My New Best Friends

Hope you're all having a wonderful December! We just celebrated St. Nicholas Day for the first time with Jem on Tuesday...it was so much fun to watch him pull his new little wooden trains and cars out of his stocking. They've been a big hit! St. Nick brought a few things for mommy and daddy too... including chocolate oranges. Yum!

As we approach the end of 2011, I've started to think about the list of my favorite products of the year. Later in the month I'll make a full list of these products, but for now I'm just going to talk about a few recent additions to my cloth diaper routine that I don't know how I ever did without.

First up: Borax. As fabulous as my recent discoveries of Eco Sprout and The Laundry Tarts detergent were, even they were still not quite able to save my thickest diapers from the stink that sometimes remained after the wash cycle. I have battled keeping rashes off of my son from the beginning, particularly with his nighttime diapers. One reason for this, I believe, is that the majority of my inserts are microfiber, which I recently became aware is notorious for getting less absorbant and harder to clean the older it gets. Enter Borax, a natural, cost effective cleaning product, which my mother had recommended months ago but I was hesitant to try. I had heard sodium borate, the chemical name for Borax, can be a skin irritant. However, after reading that, like many other natural cleaning products, it's only an irritant if rubbed directly on the skin and that it washes out completely in laundry, I tried it. The difference in the smell of even my thickest overnight microfiber inserts and my fitted diapers is amazing. There is none! I am currently using 2 Tbsp of The Laundry Tarts (Plain Jane) or Crunchy Clean unscented with 4 Tbsp of Borax. The best part is that, since sodium borate is found abundantly right here in the US (mostly in California), a 4 lb box of Borax only costs about $3. I can live with that!

My next new best friend is Bamboo. Because of not only the stink, but the leakage issues we have battled due to the microfiber inserts, I decided it was time to try more natural fibers. Although hemp and organic cotton are technically more eco-friendly (bamboo must first be made into nylon or viscose fibers before it can be made into fabric, which do not biodegrade as easily as cotton and hemp), bamboo has the benefits of being more absorbant, softer, and it wicks urine away from baby's bottom a bit better than cotton and hemp. So I bought a couple of bamboo inserts from SweetBottomsBaby Boutique. I have been so impressed by the absorbancy compared to the microfiber that I ordered ten more bamboo inserts, this time Doopsy inserts from Etsy (Doopsy inserts are made in the USA). I have a feeling this will not be my last bamboo purchase. In fact, if they continue to work for us I may phase microfiber out of our supply entirely and switch solely to natural fibers!

Next up is a product that may surprise those who've been following this blog for awhile: Kawaii Goodnight Heavy Wetter diapers. I was hesitant to try them because they are made in China, and you know I have that list of USA manufactured diapers I was intent on sticking with. The fact that they cost so little also makes me squirm a little...my first thought when I see a price so low on a pocket diaper is "what are their workers making per hour?" However, Jem's been such a heavy wetter at night lately that even our beloved BumGenius diapers, paired with three inserts (1 bamboo, 1 hemp and 1 microfiber) were not cutting it. I kept hearing the glowing reviews about Kawaii GNHW dipes, and they WERE inexpensive. So I decided to break down and buy just one from Figure 8 Maternity, for $10 with free shipping. I still use three inserts to be on the safe side (two natural fiber inserts plus one of the microfiber inserts the GNHW came with), but so far, Jem has not leaked out of it once. The inserts are all soaking in the morning, but his jammies and sheets are dry. So...I ordered two more of these wonder dipes. Which should be plenty! I do feel bad about not sticking with my list, but I figure it's just a few diapers for nighttime and I can stick with US made diapers for the rest of my stash. Oh, the compromises we make for our sweet babies! For the record, Luvyourbaby Products, the creators of Kawaii diapers, post an assurance on their website that their laborers are treated well and that their prices are low simply because they have no retail locations to pay for. I guess I'll just have to hope that's true!

My last new best friend is that GE Profile HE toploading washing machine I was so excited to get. Yes, I've only had it for a couple of months, so there's still time for it to break my heart. However, what I have here is an energy efficient machine that I can still add as much water to as I need for diaper washing, with a custom-tailored cycle I have programmed just for diapers. This cycle automatically runs with the push of one button and gives me a 30 minute soak, then a nice, hot, temperature-controlled heavy duty wash followed by one normal rinse and one extra "fabric softener" rinse (a more thorough rinse). It's wonderful! And it's kind of hypnotizing to watch it work its magic through the glass auto-lock lid...even my hubby likes to stand there and stare!

Hope you all are enjoying whatever holiday traditions you celebrate! Stay tuned for some fun giveaways coming up!!!

An Eco-Friendly Halloween Part II: Greener Treats

Thank you all for your patience with me! I promised you another Green Halloween post weeks ago. Now it's October, and hopefully as the day approaches you'll find some of these ideas helpful!

Every year, millions of Americans hand out plastic-sheathed, corn-syrupy treats with pesticide-riddled ingredients to costumed tots at their doorsteps. Don't get me wrong, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups have always been a weakness of mine, and I'm sure as Jem gets older he'll be allowed an occasional nibble as well. However, with obesity rates and health problems related to processed foods on the rise, you might be one of the parents who chooses to go a different way this year.

I'm not suggesting you should try slipping carrot sticks and celery into the kids' buckets...we all remember that random box of raisins the neighborhood cat lady sneaked into our bags when we were little, that just floated around, ignored, till all the good stuff was gone. There are, however, alternatives to the big name candy brands that might help to put your eco-conscience at ease. The one you pick might boil down to how much time you have, how much traffic you expect to get going by your door, and how close-knit your community is.

If you live in a small, close-knit, kid-friendly community, you might consider making your own treats. Cookies baked with organic, unrefined sugar and flour, cut into Halloween shapes and wrapped in decorated foil or chemical-free parchment paper could be a great treat in such neighborhoods. Pesticide-free candy apples dipped in organic, fair trade chocolate would be extra special!  If you don't have time for homemade goodies or don't live in such a trusting neighborhood, websites like NaturalCandyStore.com and YummyEarth sell organic, vegan and allergen-free candy in bulk (though the prices are, admittedly, quite a bit more than you'd pay for that mixed bag of brand name candy at Wal-Mart).

If you live in a high-traffic area with lots of kids you don't know dropping by, you might think about opting out of the edible treats altogether and going for something fun instead. How about non-toxic crayons (you can even recycle old used crayons), or coloring pages printed on recycled paper? Marbles are fun and fairly cheap and can be divided up into little paper baggies (though remember they are a choking hazard for kids under age 3). Here's a neat idea: rather than giving the kids more treats, how about giving them a fun way to recycle all of those candy wrappers when they're done with them? Starburst and Tootsie Rolls are very popular Halloween candies, and this tutorial shows how to make chains out of those wrappers that can be used to make jewelry, hairpieces, keychains or decorations for the Christmas tree (I used to make these with gum wrappers when I was a kid). Slipping a little copy of these instructions in a child's bag might help to keep some of those non-recyclable wrappers out of the landfill for awhile longer!

So which of these ideas will I be using this year?  I honestly have no idea. I'm thinking coloring pages and the candy chain tutorial might be the way to go for us...though I do hope to at least bake enough organic sugar cookies to give to the kids in the neighborhood whose parents we've already met!

I have bought some felt to make the bottom half of Jem's Halloween costume, and I have a friend with an awesome WAHM-made crocheted hat business, Happy Hats by the Girls, working on the top part (which he can keep using as a winter hat after Halloween is over). So what will he be? Well, I'll give you a hint: we're going to be dorks and we're all going with Harry Potter costumes this year. Hubby and I are planning to be Lupin and Tonks (I'm hoping I can find a natural way to temporarily dye my hair purple...blueberries, maybe?) Jem will be...something in keeping with the theme. :-)

Hope you all have a blast with your Green Halloween preparations! I know I plan to!

