The warm mid-January weather had us looking forward to spring and we started planning our garden. One of the things we needed was a composter so we could turn our kitchen scraps into rich compost for our garden. John David researched and decided to build a compost barrel. He purchased a barrel for $10 via Craiglist and within four days had turned it into a compost barrel.

He mounted the barrel on two 4x4s which are buried and concreted in the ground.

A close up of the opening, he cut this out and then mounted the hinges and closure.

The opening to the barrel.

Dumping in the very first bucket of scraps!

The contents of our compost barrel, kitchen scraps and a little bit of garden soil.

The barrel is designed to be spun to help mix the compost. Once the scraps are added, we close the door and then give the barrel a spin. Paxton enjoyed helping out by spinning the barrel.

Once the compost has ‘cooked’, we’ll simply place a bucket underneath the barrel, spin it to where the door is facing downward and open it to get compost for the garden.

We spent quite a bit of time planning a garden last spring. We bought supplies for four raised beds and built one. That’s as far as we got. A few weeks later we found out I was pregnant and soon after morning sickness followed and the garden was abandoned.

This year is going to be different. We’re already making plans and looking forward to gardening as a family and fresh vegetables!

Here’s our garden space:

The garden as of yesterday. Nothing much to look at, there’s one raised bed and that’s it.

The one bed that was built last year. We’re going to be getting the weeds and last years dead plants out and adding more soil!

We purchased this barrel via Craigslist for $10. John David has plans for it, I’m not quite sure exactly what he’s going to do with it {he has the mechanical mind!} The plan it to put this out in the garden space, although we’re not sure where exactly it will go.

As we work in the garden, I’ll keep you updated on the progress!

Are you looking forward to spring time and gardening? Do you do raised beds, a traditional garden or use some other method? 

I found out I was expecting baby number two when Paxton was 12.5 months old and I knew I’d be cloth diapering two babies. I spent several months thinking about diapers and trying to figure out how many I would need, how often should I wash and on and on!

One of the big questions was whether or not to invest in a stash of newborn diapers. Paxton was 8 pounds 8 ounces at birth and was in our one-size cloth diapers within a month {and probably could have been in them a few weeks earlier, this first time mama was just intimidated!} I figured our new baby would weigh about the same as his big brother and newborn diapers would be a waste.

Weston arrived 9 days early, weighing 6 pounds 14 ounces! He was teeny tiny {at least to a mama whose first baby was 8 pounds 8 ounces!} While in the hospital, I began thinking about cloth diapers and how many weeks it probably would be before Weston could fit into our diapers. I was ready to order some newborn diapers then and there! My wise husband asked me to wait and ask one of my friends if I could borrow her newborn pre-folds and covers to see if I liked them before investing in our own stash.

When Weston was 11 days old, I started cloth diapering with the borrowed pre-folds and covers as well as a few of her different brands of one-size diapers. After seeing how bulky they were, I decided to try a bumGenius 4.0 with the newborn insert on Weston and it fit the best! I was so excited since our diaper stash is almost exclusively bumGenius pockets with a few Econobum pre-folds/covers for Paxton.

At Weston’s 2 week check up, he was up from 6 pounds 14 ounces to 8 pounds 3 ounces {which is an amazing weight gain for a breastfed baby!} So, he was right around 8 pounds when the bumGenius One-Size diaper started fitting.

3 weeks old in a bumGenius 4.0 {he probably weighed around 8.5 pounds}

3 weeks old in a bumGenius Small All-in-One {he probably weighed around 8.5 pounds}

The bumGenius 4.0 fits wonderfully! In fact, snapped on the smallest setting and with the newborn insert it actually fits a little trimmer than our bumGenius Small All-in-One!

A newborn sleeper over a bumGenius 4.0 with the regular insert

These diapers are quite a bit bulkier than newborn disposables but I’ve not had any blowouts in them which actually is saving on laundry since I don’t have to change Weston’s clothes 3 or 4 times a day! At 4 weeks, I’m still able to snap newborn bodysuits and sleepers up with the cloth diapers on him, even with the regular insert in {he’s getting to be a heavier wetter and the newborn insert isn’t cutting it!}

Newborn diapers are precious but think long and hard before investing in them! Pre-folds and covers are very bulky and some of the trimmer fitting ones will probably be quickly outgrown! We saved a ton of money by not purchasing newborn diapers since these bumGenius diapers will fit until he’s potty trained!

