I’m always looking for ways to continue that love outside of the nursery, to make every day an earth day, and I believe you all are doing the same. I’ll be posting green tips as I find them, but I’d love to hear from you all as well. I’ll group them together and turn them into a one-click online resource for parents who are just getting started on their eco-conscious journey.

Today’s Green Tip: Green Cleaning
When I was growing up, my parents made decisions that were about being less eco-conscious, more about being cash poor. Whatever their motivations, the end result was that we used what we had versus buying expensive disposables. In our house, there were seven kids and only one income. For us, baking soda was akin to a miracle.

• Round one: baking soda plus toothbrush. For the first 30 days or so, it was the combination we used it in our mouths to clean our teeth. Not so tasty but it did the job.
• Round two: scrub around the sink fixtures. A little bit of baking soda and water kept those faucets sparkling clean.
• Round three: Baking soda plus vinegar or lemon juice. Who needs expensive cleansers when you can combine two natural ingredients that do a foamy, fizzy, delightfully clean dance over soap scum and bathtub rings?

We also used baking soda to clean countertops, baking soda to freshen diaper pails and baking soda in our carpet to absorb any smells. With all the chemical options on the shelves, isn’t it nice to know that one of the best and most versatile cleansers is eco-friendly, inexpensive and non-toxic?

Do you use baking soda? Let us know how it worked (or didn’t work) for you!

A wonderfully brilliant friend of mine recently welcomed his very first child into the world – a gorgeous little boy who came out of the womb smiling and seems to be embracing the world with the same gusto as his dad. At a dinner recently, I found myself marveling at their environmentally friendly commitment as we feasted on vegetables from their own garden and washed it down with a delightful home brewed beer. Young Phillip was asleep on a quilt made from his grandfather’s old work shirts surrounded by delightful garage sale finds that had been lovingly restored. Even PJ’s cloth diapers were ” certified pre-owned cloth diapers.”

“You guys sure are green.” I confided to the host. “I’m impressed.” He tossed me that characteristic smirk, held his hand up rubbed his thumb across four fingers and said, “oh,yeah. We’re green alright.”

He’s absolutely right. The average parent using disposable diapers will rack up a bill of approximately $2500 buying and tossing disposable diapers from birth to toilet training. Even if you clip coupons and buy generic you’re still forced to keep replenishing your supply whether your budget can handle it or not. In contrast, a cloth diaper supply can be had for as little as $100, although the average parent spends approximately $3-400. With one size diapers and diaper covers that grow as your baby does, your savings are even greater.

Seems my friend is motivated by a different kind of green; the kind of green that’s going to give his little boy a better life in more ways than one. Every week my friend calculates his savings and stashes that money in PJ’s saving account. The only footprint my friend is worried about is the one his boy will make on a college campus and the green he’s most motivated by is the one in his wallet. Brilliant.

We’d love to hear from you about your diaper savings – ways you’ve saved, how you’re stretching your family dollars. Whether you’re just starting out or just washing your last diaper…are you still all in?

I love pocket diapers. I have seven pocket dipes, and all were gifts or prizes. But hubby and I decided to go economical on this cloth diapering journey, so the majority of our diaper stash consists of Diaper Rite Prefolds. (I do not dislike my prefolds – they do a great job. I just like pockets the best).

When we started using prefolds full-time…

When we started using prefolds full-time, I quickly realized my baby had wetness sitting right next to her skin. I stopped in at Diaper Junction, and the wonderful ladies there suggested stay dry liners. I had never heard of them before…silly me, not enough research.

Stay-dry liners are fleece liners that lay inside of your baby’s prefold (or any diaper). The fleece wicks the moisture away from the baby’s skin and into the absorbent diaper beneath. I purchased a package of these liners, and loved the fact that the liner acted just like the soft fleece lining of my beloved pocket diapers. Now my little girl wasn’t getting wet anymore!

Make your own Stay Dry Liners

A cloth diapering friend suggested that I make my own liners. Why didn’t I think of that?

So I did.
And so can you.

First, purchase a light-weight fleece. Then, cut it into strips about 11-12 inches long and 4-5 inches wide. Since fleece doesn’t fray on the edges when washed, you don’t have to finish the edges.

Now granted, my store-bought stay dry liners look much nicer, they are serged on the edges and exactly the same size, but my homemade stay-dry liners function the same.

I purchased 1/4 yard of fleece when it was on sale. I was able to cut about 20 liners – enough to cover my stash and wash every 2-3 days. I spent $2. This is a great, economical way to keep baby dry – DIY!

Are You Using Cloth Baby Wipes?

My second DIY tip involves making cloth baby wipes. I recently started using cloth wipes and again I wonder why didn’t think of this sooner?

