Fabric Bins

I have a hard time spending money on things for myself.  Especially if I'm spending money on something to make my life easier, more organized, or making a space prettier.  So I am always thinking of ways I can make the things that I want to buy in the stores. 

One of my favorite things to make are fabric covered storage bins.  I think that bins are so expensive for what you are actually getting.  In fact, that's what I asked for this last Christmas... BINS!  I was really wanting them for a walk in closet/pantry we have at our house, but I wasn't wanting to spend the money on them, so I asked for them for Christmas.  Not your usual Christmas present, but I loved it! :)

Anyways... I have found a really simple way to get cheap and good looking storage!  All you need is a sturdy box and about a 1/3 to 1/2 yard of any kind of fabric and a hot glue gun.  

I find that diaper boxes work great!  Also boxes from Sam's Club or Costco that the bulk food stuff comes in, like granola bars, canned fruit, etc.  Since I couldn't handle the smell of cloth diapers while I was pregnant, I have quite a few diaper boxes and I can't throw them away because they are sturdy and a perfect size to make homemade bins from!

Basically all you do is wrap the fabric around the box, hot glue it to stay, and wrap up the corners like a present.  These boxes probably wouldn't be good for toy storage or storage boxes that are filled with heavy things, unless your boxes are super strong and sturdy.

I mostly use them for cloth diaper storage, extra boxed food (noodles, rice, pasta, etc) storage, and tupperwear lids and container storage.

First, cut your fabric to fit your bin, then hot glue down one side.  I have made some before where I put the fabric all the way to the bottom of the box. It just depends on how pretty you want the inside of the box to look!

Then do the same thing to the other side.

Cut a piece of fabric to fit the side of the box.  Next, flip out the corner pieces so you can insert the side panel. 

Glue the side panel in, making sure to glue it inside the box also.

Then glue the flaps down, on top of the side panel.  Almost like wrapping a present.  If you want the sides to be neat and clean, fold the edge over so no cut edges are showing. 

This is what the finished side panel should look like. 

And there you have your finished storage box! Like I said above, it might not be the fanciest storage box, but it looks a lot nicer sitting on a shelf than a diaper box!  And they are super fast and easy to make!

Hope you enjoy your cheap and easy storage solutions!

Cassandra :)

Yeast Diaper Rash and How to Treat it Naturally

My little Sunshine has a yeast diaper rash!  It is no fun to be a mommy and see your little one have something wrong! :(

I generally use cloth diapers, but I was having gall bladder surgery, and thought it would just be easier to use disposables during the surgery time when the kiddos would be taken care of by family, and then also once we got back home and I was recovering.  I decided to use up some cheap off brand (Up & Up) diapers I had gotten as a gift when Bug was a baby because I was tired of having them around the house.  My Sunshine's bum was getting red so I put some diaper rash cream on it, but it seemed to be getting worse, not better.  Then, it was kind of looking like dry skin, so I put some healing lotion on it.  That wasn't helping.  I went back to cloth, which made it stop getting worse, but it wasn't helping it get better.  I tried coconut oil and tea tree oil... guess what, not working!  I was at a loss!  I had Sunshine's 2 month check up a few days after I felt like I had tried all my options, so I waited to see what the doctor had to say until then.  

So I go to the doctor and talk about everything I had tried to heal the rash. Then he opens up Sunshine's diaper and immediately said, that's a yeast infection!  He asked me some questions and we figured it was just a diaper rash that got infected by yeast in his poo and turned into a yeast infection. 

The doctor gives me a prescription for Nystatin.  I go home, thinking this is going to just clear it all up and we can be done with this!  Well it wasn't working, and it still wasn't working, and you guessed it, not working still after using it for a week and a day.  Boy was I frustrated!  It was going on about three weeks total that Sunshine had had a diaper rash/yeast infection! The doctor said if it wasn't better in two weeks, to come back.  But I knew he would just give me another kind of cream and I didn't really want just another cream.  

So I turned to my friend the Internet to try to find some homemade and natural remedies.  And this is what I found...

This website is awesome!  But this recipe for yeast diaper rash cream is even more awesome!

