Frugal, Natural, and Healthy Changes Pt. 3

 
Part 3: The Nursery (Baby) Changes

As I mentioned at the beginning of these posts, the reason we decided to move toward more natural living began with our pregnancy. We wanted our son to have a healthy start to life. So, as we learned more, here are some ways we began saving money while promoting his health at the same time.

1. Cloth Diapering.- I realize this is not for everyone. But perhaps it's for more of you than you think. At first, the thought of cloth diapering scared me, as I was already overwhelmed at the prospect of being a mom for the first time. There was so much I needed to learn before our baby arrived that this almost seemed too big a feat to attempt. Our parents were probably more likely to cloth diaper than our generation...with real cloth diapers. Many people still picture prefolds and safety pins. And while some people still use this method, if that overwhelms you, you should know how far cloth diapers have come and what other options you have. There are probably hundreds of brands of cloth diapers (inserts and covers combined) out there. We chose to mostly use Bumgenius diapers, one of the highest rated cloth diaper brands out there. We put them on our baby registry and then made an investment in purchasing the rest ourselves. We figured that it would save us at least $2,000 by the time Charlie would be out of his diapers...and that's only for one child. You can re-use these diapers for more children saving even more money. We liked the fact that he wouldn't have the chemicals from disposable diapers up next to his skin constantly as well as the fact that cloth diapers are just so cute nowadays! We started cloth diapering with Charlie when I was completely recovered from labor/delivery (it took awhile for me)...around 2 months postpartum. We've been using cloth diapers now for 9 months and have never regretted it. In fact, I actually enjoy it! They don't seem inconvenient in the least to us (except for maybe having to visit the creepy spider-infested side of the basement with the washer/dryer more often). We have a wet bag for when we are out and have to change diapers, and they are as quick to change as a disposable. Oh, and we had such problems with disposables for the first two months of Charlie's life! We had to change his outfit almost every single diaper change due to the leaks. And we tried different kinds, changed him more often, and tried different sizes. They just didn't work well for us. With the cloth diapers we hardly ever had leaks! If you've ever thought about it for a moment, maybe you should consider it again! 
2. Cloth Wipes. - Have I gone mad, you might ask? Nope. Not yet, anyway. A couple of our friends were using cloth wipes that they had bought or made and loved them. Even though disposable wipes aren't too expensive, we thought it wouldn't be too much more difficult to wash wipes since we'd already be washing diapers. And again, we weren't thrilled with the chemicals in the wipes that can be harsh on baby's skin. So our friend made some for us (they are very easy to make!) out of terrycloth on one side and flannel on the other. We've only ever needed to use one at a time, and they never irritate Charlie's skin. 
3. Natural Wipe Solution.- A friend gave us Honey Chunks to dissolve in water to make our own wipe solution. We love this! They are all natural honey and oils that aren't harsh on baby's skin but actually moisturize while cleaning. It smells so good, too! You can certainly make your own natural wipe solution, as well, but we found that this is pretty cheap.
4. Homemade Cloth Diaper Detergent.- When you cloth diaper, you need to use a special detergent to keep the diapers from being worn down by harsh ingredients in regular detergent. There are many options out there, and we found this chart really helpful in comparing costs and effectiveness. But after trying a few kinds that worked fine (but were expensive due to shipping), we found this recipe to make our own cloth diaper detergent that was extremely cheap and effective! I made one big batch costing us around $30, have given much of it away, have used it for 9 months now, and I still have at least half of it left. Amazing. And it really cleans our diapers. We've never had stink issues. Highly recommend!
5. Coconut oil for diaper rash ointment. - Can you tell we love our coconut oil? Because we are cloth diapering, we can't use ointments like Desitin for diaper rash. It isn't good for the diapers and doesn't wash out of them well. But again, we'd rather use a more natural ointment on our baby, anyway. So I found that coconut oil can also be used for a diaper rash and is safe to use with cloth diapers. Since it has anti-bacterial properties, it's doubly beneficial! Charlie has only had one or two good rashes in his 11 months of life and those each lasted less than 24 hours after applying coconut oil. We also use it for scrapes/scratches on Charlie's face, and we used it for cradle cap when he was a newborn. We used it for soap and lotion for him sometimes, too, and it worked great!
6. Natural and/or NO Baby wash/shampoo. - We started out with all the popular baby washes and shampoos until we learned more about the harmful chemicals that are actually in most of them. Check out this article for just a little info on that. We tried California Baby products which we were happy with, but they are more expensive. Then, when we bought our Norwex products (see Part #2), we also bought the baby cloths which allow you to use only water to wash your baby (and his/her hair!). We love that for traveling we only have to bring a small washcloth in place of bottles of baby wash and baby shampoo.
7. Homemade Baby Food. - So far, we've just made Charlie's baby food, which has saved us a ton of money. He eats about as much as I do in one sitting, so those little baby food jars would really add up! There are many websites that have recipes or ideas for making healthy baby food at home cheaply. Again, we try to follow the lists of which fruits and vegetables are most important to buy organically and then the rest we don't worry about. We make sure he has lots of good fats in his diet for his developing brain, so he eats a lot of coconut oil mixed in his food, avocados, and egg yolks. Yum (well, at least he thinks so)! 
8. Natural/Homeopathic Teething Remedies.- We've had a lot of experience with teething, unfortunately. Charlie started getting teeth at 3 months old, and he definitely notices every little pain connected to teething, so we needed to get creative. We didn't like the idea of Charlie taking Tylenol and Ibuprofin all the time (because with him, it would be all the time), so we found out about homeopathic teething tablets. These have literally been a life saver for us. They haven't always worked perfectly, but they always help a good deal with his pain. They are all natural ingredients without any side effects. We also tried the ever popular Amber teething necklace. Many of our friends raved about it, so we looked into it. Amber has been shown (yes, scientifically) to release small amounts of succinic acid into the skin (when someone is wearing it in the form of a necklace, bracelet, anklet, etc) which acts as a natural pain reliever and anti-inflammatory. We haven't found the necklace to work for Charlie, though others have sworn by them, so it's definitely worth a try if you want to go the more natural route. On many days we end up having to break out the Tylenol or Ibuprofin for our poor teething baby, but it's nice to know we have other options to start with that are safe and worth trying!

So there you have it. These are just some of the ways we have chosen to save money and promote a healthier life for our child...and probably just some of the ways you think we're crazy. But that's ok :)