Before my baby’s arrival a friend asked if I was going to use cloth wipes. My reply was, “I’m not that crazy!” I thought it was gross. Then I read some reviews.

I computed that I was spending $2-3 per week on disposable wipes. I began to wonder if there was really a difference between washing and reusing cloth diapers, and washing and reusing cloth baby wipes.

I concluded there is no difference; cloth wipes do not have a greater “gross factor” than cloth diapers (and I love using cloth diapers!).

The thing that pushed me over the edge was when I started wrapping disposable wipes in my cloth diaper and throwing them into my wet bag. I didn’t realize what was happening until I began to pull wipes out of the dryer. Talk about gross! So, my solution was to try cloth baby wipes. I purchased 15 wipes off E-bay. They were sold in a package of 5 for $5, and they are homemade double-thickness flannel wipes.

Make your own Cloth Baby Wipe Solution

I used a cloth baby wipes diaper solution recipe from a friend – 4 cups of hot water mixed with 3 tablespoons of baby wash/shampoo, and 2 tablespoons of baby oil. I read somewhere that adding lavender and tea tree essential oils to your wipe solution helps cut down on the odor while the wipes are in the diaper pail. While I have not encountered an odor problem, I do use the night-time baby bath which is scented with lavender. (I was given a lot as baby gifts and I don’t usually do bath time at night). The scent is wonderful and I love using my cloth wipes even more because they smell so good!

I mix the solution and put it in an old water bottle with a squeeze top. I store my wipes in an old wipe container. I squeeze some liquid onto each wipe in the stack. They are wet, but not submerged in liquid.

Make your own Cloth Baby Wipes Too!

Now for the DIY part: 15 wipes is not enough for a 2-3 day wash cycle! I was at the fabric store and discovered the cotton flannel on sale 50% off – $2.99 a yard! I picked out two fabric designs and purchased 3/4 yard of each. I went home and made my own wipes.

I was able to make 12 wipes for around $5. (I later realized that had I laid my fabric out properly I could have cut 15 wipes from this length of fabric). Here’s how you can make your own wipes:

1. Prewash and dry your fabric.
2. Cut a piece of typing paper into a 7.5″ square. This size will fit just right into an old disposable wipe box. After trimming and finishing, my wipes are closer to 7″ square.
3. Use the typing paper for your pattern and cut the fabric into squares.
4. Put two squares together (I used contrasting fabrics), wrong sides together.
5. Stitch the squares together with a 1/4 inch seam allowance. I used a decorative stitch. Tip: I found it helpful to have gingham on one side. I stitched along the plaid lines and came out with a perfect square.
6. Finish the edges by running a zigzag stitch over the edge of each wipe. This will keep them from fraying in the dryer.
7. I do not have a serger, so I had to stitch the squares together and then finish the edges. If you have a serger, just serge around the edges and you’re done!
8. Stack your wipes and store in your old wipe container!

Please note…I am not an expert seamstress by any means – I only know the basics. If I can do this, anyone can do this! I spent about an hour on this project (after washing the fabric)

I hope you enjoy these DIY projects. I enjoyed getting a little more involved and hands-on in the cloth diapering products I use on my baby!

GUEST BLOGGER

Andrea Hamilton‘s full time job is being Ben’s wife and Elaine’s mommy in Virginia Beach, VA. She started cloth diapering in November 2009 – initially to save money, and now because she loves it. In her “spare time” she enjoys studying God’s Word, playing the piano, scrapbooking, blogging, and bargain-hunting. Andrea has a Bible & Missions degree, and her family is preparing to move to NYC where her husband will be an assistant pastor.

You can read more from Andrea at her blog, Random Issues.

After having 4 babies in 5 years, I grew frustrated with the expense of disposable baby wipes.

Even purchasing them by the case taxed the bank account. Researching homemade wipes opened up a whole world of opportunity. In general cloth baby wipes can be broken done into two categories: disposable and reusable.

Disposable Baby Wipes

A. Prepackaged
These are the most commonly used and the most expensive. These can be purchased at almost any store and join disposable diapers in the landfill by the millions.

B. Homemade Paper Towel Wipes
Many moms have had success with making wipes using a soap solution and rolls of paper towel. Paper towels are a very thin wipe and it necessary to use more than one to take care of messy cloth diapers.

Both of these methods involve waste, as they are discarded in the trash. They also present a serious drawback to the cloth diaper user. If the wipes accidentally join the diapers in the wash, a mess can result. The fibers will fill Velcro tabs.

Reusable Cloth Baby Wipes

A. Wash Cloth And Water
This is the simplest method, as it involves only a cloth and water. It requires trips to the sink and if soap is not used, there is the potential for a rash to develop.

B. Cloth Wipes and Homemade Solution
This is a simple combination of cloth baby wipes and a soap solution. It can be easily stored in a wipe warmer or any container with a tight fitting lid.