An Eco-friendly Halloween: Green Costume Ideas

No offense to Kermit, Shrek, the Geico gecko, Slimer (remember him?) or the Jolly Green Giant, but they're not exactly what I have in mind when I say "Green Costume Ideas." (Though I'm sure if you're creative enough you could come up with eco-friendly versions of all of those!)

If you're a Halloween nut like I am, you probably started thinking about your child's costume, or your costume, no less than a month ago. If you're not such a Halloween nut, you still may have started thinking about it recently, since the holiday/seasonal marketing campaigns seem to begin earlier every year, and I have definitely seen the topic discussed already among some of my Facebook mama friends. Halloween can be a wonderfully exciting time for your child and for you, but when you consider just how much waste is produced - and, oftentimes, immediately discarded or hoarded away to take up space in a closet somewhere - you might start to feel a bit less excited!

Never fear! There are greener solutions for almost everything, even Halloween. Here are a few greener costume tips to help set your eco-conscience at ease:

1) Reuse a costume. I'm listing this one first because it is definitely the most eco-friendly solution! No more waste will be produced when you reuse one of your own old costumes or someone else's. If you use one of your own, you can always put a new spin on it: if you or your child were a fairy last year, you could be a ghost fairy, or vampire fairy, or a fairy dentist this year. Use your imagination! That's what the day is all about, isn't it? (At least, that's what it's all about these days!) Good places to look for used (and cheap or free) costumes that are still new to you are Freecycle.org and Craigslist. You can probably also find some on ebay or other online marketplaces, but keep in mind there would be packing materials and fuel involved in the shipping process, making this option somewhat less green.

2) Make your own costume. The most eco-friendly way to do this is by using materials you already have or can obtain used (which would make this option just as green as option 1). Old clothes - such as ripped jeans, flannel shirts, pajamas, and old evening gowns - can be transformed into a number of different costumes, like scarecrows, farmers, mummies, prison inmates, princesses and beauty queens. Unearth your favorite old tie-dye shirt and be a hippie for a night (not a big stretch for some of us). Old boxes can transform your child into a TV set, a giant cereal box, a wall socket, even a Lego...the possibilities are endless. If you sew, you might want to try something more fancy or elaborate, or a character not easily made from items you already have...in this case, you could consider buying organic or fairly traded fabrics, or just avoid polyester (plastic) blends. Even if you just buy any old fabric from the local craft store, there's still quite a bit less production waste involved than in buying a costume off the rack from Target, Walmart or a major online retailer!

3. Buy WAHM-made. Don't think you're crafty enough to make something, or just don't have the time? There are plenty of WAHMs and other crafty people with Etsy shops, or even local shops, selling handmade costumes for kids, and even some for adults (though adult costumes can definitely be on the pricier side). Some Etsy sellers are even willing to reuse packing materials and ship via USPS if you ask nicely (and some already do without needing to be asked). If you need it in a hurry via UPS or FedEx, you could have it shipped to your workplace or your husband's workplace or someplace where UPS and FedEx already make daily visits anyway.

Jem in his very first Halloween costume, Dopey, made by  Leaping Lizzie of Etsy

4. Buy a costume from an eco-conscious costume company: ecofabulous has some great suggestions for these!

5. Buy a costume you can reuse for other occasions. If your little girl wants to be a princess and you have absolutely nothing you could use, resist the urge to head to the Disney store: maybe it's time to invest in a nice fancy dress she can wear for Christmas, church, weddings, whatever. You don't have to spend a fortune on this, my mother has a knack for finding really great deals on fancy children's clothes at Kohl's and Target, and I've seen gorgeous clothes in great condition at consignment shops. It doesn't hurt to buy a size larger than her current size so that she'll still be able to wear it several months down the road (honestly, who cares if a child's clothes are a bit on the baggy side?) If she MUST have that costume she saw on the rack at Disney and you're out of the energy and willpower to say no, make sure she will keep using it as a dressup costume, and that she knows once she grows out of it that it will be going to another child who can use it!

Which brings me to...

What do you do with the costume after Halloween is over?

Obviously, this depends on the costume. Random pieces of clothing or household items you threw together can be returned to normal use. Store-bought or good quality handmade costumes can be sold or donated if they're not being used for dressup. Keeping a costume stashed way for nostalgic purposes really just takes up space when it could be going to good use elsewhere! And honestly, how often do you take them out just to gaze at them? My advice: take pictures. The memory of your little one or yourself in that awesome costume will be much better preserved that way anyway. If you have, or plan to have, more children who could reuse the costume down the road, by all means store it for them, but once they're done with it pass it on to someone else!

I personally have been a variety of different fairy tale princesses for Halloween in the past several years. This was actually for business purposes: I used to entertain at kids' parties on weekends, dressing up like fairy tale princesses (Cinderella, the Little Mermaid, Tinker Bell, Snow White, etc), leading sing-a-longs and games and painting faces. So every Halloween I'd buy a new costume and then use it for my parties. It was a fun and not entirely difficult way to make some extra cash, and definitely put those costumes to good use! They have all been stored in the back of my closet lately, since I intended to get back into the party business this year. That hasn't happened yet. So I figure I'll give myself one more year to get back into it, and if I don't then all of those costumes will go to someone else who can use them!

The Royal Family: Mommy in her reusable, machine washable  Snow White costume from My Dress Up Trunk (boy do I look tired here...dealing with a feisty 6 month old will do that!), Daddy in his homemade Prince costume (a cut-up old Snuggie, a bedsheet, and a belt...he's a good sport) and the littlest dwarf.

My last bit of advice is regarding cheap plastic Halloween costumes. You know, the kind they sometimes sell at CVS and Walmart? If you do nothing else to green your Halloween, I urge you to avoid these costumes. First of all, many of them are so cheaply made that they are destined to tear or break before Halloween is even over (or started), meaning they can't be sold or donated and will just end up in a landfill (I think we had maybe one or two of these when we were kids and I don't think they ever even got touched in the dressup box before they got thrown away). Also, many of them are made of off-gassing plastics like PVC that contain harmful phthalates (softeners), which, if inhaled, can contribute to asthma and other respiratory problems. PVC has also been implicated in disorders like ADHD, and recurring symptoms such as headaches and nausea. A good tip: if the costume smells like a new shower curtain or beach ball (which also generally contain PVC), do not buy it!

Trick or Treat! Let's see, here's a candy bar for the TinMan and a migraine for Dorothy! Phthalates and wheezing and chest pain, oh my!

I'll have more Halloween eco-tips in the coming week, so stay tuned! Happy planning! :-)

The Laundry Tarts Review and Giveaway!

Rounding out Detergent Giveaway Month today, I am pleased to be able to give one lucky reader the chance to try a fabulous detergent that isn't very easy to come by here in the US. The Laundry Tarts is a Canadian company with a limited number of US retailers, but I can only hope that changes soon! I would very much like to see this soap featured on the shelves of my local cloth diaper store!

When I first came across The Laundry Tarts detergent while browsing around on EcoFriendlyGreenThings.com, I was intrigued by three things: first, the eco-friendly list of ingredients; second, the pretty, biodegradable, compostable packaging printed with vegetable inks; and third, the list of scents offered on that website: Key Lime Pie, Lemon Meringue, Orange Dreamsicle, and Plain Jane Unscented. As a woman who will usually only use scented versions of anything if they smell like food, the idea of a detergent company that only uses fragrances you'd find in a bakery definitely appealed to me! And the offering of an unscented version for babies with more sensitive skin is always a plus.

