Cloth Diapering has modernized quite a bit recently.  One of the areas that has exploded is all the accessories that are needed to Cloth Diaper.  Besides the actual Cloth Diapers, you need a place to put the dirty diapers (such as a pail or bucket with a sealed lid to hold in odors!), wipes to clean your little one’s bottom with and something to wet the wipes.

Yes, you could use just plain water, but it soon becomes apparent that you need something more – not too much more, after all, you want to stay ‘natural’ and ‘green’ – but you do need some sort of water based solution that will clean, disinfect and leave your baby’s bottom smelling clean!

Many solutions contain Essential Oils which not only help clean your baby, but also provide a wonderful aromatherapy for your little one.  For those who need one that is Essential Oil-free, there are also options available.

 Today’s wipe solutions are very easy to use. For example, Buns Up Wipe Solutions by Granola Babies simply dissolve in warm water.  A little water, a little cube, a little happy baby.

 Go Cloth, Go Granola

~Beth

Yes, I love my local Farmer’s Market and while I extol the wisdom ofCSA’s, like many others, I cannot hide the fact that I love Whole Foods.  Thank goodness for the Internet so I can read about other’s tempations.   Jackie Huba writes about her love affair with Whole Foods, Jeff Opdyke wrote in the Wall Street Journal about sneaking across town to visit the store (you have to subscribe to read, so I won’t frustrate everyone by linking to the login page) and just about everyone I know has experienced the siren call of Whole Foods and its tantalizing prepared food aisle. 

Big Organic aside (Yes, I have read Michael Pollan and agree with him!), Whole Foods is simply a temptation for body and mind.  They are building one in my town and I plan on going to the opening day celebrations.  With my Green Bags and Cloth Diapered Baby in tow.

~Beth

The news is abuzz these days with the financial woes of many Americans.  The decline of the housing market combined with other factors has made many families become very cost conscious.   As we all search for ways to economize our lives and stretch our dollars, Cloth Diapers are a great cost savings move for many the four millions babies born each year in the U.S. 

The statistics largely agree that the average child will go through about $2,000 worth of disposable diapers from birth to potty training.  Depending on the style and type of cloth diapers, the Cloth Diapered Baby will only cost from $300 to $500 to diaper for that same time period. 

No wonder, more and more people are turning to Cloth Diapers.   And if that isn’t enough, there’s always a sale online. 

Go Cloth, Go Granola

~Beth

It is official. Green is the new color. Being eco-focused has passed a mere “In” status and is not accepted on all fronts. Time magazine ran a controversial article about cloth diapers, which showcased many of the positives.

“Velcro, buttons and snaps have replaced pins, and the diapers are fitted with elastic around the openings to hold tight around flailing legs. In place of old-fashioned rubber panties, the new cloths use water-resistant covers made of merino wool, nylon or polyurethane laminate.”

Companies such as Granola Babies are today’s online boutique for “environmentalists, earth mamas, cost-conscious parents and those who argue that cloth diapering is healthier.”

We tend to agree, Cloth is best.

So, Go Cloth, Go Granola

~Beth

All over the U.S., companies and governments are working to reduce or ban plastic bags in stores. Whole Foods is getting rid of their plastic bags by Earth Day (April 22). They project that this will reduce plastic bag consumption by over 100 million bags this year alone. Holy landfill, Batman! That’s a lot of bags.

Customers have the option of choosing recycled paper bags or buying one of the green (both color and environmentally) cloth bags that they sell for 99 cents.  We bought a number of the Whole Foods bags last year and they go everywhere with us – supermarket, grocery store, clothes shopping, you name it! We even took one on our family adventure this weekend when we went to a local museum – just on the off chance that we might need to pick up something. Suffice it to say, there are a few bags in both our cars at all times. If you haven’t tried out a reusable bag, go ahead and spring for one or two. Not only do they help each of us do “our part” but, you look really green doing it.

~ Beth

We cloth diaper our youngest child and one challenge that many people face when Cloth Diapering is vacations.  Being away from home for several days can be daunting and going on vacation for a week or more can seem like an impossible task.  We have been very successful at overcoming these challenges to go on not only 3 and 4 day mini-vacations but also one and two week trips while Cloth Diapering. 

It does require some advance planning, but with a little preparation, you can make it through a quick getaway with minimal work and even a longer vacation will only require a few hours of time every few days to keep your baby clothed and happy while you are on vacation. Here’s some tips, we hope that you find them helpful.

- Pick your best cloth diapers to take on the road.  You want to minimize the chances of leaking diapers while you are in Disneyland.

- Carry enough diapers to make it 3 days.  Nothing sidelines a vacation like having to wash diapers every night after visiting museums and water parks all day.

- Pack the Diaper Pails.  You will never need a smell proof canister more than when you are travelling 8 hours in a mini-van.  You may want to pack a little baking soda to toss in the pail to help deodorize it while travelling.

- Make sure that your hotel or the family or friends you are staying with are OK with you washing diapers in their machine. Call in advance.  You will be glad you did.  And ensure that you carry enough detergent and a roll of quarters for your trip. 

If you have a tip, we’d love to hear from you.

  Following up on my post on Farmers Market’s and CSA I found another CSA that delivers, however this time to your doorstep.  I have not tried them before, but I have heard  great things about them.  Reading about them prompted me to think about how Community Support Agriculture really forces us to eat seasonally. 

 When we join a local CSA, we pay a flat rate and get whatever comes in our box. Unlike the grocery store and even a local Farmer’s Market, the CSA farm picks the fruits, vegetables and herbs for us. So, what they pick, is what we get!  This does two things. 

 1- It forces us to eat in season, and more importantly,

2 – It forces us to try new things.

Most CSAs will work their way through 50 or 60 different items in  the course of the year.  I can pretty much guarantee that this is a number well above the average American’s number for vegetable types tried in a year.  Really good CSAs will include a recipe in each box which explains how to use it food. This helps with the more unusual ones, which, after you try them, sometimes become a favorite.

So, for everyone out there who finds Kale a challenge when it shows up in your CSA box, take heart!  A few simple tips will have you using up the overly generous portions that make their way into our houses.

- Wash and clean the leaves, de-spine them ( I have heard that some people use the spines, but I don’t) and then mince them in a food processor.  When you have pieces that are one quarter the size of your fingernail, stop.  This stores well ina ziploc bag and can be thrown into any number of dishes while cooking, such as stir-fry, any rice dish, salads, you name it.  Pieces this small are easy to mix in and practically unnoticeable, especially for picky eaters in the house. 

- A sure hit with my kids is the chop the pieces by hand (don’t food processor them) and then cook with chopped onions and a little maple syrup in a pan.  The touch of sweetness gets you over the initial shock of Kale and helps kids and adults to learn to appreciate this nutrient dense vegetable.

I hope this helps and give CSA’s a try.  By the way, the one I found that delivers to your door is Farm Fresh to You at http://www.farmfreshtoyou.com/