I mixed up a double batch and started using it right away!  I have been using it for three days, and the yeast infection is starting to clear up!  I am sold on this!  I think the most important thing is that I got raw and unrefined coconut oil.  I'm not sure if you can just get that in the regular coconut oil area at a Wal-Mart type store, because when I bought my first jar of coconut oil, I was looking for refined so it wouldn't smell like coconut.  And since I had to go to the natural health shop for the grapefruit seed extract, I just picked some up there.  I also get my infant probiotics at a natural health food store.

Here is the recipe from the website that I linked above...

1 Tablespoon raw and unrefined coconut oil.

1/2 Teaspoon powder probiotics

About 20 drops of Grapefruit Seed Extract 

2-3 drops essential oil - Lavender or Roman Chamomile 

Like I said, I doubled the recipe so I wouldn't have to mix it up again super fast.  I also did not add an essential oil.  I might have added lavender if my essential oils had come in the mail before I made this, but I am new to the essential oil world and after going back and forth on whether or not they are necessary, I finally ordered some!  

I have continued to give my Sunshine his daily dose of probiotics. I have just been way more intentional about it, because honestly, some days around here are crazy and I forget to give it to my kiddos! :(

I also have been using disposables while treating this infection.  Cloth holds moisture right next to the bum, which helps yeast to grow (they like it warm and moist!).  Disposables wick moisture away from the bum.  I have been using a sensitive type of diaper, and while I would rather be using cloth, I think this has also helped in the healing process.  

Another thing I have been doing is letting Sunshine's bum air out.  I was kind of freaked out about letting him go without a diaper, but once I tried it, it really wasn't that bad.  In fact, more times than not, he doesn't even pee!  I just put him on a towel and we do tummy time for a bit.  Then, when he gets tired of that, I hold him sitting up and he just sits there looking around the room.  After I air him out, I definitely see an improvement in the rash.  

One thing to remember, and not get too discouraged about, is night time.  Right now, my Sunshine is sleeping for about 4-5 hours at a time.  Which means a wet diaper is on him for that amount of time.  So in the morning, it is going to look worse than it did when you put the baby to bed.  But if you keep up with the cream, airing out time, and lots of diaper changes through out the day, it will help the nights from getting so bad!  

I hope this works for you like it did for us!  It really was a sanity saver for this worried momma who didn't know what else to do!  It it so reassuring to know that the infection is on the downswing and I am using products that are safe and natural for my baby!

Cassandra :)

An update - A day after I wrote this post, I got a super bad ear infection.  I had to start taking antibiotics, and antibiotics make yeast infections flare up.  So I called the doctor because Sunshine's bum wasn't getting any worse, but it wasn't getting better like it had been.  He told me to just get some Monistat cream from over the counter.  I have been using that and it is slowly getting better, but I know the antibiotics I am taking are making the healing process so much slower!  

I just wanted to say that because of this silly ear infection, I was not able to see if the cream I made above of coconut oil, etc. really did work to totally clear up the yeast rash.  

Cloth Diaper Wipes Spray

So it's been a while... again...

And without going into a lot of details, let's just say that my life has been a roller coaster of sickness (nauseous all pregnancy), moving, sickness (more nauseous all pregnancy), having a baby, taking care of a baby and 18 month old, getting used to being a farmer's wife, and then having gallbladder pain and then eventually surgery while still taking care of my two kiddos, life has been a little overwhelming at times!

But I have gotten back into cloth diapering.  I quit cloth diapering when my Bug was about 10 months old.  I felt awful putting the chemicals on his bum, but with how nauseous I was all pregnancy, I could not handle cleaning out poopy diapers and putting diapers that had been in the pail all day into the laundry.  The smell literally made me throw-up!  But now that that's all over, and my newborn had EXTREMELY bad diaper rash, I am back to using them again!

While I was on a cloth diapering hiatus, I have gotten a little more into the world of natural things and chemical free living.  I have started using Melaleuca products and it has made me more aware of all the junk we put in and on our bodies.

