Walk the Walk

My baby girl Hannah entered this world on December 8, 2012. We all know the saying "If you're going to talk to the talk, you've got to walk the walk". I have been blogging about my plans to use cloth diapers, make my own laundry detergent, etcetera etcetera....now it's time to see how things are really going now that the baby is here!

Diapers

We weren't able to use cloth diapers for the first week after Hannah was born. Unfortunately since Hannah is so small, the newborn diaper covers we had for her were too big. It took us a few days to get out and purchase ones that fit her. We got the Bummis Super Brite Diaper Cover in newborn size from Cheeky Monkey. You can find out more information about this product here. I didn't like having to use disposable diapers, but it was only for a week so I suppose I can forgive myself.

The cloth diapers are definitely not as absorbent as disposable diapers. The cloth diaper is very wet at each change. This doesn't seem to bother Hannah though (as in she doesn't cry more since using cloth).

We have the dirty diaper pail in Hannah's room, and despite what a lot of people think - NO, the whole house does not smell like dirty diapers. When the pail gets full/smelly, we put the dirty diapers in a diaper bag and take them outside until diaper pick up day.

(For 6 months, we are using Bear Bottoms Diaper Service.)
  

Laundry Detergent

I am using a liquid laundry detergent purchased from Batty's Bath, made right here in London, ON. Unfortunately, I recently found out that Batty's Bath has discontinued this product! I will have to find an alternative once I am done this container. Maybe I will make my own, but that would involve a lot of effort so it's unlikely.

Baby Products

Instead of baby oil, I have been using olive oil. It's working out great. Hannah has some patches of dry skin, and the baby lotion wasn't making a difference at all. Olive oil seems to do the trick.

 

Bear Bottoms Diaper Service

One of the best gifts we received at our baby shower was a gift certificate for 6 months of cloth diaper service. If you have read one of my older posts, Cloth Diapers, then you know I am all for using cloth instead of disposables.

The company that we will be using is Bear Bottoms, and here is what is included in the service:

• Unlimited supply of diapers (choose from day or night)
• Hemp soakers 2x absorbency to cotton and Super Soakers
• Diaper pail with liner
• Drop off of clean diapers & Pick Up of dirty diapers once a week

Diaper covers and wipes are not included in the price. We received several sizes of diaper covers as a gift as well.

What I like about Bear Bottoms Diaper Service:

• Diapers are made in Ontario
• Convenience - I don't have to wash the diapers myself
• They use eco friendly detergent - no chemicals!
• Diapers can be delivered 1-2 weeks before my due date so that I have diapers on hand when the baby arrives

In addition to the environmental and economical benefits of cloth diapers, I also read that cloth diapered babies are less likely to get a diaper rash. Bonus!

You can contact Bear Bottoms through their website or on Facebook.

From the Meadow: Natural Healing Products

My favourite thing to do on a saturday is to visit the Western Fair Farmer's Market. We usually just pick up our produce for the week and grab a beverage at Fire Roasted Coffee Company. However, today we decided to stop into the From the Meadow booth. They make natural healing products, and most of the herbs used in their products are produced on their farm in Belmont, Ontario.

Steve and I both have a growing interest in body products that are produced without chemicals or petroleum products. We went in to pick up some deodorant and found Meadow Guard "Nature's Defense". You can find out more information on this product here.

The girls at the booth were super informative and friendly. They recognized Steve from his radio gig, and were nice enough to send us away with soap samples and a container of Breathalizer, one of their healing creams. They told us this will be a great product to rub on our baby's chest when she is sick with a cold.

We are looking forward to trying out the products we got today and can't wait to purchase some more in the future. They have a Mango Body Butter that smells amazing and will be great for baby's skin!

You can find this great vendor every Saturday at the Western Fair Farmer's Market, on their website, or on Facebook.

Mellow Yellow Nursery

The Nursery is almost complete and I wanted to share a few pictures.

In my original post, The Nursery, I had said I was going with a brighter yellow for the walls. I ended up selecting BEHR "Bicycle Yellow". 
 

I installed these inexpensive shelves on either side of the window to display books.You can purchase these shelves at JYSK for $5.99.