Naturally, I had to find out more, so I went on their website, and was amazed by not only the long list of delicious-sounding scents offered, but the company's clear commitment to being environmentally responsible. Not only do they feature a long explanation of why it's best to use environmentally friendly alternatives in your washing machine, they also feature an "Eco-Corner" with recommendations for eco-friendlier and healthier alternatives for toothpaste, menstrual relief, cleaning products, facial care, so on and so forth. This is a company that clearly is passionate about being eco-conscious!

Also, I can't even tell you how much I love the name and the logo: "The Laundry Tarts" is not only indicative of the delicious smelling pastry-inspired scents they offer, it is also how the founders, Jessy Cooke and Tanja Warren, refer to themselves - The Tarts. At least, this is suggested by the pair of coy, "tart-ish" ladies featured on the package, hanging a gigantic diaper out to dry behind a sudsing, cup-cake shaped laundry tub with a cherry on top. It just doesn't get much cuter than that!

Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate (Baking Soda), Sodium Carbonate (Soda Wash), Sodium Percarbonate (Powdered hydrogen peroxide), Sea salt, Saponified coconut/canola oil, rosemary extract, phthalate free essential and fragrance oils.

So how well does it work? It works quite well even in our cheapo, lukewarm-water toploader. Every bit as well as Eco Sprout or Rockin' Green, and I must say I have a personal preference for the scents that The Laundry Tarts have to offer (I tried samples of Red Velvet Cake, Peaches 'n Creme, and Brown Sugar Pie...and though I just bought a 4 lb. bag of Plain Jane Unscented, I am sorely tempted to purchase at least a few samples of Cinnamon Bun, Gingerbread, Lemon Meringue, Key Lime Pie, and Mint Chocolate Chip...yum!) They actually put a warning on the package that the detergent is not edible, that's how good it smells! The scents wash out completely, and though heavy stains should be pre-soaked, pretreated and/or sun-bleached (as with most diaper-specific detergents), poopy smells and urine/ammonia smells do wash right out. My RearZ fitteds still do have to be washed twice, but I've basically resigned myself to that...we'll see how they do in our new machine!

I also had the opportunity to try The Laundry Tarts in my mother-in-law's HE front-loader, using half the amount of detergent as I use in my machine (dissolved into a bit of warm water). Her machine is much more powerful than mine (and gets much hotter water), and I was so impressed by the results! There was definitely less staining. I cannot wait to try this detergent in our new HE toploader when it arrives! I'm really just so eager to be rid of our current machine.


The Giveaway - How to Enter
Jessy and Tanja have generously agreed to give away a 12-24 load sample pack of The Laundry Tarts in four yummy scents, plus a Sweet Spots stain remover stick (which I have not tried but am very curious about)! To enter, please use at least one of the mandatory entries below (use more than one for additional entries). You may also use one or all of the optional additional entries, but none of these entries will count if you do not include a mandatory entry! PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS WITH EACH ENTRY. I will never use your email address for any purpose other than to contact you if you are the winner.


MANDATORY ENTRIES (pick one or do them all!):
~ Follow Jem's Room on Google Friend Connect (by clicking the "follow" link at the top of this blog page or going to the GFC box in the righthand column). Leave a comment here that you have done so (if you already do, it counts!)
~ Follow Jem's Room on Facebook. Leave a comment here that you have done so (with your Facebook name).
~ Follow Jem's Room on Networked Blogs. Leave a comment here that you have done so.
~ Follow Jem's Room by email by entering your email address in the box in the right hand column of this blog page. Leave a comment here that you have done so.


Additional optional entries:
~ Visit the The Laundry Tarts website, then come back to this blog post and leave a comment to tell me which of their scents sounds the yummiest to you!
~ Like The Laundry Tarts on Facebook. Come back to this blog post and comment that you have done so (with your Facebook name, please!)
~ Visit The Laundry Tarts distribution partner, MonkeyDoodlez. and comment here to tell me which of their products you'd most like to try!
~ Leave a link to this contest page anywhere on Facebook or your own blog or website. Leave a comment here that you have done so (and tell me where to find the link!)
~ Grab my button and post it on your blog (on the main page or other permanent page, not in a blog entry). Leave a comment here that you have done so (and tell me where to find it!) You may use this for 4 separate entries.
~ Add Jem's Room to your blogroll. Leave a comment here that you have done so. You may use this for 2 separate entries.

Sweet Spot stain remover

This giveaway is open to residents of the US and Canada and will end on Wednesday, September 14. Winner will be picked by a random number generator. Good luck to all!

***I received a small sample pack of detergent for review. No other payment was received for this review, and all opinions expressed here are my own.***

My Cute Green Kid

Okay, I hate to be one of those annoying braggart moms, but apparently it's been confirmed: my kid is pretty darn cute. As parents we all hear this a lot ("Your baby is the cutest baby EVER!") because, by their very nature, kids are cute! Each one cuter than the next, and if you think your kid is the cutest, then you are right! :-) I just get the additional pleasure today of announcing that Jem was selected as the winner of The Cute Green Baby photo contest over at ecofriendlygreenthings.com, an awesome shop with some very cool green items. They have a big sale going on right now, hop on over and check them out! I have a few choice items there I've had my eye on for Christmas presents. Thanks to the gift certificate we won, I may just order them a bit early. Jem also won a reusable Elmo tote bag from Envirosax. We are all just pleased as punch over here!

Here is the winning photo with the caption I sent (you can click on the photo for a larger view):

"This is my son Jem doing what he loves best, playing barefoot in the grass. He is wearing a Fuzzibunz cloth diaper and a 100% organic "Go Green" onesie that mommy converted into a t-shirt (since it wouldn't fit over the diaper...the leftover fabric with snaps is going to good use as an extender for his other onesies). He is carrying his much-loved "popper" which he received from a nice lady on Freecycle, and a Wonderworld Toys eco-friendly wooden sound block. (He sure likes making noise!) He refuses to keep a hat (or pants) on, but his fair skin is protected by Loving Naturals non-nano zinc oxide sunscreen with organic oils."

Don't forget that our own contest for a bag of Eco Sprout detergent ends today! You have till midnight EST to get your entries in, I will pick a winner tomorrow morning. Enjoy your weekend, everyone!

Homemade Fruity Goat Milk Yogurt

Since we started Jem on purees at six months we've been making our own organic baby food. Because I was breastfeeding and had dealt with thrush a few times we'd been using probiotics for both of us (luckily, probably because of this, he never got the thrush, just me...ow), so pretty quickly I decided to start giving them to him in the form of yogurt. Since he'd shown signs of sensitivity to cow milk formula, I decided to try using goat milk to make the yogurt (though even some milk intolerant babies do just fine on cow milk yogurt, I preferred to be on the safe side). Unfortunately I found it very difficult to thicken up the yogurt using goat milk. I tried everything: adding tapioca powder, powdered pectin, gelatin...the only thing I don't think I tried was agar agar powder (an apparently wonderful thickener), only because it was so expensive. The yogurt would thicken up a little bit, but stay pretty much the consistency of kefir.

Then a thought occurred to me. If certain fruits naturally contain high amounts of pectin, wouldn't pureeing them up and incubating them with the yogurt help to thicken things up a bit?

After a bit of experimenting with some of Jem's favorite pureed fruits, I came up with the following recipe, which not only thickens beautifully, it tastes great!