So when I made cloth diaper wipes spray, I used my chemical free products to make it.  With the exception on the Baby Oil, that was still Johnson and Johnson.  I also want to say that there is nothing wrong if you use Johnson and Johnson.  I thought more natural things were so expensive and not really worth it, but then I found the Melaleuca Company and got chemical free, natural products for cheaper than you can get in the store.  But don't beat yourself up if you do use the regular stuff!

Here is how I make my cloth wipes spray:

1 cup water (boiled to get bacteria, etc. out and make the water last longer if you are making a large batch)

1 TBSP Baby Oil with Vitamin E

1 TBSP Baby Soap

1 TBSP Baby Lotion (This can be left out)

6 Drops Tea-Tree Oil (Melaleuca Oil)

I usually make 4 to 6 cups at a time and keep it in a sealed container.  I fill a spray bottle with the solution and then spray the wipes as I need them.

I thought I had already written about this, but I couldn't find anything on it when I looked earlier, so I'm writing about it now!  But if it is somewhere else and you are reading about this again, sorry! :)

Also, for those of you on the fence about using cloth wipes because you might thing it is gross, just try it!  I thought the same thing and it was way more hassle using disposable wipes and cloth diapers.  And cloth wipes work so much better than disposable ones!  I just use some cut up pieces of fleece squares and they work AWESOME!!  Just try it, I know you will love them!

But I am so glad that life is getting back to "normal" and I have time and energy to blog again! 

Looking forward to chatting with you soon!

Cassandra :)

Sunning Cloth Diapers

My cloth diapers have taken a beating the past week (I'll leave that to your imagination) :) 

They were totally stained!  Because it is finally getting nice and sunny in our neck of the woods, I decided to try "sunning" my diapers.

It is so easy and it WORKED!!!

All I did was wash my diapers like normal, but then instead of throwing them in the dryer, I put them on my laundry rack to dry in the sun.

The sun basically acts as a natural bleach and it takes the stains out.

Once the diapers were dry, I did toss them in the dryer for a few minutes because they were all crunchy from drying in the sun.  But just a few minutes was all they needed  and they were soft and fluffy!

I most likely won't do this very often, just when my diapers are needing a good whitening.  I always am waiting until the last minute to wash diapers, and I don't see that changing in the future.  I don't have time to let diapers dry outside all day long.  But I do love the energy saving of not using the dryer, so we'll just have to see how it goes! :)

Happy Cloth Diapering!
Cassandra :)

Cloth Diaper Fleece Liners

When I first started cloth diapers on my Bug, he hated the feeling of being wet.  Which I don't blame him for!!  So I changed him alot.  Which wasn't too bad, but then I had an idea...

I also was looking for something to act as a barrier for when I put on diaper cream, because I did not want to buy special cream for cloth diapers.  

I was reading a blog somewhere that said to cut little pieces of fleece and put them down so the diaper cream goes on that and not the cloth diaper. 

So I tried that and when I used diaper cream, it worked okay.  But the pieces were too small. (These have now become my wipes).

So I decided to buy more fleece and cut them to the size of a tri-folded prefold.

I have since discovered that if I always put a fleece line down it does two things...

1.  It wicks away the moisture from my little Bug's bum, helping him to feel more dry.

2.  Saves my diapers from getting super stained when he poops! :)  The sides get a little stained, which comes out after a few washed, but the whole thing stays fairly clean for the most part. 

I do only use these with prefolds because most other diapers on the market already have a wicking away liner.  

The coolest thing is that when I was looking for doublers and inserts online, I ran across fleece liners.  They are doing the same thing I am using them for.  But in my opinion, they are super spendy!  So I am feeling pretty good about myself for coming up with the idea on my own, and it is really a "real thing" for cloth diapers!  (Pat myself on the back! :) )

I bought one yard of fleece for about $6.00.  I didn't wait for a super great sale because I wanted it NOW! So it wasn't the cheapest, but I probably made about 60 liners or so.  So I still think I came out quite nice with the price.  

The fleece really does wash up nice to.  I haven't had any stains or anything and for the most part, it is still very soft and thick feeling.  

