Although we have had almost 2 years to prepare we just started to think of all the stuff we have said we will do when baby arrives but have not narrowed it down. We do not use any cleaning products in our home, we are 100% Norwex lovers. We do not want to use the standard alcohol laced baby wipes or bath products. What are you natural Momma's using?
We need advice on:
-baby wipes- we are leaning towards warm wash clothes
-bath products, shampoo,etc - we like olive oil soap or castile soap
-moisturising cream
-laundry soap
We are using cloth diapers. We have the entire G-diaper system. So we are not afraid of getting our hands dirty. So any products or ways without products will be extremely helpful.
Also we want to know about formula. I have looked into inducing my own breast milk but it got weird. I have also heard of breast milk banks, not sure what that is all about either. I have gotten a rave review form a friend of a friend about the president's choice formula. I also know it depends solely on our baby but we think we will start there? Any suggestions?
Clothes, we have clothes. Trust me we do but how many do we need for the first 3 months?
Bottles, we have gotten some Born Free bottles and are liking them so far. Again, no baby has tried them out or anything but they seem pretty easy. Suggestions? Do you really need a sanitizer?
Also we just found out our crib, we bought 2 years ago from a garage sale is now not being made any more. We have a crib with the side that slides down. Which is difficult for us even. What do you parents think out there? If you tell us to buy a new one we will expect you to chip in, just kidding!!
We want to baby wear. Any suggestions on wraps would be great. We have a carrier for Jay and I want a wrap. Best and worst ones would be great!!
Adoption is going to happen fast, and if we don't run out and buy all this today we want to know where to go and get it. We do not want to make a decision fast based on necessity and end up going against what we really believe. Natural, Inexpensive parenting!!
Ummmm that's a lot of questions! I use a maya wrap which is a ring sling and I hear great things about the moby wrap as well. We have had 3 kids use our crib with a sliding rail with never an accident. Formula totally depends on your baby. I had to use different formulas for all 3 babies. We use melaluca laundry detergent as it is the most natural that we have found.
ReplyDeleteThank you. I heard the Mobile wrap is good too. I guess I need to try them out.
DeleteYou didn't leave your name so I am not sure who you are....
sorry its Jason's cousin, ang
DeleteSo happy for you this is incredible news xoxo My husband and I are parents to three little ones 7, 4 and almost 3yrs. We have cloth diapered for about 6yrs and are very happy we have. We really like the Baby Kangas brand of diapers (we have tried a lot of brands) and love that the inserts are zipped in to a pocket and can't move around. We also find the diaper sprayer we have to be fantastic and it just hooks up to your toilet where the mess can just be sprayed off in to and you don't have to deal with it. The best diaper pail we have found and releases no odour is the Ubi pail. The baby carrier we both like is the Beco and cute patterns available too. We love our sleigh crib purchased at Babies r us and have now painted/ distressed and turned it in to a big girl bed for our daughter, so that it is repurposed and the memories live on xo We prefer glass, eco friendly bpa free plastics or aluminum for bottles and the ones we have really enjoyed are Pura or Green to Grow. We just washed in the sink and then placed in the dish washer and didn't purchase a sanitizer. Natural rubber soothers are great and highly recommend a bottle/ food warmer and we still to this day don't microwave, we just now use the oven or stove to heat our food. Soap nuts are gentle and great for laundry and even cloth diapering, not to mention you can get about 10 loads of laundry out of 2 nuts too. Norwex or the Thieves line from Young Living is what we use in our home as we to try to keep chemicals out of our lives as well. Can't stand store bought wipes but instead make our own. You can use cloth or bounty napkin/ paper towel works great to and doesn't break down. We pour castile soap, olive oil, tea tree and lavender over what ever us choose for wipes and it fabulous. For body care products I make and retail my own using only the healthiest non chemical ingredients possible and have had rave reviews. All of the names I have mentions I have tried and tested myself!! I am also able to retail most of the names I have listed to if you have a hard time finding them. Please don't hesitate if you have any questions as I have a large amount of respect for what you are embarking on and hope that its a great transition for you xoxo From Robyn Shackleton
ReplyDeletePs I forgot to add that we love out Phil and Ted's stroller to because if you have another child as well you can just add a second seat instead of a whole new stroller. I nursed as long as I could but we had great luck with the Organics brand at Extra Foods xo
ReplyDeleteThank you Robyn. I would like to know more about the wipes and the body lotions. Where to go and how to make the baby wipe mixture. What are the measurements I guess is what I mean. Thank you for all that info it was a big help.
DeleteThank you Robyn. I would like to know more about the wipes and the body lotions. Where to go and how to make the baby wipe mixture. What are the measurements I guess is what I mean. Thank you for all that info it was a big help.
DeleteHey Lauren! I've been following your blog since the beginning and I'm so happy for you that the day of meeting your baby is getting closer! I thought I'd throw in my two cents to help answer your questions.
ReplyDeleteI cloth diapered for our first two babies, and I made some homemade cloth wipes using two pieces of flannel sewn together. They were pretty awesome, since they were very soft, washed well, and you can make them bigger than regular wipes so that no poo get on your hands when you wipe your baby's bottom. There are simple mixtures to mix up and sit on your change table, to dip the wipes in or even pour into a spray bottle to spray your wipe with. I think I used water and a tsp of baby soap and maybe even a few drops of tea tree oil. I don't think I used anything else. I just wanted something simple and that I could use up products I had and I'm sure all I did was do a google search to get a recipe.
I've formula fed all my babies since my anatomy didn't produce enough milk to feed my babies. They all were fed with Similac since that's what the hospital used and I could often get free cans sent from Similac themselves. My babies ate it well. Around 8-9 months I switched them to President's Choice because it was cheaper, and there were no problems. However, my last baby I decided to try switching right away. She had Similac for the first couple days in the hospital and then we tried President's Choice, but she became very constipated. She couldn't digest it well, so we switched back to Similac and she became regular again. It's completely dependant on your baby and his/her likes and tummy, but we were always successful with Similac.
Clothes - you don't need as many as you think. Depending on the season your baby is little, you will either use sleepers or onesies as your workhorse clothes. Sleepers in winter, onesies in summer. Ten of each is really plenty. A couple cute outfits are nice. And that's it really.
Bottles - I have never used a sanitizer. Bottles need to be sanitized once in a 24 hour period, so I boil my bottles in the evening for 5 minutes and then just rinse with soap and water after my baby has used it. You can continue to use it in the 24 hour period. I have an electric kettle that I boil my water in and that too can sit at room temp for 24 hours. All I do to warm a bottle is put hot tap water in a container, set the bottle in and let it sit for 5 min.
We've had a crib with a sliding rail for 7 years since my first was born and are still using it. It's been fine.
The only baby I've worn a wrap with is my last one. I borrowed a Mobi wrap from a friend and really like it. My baby loves to be wrapped close to me so at 5 months old she still likes it. Eventually I will probably get a ring sling when she wants to be held so she's looking out.
Good luck and I hope you'll have your beautiful baby soon!