Cloth diapers

Being a mother has made me much more environmentally friendly. I don't care as much about what goes into or onto my body as much as I care (almost to the point of crazy) what touches my baby or goes into their little bodies. One of the main changes we've made is using cloth diapers aka FLUFF.

Let me just say how much I love cloth diapers. I adore them! I love them! I would roll around in piles of them if I knew my husband wouldn't put me in the looney bin! They're so soft and squishy! *ahem* Sorry. :) People who love cloth diapers are generally cloth addicts. We use the codename "Fluff" to refer to them....and our accumulations are our "stashes". And yes, we probably sound insane because of it.

I admit when Alix was a baby, we used disposables. When I told my husband that I wanted to switch to cloth diapers when Erin was born, he thought I was nuts. And he didn't think I'd stick with it....but guess what, we have! Honestly, I'm not sure what deters people from cloth diapers. Here are my thoughts on why people are hesitant:


Cost? If you are considering cloth diapers and you start looking at pricing for them, your first thought will most likely be "An average of $17 per diaper?! That's just too expensive!" BUT, what some people fail to realize is that you will spend thousands of dollars on disposables on one baby. There are many websites out there that break down the costs of both for comparison, which makes for an interesting read. And even if you shell out several hundred dollars for a nice stash of cloth diapers, the savings is amazing. AND, as long as you get well-made diapers, they will last for more than one child.

The thought of washing poo out of diapers? Get over it. You're a mom. Trust me, you'll deal with or have dealt with worse. And technically, you're supposed to dump the contents of disposables into the toilet before tossing in the garbage anyway. Didn't know that? .....it's in fine print on your bag of disposables. And besides, with cloth, you don't get the awful blowouts that you get with sposies. And honestly, the poo is not bad at all. If you breastfeed, then you don't even have to rinse or dump. Just throw it in the washer because breastfed poo is water soluble. I'll admit todder poo isn't the prettiest, but it's manageable.


I would think that the cost-savings and the lack of chemicals would be enough to make anyone want to cloth diaper. Since we've used cloth diapers, we don't get diaper rashes like we did with disposables. I love it. Besides, who wouldn't want some cute cute CUTE ....did I say cute?....diapers on your baby's bum?! :)

You don't use shampoo?! Ew!

No, not Ew! I admit it....I haven't used shampoo in about...I don't know...maybe 5 or 6 months? If you're thinking "Oh Gross", then let me tell you a bit about going "no poo". I started going no poo almost as soon as I heard of it. Everyone knows that shampoos and conditioners are chock full of chemicals and things that are just generally bad for your body. So if you had the option to get your hair clean without dousing your body in chemicals and stripping all the healthy natural oils out of your hair, why not? The point of using baking soda and apple cider vinegar in your hair is to bring your hair back to its natural state, the point where your body produces just the right amount of oils in your hair to keep it beautiful, manageable, and not greasy.

Here is your basic how-to:
Shampoo: Mix baking soda with water. I have a little squirt bottle that I got from a grocery store that's usually used for condiments. I use basically 2 tablespoons of baking soda to every cup of water. Everyone who does it probably uses different ratios according to what they like though, so it's no exact science which is nice. When you're going to wash your hair, just shake up the bottle to mix it up, then squirt right onto your scalp. Then just scrub it in with your fingertips just like you would shampoo. There is no soft lathering, no bubbles....it feels like you're rubbing dirt on your head. But it gets the job done and your hair is clean.
Conditioner: For your conditioner, you're going to mix one part apple cider vinegar to 2 parts water. After you rinse the baking soda out of your hair, pour the vinegar mix over your hair....preferably not directly on the scalp though. Then rinse your hair again and you're done. As weird as it may sound to be putting stinky ol' vinegar on your head, it works better than any conditioner I've used.

So there it is. After a couple weeks of using this, you will go through the "transition stage". Your hair might get a bit funky, either too oily or too dry. But it's easily managed. If you hair is too oily, don't use the vinegar rinse....either not at all, or less often, or even very diluted, all depending on what works for you. If your hair/scalp is too dry, then dilute your baking soda mixture more or try using it every other day or so until your scalp decides to even itself out. My transition stage wasn't even noticeable.

And here is my personal review: Since I've been no poo, my hair is so soft and manageable. I don't even need any more frizz control! It's wonderful! And my husband has been using it as long as I have and he no longer has the crazy dry, flaky scalp that he's had his entire life. Neither of us will ever go back to commercial shampoos. I use it on the girls too, of course. Alix's hair is amazing....her curls are so beautiful, and her hair has so much shine! Also, I've noticed since using it on Erin, no more cradle cap. :) The girls only get the no poo treatment once a week or so, and I use it every 3-4 days now without a problem.

So there you go. Feel free to ask any questions if you have any. :) Also, I have to say really quickly that the baking soda/vinegar is so much cheaper than shampoos/conditioners!

The uses of Baking Soda

I use baking soda a lot. And by a lot I mean, I go through one of the giant 4 pound boxes ever week or two. In my search for a greener, cleaner house, it has been my go-to product.

First off, here's a little bit of information about baking soda and what it is. Baking soda is another name for Sodium Bicarbonate. Yes, the sodium bicarbonate that is prescribed as an antacid. The molecular formula is Na HCO₃. ....Just in case you needed to know. :) It is produced partly by a chemical reaction between brine and ammonia which I found quite interesting. It's been around for centuries though, but has been known by quite a few different names.

Here's a list of what all I've used it for, and then I will probably go into greater detail for the more interesting uses in another post:
1. Laundry detergent.
2. Household cleaner, in place of things like Soft Scrub for the shower, toilets, and stovetop.
3. Deodorizer for diaper pails and carpet, among other things.
4. Dishwasher detergent.
5. In place of shampoo.
6. It's a main ingredient in a few things like toothpaste and deodorant.
7. To help with itchy bug bites.
8. Mouthwash.
9. Body scrub.
10. Face wash.

I can't think of anything else I use it for at the moment.

Disclaimer

Hello! I'm not going to ask how you are since I'd feel quite silly listening for a reply. But, I am fantabulous, thank you for not asking. Now, down to business. Here is my disclaimer: "This blog is written for my own amusement, and to satisfy my own needs of telling someone...anyone, for that matter....my silly ideas and thoughts. So don't go being all offended by my crazy rantings. :)"

Actually, I started this blog because a wonderful friend of mine suggested it. So here I am. The name "Something about baking soda" was also said friend's idea. I love it! The reason behind it is that my solution for almost everything in my house is baking soda. I will rant and rave about that later though. :)

Anywho....oh, speaking of who....does anyone obsess over Dr. Who? And if your favorite isn't the Tenth, then don't tell me because I might have to brainwash you. :) Yes, I am a nerd.

Ummm.....well, I don't want to tell you EVERYTHING about me right off the bat because what would the fun in that be? :)