Homemade Fruity Goat Milk Yogurt

Ingredients:

1 quart goat milk (we use whole Meyenberg...evaporated milk does NOT work for this recipe)
1 medium sized banana
1/8 to 1/4 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen...if frozen they must be thawed)
Yogurt starter - Powdered starter, 1 teaspoon storebought yogurt, or 1 packet/capsule Culturelle probiotic

Heat the milk in a pan on the stove just until the milk starts to climb the walls of the pan, not to boiling. Remove from heat and allow to cool to about 100 to 110 degrees F (use a candy or meat thermometer). Pour about half of the milk into your blender. Add the yogurt starter, banana and blueberries and blend well (pureeing the blueberries by themselves first might help this step go quicker). Add the rest of the milk, stir, and pour into sterilized yogurt containers (we either use the jars that came with our yogurt maker or a quart sized pyrex bowl, which fits quite nicely). Make sure your yogurt maker is CLEAN and incubate for 12 hours or more (I usually do about 15).

If you do not own a yogurt maker you can make your own using a heating pad and a cooler, your stove or a crock pot. There are various instructions found online on how to do this, just do a Google search! I have never tried these methods for this recipe so I personally couldn't attest to the effectiveness of any of them, but I do have a friend who has used her crockpot to make cow milk yogurt with great success.

I plan to post more of my favorite baby food recipes and suggestions in the coming weeks! Making your own baby food is so easy and can actually be quite cost effective. Have fun experimenting with yours!

Attachment Parenting with Empathy

See if you recognize this scenario: Parent A reads up on some tenet of attachment parenting - co-sleeping, breastfeeding, babywearing, natural sleep methods, etc - and decides this is what she is going to do with her baby. She has read all the research in favor of it, read all the research against the alternatives, and decides it's the only way to go. She tries it, it works brilliantly, she and her baby are both happy and bonding beautifully, and she becomes an advocate for that technique. Meanwhile, Parent B, an equally loving parent, also does her research and decides she will also try the attachment parenting technique. She tries. It fails. She tries again, and again it fails. She keeps trying and trying, for weeks and then months, and eventually becomes exhausted and drained. It isn't working for her and her baby, and she feels guilty and berates herself, because now she is going to break down and try the technique she never wanted to try - store-bought formula, the cry-it-out-method, etc. This method actually works! She and her baby are happier, healthier and better rested for it, and it actually improves their bonding. However, her happiness is short-lived, because she stumbles onto an online parenting forum and meets Parent A, who chastises her for her choice and calls her a "child abuser." Does any of this sound familiar to you?

If it does, read on. I wrote the following in my Facebook notes several months ago when Jem was only about six months old, before I started blogging. I unearthed it today and thought it might be appropriate to share with you all. I'm sorry if it seems a bit preachy, I was in a bit of a tizzy that day!

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It seems whenever I go to an online parenting forum for advice or information I run into a series of heated and rather unkind debates, in which one or several parents verbally (or, I suppose, textually) rip another parent apart for a decision they have made or are trying to make for their child. It really blows my mind how cruel and thoughtless parents can be to one another. Shouldn't we be supportive of one another?  After all, we're all in this crazy, sleepless state of things together.

Several years ago, my parents became foster parents, and since then our family has had an up close and personal look at the effects of real neglect, abuse and abandonment of young children.  I'm pretty sure this gives me a fairly accurate perspective on these topics, so let me tell you right now a few things which do NOT constitute neglect, abuse or abandonment.

~ The decision to use formula rather than breast milk.  Yes, I breastfeed and am a huge proponent of doing so, and I wish more mothers would at least try it out, but there are at least a dozen very valid reasons I can think of for ultimately choosing not to do so.  Throughout history, our foremothers have always had to come up with some necessary substitute for breast milk for those mothers who were unable to feed their kids at the boob.  I personally suspect the way we evolved to stand upright rather than walk around on all fours might have something to do with the human struggle to breastfeed naturally, but that's just a sort of random theory of mine. Anyway, give 'em a break, ladies. Formula isn't my choice, and it may not be yours, but it isn't arsenic.

~ Having your child vaccinated, or not having your child vaccinated.  Or choosing a delayed vaccine schedule. However you feel personally about this issue, whatever the research has led you to believe, the decision to do the opposite of what you yourself have chosen is in no way a form of abuse.  Beating your child for being a couple of minutes late for curfew, that's abuse.

~ Circumcision.  I'm talking about male circumcision as it's commonly practiced in the US.  Now some of you guys (albeit a minority of you) claim to miss your foreskin, and I don't begrudge you that.  Also, I understand that every surgery has its risks and its resultant horror stories. However, we are talking about a one-time procedure with a low rate of complications in which the baby is almost always properly anesthetized, the doctor is skilled, the instruments are sterile, at least one parent is almost always present before, during and after to provide comfort, and which is actually an effective preventative measure (talk to a mother who has to have her child circumcised at age 9 because he refuses to clean himself properly and gets repeated infections, or the elderly man at the nursing home who has to have it done then.  It hurts more for them and they actually remember the pain).  The choice not to circumcise is an EQUALLY valid choice. No one really wants to put a little baby through any discomfort, and the thought of removing a piece of an appendage may seem really strange and unnecessary to you. Either decision is usually made with a great deal of love and consideration for the child.  So let's try to leave words like "barbaric" and "obtuse" out of it, okay? An abusive circumcision would be one where the instruments are not sterile, the doctor is of questionable skill, there is no anesthetic and afterward the kid is left with a gaping open wound with no treatment or comfort.  This does happen in the world.  Let's keep some perspective.

~ Using only Western medicine, or only homeopathic remedies.  I personally think there is a time and a place for both.  Regardless, if a parent is trying as hard as possible to relieve a child's suffering using whatever means they deem necessary and appropriate within their own belief system (by this, of course, I do not mean smothering the child with a pillow to put him out of his misery), I don't see how anyone could possibly claim abuse or neglect. Leaving a sick toddler alone in a playpen with a bottle of Jolt cola while you go out with friends to get high: that's abusive and neglectful.

~ Using the Cry-It-Out method, or variations thereof.  I've heard everything which "the research indicates."  Let me tell you, there's a lot of research to sift through on this topic, and half of it contradicts the other half.  Could letting your child cry so you can get some sleep leave emotional scars and possibly cause anxiety down the road?  Maybe.  Some studies say yes, some studies say no.  Now let me tell you what can really do some damage to a baby: a sleep-deprived parent who has tried everything else he or she can think of to get the child (and themselves) to go to sleep and is gripped, at 4 in the morning, with a sudden urge to throw that child across the room.  Do what you have to do, my friends, to keep your child safe and to keep yourself from a lifetime of regret and self-loathing.  Do what you have to do.

~ Co-sleeping. Or not co-sleeping.  Does co-sleeping reduce the risk of SIDS? Absolutely! Does it also run the risk of a parent rolling over onto the child, smothering the child, or accidentally pushing the child onto the floor?  Yes, indeed.  The rule here is "know thyself." Are you a fitful sleeper? Do you thrash about in your sleep? Will you even be able to sleep knowing there's a fragile little baby next to you? Can you sleep if you modify your bed properly to make it a safe place for baby?  Make the decision based on your own answer to those questions, and remember there are children out there whose parents leave them alone in the house at night, or with dangerous strangers, or for whom the dark of night is a time of unspeakable horrors.

~ Using bumpers, blankets, hats, or stuffed animals at night.  Yes, all of these things can pose suffocation hazards. I'd personally love to use a hat on Jem at night, but I don't quite trust him to wake up if it falls over his face (though he probably would).  Again, know thyself, know thy baby, make sure if you choose to use them that you can check on your child frequently, and if you choose not to don't rag on the parent who does. There are babies who freeze to death because the parents don't care enough to remember to pay the heating bill, don't clothe the child properly, and don't provide so much as a cuddle for body heat.  