My two sweet cloth diapered boys

{Note: I am a Sweetbottoms Baby Affiliate}

Living a ‘green’ life is often portrayed as being more expensive than mainstream living. The reality is that being ‘green’ often is quite frugal and can save you a lot of money!

Here are some small steps towards living green that can save money:

• Recycle :: The more you recycle, the fewer trash bags you use! We only use 3 or 4 bags a month and buy trash bags once a year or less! Of course, if you live in an area where you’re charged by bag of trash or pay for weekly trash service, the more you recycle means the less trash you produce and the less you have to pay to get rid of it!
• Compost :: Once again, this helps save a little on trash bags for us! We compost our food scraps which produces rich compost for gardening. Another benefit, our trash rarely smells so we only take a trip to the dump every month or two!
• Cloth Napkins :: Never buy paper napkins again! We’ve been using cloth napkins throughout our entire marriage. We were given a few, bought a pretty set of 6 at a yardsale for $.50 and I’ve made several! We’ve spent less than $3 -4 on napkins. They just go in the wash with our clothes and they’re so small they don’t make a huge impact on laundry.
• Replace Paper Towels :: We haven’t purchased paper towels in 3 or 4 years. Instead we use kitchen towels and dish cloths for typical kitchen uses and use rags made from my husband’s old white t-shirts for messes and tasks like disinfecting countertops, cleaning the bathroom, wiping up spills from the floor and so on. We store the used rags in a small trash can in a closet and wash about once a month.
• Programmable Thermostat :: You can set the temperature to automatically lower at night as well as when you’re out of the home, saving electricity {and money} without putting much effort into it!
• Conserve Electricity :: Turn off lights when you leave a room, turn off electronics that are not being used, unplug kitchen appliances when they’re not in use and unplug electronics when you go out of town or if you rarely use them.
• Shop at Thrift Stores :: Not only do you typically spend less when you shop at a thrift store but you are also ‘recycling’ and giving an item a new use!
• Combine Errands :: With a little planning and organization, combine all of your errands so you don’t have to run to town multiple times in a week. Also, if you’re tempted to spend when you are running errands, only going once should cut down on temptations and save you money!

What green steps are you taking? Are these steps saving you money?

If you’re looking for a deal on cloth diapers this weekend or other ‘green’ gifts for your children or friends, check out Sweetbottoms Baby ! They’re offering 10% off a $30 or more purchase through Monday night when you use discount code ‘BLACKFRIDAY2011′!

Diapers on Sale*:

*GroVia: Buy 2, Get 1 FREE  (applies to AIO, Newborn AIO, Shells, & Bio Diapers)

*Rump-a-rooz Pocket Diapers: Buy 4+, Get 1 FREE; Buy 8+, Get 2 FREE; Buy 12+, Get 3 FREE; Buy 20+, Get 4 FREE

*Bottombumpers AIOs: Buy 6 solid or 4 prints, Get 1 FREE

*Econobum: Buy 1 Prefold/Cover Set, Get 1 FREE

{*If you purchase the sale diapers, the 10% off doesn’t apply.}

I took advantage of the discount code twice this weekend purchasing a few items for my boys and a few gifts!! 

{Note: I am a Sweetbottoms Baby Affiliate}

We’ve been using cloth wipes since day one of our cloth diapering and love them! They can be quite frugal too. Most of my cloth wipes are baby wash cloths which are inexpensive.

However, since we’re having baby #2, in addition to needing a larger diaper stash, we also needed more cloth wipes! I’ve been looking around for wash cloths I like {without edge binding and a cotton blend} and the cheapest I’ve found is $8 for a pack of 12! I’d rather not spend that much on wipes!

Thankfully before I made a purchase, one of my cloth diapering friends showed me some cloth wipes she’d made out of old flannel receiving blankets. I immediately liked them and remembered I had some flannel in my fabric stash. She gave me one to test out and after using it on Paxton, I was sold! Time to break out the sewing machine!

These wipes were so simple to make. I cut squares out of flannel fabric and then sewed the fabric inside out {leaving a small hole to flip it}. Then I used a zig-zag stitch to top stitch and was done! Easy.

There really is no right or wrong size, just choose a size of wipe that you think will work best for you! Mine are a little bit smaller than the baby wash cloths I’m currently using as cloth wipes.