I will advise you to buy the fleece from a "good" fabric store like Jo-Anns or someting.  The first stuff I bought from Wal-Mart because Bug was super tiny and needed to eat alot, so when I was out and about, I couldn't be gone for that long.  So I got it at the one stop shop of Wal-Mart.  The fleece is thin, VERY stretchy and poor quality.  I am using this for my wipes, but I am very glad I got some better quality stuff for my liners!  

Ahhh... I just LOVE talking about all the great things about cloth diapering!  It is so much fun!

That's all for now!

Cassandra :)

Cloth Diaper Washing Routine and Detergent

One of the big choices when using cloth diapers is how to wash them.  This can be a little daunting at first, because I mean, come on... you are washing poop... in your washing machine... that washed all your other clothes!  Kind of gross! :)

But I promise, it is not that gross.  And it really isn't all that hard either!  

Like said in my cloth diaper 101 post, I am not saying this is the greatest way to wash cloth diapers... this is just what works for our family.

We use a wet/dry pail method.  This means that some diapers get put in the pail wet and some get put in dry.  We use a garbage can from Target with a press down latching lid.  I use lemon scented garbage bags to line the pail. I know, I know! Bad mommy for using bags and not a reuseable liner.  But honestly I am using cloth diapers for the money saving aspect, not the environmental aspect and in the long run, I think using disposable bags will be cheaper than buying diaper pail liners.  Diaper pail liners are anywhere from 18 to 30 dollars each and I would need to get two of them so you can use one while the other is washing.  I bought 75 garbage bags for less than 4 dollars and I use one every two to three days.  So about 8 - 10 dollars per year and hopefully diapers for only two years... you do the math! :)

But back to the wet/dry pail!  We have the pail in our bathroom next to the toilet.  We change Bug's diaper in his room, and then bring the diaper to the bathroom.  If it is just a wet diaper, we simple put it in the pail.  If it is a messy diaper, I either spray it off with the diaper sprayer, or rinse it in the sink.  If it is really runny and gross like breastfed baby poop can be sometimes, I just rinse it in the sink because I would fill my toilet up three times using the diaper sprayer because the poop just stays on the diaper and you have to use so much spray to get it off.  I leave these messy diapers pretty wet when I put them in the pail, trying to leave as much water as I can in them to leave them wet until wash day.  This helps the stains to not set in.  

My husband made this wonderful diaper sprayer but you can buy them online also.

I also take all the diapers inserts out right way so I don't have to do it before I put them in the washer.  Digging through diapers that have been sitting for two days does gross me out! :) So I always make sure to have everything wash ready before putting it in the pail!

On wash day I bring the bag down stairs and and put it in the washing machine.  I also throw in a towel to help swish things around.  I usually end up only filling the washer up half full with diapers, so I just feel like the towel helps to agitate them more.  I use a full load setting of water and do a cold rinse.  Water cleans diapers!  I find it best to put it on a full load regardless of how full of diapers that washer is. 

After the cold rinse, I put in detergent and do a hot wash, cold rinse cycle.  Some people say to do another rinse after this to make sure all the detergent is out, but I really don't find it necessary.  My little Bug doesn't have rashes and my diapers do not repel, so I am pretty sure all the detergent is out. But if you have either of these problems, you might want to do another rinse. 

Then I throw everything in the dryer.  I use the longest dry cycle on the hottest setting.  My fitted and hemp liners don't get dry all the way so then I just set them out to finish drying.  I know some people say to pull out the covers because heat isn't good for them, but so far I am not seeing any problems with the covers.  They still look and work good as new.  So for simplicity sake, I will continue to put them in the dryer.

The detergent I use to homemade, but it's nothing fancy.  I just decided to use it once again because of the money saving factor.  Buying cloth diaper detergent is expensive!  And I didn't want to just use regular detergent because I know that can cause repelling issues.  So I made my own. 

Here is my recipe...

1 cup Washing Soda

1 Cup Borax

1/2 cup Oxi-clean free or baby

Simply stir them together and you have a cloth diaper detergent!  Easy-peasy lemon-squeezy! :)

I tripled the recipe and it lasted me 3 1/2 months.  I use about 2-3 tablespoons per load.  