Keep everything in perspective, and be forgiving of one another!

...Aaaaand that's my soapbox speech for the day.

What do YOU think?

Hello friends! So far on this blog I've offered a lot of information, and shared a lot of my own opinions. However, I am very curious to hear more from all of you! What is your favorite eco-friendly household/baby product? Did you make it yourself? Is it WAHM-made? I'm especially curious to hear about your experiences with things I haven't tried yet, like baltic amber teething necklaces, top-loading HE washing machines, high-tech baby carriers like the Ergo, family cloth, backyard gardens, "gray water" buckets in the shower or under the rain gutters... anything you've tried that maybe you've really loved or found useful! Or even anything you've tried and hated. Leave a comment here on this blog post and your thoughts might even be featured in a new blog post! With your permission, of course!

Also, don't forget to enter my Eco Sprout detergent giveaway, open until 8/06! At this point, the odds of winning are still pretty good, so take a chance!

Thank you all for continuing to follow this blog.  Let the sharing begin! :-)

Eco Sprout Review and Giveaway!

The perfect cloth diaper detergent. Does it exist? I suppose that all depends who you ask. Some people swear by good old-fashioned Tide original. Of course Tide isn't very eco-friendly, and it gives me a rash, so I've never attempted to use it on anything Jem wears. We've been through a good number of the eco-friendly, cloth diaper safe detergents out there - Nellie's, Lulu's, Rockin Green, Crunchy Clean - and there have been things I liked about all of them. All of them have worked for us in certain situations, but not others. Battling the stinkies has never been a particularly easy feat for us, especially since we have dealt with hard water in the past, and now with a water heater we cannot control. Suffice to say I am always eager to try the new "best thing" in CD detergents, and I had an opportunity these past couple of weeks to try the new favorite on the block, Eco Sprout.

A little background: while many of the CD detergents on the market today were formulated by WAHMs (Work-at-Home Moms), Eco Sprout was thought up by a WAHD -- that's right, a Work-at-Home Dad. Awesome, right? I don't know that many dads who even want to do the diaper laundry, much less come up with their own detergent! His name is Jared Edwards, and he wanted to come up with a detergent that was "non-toxic, natural, eco-friendly, sensitive for my boy's bottoms, and got rid of the strong ammonia our diapers always had with other detergents... Eco Sprout detergent is free from dyes, brighteners, enymes, phosphates, SLS, and is 100% biodegradable."  Sounds pretty great, doesn't it? I also love that the larger sizes come in cloth bags!

After using it for several diaper washes, I have to agree that it's pretty great. After carefully following the instructions on the Eco Sprout website for switching detergents, I've found it's been able to get out stinkies that our previous detergent wasn't able to!

My favorite of the scented samples is the "Warm Vanilla Sugar." It reminds me of cookies, and anything that smells edible to me is a plus. I always prefer unscented detergents though, and so I personally would stick with "In the Buff" for Jem's diapers. It doesn't smell like anything! The other scents I received for sampling were Baby Powder, Vanilla Sandalwood, and Fresh Linen. Again, I'm not crazy about non-edible smelling scents, but that's just me! I'm more of a "stop and smell the chocolate" kind of girl. However, if you like the smell of baby powder and freshly cleaned sheets, you will probably love these. The scents wash out pretty thoroughly regardless, they're just to make wash day smell a bit more pleasant!

The real test was the RearZ Eco-Kit fitted diapers I bought last month. Because they are so bulky, I have begun to find that they are the hardest diapers in my stash to get thoroughly clean. I have to keep tossing them back in the pail after the first wash to go through another cycle before I'll let Jem wear them again. While this isn't that too much of a problem (there are five of them and we only use them for nighttime), it is kind of a pain.  So, did the Eco Sprout get the RearZ clean? Well, yes and no. Some of them come out of the first wash smelling just fine, and some come out still smelling just slightly funky, in a "should I do them again or just leave them be?" kind of way. However, this is a whole lot better than the previous detergent we were using, and I honestly can't blame Eco Sprout for not getting all of these big bulky diapers totally clean in one shot, especially because of our frustratingly lukewarm water (you really need hot water to get things like that totally clean!) It has gotten all of our other diapers smelling fresh and clean, and that's impressive in and of itself! I've also found there is somewhat less staining with the Eco Sprout than with other eco-friendly detergents I've used.

All in all, I am very impressed with Eco Sprout and would definitely recommend it! Thanks to the generosity of Jared and his team, one lucky reader will have the opportunity to try a 24 ounce bag in the scent of his or her choice!

Rules for Entry

Contest is open to anyone in the US or Canada (sorry to my international followers!) There are several different ways you can enter. There is no mandatory entry, pick any one or do them all! Please leave your email address with each entry. I will only use your email address to contact you if you win, I do not spam contest entrants or my subscribers. Email subscribers will have to visit the actual blog to enter.

~ Visit the Eco Sprout website, then come back to this blog post and leave a comment to tell me which scent you'd like to try.
~ Like Eco Sprout on Facebook. Come back to this blog post and comment that you have done so (with your Facebook name, please!)
~ Leave a link to this contest page anywhere on Facebook or your own blog. Leave a comment here that you have done so (and tell me where to find the link!)
~ Follow Jem's Room on Google Friend Connect (by clicking the "follow" link at the top of this blog page or going to the GFC box in the righthand column). Leave a comment here that you have done so (if you already do, it counts!)
~ Follow Jem's Room on Facebook. Leave a comment here that you have done so (with your Facebook name).
~ Follow Jem's Room on Networked Blogs. Leave a comment here that you have done so.
~ Follow Jem's Room by email by entering your email address in the box in the right hand column of this blog page. Leave a comment here that you have done so.
~ Grab my button and post it on your blog. Leave a comment here that you have done so (and tell me where to find it!)
~ Add Jem's Room to your blogroll. Leave a comment here that you have done so.

The contest will end next Saturday, August 6th. Winner will be picked by a random number generator. Good luck to all!

**I received a free sample of this product for review, however I received no other payment, and I verify that the opinions expressed in this review are my own.**

Our Recent Freecycle Find

This one was actually from a month or two ago but I never posted the pic. I was looking for clothes and board books for Jem, and a very nice lady gave us two big bags full of hand-me-down clothes (12m-3T), plus these:

This is actually not even all of it, but I'd already stored all the paperback books away before I snapped this photo. I couldn't believe it when my husband brought it all home. Such a generous find! I thought, he doesn't need all this! I was very happy to have the books and puzzles (especially the four books about trucks...Jem is obsessed with trucks), and I admit I was pleased with the corn popper (we love those but never would have spent the money on one, since we're trying to avoid buying new plastics), but I figured I'd re-Freecycle the walker toy away. Jem had other ideas. As you can see, he wouldn't even take his hand off of it long enough for mommy to take this picture. :-)  I don't think we'll need to get him any new toys or clothes for awhile!

Hope you all had a great weekend. Enjoy the week ahead!

Mommy's Touch review

Well, I finally got to try the Mommy's Touch Easy Clean pocket diapers, and I have to say they get mixed reviews. I ordered two diapers with snaps and one with touchtape (velcro). Although they all have a pretty cool design as far as the pocket goes - they have an opening in front and in back, so the inserts are easier to put in and take out - the only one I'm really loving is the touchtape. The velcro on this diaper is quite heavy duty, which means not only is it slightly harder for my clever son to undo than other velcro/aplix diapers, the laundry tabs (to keep the diapers from sticking together in the wash) also hold up very well. This diaper will likely last us awhile!