Lovely stack of 9 new cloth wipes! And yes, I have pink ones even though I have boys! But, who cares since these are going to be used to wipe their bottoms!! The flannel was free since I already had it!

After making the 9 blue and pink washcloths, I was sold on them so I decided to make more! The fabric this time was an old pair of my pajama pants! I was able to get 10 cloth wipes from the pajama pants and I love the red and white stripes.

Using cloth wipes is easy and frugal and making cloth wipes is too! If you don’t have any flannel already, look at resale and thrift stores for old receiving blankets or ask your friends, I’m sure you can easily find someone who has a ton of extra receiving blankets they’d be more than willing to give you!

Do you use cloth wipes if you cloth diaper?

My grandma gave me several beautiful Christmas fabrics a year or two ago and they’ve just sat in my craft chest. I realized it would just take a little bit of time and effort to turn the Christmas fabric into cloth Christmas bags that can be used for years to come!

Making these bags was so simple. They’re not super fancy and the edges aren’t serged {due to the fact that I don’t own one} but they’re adorable and I love that they’ll be reused over and over in our family!

Step 1: Cut out your fabric in a rectangular shape. The size doesn’t matter, just base it upon how big you want your finished bags. I made several bags of varying sizes to hold both large and small gifts.

Step 2: Hem the edges of the fabric that will become the top of the bag. This step makes them look much neater!

Step 3: Fold your rectangle over with the hemmed edges touching and sew up the sides.

Step 4: You’ve sewn a cloth Christmas bag! All that’s left now is finding the perfect gift to place in your bag!

Isn’t this cute? I used scrap ribbon {mostly ‘recycled’ from gifts I’ve received in the past} to tie up my bags!

I love these colorful cloth Christmas bags!! { The larger bag is holding a 12×12 children’t book to give you an idea of the scale}.

I made about 10 bags already and have plans to make a few more. I’m using a few as gift wrap for gifts outside our family so I won’t personally be able to reuse them. The rest will be used in our little family so we’ll be able to reuse them for years to come!!

The best part of these bags, they were completely free since I already had the fabric on hand! Look in your fabric stash and see if you have any fabric that would work, reds and greens would make wonderful traditional colored bags but don’t forget blues and whites too! And of course any color or print would work because there are no rules that say your gift wrap has to be a certain color!!

Are you taking any steps towards a ‘green’ Christmas? If so, what are you doing? 

What’s the solution? Snack Bags!!

Planet Wise has a Bag Your Snack Stuff line which includes snack bags, sandwich bags and even a sandwich wrap! These bags are perfect for on the go.

Sandwich Wrap, Window Bag & Snack Bag

We have a sandwich wrap, window bag and snack bag.

The sandwich bag is great for sending sandwiches and bread to work with my husband. It folds out and makes a nice little ‘plate’ too! One or two of these would be perfect for sending lunches to school with kids!

Around here the snack bag and the window bag get the most use! Just about every time we leave the house, one of these bags is in my purse or Paxton’s backpack {and many times I’ve got them both packed!} We pack cereal, crackers, small cookies, dried fruit, just about any snack in these. They keep the food fresh and we’ve never had any leaks.

One of the best parts is the fact that Paxton can easily hold these bags and eat his snacks out of them on his own.

Each bag is $7.99 each which may seem a little pricey but when you consider that you won’t be purchasing {and throwing away} snack bags or bringing heavy snack containers {we use glass containers, not plastic} with you on the go, they’re a fabulous investment! After several months of use, mine are showing no signs of wear and I know they have years of life left in them!

These bags would make wonderful first birthday gifts or Christmas gifts for toddlers, kids or even your eco-friendly friends and family!!

They’re useful, they’re easy to carry with you and they also come in adorable prints!

Giveaway:

Win a set {sandwich wrap, window bag and snack bag} in your choice of prints!

Mandatory Entry: {leave a comment telling me you did}

• “Like” Planet Wise on Facebook

Additional Entries: {leave a separate comment for each entry}

• Tell me which snack bag you like the best
• Visit Planet Wise and tell me which print is your favorite
• “Like” Frugal and Simple on Facebook

Giveaway ends Monday, November 21 at 12 pm EST.

*Giveaway restricted to Continental US and Canada.

