatmeal
to the water.

Do not use wipes until the rash heals, just pour water over her
bottom. Or wipe v-e-r-y gently. Put a thick layer of unpetroleum
jelly (or regular jelly, if that's all you have) all over her bottom
at every diaper change. This will prevent urine and poop from
touching her skin.

If you are using a diaper cream on the rash, put the unpetroleum
jelly on over top of this. If baby is too sore to let you so this,
wipe it directly on the diaper. When baby sits the jelly will cover
her bottom as soon as she sits. If you don't have diaper cream, you
can use breastmilk on her bottom. It helps heal very nicely.

Of course, change frequently. Hope she is better soon!


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FRUGAL BABY TIPS
Taking care of baby (and mom!) needs naturally, doesn't have to cost a
whole lot of money! Money-saving tips on diapering, diaper washing,
safety, slings and baby carriers, toys, clothing, nursing, menstrual
needs, traveling with kids and more! If you have Frugal Baby Tips to
share, we want to hear them!
http://frugalbabytips.blogspot.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~