In fact, it will probably last us well into his toddler years if need be, because, although these are advertised as one-size diapers, the fit would suggest otherwise. These are not one-size as in "from birth to potty-training," they are one-size as in "from big to huge." The touchtape tabs are meeting in the middle of Jem's tummy! He is a pretty thin little guy, but he's already 15 months old! Even if the top of the diaper was folded down to fit a newborn (see picture below) I don't see how it could fit any but the chunkiest of babies...but I guess I'd have to try it on a smaller baby to get a better picture. The good news is that the loop tape on the inside of the diaper for this purpose is very soft and doesn't irritate Jem's skin at all. We've had no leaks so far in this diaper! Of course, I haven't been using the insert that came with it. It's very long and thin, while the diaper itself is quite wide. Seemed a bit odd to me, so I've been using two wider, somewhat shorter inserts and they've been working great. I've been using the Mommy's Touch insert with our one-size Fuzzibunz, since the Fuzzibunz are thinner. It is a pretty absorbent insert, but I definitely need to double it with another one for my little super soaker.

The snaps are not nearly as easy to use as the touchtape, nor are they as easy to use as the Fuzzibunz snap diapers. I have no experience with any other brands of snaps, but I'm not terribly impressed with the design of these. First of all, even looking at the picture on their website (below) I can't figure out how on earth to adjust them to fit a shorter baby or newborn. Other than that picture they seem to have no other instructions. I'm sure there is a way, but it would be nice if some instructions had been included! Again, like the touchtape, I have these on the slimmest setting for Jem, so I don't know how they'd fit a newborn anyway.  These diapers were definitely made with bigger babies in mind! And getting the right fit takes quite a bit of experimenting.

Still, all of these diapers are quite soft and the colors are very vibrant. The snaps don't get points for ease of use, and none of them meet my criteria for a "one-size" diaper, but they don't leak so far and Jem seems quite comfy in them. The fact that they are "easy clean" (the insert supposedly comes right out in the wash because of the double-ended pocket) is irrelevant to me, since I use the "rinse and wring" method before putting every diaper in the pail and manually remove the insert to do so (this method helps to prevent ammonia buildup from letting the urine-soaked diapers sit in the pail). However, I can see how this might be a good feature for other moms who don't rinse and wring. I appreciate that they're manufactured in the USA by WAHMs, and I have a couple more of the touchtape dipes on Jem's wishlist (though our rule now is that he has to wear pants if he's wearing any velcro diaper, or he will work his way out of it). I'll definitely keep all three of these in my stash. But I don't think I'll be buying any more of the snaps anytime soon!

Hope you're all having a great weekend!

"Cloth Diaper's Delight"

I've made a couple of updates to the USA manufactured cloth diapers list.  Did a bit of research on Blueberry diapers (and their partners Swaddlebees and Weehuggers) after seeing them for half off on BabySteals today (sorry to report they're already sold out).  They've not only made this list, but Jem's Christmas wish list as well! :-)

I have much to write about in the coming days, but I had a couple of margaritas with dinner tonight and my lightweight self is feeling a bit too relaxed and sleepy right now. So I'll just leave you with the following video from the Weehuggers website. I posted it on my Facebook page already, but I thought those of you on my email list and GFC could use a laugh! Although my husband says it's creepy, I think it's hilarious. What do YOU think?

Greenking Out!

Yes, that's green geeking out. (How much geekier can you get than inventing a lame new word for that?)

I got a bunch of stuff in the mail in the last two days. Three Mommy's Touch pocket diapers, the new Rearz diaper cover, some Naturoli Soap Nuts to try (right on time, I just used up the last of my laundry detergent last night), a gallon of centrifuge extracted coconut oil, Jem's new stainless steel cereal bowls, and a special "green" little something for a certain someone I'll be celebrating two years of marriage with next month...you'll all just have to wait till then to find out what it is (as will he). :-)

Now, then, what shall I review first? And who shall I Freecycle all of these little shipping boxes to? Decisions, decisions... :-)

I haven't forgotten about the contest that ends Thursday at noon! One of you will win some sweet little eco-friendly bath products! Good luck, and good night.

Jem's Goat Milk Formula

In Tuesday's post about coconut oil, I mentioned that we make a goat milk formula for Jem. My husband and I are both cow milk intolerant, as are many members of our extended family (as well as 60% of the adult population), and as a newborn Jem displayed intolerance to a cow milk-based formula (we were having to supplement at the time due to low supply issues).  However, I have used goat milk in the past with great success, since, due to having smaller protein molecules, goat milk tends to be easier to digest. We decided that once Jem was old enough for milk we would try goat milk first, and if he responded well we would keep him on it for some time.

When Jem was 11 months old, he started biting at the boob -- hard -- and although I would usually shriek, pull him off and say "no" very firmly, he thought my shrieks were quite amusing (since he usually did it when he was finished, or bored, or just not particularly hungry, he wasn't terribly upset about having it taken away).  I decided it was time to start weaning. I researched homemade goat milk formula, and I found one that I thought was very impressive here.  Unfortunately we could not justify the high cost of all of the ingredients involved, and I didn't think it was actually necessary to include ALL of the ingredients, since he was already almost a year old, not the newborn that the recipe was formulated for.

The first sacrifice we made was the raw goat milk.  I did find one seller about twenty-five minutes driving distance from us, but she was selling for over $6 a quart, and getting it would involve constant driving back and forth. Too pricey for the amount we would need! My only other option, therefore, was pasteurized commercial goat milk. The only company that sells this, that I'm aware of, is Meyenberg. We'd been buying cartons of this at the grocery store to make Jem's yogurt (hmmm...a recipe for tomorrow's post, maybe?), but since now we would need it in bulk, we started buying evaporated cans of it from Amazon (the evaporated Meyenberg is also fortified with vitamin D and folic acid. Their regular goat milk is not). We used the "subscribe and save" program, which kept the costs low.

Now, which other ingredients did we want to use?  Since Jem was already eating solids, and lots of the healthiest organic fruits and veggies we could find -- avocado, bananas, blueberries, peas, spinach, pumpkin, butternut squash, and cantaloupe -- I decided many of the ingredients were unnecessary. I ended up including only three of the suggested ingredients. The first, not surprisingly, was organic coconut oil, which I felt was essential in order to keep giving him the benefits of lauric acid, which he was getting less of since he was weaning. The second was blackstrap molasses, which is supposed to be very high in calcium and iron (though I've found it can be difficult to find one that is actually high in both...most brands are very high in one but not the other). I included the molasses as much for taste as for nutritional content, since evaporated goat milk is not, in all honesty, nearly as tasty as fresh goat milk. The third ingredient I included was a probiotic. After much research, I decided to go with PB8 by Nutrition Now for it's high probiotic content and variety of strains.

Once I'd decided on these, I decided to add my own ingredient.  I was concerned about the fact that goat milk is so much saltier than breast milk, and was afraid the extra salt content might be a bit of a shock to my little guy's kidneys. I didn't want him developing a urinary tract infection, which one of my little nieces had had when she was a baby. So I bought some pure, unsweetened cranberry juice, which is great for keeping the urinary tract in top working order. Although I was worried about how this might effect the taste, I found that adding the cranberry juice to the molasses-sweetened milk gave it a tangy taste very much like the yogurt he'd been eating. Apparently Jem thought so too, because he sucked his first bottle of it right down like he'd been drinking it for months.