I wrote the recipe on a piece of paper and taped it to the top of my container so I always have to ready to go and easy access to it.

I do still have some staining, but nothing too bad.  And usually a few washed will get the stain out totally!  Once summer comes, I am going to try sunning my diapers because I have read that takes stains out.  But for now, it is winter in North Dakota, so no sunning diapers for me! :)  

 I hope you are enjoying the wonderful world of cloth diapering as much as I am!  

Cassandra :)

P.S. - I know there is some controversy over using borax.  But it is only dangerous if it is ingested by a child.  Well two things...

1.  All the detergent is washed out of the diapers

2.  My Bug is not sucking on his diapers!

So for me, it really isn't a concern, but if it does bother you, there are many other simple recipes for cloth diaper detergent you can use.  

Cloth Diapering 101

When I started out on this whole cloth diaper experience, I was new to EVERYTHING!! And it seemed that there was so much to learn. And not only so much to learn, but it seemed that every blog I read had a VERY different opinion on everything related to cloth diapering. And as a new mom, it was completely overwhelming.  In fact, if the prospect of cloth diaper didn't sound so wonderful to me, I probably would have just used disposable diapers because I seriously was so confused by all the lingo, ideas, ways to do things, and types of cloth diapers. :(

And that right there my friends makes me very sad.  Looking back to where I was four months ago and my feelings of despair and nervousness over cloth diapers makes me not want any mom to have those feelings. 

I think the reason why there are so many different ways to do cloth diapers is because there are so many different types of families!  What works for my family might not work for your family!  But the way that some families express their views on the subject as "my way or the highway" makes them sound like the ultimate authority on cloth diapers.  And let me tell you, they are NOT the authority!! YOU ARE!! You have to do what is best for your family! Plain and simple!

So without trying to be too authoritative and over-bearing ;) I'm going to tell you what I use for cloth diapers.

Most of the cloth diapers we use at our house are prefold diapers with a cover.  
When Bug was a newborn, we used Osocozy newborn (yellow trim) prefolds and Real Nappy covers. Once he started to leak with the newborn size, I ordered the medium sized Osocozy prefolds.

When using prefolds, I do not use pins or snappies.  I just fold the diaper into thirds and lay it in the cover.  I don't know if I just didn't get big enough diapers, but I could never get them to fit around him doing a tradition fold around his tummy.  I like the simplicity of just folding them into thirds and laying them in.  Most covers have a flap to keep the prefold in place. 

For over night diapers, we used Alva Baby pocket diapers with the inserts that came with.  The link above to this dino diaper was our favorite, and I loved the inserts that come with it! 
I ordered more Alva Baby diapers from shopdiaper.com and they came with different inserts.  These inserts did NOT work for the Bug and I ended up trying some different things that I will talk about later.  

But low and behold, our over night diaper system did not work anymore.  We realized that Bug was holding his pee and then would pee a lot all at once, and the pocket diaper lining could not handle that fast of pee.  So we tried putting a prefold inside a pocket diaper and that seemed to work, but that much fabric on a 1 1/2 month old looked absolutely crazy and uncomfortable.  So I went in search of another solution...

And I found the world of fitted diapers.  A fitted diaper is basically a prefold made into a whole diaper.  So no matter where the pee goes, it will get soaked up with the cotton.  You have to use a cover with these because it is just cotton material.  
And I also found out that cotton and natural fibers absorb much better for heavy wetters than synthetic materials like microfiber. 

  The fitted diaper I chose to go with was the Thirsty Duo Fab Fitted diaper.  It is quite a mouthful, but they are pretty great!  It is not a regular fitted diaper because it is not prefold material. In fact, I'm not even sure what it is made of, but it is SUPER soft, highly absorbent, and it works wonders for us!  It also it pretty affordable compared to most fitted diapers!  You can stuff them with an insert, but you don't have to.  I use Thirsty doublers or hemp inserts.  I ordered two just to try, and I loved them, so I ordered two more.  By pairing this with a cover, we have not had any leaks at night time!

As our Bug got bigger, we needed some bigger covers.  I went mainly with Diaper Safari covers and a couple Thirsty covers.  I still use the medium Osocozy prefolds and as of right now, my four month old Bug is doing great with the medium size. 