I purchased this Rocker/Glider off Kijiji and am getting a new cover made for the cushion. I ordered a really pretty grey and white Chevron fabric off Etsy. I am still waiting for the fabric to arrive. In the meantime, I have put a handmade quilt over the rocker to cover up the hideous cushion!

These Ikea shelves are installed above the change table, and will house diapers, lotions, creams, soothers, etc.

This cube shelving unit was given to me and it fits perfectly inside the closet. The canvas organizers are from Dollarama ($2 each) and I am using these to store clothing. Each bin is sorted by clothing type (sleepers, outfits, etc.) and by size.

My favourite part of the room is the art I made! I had some unused frames kicking around the house, so I decided to re-purpose them into fun art for the nursery.

I purchased two different patterns of scrapbook paper from Michael's, and I downloaded the animal templates from the Martha Stewart website. Since I  only had to buy the paper, this project only cost me about $4 for a set of 3 pictures. (The regular price of each sheet of scrapbook paper is $0.99 at Michael's).

London Bump, Baby & Toddler Expo

Today I attended the London Bump, Baby & Toddler Expo at the Western Fair District. It wasn't very busy, and my friend and her mother-in-law that I went with thought most things were pretty over priced. I didn't purchase anything, but I did get some good information that could lead to future purchases.

 

Exhibitors of Interest

Funky Fluff & Stuff Inc.
Funkly Fluff is a cloth diaper company based in Toronto. I like this company because they have a 3-in-1 cloth diaper that is one size (adjusts as the baby grows). The diapers come in a bunch of fun colours, and are also more inexpensive than bumGenius 4.0 One-Size Clother Diaper which is a similar product. The girl at the booth was really helpful!

Petal Babies General Store Inc.
Petal Babies is a consignment store in London for locally made accessories. They have clothing, toys, bath products, and much more. I got a 10% off coupon at the booth, and will be visiting their store this week to pick up some Batty's Bath products for my baby. 

Sweet Babees
Baby Skin Care Products, 100% Natural, Canadian Company


Some vendors seemed a little out of place at this show. A man at the Edward Jones booth gave me a chocolate in hopes that I would fill out a draw to win some baby prizes. Aka he wanted my information so that he could call me later about his insurance services. No thanks!

Formula

Another baby thing I knew nothing about was formula. After looking into the various products available, I am still not an expert by any means but a little more informed. I have only looked into powdered formulas, as this is recommended over liquid formula if you want to totally reduce the risk of BPA leaching into the product.

There are 3 main infant formula brands that dominate the market – Enfamil, Similac, and Nestle Good Start. They all seem pretty costly, so I wanted to see what else is on the market. A can of Similac Advance with Omega 3&6 is $28.97 for 728 g. A can of Nestle Good Start with Omega 3&6 is $29.88 for 730 g. Conversely, I compared the Kirkland Omega Formula, PC Infant Formula (with Omega 3&6), and PC Organics Infant Formula (with Omega 3&6), all of which proved to be a better bargain (see below).  Each have mostly good reviews online, and the ingredients and nutritional information are very similar. There are many ingredients and nutritional information listed on the package, but I only listed a few in this blog.

Kirkland Omega Infant Formula

First 5 Ingredients: Lactose, Skim Milk Powder, Palm Oil or Palm Olein, Whey Protein Concentrate, High Oleic Safflower or Sunflower oil

Nutritional Information (per 100g): Calcium - 331, Iron - 9.3, Thiamine - 0.52

Cost: $23.99/1457 g

Where to Buy: Costco 

PC Infant Formula (Omega  3&6)

First 5 Ingredients: Lactose, Skim Milk Powder, Palm Olein, Whey Protein Concentrate, Coconut Oil

Nutritional Information (per 100g): Calcium - 331, Iron - 9.4, Thiamine - 0.53

Cost: $18.99/640 g

Where to Buy: No Frills

PC Organics Infant Formula (Omega 3&6)

First 5 Ingredients: Organic reduced minerals whey, Organic Skim Milk Powder, Organic Lactose, Organic Palm Oil or Palm Olein, Organic High Oleic Safflower or Sunflower oil

Nutritional Information (per 100g): Calcium - 323, Iron - 9.2, Thiamine - 0.53

Cost: $23.99 /730 g

Where to Buy: No Frills

The Kirkland Omega Formula is the best deal. You are getting over twice the quantity for $5 more!