Jem has been doing great on this recipe! Even though I add a lot of water to this formula, I find that it is still necessary to give him plenty of water on its own throughout the day, if for no other reason than to keep him hydrated and prevent his urine from becoming too concentrated with ammonia, leaving us to battle with cloth diaper laundry stinkies (trust me when I say this is no fun!) Jem seems to have a pretty good instinct for how much water he needs to drink, as long as I have it readily available for him. He has a bottle (with sippy spout) designated just for water and one in the fridge just for milk, and trust me, he knows which is which!

Here is our recipe (not recommended for babies under 1 year):

1 can Meyenberg evaporated goat milk (with folic acid and vitamin D)
1/4-1/3 cup organic, unsweetened cranberry juice
2 Tbsp blackstrap molasses (organic if possible...I usually use whatever brand I can find in a glass bottle)
1 Tbsp coconut oil
3 capsules PB8 probiotic (or preferred brand)
Filtered water

Open goat milk and carefully pour into half gallon glass jug. Open probiotic capsules one at a time and pour into goat milk. Lightly swish the milk in the jug to mix (do not shake too hard yet, since the milk is still concentrated and can get rather foamy). Add blackstrap molasses, then fill the empty milk can with water and pour into jug (this gets any leftover cream residue out of the can and into the jug where it belongs. You want the cream! Little ones need the calories). Repeat. Cap jug and shake thoroughly until there is no molasses residue left at the bottom of the jug.  Allow to sit for a few minutes (I do this in order to let the probiotic start feeding on the sugars in the milk before adding the acidic cranberry juice. I have no idea if this actually works or not. You can skip this step if you like!)

Add the cranberry juice, and shake again, lightly.

Heat the coconut oil just to the point of melting to complete clarity of color. Immediately pour into jug, cap bottle and shake like your life depends on it! (This helps to keep the coconut oil from clumping up all in one big mess at the top of the bottle.  Keep in mind that the coconut oil will solidify in the cold fridge and rise to the top, however following these instructions should help keep the hard drops of oil separated and easier to pour. Alternately, you can pour the whole mixture in a big blender, but I personally hate dirtying up my big blender all the time.)

Fill the rest of the jug with water, cap, and lightly shake again. You're done!

Lightly shake jug before pouring milk into bottles. Warm to serve (to melt the coconut oil).

We give Jem 3.5 to 4 ounces at a time, 5 times a day. You may choose to give your baby more at one time, but less frequently.

For the full raw goat milk formula recipe for babies under 1 year, please go to Organic & Thrifty's blog here.

Enjoy the weekend, everyone! Harry Potter, here we come! Oooh... I better get started making butterbeer... Guilty pleasure? Indeed. It sure ain't gonna be organic. :-)

Coconut Oil: Not Just for Diaper Rashes

If you're reading my blog because you're a mom interested in greening her lifestyle, you may have at least heard about using coconut oil as a diaper rash ointment. This remedy is extremely effective for some moms and babies. For Jem (who has very sensitive skin and is prone to rashes) straight coconut oil tends to work only on milder redness. I've found the best remedy for him is CJs Spritz o' Butter Plus, which contains mostly coconut oil but with added sesame and neem oils...works like a charm!

In my house, coconut oil isn't just for rashes. In fact, the last time I bought coconut oil I bought a quart, and next time I plan to purchase a gallon. Why? Well, due to its unique properties, coconut oil (once given a bad rep for containing saturated fats: read about this here) is not only excellent for your skin but in your diet as well. It contains medium chain fatty acids which are essential to your health, in particular lauric acid, which the body converts to monolaurin. Monolaurin has anti-fungal and anti-viral properties and is a component of human breast milk. In fact, as far as I know breast milk and coconut oil are the only sources of monolaurin for human consumption.

Here is a list of what we have been using coconut oil for in our house (other than diaper rashes):

~ Jem's milk: I make Jem a homemade goat milk formula (I'd list all the ingredients, but that's for a future post), and include a couple of tablespoons of organic coconut oil per half gallon. Since coconut oil solidifies and clumps when cold, I still have to serve his milk warm, but I don't mind the extra time it takes to keep giving him the benefits of monolaurin! Especially since I'm only breast-feeding him once a day now.

~ Cooking! Because unsaturated fats like olive oil can convert to hydrogenated (trans) fats when cooked at high heats, we have switched to using coconut oil (a healthy saturated fat) for most of our cooking. We've been using organic expeller-pressed RBD (refined, bleached and deodorized) coconut oil for this because it's mostly tasteless and odorless and made by mechanical processes (versus chemical processes), however we are considering switching to organic virgin centrifuge-extracted coconut oil. This oil retains a little bit of the coconut taste and scent but is a more pure oil. RBD oils are made by first drying the coconut meat in the sun, which can lead to bacterial growth (ew), hence the need for refining and bleaching. Virgin centrifuge-extracted oil uses the fresh, wet meat of the coconut, separating the oils through a refrigeration process. Sounds a bit more appealing, doesn't it?

~ Lip balm: My lips have been rather dry lately, and I'm not a fan of most commercial lip balms (wasted little tubes of plastic filling up landfills, and most of them contain chemicals I'd prefer not to have near my oral cavity). So I bought a little glass roll-on perfume bottle, filled it with coconut oil and a touch of aloe vera and vitamin E oil, and voila, lip balm. Bingo, works like a charm!

~ Massage oil: I may not have mentioned this on this blog yet, but before I became Jem's mommy I was a full-time licensed massage therapist (I specialize in pre-natal massage). Since I plan to get back to work soon (part-time...very part-time) I will need extra coconut oil handy to mix up my own homemade massage oils. Its unique property of being solid at room temperature yet liquid when warmed makes it the ideal massage oil, especially because of its ability to soothe and nourish dry, damaged skin.

~ Toothpaste: If you didn't already check out my toothpaste recipe on this blog, today you can see it featured on one of my favorite websites, Keen for Green!  I was so flattered that they asked me if they could include this on their site!


I have a feeling this list will get longer in the coming months. I plan to try using coconut oil to make homemade deodorant soon (as per the recipe I found on My Baby's Green). Does that make me a dirty hippie? Well...maybe. :-)  Stay tuned, and maybe pick up your own jar of coconut oil to try!

Exciting Deal on Cloth!

I was so psyched to open my email this morning and find that Mommy's Touch cloth pockets and AIO's were on sale for 40% off. I've had these WAHM made, US manufactured diapers on my list of "must tries" for weeks! Go here for the deal.

I won!

One might think it's quite a coincidence that today I won a RearZ diaper cover from a contest on the company's Facebook page, since my last blog post was a review of RearZ diapers! You might think that...or you might think something fishy was up. It's actually not really a coincidence and not fishy at all.  As I said in my review, RearZ is a rather small Canadian company. Their products and website seem to be undergoing constant renovation right now, and they were likely in need of some customer reviews for some of their newer products. The contest required that participants leave a review for a product they tried, with the opportunity to win a matching product if their review was picked at random. Since I had tried their diaper covers, I left sort of a mini version of the review I had already written. Apparently there weren't a whole lot of participants for that particular product, so my odds were really good! Anyway, I won and I'm psyched! I love the diaper cover we have already, and not having to reuse the same one over and over will be lovely. :-) Especially since this one won't be plain white!