I use pocket diapers now mainly when Bug has an afternoon with a Grandma or Auntie, or when we are going out shopping or to church.  

I love how adjustable the Alva Baby pocket diapers are!  They really are a great diaper to use and use and use as your baby grows and grows and grows!

Now like I said above, the inserts I got with my second order of Alva Baby diapers were JUNK!  So I ordered some hemp inserts.  Well, I did not know that while hemp is super absorbent, it is SLOW absorbing, and since I have a fast peeing baby, this was not working at all.  So I did some more reading and found Thristy Doublers. I absolutely love these colorful, absorbant, amazing pieces of fabric! :)

I have been using a doubler and a hemp or original insert I got with the Alva Baby diapers together.  This seems to work really well.  

So that is how we cloth diaper in our house.  This is what works for us.  It might not work for you.  The key with cloth diapers is trial and error.  For someone who does not like to experiment (I just want it to work the first time), this can be hard.  But it is also very rewarding when you find what works for you!

Here are the amount of diapers I currently am using for my four month old little Bug...

7 Diaper Safari snap covers
2 Thirsty Duo Snap Wrap covers - size two
1 Rumparoo Cover - size one

12 Osocozy prefold diapers - medium
6 Gerber prefold diapers - not my favorite, but use them when I don't have laundry done.
6 Osocozy unbleached prefold diapers - size 1 - almost too small 

4 Thirsty Duo Fab Fitted diapers - size two

9 Thirsty Fab Doublers - large
2 Thirsty Hemp Inserts - large
3 Baby Kicks Hemp Inserts - medium
4 Inserts from Alva Baby diapers - I really have no clue what these are made of or how to get more besides ordering individual diapers off amazon.

8 Alva Baby pocket diapers
3 Shop Diaper pocket diapers 
1 bumGenius 4.0 pocket diaper

I have more diapers than I probably need, but I only have to do laundry every two days.  And that my friends is FABULOUS!  :)

I know that is a lot of information!  But that is what we do.  Remember, try new things and see what works for you!  But also remember to not order a whole lot of one type until you try it first.  A diaper one person might rave about, might not work for you baby.  So try a few and go from there.  

Cloth diapering is so much fun!  I love how my Bug's bottom is always free of redness and I love the fact that I'm not putting chemicals on his little bum.  

Hope you are able to find what works for you! If you have questions, feel free to comment! I'd love to talk with you! 

Cassandra :)

Nice, Clean Laundry

The other day I received a HUGE blessing of baby boy clothes!  It was more clothes than I even knew what to do with!  The only problem was the person I got them from used very strong laundry detergent and I wasn't a huge fan of the smell.  

I washed the first load and used a little more than normal amount of laundry soap, and they still smelled.  So I washed them again using soap, and still nothing changed.  Then I went and washed them without soap to see if rinsing would work.  Guess what?... Nothing!  So I turned to handy dandy Pinterest and read some articles and decided to try using vinegar.  I was VERY skeptical because come on, who wants there new baby to wear vinegar smelling clothes?! Not me. 

But the articles did say that the reason why vinegar works is because over time, detergent and other smells build up in your fabrics and cause them to have a strong detergent smell, or even a musty smell in your towels.  

So I fill the washer again, pour in one cup of white vinegar and hope for the best.  And low and behold, I was amazed!!  The clothes came out smelling like nothing!  There was a little bit of a vinegar smell, but once I dried them, that smell was gone!  

Needless to say, not only did I wash the baby clothes like that, but I also washed two loads of towels.  My towels had just been smelling "off" lately.  But now they smell so nice and fresh!  I am in love with using vinegar in the laundry!  

On a side note, we are pretty sure we are going to be cloth diapering our baby and so I found this to be interesting.  In one of the articles I read, they said using vinegar in the rinse cycle of the diapers will take out any left over detergent that is left in the diapers.  This will cause less chance of diaper rash and less skin irritation. So just something to think about!

So try vinegar in your laundry and I hope you are as pleasantly surprised as me!

That's all for now!

Cassandra :)