Disclaimer: I was provided the Planet Wise Bag Your Snack Stuff bags to review. I was not compensated in any other way. All opinions expressed in this post are my own!

*This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to commenter #67, Kate! 

During the Month of November, Econobum Single Packs are Buy 1, Get 1! The Single Packs are only $9.95!!

This is an awesome deal on an inexpensive cloth diapering system. Each pack comes with a cover and a pre-fold, so you’re getting 2 covers and 2 pre-folds for less than $10!!!

We have 2 Econobum covers and 5 pre-folds {you can purchase an additional 3-pack of pre-folds for $6!} and we use them all the time!

The 2 covers we have were purchased during the last Buy 1, Get 1 deal back in February and they’re holding up great, showing little to no wear after 9 months!  {I gave the first Econobum I bought before Paxton was born to my sister and it’s still in great condition!}

As for the pre-folds, I really love the Econobum pre-folds. They’re thick, absorbant and get softer with each use.

If you’re looking into cloth diapering but don’t want to make a huge investment, the Econobum system would be a great, inexpensive start!

And, if you order from Sweetbottoms Baby, all orders ship free!

{Note: I am a Sweetbottoms Baby Affiliate}

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{Note: I am a Sweetbottoms Baby Affiliate}

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{Note: I am a Sweetbottoms Baby Affiliate}

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{Note: I am a Sweetbottoms Baby Affiliate}

An introduction to the different types of cloth diapers!

{Note: I am a Sweetbottoms Baby Affiliate}

Cloth diapering at home is one thing but cloth diapering on the go or traveling with cloth diapers is something that seems scary to many who are beginning to cloth diaper!

We started cloth diapering when our son was a month old. After a few days we were in the rhythm of cloth diapering and it wasn’t difficult at all. However, we would take disposables with us when we were on the go and didn’t even want to think about traveling with cloth diapers!

After purchasing a wet bag, I took him to church in cloth and then to town and then realized it was easy and we haven’t looked back.

Traveling with cloth diapers was the next step and it’s easier than one might imagine. We’ve visited our parents and taken a few overnight trips with our son 100% in cloth and it’s simple. It just requires a bit of planning to have your diaper stash washed and ready to go when you leave!

Tips for traveling with cloth diapers:

• Have a large bag to put the diaper stash, wipes and wet bag in. We use a large duffel bag and our entire diaper stash, wipes and detergent fit in it.
• Wash all of your diapers soon before leaving so you’ll have mostly clean diapers. I typically will start a load about 8 hours before we leave on a trip so they’ll be ready to be packed right before departure time. {Of course you have to bring along some dirty ones since they won’t all be clean.}
• Bring your diaper pail or a large wet bag with you. We have a small airtight diaper pail that we use to store dirty diapers and we take it with us when we travel. We’ve never had any issues with our car smelling with the diaper pail in it.
• Pre-measure your laundry detergent. {A divided formula dispenser is perfect for this!} I fill the 3 compartments and we’re ready to go.
• If you are staying with family/friends, ask if they are okay with you bringing your cloth diapers if you need to wash while you are there.

Traveling with cloth diapers is really easy and saves money!

Do you travel with your cloth diapers?

{Note: I am a Sweetbottoms Baby Affiliate}

Our one raised bed is showing progress, our two banana peppers are looking great and so are our 5 tomato plants {we were given these plants!} The other 3 beds still haven’t been built. We really need to get on it!!

We actually have a teeny, tiny pepper growing!

Our seedlings have not fared well (mainly due to me forgetting to water them a few days last week!) Our cantaloupes recovered from a few days without water and are looking good again. Now, we just need to build another bed so they can be transplanted!

Not much to report and I have a feeling I’m going to have to let go of some of my lofty gardening dreams this year!

Linked to: Frugal Gardening 101 at Amy’s Finer Things, Getting Freedom and Smockity Frocks

Breastfeeding is by far the frugal (and green) way to feed your baby! Of course breast pads are a necessity for nursing mamas. A big question is whether to use disposable or reusable!

Before Paxton was born, I was given disposable pads which I used during the first few weeks. The disposables were uncomfortable and I was incredibly self conscious due to the ‘paper sounds’! Not to mention, I hated all the waste they created!

After those early weeks, I switched to reusables and haven’t looked back with no plans to use disposables with future babies.