The following recipe was taken from The Urban Homemaker catalog.

• 2 cups water
• 1 tsp Dr. Bronner’s soap
• 3 drops tea tree oil
• 3 drops of lavender oil

Cotton fleece wipes, knit terry wipes or flannelette washable wipes can be purchased to use with the solution.

Baby washcloths work well, too. A stack of cloth wipes sit in a basket beside the container of wipe “juice”. Keeping the wipes immersed in the water tend to make them slimy. Using more water can cause an unpleasant odor if the “juice” isn’t used fast enough.

The cloth wipes can be easily tossed in with the cloth diapers for washing. If you are out and about, you can soak a few cloth baby wipes and put them in a resalable plastic bag, such as Ziploc for easy use on the trip.

GUEST BLOGGER

Caron Norton is the mother of four Godly, but rambunctious, children, and the wife of an even more Godly, but rambunctious, husband! Aside from being a mom she is seeking a director’s license to tutor for Classical Conversations: a home-centered education movement. She has been cloth diapering for 5 1/2 years.

If you are looking to build your cloth diaper stash NOW IS THE TIME!

For a limited TWO DAYS ONLY (8-22-09 through 8/23-2009) Soft Cloth Bunz is offering FREE SHIPPING on orders of $50 or more.

Use the code FREESHIP2223 at check-out to get FREE SHIPPING on your cloth diaper or cloth diapering products purchase!

PLEASE NOTE: – This FREE SHIPPING offer is for new orders only.

Although my family quickly jumped on the cloth diaper band wagon, we were unaware of how economical cloth baby wipes were. It had not occurred to us, in our vast research on cloth diapers, to investigate about the use of cloth wipes.

Cloth wipes can be used repeatedly, keeping disposable wipes out of the landfill and keeping money in your wallet. Cloth wipe solutions like bumGenius! Bottom Cleaner can be purchased or even made on your own with low cost (and environmentally friendly) ingredients. We have found the combination of cloth baby wipes and cloth wipe solutions are often more efficient at cleaning baby’s bottom than disposable baby wipes. After use, we simply throw them into our cloth diaper pail along with the soiled cloth diapers.

As mentioned before, parents can purchase all natural, organic, bottom cleaners, or for a cumulative cost savings over time, many websites offer cloth wipe solution recipes. All wipe solution “chefs” suggest only making enough solution for one week, throwing out what you do not use each week. “Chefs” also suggest waiting until just before the wipes are to be used before adding the solution. These practices prevent moldy wipes and solution.

Parents should be cautious with some of the recipes containing essential oils. Be sure to use a carrier oil, which helps to dilute the essential oil (thus reducing the probability of an adverse skin reaction). Also, some oils may cause skin reactions for sensitive children.

Here are some sites that offer recipes for wipe solutions:

• Homemade Baby Wipes Recipes at Natural Birth and Baby Care
• Cloth Wipe Solution Recipes at Zany Zebra
• Homemade Baby Wipes Recipe at TipNut.
• Make Your Own Wipe Solutionat Ezine.

Do you have any cloth baby wipes suggestions or links to share?

Over at Soft Cloth Bunz we realize that summer is hard on a family’s budget, so we are implementing a sale to SAVE $5.00 on orders of $50.00 or more!

If you plan to cloth diaper your baby on the way, your new newborn, or maybe even making the switch now that your baby is a little older, take advantage of this time of savings!

NO COUPON IS REQUIRED to save $5.00 off your order. Just visit Soft Cloth Bunz, select from a variety of dependable baby products, and check-out! It is that easy to save on your cloth diaper purchases!

…DISPOSABLES. With the recent influx of very fancy WAHM-made custom boutique cloth diapers hitting online cloth diaper stores, and advertising in organic or natural parenting magazines, it is easy to lose the perspective that cloth diapering can ease a stretched budget.

Many parents tell us the reason they choose to cloth diaper has less to do with a heightened eco-consciousness, but rather, tough economic times. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, middle-income families will spend more than $200,000 to feed, house, and school a child born in 2007 until their 18th birthday. Given these statistics, it is understandable why parents are looking for ways to cut child-rearing costs without shortchanging their kids.

Simple, Economic Chinese Prefolds

As with any other kind of purchase, parents can select the newest rage, fabrics, and trends, or opt for higher quality, but perhaps slightly less ‘fashionable’ Chinese Prefold Diapers and simple diaper covers. Eight years ago, when I began cloth diapering, we were a single-income family; my initial cloth diaper budget was less than $80.00, so I purchased two dozen Chinese Prefolds, a few Dritz diaper pins, and a half-dozen Bummis Whisper Pants. Later on, as the budget allowed, I purchased Fuzzi Bunz pocket diapers for night-time cloth diapering.

