Sustainable Living

I've never been more happy to have built a life that is somewhat sustainable for my children. We still have a few areas to grow in.

The best advice I could give moms-to-be at this time is to evaluate your "in case of emergency" situation.

Although I did not have this in mind when we started out, it has proved to be beneficial in more than just this season. As a new mom, I was pretty adamant on looking for areas to save money. I knew bringing a baby into the world could become pricy, if we let it. I came up with a prioritized list of items that I was willing to spend money on, and quite frankly, diapers wasn't one of them. I've also been one to look at high-waste areas and try to make them less wasteful.

I believe as Christians we should be concerned with the state of creation. God created this beautiful land for us to enjoy and we often destroy it with items that take decades to biodegrade. I remember the first landfill I saw and the first time I read statistics like "it takes 500 years for the average diaper to decompose." I quickly multiplied that among the diapers I changed on a daily basis at the daycare I worked in. It's a baffling number for just the children that were around me at that given moment. Not to mention the thought that the diapers that were used on me (not many as my mom cloth diapered some too) were still out there somewhere. Gross.

Where would all this stuff eventually go? This was before I really cared about a chemical-free lifestyle and home, and before I knew about the toxic chemicals in diapers and feminine products.

I don't want you to get overwhelmed with turning your whole household over in one month. Some things are expensive to change upfront but will save money in the long run. Focusing on one aspect of your life at a time can and will make a huge impact on your family's health. I want to start with the basic things that impact us the most and we use on a daily basis. Things we put in and on our bodies for hours and days at a time.

If you are about to have a baby I really would encourage cloth diapering. Once you figure it out, it isn't too challenging. Most daycares accept cloth diapering, they only ask for a wet bag and will store it in a different area. And, if diaper laundry is already being done, making your own wipes is super fun and an easy money saver too.

Another reason I love cloth diapering because the prints are adorable. My kid is never walking around with an ugly sagging paper diaper. Additionally, while saving my family money, and I never have to run out to the store in a pinch to get diapers and wipes- which is currently a problem for many.

As a woman, I've also had great success with using a feminine cup. I use this one, which is about the price of 3 boxes of tampons. I quickly made my money back. There are two sizes, one for before kids and one for after. I've only ever used this one. To clean you just boil it in water to disinfect it. You can also buy wash for it or make your own from diluted Dr. Bronner's soap and witch hazel. It's a simple, non toxic way to save money and be more economic.

For cloth diapering we use Nora's Nursery for the most adorable and affordable diapers. They are two sizes in one and if your child is a heavy wetter, doubling the inserts works perfectly. These are the prints we love, but there are quite a few more gender neutral and boy patterns!

Wash routine: Every few days after about 12-15 diapers are soiled I will throw them in the washer with some towels. Towels are important to the cycle to ensure cleanliness. Cloth Love and CD Science and Fluff Love University is where I learned a lot about wash routines. I was able to play around with it and eventually find what works for us.

Being chemical free is extremely important to me so we use 7th Generation laundry soap. I'm currently reading about DIY budget friendly laundry soap that is cloth diaper safe. I always add a little bit of Borax to my wash loads- even our normal clothes. This prevents detergent build up on not just your cloth diapers but your towels and clothes. Have you ever rubbed your fingers over your clothes and then rubbed your thumbs together and they felt waxy? That's what laundry build up feels like and it's terrible for diapers. Instead of the waste soaking into the diaper it will roll right over the top and down the babe's leg, causing side leaks.

Most cloth diapers are not dryer safe- but these are on a gentle cycle. However, hanging cloth diapers to dry always prolongs the life of the diaper and saves energy. If you do choose to use the dryer- dry sheets are a big no-no! The cause build up and are super heavy on fragrances and chemicals. All around not a good decision. Wool dryer balls with a couple drops of essential oils do the trick!

When making wipes I use the following products. I had some left over flannel from a project and cut it into 8x8 squares. They will fray for the first 3 washes or so, and then stop fraying. If that isn't ideal, feel free to stitch them around the edges.

If you know me, you know I don't measure anything, but I did my best to measure it this time I made them. I boil about 6 cups of water and pour it into a glass dish (never plastic!) with one TBSP of Dr. Bronners and two TBSP coconut oil. After it cools I add 1-2 TBSP of witch hazel with 3-4 drops of two different essential oils. I'm loving this combination right now, but in the past I've also used lemon and purification (usually in the winter for immune support).

I roll about 50 wipes and put them into the solution and soak it up. Any left over solution can be used as body wash or added to the bath. Just keep in mind the oil can make the tub slippery.

For all essential oils, we use Young Living because of the quality and production process. If you are interested in essential oils, feel free to read more of the posts on why we do oils and check out my link here.

I hope you enjoyed and try some of these out! If you have questions or additional ideas, drop them below!