There is a cost with whatever nursing pads you choose to use. I’ve invested in reusable pads which have held up through this first year of breastfeeding showing minimal wear! I prefer that to spending $10 or so on a box of disposables every few weeks.

There are all different types of reusable nursing pads but there is a quality and comfort difference! While nursing you’ll be wearing nursing pads daily so choose a soft, comfortable and absorbant pad like Bamboobies!

There are two different types of Bamboobies – Regulars and Overnights.

Regulars:

The regulars are heart shaped and adorable! They come in pale pink, hot pink and black. They really are soft, they’re comfortable and absorbant! The heart shaped pads shifted on me when worn right side up so I wore them upside down with minimal movement. Of course, bodies are shaped differently so you may have no problems wearing them right side up!

Overnights:

Overnights are round shaped, plush and incredibly soft! They are designed for heavy leakers and for those early weeks of nursing. These are the most comfortable nursing pads I have ever tried! Honestly, I love these so much that I wear them during the day. I would recommend the overnight Bamboobies to new mamas wanting to avoid disposables entirely during the first few weeks.

Buy Bamboobies:

2-pair packages of Regular Bamboobies or Overnight Bamboobies ~ $16.99

Multi-pak (a lingerie bag with one pair of Overnights and three pair of Regulars) ~ $29.99

4-pair package of Overnights (in a pink lingerie bag) ~ $29.99

Use discount code FAS20 for 20% off!

Giveaway:

Win a coupon code worth $16.99! You can purchase a 2-pair package to sample or apply them towards anything else they sell!

Mandatory Entry:

Visit Bamboobies and tell me what you like the best about them!

Additional Entries:

• Tell me if you are a expectant mom or how long you’ve been nursing!
• “Like” Bamboobies on Facebook
• “Like” Frugal and Simple on Facebook

Giveaway ends Tuesday, April 26 at 12 pm EST.

Disclaimer: I was provided a pair of Regular and Overnight Bamboobies to review. I was not compensated in any other way. All opinions expressed in this post are my own!

Winner: Commentor #6, Jill!

We haven’t been in our home 2 weeks and aren’t fully settled in but you better believe we’ve started the garden! One of the reasons we purchased our home was the amazing yard with ample space to raise our own food.

Last weekend, my husband attempted tilling (with a borrowed tiller) a spot in our back yard without much success. This north Georgia soil is rocky! With no success following a traditional method, we starting looking into other ways to garden. We decided to go the route of raised beds.

So far, we’ve built one bed using James Hardie siding (which is stands up to moisture and rot and is considered ‘green’ because it uses “natural ingredients that are low in toxicity“.) One 12-foot board is around $7 and it makes a 9 square foot bed! (We currently have supplies for 3  more but haven’t had time to build them!)

In our one raised bed, we  have our two banana pepper plants that we purchased.

I have an incredibly cute gardening helper, he’ll be gardening alongside of me all summer long!

Last week I also started our seeds. I’m a little behind where I’d like to be but at this point but this will be a “learning year” at the new house as well as gardening with a child!

We already have some growth! I just hope our Georgia soil grows cantalopues like our Tennessee soil did!

One of our goals is to have much of our yard become an edible landscape. Instead of lining the side of our home with flowers, we put strawberries there. So far we just have 4 strawberry plants and hopefully will add some more in the future! (We are starting small this year!)

One of our strawberries is turning! I’m looking forward to eating these juicy berries!

And while I snapped these pictures, Paxton entertained himself with dandelions! He loves them!

So far, we’ve spent under $50 for our garden and most of that was for supplies for building the raised beds which will be used for years to come!

Do you have a garden? If not, have you thought about growing 1 or 2 of your favorite vegetables in a small container garden?

Linked to Frugal Gardening 101 at Amy’s Finer Things, Getting Freedom and Smockity Frocks!

We have successfully stuck to the changes we implemented in January and added a few more in the month of February.

Our February changes:

1. Switched to a Deodorant Crystal

I am the one who made this change! I don’t know if my husband is quite ready for this one! I was a little leery of using a deodorant crystal. So far I’ve been using it 3 weeks and haven’t had any odor issues! I wear it every day. {I did put on ‘conventional’ deodorant one warm day when we went on a day trip!} Of course, the real test will come in a few months in the sweltering Georgia summer heat!

