Baby Legs

a.k.a baby leg warmers...

I found a blog post that gave directions on how to make "baby legs".

These were my trial pair that I made. I wanted to make sure they turned out before I make more. These are made from a pair of men's knee socks. My son's legs are a little chubby, but I wanted to see if they would work for the new baby. They did! My plan is to make some out of child's knee socks for the new baby once we know if it is a boy or girl. I think they will come in handy for night time and for when the baby is just in onsies. Just a fun little craft :)

Homemade Baby Food

(This is kind of a re-do of a post from my old blog, but wanted to put it on this one.)

My son loves to eat! I decided to start making my own baby food for a couple different reasons. First, for the financial benefits because baby food can be very expensive!! Second, I want to know what is going into his little belly and if I am making it, I know just the ingredients!

I purchased a "Magic Bullet" food processor. I love this thing! It can puree just about anything and is very quick! It comes with a small and large container so I can choose which is better according to the amount of food I need to make. (It also comes with cups you can mix up drinks in for smoothies for Mommy & Daddy!) My son can eat about half a can of veggies at a time, so this is definitely saving us some money because it is about twice the amount of food as in a baby food jar at the store.

Here's what I do:
First I get the amount of food that I want to chop up and put it in the cup. For veggies, I add a little water, but fruit doesn't need any. Then I hook it up and in about 10 seconds, I have nice and smooth food for baby!
If I have extra food left over or if I am making a large batch of it, I would pour it into an ice cube tray and put it in the freezer. Once it was frozen, I would take it out and put it in a labeled zip-lock bag for another meal. For my son, he would usually eat about 2-4 cubes for his portions (like I said, he is a big eater!).

The processor can also chop up food into smaller pieces which came in helpful as my son transitioned from "liquid" food to small pieces. He is now eating regular table food, but I plan on using this again for my next baby when the time comes. This machine can even puree meat which was helpful when we were introducing it to my son. I highly recommend this product if you are interested in making your own baby food!

The picture below shows how I made a serving of green beans before, after, and eating.

Sock Creatures

This pregnancy, I have felt compelled to craft things. I made these two sock creatures before we moved. I got the basic idea from this poster. It has directions on how to make two different "sock monsters". I'm sure these are the first of many little sock creatures. They are hand sewn-my mother-in-law is going to teach me how to use a sewing machine in the next few weeks and I have some ideas I am excited about sewing. I'm sure there will be more crafts posted in the months to come; at least until the new baby is born!
I also got these books at a good price on Amazon.com that have more fun ideas for sewing creations with socks: "Stupid Sock Creatures" by John Murphy, "Sock and Glove" by Miyako Kanamori, and "Stray Sock Sewing" by Daniel (This one has been translated from Japanese I think, but it has good techniques you can use.
I made this "pig" from the last book....
My goal was to get a little better at making them and maybe use some for funny Christmas presents. We'll see how much I get done before Christmas though!! :)

Cloth Diapers

Cloth diapers are not what they used to be! They are now as convenient as disposable diapers and you don't have to mess with pins and such. There is a variety of kinds and systems out there and I am going to share my preferences with you. The good thing about cloth diapers is they do not put chemicals next to your baby's skin, take up landfill space, and kill your budget! As a side note, I just love the colors of the covers and the way they all look out on my clothes line!

Kinds I like to use:

• Chinese Cotton Twill Prefolds: from www.clothdiaper.com with diaper covers (I like Thirsties) Using this system is easier than it sounds. I first lay out the diaper cover, then put the prefold (folded in thirds) on top of the cover and then it is ready to be put on like a regular diaper! No pins needed because the cover holds the prefold in place to soak up the moisture. I like this system because if the diaper is just wet and not soiled, you can wipe off the cover and put a new prefold in it to make it last a little longer before washing everything.
• All-in-One Diapers (AIO): (I prefer the Thirsties Brand) These diapers are just like regular disposables, but you just wash them and reuse them again and again. They have a soft fleece inside, gussets on the legs to help prevent leaks, a plastic outside, and velcro closures.
• Biodegradable, Flush-able Liners: Wal-Mart has these great liners that I put on top inside the diaper (to be next to baby's skin) and it basically works like a filter to catch the poop and lets the pee go through into the absorbent part of the diaper. This is handy because it can reduce the mess when it comes to washing and you can either flush them or throw them away. If it has not gotten soiled, I will put it in the wash with the diapers to be reused one more time. These look like a roll of toilet paper but are a little thicker but more transparent and go the length of the diaper inside. They are wonderful!!!

In this picture I have the parts laid out for the prefold with cover system at the top and the all-in-one system at the bottom to help you be able to see how they go together.

Preparing the Diapers:
Once they come, they will need to be washed in hot water at least 3-5 times in the washing machine in order to get them ready to be used as diapers. Then do an extra rinse cycle to make sure all of the soap is out of them. You will need to use a regular amount of soap for this process, but after this, you will not need as much soap to wash the diapers because you do not want them to get soap build up. This actually makes them smell worse afterward. You can dry them outside on a line which is my favorite way because the sun actually bleaches the stains out and they are nice and white again after they have been soiled or you can put them through the dryer (it may take two times depending on the dampness.) I usually try to do an extra spin at the end of the wash to get a little more moisture out of the diapers.

Ok, time to change the diaper, what do I do?!
It is pretty easy and not as scary as you may think to change the cloth diaper. If it is soiled, then I will dispose of the liner in the trash or toilet, and then if there is still poop on the cloth diaper, I will put rubber gloves on and swish the diaper around in the toilet to loosen the rest off of the cloth. Then it can be put into the diaper pail until washing. If it is just wet, I simply change the diaper normally and put it into the diaper pail. If using the diaper covers and it is not soiled, I can wipe it off and reuse it one more time before it needs washed. Ta-da, we're done until washing day!

Washing the Diapers
Begin by doing a rinse with COLD water to get rid of any icky residue that may be still on the cloth. Then do a regular wash with HOT water to kill any bacteria. You can get by with using a little less soap than an ordinary load. Make sure you have natural soap without any scents or additives. I prefer Allen's Naturally powder detergent and it lasts a LONG time! Then when the wash is done do an extra rinse and an extra spin. Then the diapers are ready to dry!
*Please note, if you have all-in-one diapers with fleece inside to wash them separately from the prefolds so they do not "ball-up" or get pilly inside to cause irritation on baby's skin. Also, if you have velcro closure diapers-make sure to fold the velcro down before washing so they don't get all tangled together.

How many do I need?
I would say to start out you want at least enough diapers to get you through two days. Remember, you have to change the diaper as soon as it gets wet because it doesn't have the chemical that turns liquid into gel like disposables. I would say the safest bet for prefolds is to begin with 2-3 dozen and for covers have 3-4. This way you can have some diapers on hand while the other ones are being cleaned and dried. It may seem like an expensive investment when you are shopping around-and believe me, there are some very expensive diaper covers and all-in-ones out there. However, keep in mind that you can use these diapers over and over and on multiple children to keep up with a growing family. In the long run, if you stick with the cloth diapers, you will save money because you are not having to go buy more diapers every week or two.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I am not an expert, but I may be able to answer your question :)