In other news, we swung by the house we're buying today to take some measurements, and my husband found a tag on the (recently rebuilt) deck that said it had been treated with a chemical pesticide which may potentially leave traces on skin when touched. Great. Which means we'll have to completely seal the deck before we use it (probably with something from AFM Safecoat, a company dedicated to formulating more environmentally-friendly paints, stains and sealants). First, though, we have to sand the deck...which means we'll have chemical-treated wood dust flying around. Sigh. Oh, the things you don't think to ask when buying a house. Still, I'd rather Chris and I slap on masks and sand and finish the deck before we move in, exposing ourselves (and, temporarily at least, our lawn) to the chemicals, then have Jem and his future siblings playing out on a chemical-treated deck day after day for the rest of their young lives. We'll just have to try and make sure we take precautions and clean up well.  It's too bad we didn't find this house (which we love) before they rebuilt the deck six months ago. We would have made sure it was built with cedar or some other natural pest/moisture resistant wood. Argh. Being thwarted in your greening efforts by circumstances outside your control always stinks. Well, we'll just do the best we can to make sure from now on the house will be as toxin-free as possible! If anyone has any tips for dealing with this situation (other than "just buy a different house"...since this is pretty much a done deal) we'd certainly appreciate it!

Have a great weekend everyone!

RearZ "Eco-Kit" Fitted Diaper review

Due to our little Fuzzibunz PUL fiasco (which we finally heard back about...Fuzzibunz has agreed to replace them) we were in need of some new dipes, quickly, for a relatively good price.  So when a package of five overnight fitted diapers (with cover) popped up on EcoBabyBuys.com for half off ($44.55 including shipping, to be precise), I consulted the hubby and punched in the credit card number.

The diaper package was the "Eco-Kit" from RearZ, a Canadian company which manufacturers both at home and in Pakistan (covers in Canada, diapers in Pakistan). The company also specializes in adult diapers and other personal care products.  They appear to be a small company with a growing following.  The diapers we bought are unbleached cotton velour with a waterproof layer inside (not sure what that layer is made of...it doesn't feel like there is any plastic inside), and fastened with aplix (hook and loop).  We bought them in size large (I believe 24 lbs and up) since Jem will be getting too big for anything smaller in the coming months.

I had never used fitted diapers before, so I admit some trepidation when placing the order...fitteds are thicker and, I presumed, take much longer to dry than my beloved pockets.

I also had somewhat mixed feelings upon opening the package.  The diapers were fuzzy and colorful with rainbow trim, and very soft, but some of the stitching on the aplix was coming slightly undone on a couple of the dipes.  I also wondered if the diapers were TOO fuzzy. It is summer, after all! I didn't want Jem to be hot.

Upon washing and drying the diapers I found a couple of things to be true: first, they DO take forever to dry.  After three times in the dryer I gave up and hung them to finish drying. I have remedied this problem quite simply, however: since they are nighttime dipes and only meant to be used once per day, that means I only end up washing two of them at a time with my other diapers. So I throw them into the dryer once with the others and then let them take their time air drying, since I have three others!

The other things I found while washing them were that the laundry tabs on them are... well, a bit of an afterthought, really.  It's as if they just threw some laundry tabs on there because that's the thing to do with aplix diapers, but didn't really think about how best to do this.  They are too close together, literally right next to one another with almost no space in between, and since the diapers are so thick it's a miracle if any of them stay properly fastened...they all pop right open in the machine.  So if you get REALLY annoyed by aplix chains in your laundry these might not be the diapers for you. Also, the edges of the dipes get a bit frayed in the wash...not horribly so, but enough to be a bit unsightly.  Though again, since they're a nighttime diaper and meant to be covered, this doesn't bother me so much. They don't seem to bother Jem at all!

Now let's get to the positives: so far, these diapers work GREAT!  I especially love the cover.  It's just a plain white PUL cover (with pockets on either end inside if you want to use them with prefolds), but it fits over the bulky diapers perfectly, and we haven't had one leak! After being in them all night, Jem does usually manage to wet through the diapers themselves a bit, but this cover holds it all in...no wet jammies. Considering he's still several pounds shy of the weight specification (30 lbs+) for this size cover, I think that's especially impressive!  The dipes are bulky, that is, they're very thick, but that's a good thing for nights, and they actually look rather trim on Jem. So far the aplix on all the diapers has held up fine, and if the stitching becomes looser I'll just attack them with a needle and thread.



I actually love using these as our go-to nighttime dipes right now, which frees us up to use our previous nighttime diapers, BumGenius 4.0, during the day!

I'd love to give you all a link to buy these, unfortunately they appear to have been discontinued, since I cannot find them on the RearZ website or at any of their retailers' sites. (This would explain why they were listed at such a great price, and also the somewhat shoddy stitching on the aplix...clearance!)  They do have a new model though, the RearZ Smitten diaper, which appears to be an improved version...it has a pocket (always a plus for me!) and is supposed to be faster drying.  I would be very interested to try this new diaper in the future!

All in all, aside from a few annoyances, I really like these diapers and would recommend Rearz for your nighttime dipes!

It Ain't Always Easy Bein' Green

Okay, I know sometimes I, and my eco-conscious comrades, only show the positive pretty side of living green.  And it's true there are a ton of positives!  Saving the earth and keeping our kids healthier in the long run and all that.  The truth, however, is that sometimes it can be difficult. Really difficult.

I mean part of the reason people have junked up the earth so much with toxic chemicals and pollutants is for purposes of convenience, right? We have plastic stuff because it's easier to cart around and more durable than glass and wood, and lighter and easier to manufacture than steel (and more flexible than any of those materials). Many industrial pollutants came into being because it's easier and faster to churn out goods via machinery than by hand. We have toxic preservatives in food and cosmetics because it's easier to buy things that have a long shelf life than try to keep good organic fresh stuff, well, fresh. Driving and flying sure are a lot more convenient and less time-consuming than walking, bike-riding and taking horse-drawn carriages everywhere, isn't it?

So yes, there are downsides to living green. Cleaning with homemade products and eating homemade organic food require taking the time to make all that stuff, and organic food is, indeed, more expensive (and harder to find). Freecycling and thrift shopping can mean it takes a lot longer to find what you're looking for than running to Target or Wal-Mart. Cloth diapers, as much as I love them, can be a real pain in the butt, literally... while it's true that disposables can be the cause of many diaper rashes, cloth diapers also can, if you're struggling (as I have) to find the right detergent and wash routine for your specific washing machine and water type.  While it's easy enough to switch brands of disposables, cloth diapering problems can be a bit trickier.

And so I will confess that sometimes my husband and I buy take-out food and even (gasp!) McDonald's, particularly when on road trips. Planning road trips with the baby can be hard enough without remembering to pack lunch for us too!  Sometimes we use disposable diapers with antibiotic ointments and steroid creams to combat the worst diaper rashes, and believe me I have sometimes felt the pressure from well-meaning friends and relatives to switch to disposables altogether (and have sometimes considered doing so). And once in a great while we will still head into Target to grab a pack of batteries or other needed item (and in spite of all their packaging and transportation issues, we are still Amazon junkies).  We are certainly not homesteaders or zero-wasters yet by any means (maybe someday)!

The truth is that you do what you feel you must do when life gets a little overwhelming. I'm never really proud of these choices but I try not to beat myself up for them either. Because in the end, we keep coming back to our crunchier ways, and in fact as the months go by we commit to even more eco-friendly, though sometimes harder, choices. That is the (sometimes unfortunate) power of conviction: believing that there is true value in what you are doing for the world around you, for the future of your children and the generations to come. Yes, it might be less convenient, and harder in some ways on the pocketbook (or even occasionally on baby's tuchus), and sometimes it's easier to see the downsides than the often long-delayed or seemingly minuscule benefits, but ultimately it's all worth it. Knowing we're lowering our contribution to the onslaught of chemical carcinogens and hormone disruptors on our son, our land and our water supply, even just a tiny bit, keeps me going when the going gets rough.

After all, we all need something to stand for, don't we?