2. Purchase Fresh Ground Peanut Butter

We love that freshly ground peanut butter contains just fresh peanuts. We both were a little surprised at the taste at first, it’s not sweet because it doesn’t have added sugar! Since becoming accustomed to the difference, we both are really enjoying it. In fact, I’ll occasionally go get a spoonful of peanut butter as a quick snack, something I never did before.

3. Easy to Use Grain Mill

We’ve been grinding our own wheat about 85% of the time for the past 3 months and decided to no longer purchase flour. Since we weren’t going to have flour in our pantry, we needed an easier to use grain mill than the one we owned since it required a lot of clean up, was quite large and wasn’t easy to access once it was ground. We purchased a (updated) KoMo Magic Grain Mill which is designed to be left on the counter. We love the way it looks and the best part, grinding is easy! We put the amount of wheat in the hopper that we need, grind it and there’s no clean up! I no longer think, “I want to make bread but I won’t because I don’t want to get the grinder out!”

4. Reusable Coffee Mug

This one is all my husband since he’s the coffee drinker! He brings his reusable Copco cup to work every day and to church on Sunday which is saving our church about 6 coffee cups a week! Plus, he’ll sometimes put his tea in it if there’s a dinner at church.

5. Glass Water Bottle

This one is all me! I purchased a 22 ounce Life Factory glass bottle to make drinking water easier when I’m away from home. Since I’m still nursing it’s important to stay hydrated! I also try to carry this with me to church when we have dinners so I don’t waste a cup for water. Yes, the glass is heavier but it doesn’t give the water a funny taste like plastic or stainless bottles do! {And these bottles have silicone sleeves on them to protect the glass!}

These 5 steps in February combined with the 3 in January mean we’ve made 8 changes so far in 2011 towards more natural living!

Have you implemented any changes towards green living lately?

Living a frugal and simple life is green in many ways. We don’t consume much, we recycle and use cloth for just about everything but toilet paper!

Since Paxton was born, we’ve found ourselves desiring to live a green(er) life.

Thinking about living green(er) can seem overwhelming and expensive: switching toiletries, buying more organics, purchasing meat that is hormone free, just to name a few.  The best way to make changes without getting overwhelmed is to begin making small steps each month!

We’re going to be making small green steps each month towards more natural living.

Our January changes:

1. Replace Conventional Shampoo and Soap.

Our whole family is no longer using conventional shampoos and soaps. We’ve switched to Dr. Bronner’s Unscented Soap as both shampoo and body wash. Paxton has been shampoo free for 3 weeks now and we’re using the Dr. Bronner’s as body wash for him.

2. Purchase Organic Produce for items on the ‘Dirty Dozen’

I have a list of the ‘Dirty Dozen’ (that I keep in my purse so it’s handy at the grocery store) and these are the items that are a priority to purchase organic. Yes, organic foods cost more than conventionally produced foods but the extra cost for the ‘dirty dozen’ is worth it to our family.

3. Purchase Non-Conventional Chicken

We’ve begun purchasing Springer Mountain Farms chicken. Their chickens “are fed only a diet of grains and soybeans; without the use of antibiotics, chemical medicines, hormones, or animal by-products.” They are located in Northeast Georgia so their chicken is local!

{Cost: We paid $1.99/pound for a whole chicken. We cut up the chicken and separated the breasts, thighs, wings, and then boiled the remaining carcass.}

More Information:

• How to Clean Your Hair Without Shampoo from Simple Mom
• The “Dirty Dozen” from Organic.org
• Springer Mountain Farms

Are you making any changes towards living a healthier and greener life?

Frugal and green living go hand in hand.

Cloth napkins, rags for cleaning instead of paper towels, cloth diapers and wipes are all green and save us money! We also recycle and compost {although it’s somewhat difficult to compost while living in a condo}. Doing these simple things cuts back on our waste.

We use less than one garbage bag a week and don’t pull our trash can down to the curb every week. In fact, it’s been 6 weeks since we pulled it down for pick up last {and that includes our Christmas trash!}

We were surprised to see our neighbors trash cans brimming full of trash after missing just one week of trash pickup {due to the Georgia snow last week!}

It’s sad to see how much trash families accumulate in a week.

Making small changes really make a difference and cuts down on waste.

Try out cloth napkins, give cloth diapering a try and recycle everything your city recycles!