In time I opened an online cloth diaper store and was able to try several different styles, but when my children moved out of diapers the part of our diaper stash ‘worn’ from repeated use were my simple, economical Chinese Prefolds.

Simple Cloth Diapers for a Stretched Budget

Chinese Prefolds are an economical boost in any diapering budget and a cost-effective way to ease into cloth diapering. Two dozen Regular 6-ply Chinese Prefolds now cost just under $60.00. To purchase a half-dozen cloth diaper covers in rotation can cost anywhere from $33.00 to just over $100.00; this makes for a total cloth diapering expense of $93.00 to $160.00, depending on cloth diaper cover choices.

The Regular Chinese Prefolds are my favorite size; whenever my babies outgrew them I tri-folded them and stuffed them into the stride of a cloth diaper wrap or into the pocket of a Fuzzi Bunz. A very economical cloth diaper choice, my babies’ prefolds moved through three different stages: first, folded down as a cloth diaper for a smaller baby; next, wrapped around a growing, medium-sized baby; and finally, as mentioned above, tri-folded into a wrap or stuffed into a pocket diaper.

When I added up the cost of disposable diapers, I could have quickly exceeded my diaper budget, with nothing to show for it in the end. Yet, with my initial cloth diaper purchase behind me I could toss in a few fancy diaper covers here and there without exploding my diaper budget; they were fun, colorful, and made for interesting discussions with perfect strangers when we were out and about running errands. Still, for the most part, I viewed cloth diapers and diaper covers as underwear, so prints were not as important to me as function.

As a single-income family, we had less ‘disposable’ income – certainly less income to simply throw-away on single-use items like disposables. Chinese Prefold Diapers and diaper covers were, and are still, a cost-effective, high-quality way to ease the budget while keeping baby dry and comfortable.

Whether or not our country is in a “true energy crisis” is left to be seen, but as consumers, few of us in the United States have escaped the soaring prices at the gas pump, grocery stores, restaurants, etc…

Why the speedy rise in energy and transportation costs? Dow Chemical blames the cost of crude oil. Crude oil prices have doubled, even from this time last year, a 17 year high. To offset their soaring costs, Dow Chemical Co. announced a 20 percent price increase in their products, effective June 1, 2008.

Since Dow makes chemicals that go into everything from antifreeze and coolants, to toys, textiles, detergents and disposable diapers, it will come as no surprise that Americans are about to start paying substantially more to purchase basic staples and also, disposable diapers.

Dow is the biggest maker of polyacrylate, the absorbent chemical gel found inside every disposable diaper. When they raise the price of polyacrylate for their disposable diaper manufacturers, consumers will see the trickle down rise in pricing for disposable diapers.

They aren’t the only major chemical company affected either; just the first to announce a price increase-others are soon to follow.

How will this be reflected in the cost of diapering a baby in disposables?

A trip down the grocery aisle, plus a quick calculation of how many diapers a baby will go through in any given day, gives a rough expenditure of about 50 to 65 dollars a month spent on diapers–before the price increase. With Dow Chemical’s price increase of 20 percent on everything, YOURS and MY checkout receipt will reflect a rise of 10 to 18 dollars a month JUST IN DISPOSABLE DIAPERS.

For one reason or another disposable diaper prices have gone up considerably over the past few years. Day care providers who only 5 years ago paid about 22 cents a diaper for Pampers Cruisers^™ are now paying 34 cents for that same disposable diaper.

Beat the rising costs of disposable diapers – USE CLOTH DIAPERS instead!

Set aside any environmental argument you have heard regarding cloth diapers versus disposable diapers and simply focus on the FACTS – the actual COSTS. Following Dow’s announcement, cloth diapers have now become the most economical means to diaper your baby, period.

The Real Diaper Association has an excellent breakdown on the cost of disposable diapers in their Diaper Facts. According to the RDA, based on an average change of 8 diapers per day for a period of 2 years, a single baby will need about 6,000 diapers. Eight diapers a day might not seem like a lot, but 6,000 diapers certainly does-especially 6,000 disposable diapers with a trickle down price increase of about 20 percent.

Not only are disposable diapers expensive, but they are not a wise expense since a disposable diaper used just once is considered trash. Cloth diapers are REUSABLE; the initial investment pays you back, wash after wash, year after year, and through subsequent children.

Cloth Diapers cost less than one tenth the cost of disposables.

Based on estimations made by the RDA, the cost of using cloth diapers is about one tenth the cost of disposables. With the upcoming increased pricing, that will be less than one tenth. Now is the time for parents and caregivers to check out how far the cloth diaper industry has come in making modern cloth diapers that are easy to put on baby, easy to care for, much softer and more comfortable, and of course, considerably less expensive.