babyGreen

Welcome!!

Since before my daughter was born I have spent countless hours online looking for deals, free samples, and the best methods to provide the best for my girl while saving money, living environmently friendly and wanting to accomplish both. In a day were disposable reins supreme it is hard for a mom to find what is best for the kids but also what is best for the planet. Often, it is much easier to be green and stress free than we have been lead to believe. There are so many tricks and products I have discovered in the small amount of time I have been a mom. I want to shout them from the roof tops but I remember how I felt towards unsolicited advice. However, I cannot sit by and not share my hard earned knowledge to like minded moms. Why shouldn't the info is easy and available.

There is so much info I don't have so I encourage emails, comments to get the word out. Pass on your advice, opinions, and links. Being a mother may be something we are born to do but the knowledge is certainly not ingrained. 

Strawberry and Oatmeal

1/4 cup baby oatmeal
1-2 tbsp pureed strawberries
mix together with enough formula/breast milk to get a consistency preferred for your little one.

Sweet Potato, Strawberry and Chicken

1 part pureed chicken
1 part pureed sweet potato
1 part pureed strawberries
Mix together and serve

Sweet Potato, Carrots and Chicken

1 part pureed chicken
1 part puree carrots
1 1/2 parts sweet potato

Mix together and serve

Blueberries and Rice Cereal

1/4 cup dry baby rice cereal

substitute in Blueberry juice instead of formula/breast milk to mix up the cereal

Bum Genius

I knew from the beginning that I was going the cloth diaper route.
1. It is good for baby (less chance of diaper rash, breathes easier)
2. Good for the environment
But I was unsure how to get started, what do I need so as soon as D came home I would be set. I did alot of googling but could never find all I needed and had to piece it together.
There are several kinds of cloth diapers but I have personal experience with prefolds (basically you have to fold them to fit the baby) and All in One premade diapers (these resemble disposables in shape and function). I prefer the Premade diapers for a number of reasons.
First, when you have a wee babe in the middle of the night wiggling, crying and tired coupled with a tired, agitated parent, diapers are not a good thing to throw in the mix. You can try Snappi Cloth Diaper fasteners but you still need a diaper cover, which in my case were the plastic pants you pick up at walmart. Sure you can buy pretty covers online but at that price you might as well opt for the pre made All in One which go for the same price as the trendy diaper covers.
I throughly researched which One Size I wanted and decided on BumGenius  One Size. I choose this brand for many reasons, the chief among them being it worked just like a disposable (which I was very familar). It looked familar so I knew I could use it without a tutorial but so could my husband, the grandparents and anyone else who volunteered. I thought with some of the snap closure diapers, it might be too confusing for anyone not familiar and I would get stuck with all diapering. The velcro closure is infinitely adjustable and easy and fast to get on and off. It is an all in one, which translates to this is the only diaper I will need till she is out of diapers. The diaper grows with the baby. That means I will be saving $200 the first year and up to $600 every year after and that is not including subsequent babies.
I started out with 12 diapers but it just wasn't enough. I was washing diapers everyday. So I doubled it to 24 and have been happy with that number for 6 mo now. The washing is easy. I keep a diaper pail lined with a bag dropped on my front porch from a local dry cleaners (this cuts down on washing the pail) and drop my diapers in there and toss it all in the washer every other day. The washer separates the inserts from diapers for me. I then line dry everything. The diapers dry fast.
The Bum Genius travel well with a wet bag or without. You can fold up the diapers so they are self containing which is great when you are out.

Sippy cups- Harder to transition than you thought

D recently turned 6 mo and our Dr recommended we start trying the sippy cup. "Alright" I decided- how hard could it be. Totally wrong according to D. The flow was way to fast and she didn't get how it worked. The spout was so different from the bottle. We started with Playtex Sipsters and we tried Especially for Babies that I found on clearance at Babies R Us but the problem was the same.
I thought it might be better if we tackled the problem one at a time. If I can get her used to the handles then once she is ready for a faster flow then we can switch to the spout. After hours of research for universal handles or any handles to put on her Playtex Ventaire bottles, I was stumped. I didn't want to switch to expensive Avent bottles just for their handles. After a trip to Babies R Us to test the Avent handles on my Playtex bottle (they don't fit), I found the Nuby Sippy cup. This sippy has a soft silicone spout that allows the baby to decide how fast it flows. It is also similar enought to a nipple not to confuse the baby but to allow them to adjust to the spout. Finally it only has 2 pieces (a top and a cup) not aweird vent piece to wash and lose. D took right to it.

P.s. I just found out after a recent email to the MAM company that their trainer cup/sippy will be available in the US early 2010. From the research I have done these look like a great option. I love that MAM offers nipples for breast feeding babies that resemble the breast more than the Playtex Ventaire wide (plus they also offer the venting system). You can purchase handles for your bottles, or bottles with handles and then soft spout trainers and hard spout sippies. I wish I had known about this company from the begining.

Formula Facts & Freebies

 

Your doctor sends you home from the hospital with formula for your new, tiny, delicate baby. Who are you to second guess this recommendation? This formula is obviously chosen for your baby for a reason. You are not a doctor so you take the formula and you continue to buy it. Alot of it at around $25 per can.
What you don't know is that formula makers like Similac and Enfamil give the hospitals formula for free. So they pass it on to their patients, for free. But when you get home it is no longer free; it is expensive.
But it doesn't have to be. While Breast is best and free, formula doesn't have to be expensive. Many national grocery stores and department stores make their own brands that meet FDA regulations and match (ingredient for ingredient) the top brands like Similac and Enfamil. These brands are often HALF the price of the top brands. I have read hundreds of reviews on these store brands with nothing but praise. Some of the parents even claim that one store brand formula caused less gas for their child, another stated that her child preferred the store brand, and yet another parent preferred the store brand because it was easier to mix up and had less clumps.
As long as you stay true to the type of formula recommended by your Dr (such as gentle, soy, etc) you can save money by straying from the national brands and purchasing store brands. However, make sure your Dr. is aware of the brands you give to your child at each well child visit. My daughter has enjoyed Parents Choice (Walmart) and Up & Up (Target) but Walgreens, Kroger and Babies R Us all offer store brands that meet FDA Requirements including organic. Make sure and keep your Dr in the loop when changing formulas but remember you spend the most time with your baby and you know what is best.

To date I have received free samples of formula from Similac, Enfamil, Good Start and Parents Choice. You can register on their websites for coupons and free samples. The coupons are great even if you do not use them yourself. There is a big coupon market on ebay.