If we all did the little things it would begin to make a huge impact and there would be less waste!

We started cloth diapering when our son was around a month old. We quickly learned breastfed baby poo and the Flip System did not work for us. We still used the system but we typically had one wear out of the cover because he would almost always poo while wearing the Flip and it would get all over the cover!

Now that he’s eating solids, we’re beginning to see the money saving benefits of the Flip System.

The Flip System::

Stay Dry Insert-$4.95

One-Size Diaper Cover-$13.95

Organic Insert-$7.95

*You can purchase a Cover/Stay Dry Insert for $16.95 or a Cover/Organic Insert for $19.95 (saving $1.95 over purchasing them separately).

**We purchased 2 Cover/Inserts together, 3 Stay Dry Inserts and 1 Organic Insert.

The Flip cover is a one-size adjustable cover, that “fits babies from 7-35 pounds”. Our baby had skinny legs, it didn’t fit until he hit the 10 pound mark.

Our son at 2 weeks wearing the Flip Diaper cover with a Stay Dry Insert. It was too big on his legs, babies with chunkier legs could probably wear these diapers earlier.

The Stay Dry Insert has microfiber on one side and stay-dry suede on the other. There are lines (you can see on the left) where you fold for a small, medium or large setting.

The Stay Dry Insert inside the Flip cover. This is on the medium setting, I folded the insert on the second line and then tucked it in the cover. Now it is ready to snap on baby!

The Flip Organic Insert is like a pre-fold. (I was surprised when it arrived, I thought it would look just like a Stay Dry Insert just with organic cotton.)

You fold the insert according to the size your child needs.

This insert is bulkier but it is very soft and absorbant!

The Organic Insert tucked in the  Flip cover.

There are also Disposable Inserts for the Flip Diaper System, a pack of 18 is $4.95. (We have not tried them.)

I believe this system is perfect for babies on solids! If we have another child before Paxton is potty trained, we’ll probably purchase another cover and a few more inserts and use the Flip System on him and use our pocket diapers on our newborn.

How much could you save versus pocket diapers (like bumGenius)?

(It is recommended you have no less than 12 diapers in your stash.)

• 12-bumGenius One-Size Diapers (@$17.95) = $215.40
• 4-Flip Covers with Stay Dry Inserts (@$16.95) & 8 Stay Dry Inserts (@$4.95) =$107.40
• Savings-$108

[We still love our bumGenius diapers because they are so easy to use, are great for cloth diapering on the go and are simple for nursery workers/babysitters/grandparents to use but the Flip System is great too!]

What are your thoughts on the Flip Diaper System?

{Note: I am a Sweetbottoms Baby Affiliate}

Meet Charlie, my stain fighting friend! I’ve been using Charlie’s Soap since I started cloth diapering back in May. It works wonders on our diapers! After a few blowouts when Paxton was a newborn, resulting in stains on his clothes, I decided to give Charlie’s Soap a try on soiled baby clothes and it works!

I typically will rinse the poo off of the garment with cold water, apply a little Zout and then wash with Charlie’s Soap and usually there is no stain.

This past week while we were traveling, Paxton wore disposables (which means more blowouts!) He soiled several pieces of clothing. The worst was a light blue onesie (the poo was all over the back!)

Once we arrived home (just a few hours after the incident), I rinsed the poo out and let it soak in cold water overnight. The next morning I applied Zout and washed in Charlie’s Soap. Unfortunately, Charlie failed me and there was still a faint yellow stain on the back of the onesie.

I decided to give Charlie another chance and dissolved about 1/4 a tablespoon of Charlie’s Soap in cold water and then soaked the onesie for 2 days.

It worked! Here is the onesie…minus the stain! (I didn’t take a before picture for comparison because I really don’t like the idea of taking pictures of clothing covered in poo!)

I am thrilled that the stain is gone because this is a really cute little onesie.

Warning: The water I soaked the onesie in had a faint blue tint when I poured it out, so it is pulling a little dye out of the clothing after a 2 day soak. However, I’d rather the color of the garmet fade a little instead of being stained permanently!

Do you have any stain fighting tips?

Linked to: Works for Me Wednesday

We received our new Bum Genius 4.0 with snaps last week and so far we love it! It’s a lot like our 3.0s but with a few improvements! And the snaps should give this diaper a longer life (which will save us money!)