3D Ultrasound

Here is way to save yourself money.... don't get a 3D Ultrasound! They are unnecessary, possibly unsafe, and actually sort of creepy! 

I had an appointment for a 3D Gender Ultrasound all booked. $75 for a gender ultrasound seemed like a good deal to me, and that way I could confirm that we are indeed having a girl. Then BD's (baby daddy) sister called with concerns. After some googling, and the information provided to me in my pre-natal class, I realized that these "entertainment" ultrasounds are not necessarily safe.

• Clinics offering 3D ultrasounds are not approved or regulated by health professionals in Canada
• There is evidence that ultrasounds can have a biological effect on the fetus. Unless your doctor recommends you have an ultrasound, you shouldn't get one
• Tissue heat increases the with exposure length. A sonographer that is not well trained may expose patients for a longer time than what is safe

For more information, read this article on Livestrong.

Eco-Friendly Laundry Detergent

Everyone has been telling me that I have to use a different laundry detergent for the baby. It has made me wonder why the detergent that I use is not gentle enough for my baby's skin. What exacty is in the detergent that I am using, and is it bad for the environment?

I decided to look into what is in the laundry detergent that I am using. The first thing I notice when looking at my bottle of Tide is that there are no ingredients listed. This makes me wonder what exactly am I washing my clothes with, and what is the company hiding? The product claims to be phosphate free and contains biodegradable surfactants and enzymes. Most surfactants are petroleum based. "Petroleum is a limited resource whose extraction and refining produce pollution. This pollution may be partially offset by pesticide use and other impacts of producing vegetable oils." (Source: Bad Stuff for the Environment). I found this additional information on the Tide website:

Other ingredients in laundry detergent can include:

• fluorescent whitening agents (to help maintain whiteness or brightness)
• enzymes (to help break down complex soils such as blood and grass)
• fragrances (to help clothes smell clean)

I started to ask myself . . .
    what are some eco-friendly laundry detergents?

Seventh Generation is a Vermont based company. Their Free & Clear: Natural 2X Concentrated Baby Laundy Liquid claims to be "loaded with baby- and earth-friendly cleaners and free of fragrances, dyes and optical brighteners." They also list all of the product ingredients on their website.
Where to Buy: Amazon (Online), Quarter Master Natural Foods, Real Canadian Superstore (Local)
Cost: $110.62/pack of 6 - 50 oz bottles (33 loads each bottle).



Earth's Berries Soap Nuts is a Collingwood, Ontario based company. Soap nuts go into your wash in a muslin bag, and can be reused a few times before returning them to the earth as compost. The website claims that a 1 kg bag would replace 9-32 load plastic bottles of detergent! You can read about the environmental benefits on their website. 
Where to Buy: Earth Berries (Online), The Organic Oscars (Local)
Cost: $30.00/1kg bag - 300-400 loads of laundry


David Suzuki's Queen of Green has a recipe for making your own laundry detergent. The ingredients are borax, washing soda, soap granules, and water.
Where to Buy: Ingredients can be bought at a local grocery or health food store.
Cost: $1 per load (Source: Canadian Living)

I was leaning towards making my own laundry detergent, but I may do some research on some other eco-friendly products before making my decision.

What a Deal!

I don't have anything insightful to share this week. However, I did get another great deal from Kijiji. Let me share. After all, sharing is caring, right?

This 3 piece lot cost me $35. The Baby Gap Warmest Snowsuit is brand new and retails for $79.99 (which is totally ridiculous, by the way). It has removeable mittens and booties, and I like the little ears on the hood.

 

I have mentioned my love for spreadsheets, so it's no surprise that I have one to keep track of all my baby costs. So far, the only item I have bought new is the Soybean Mattress from Tummies to Tots. (see my post: Organic Baby Crib) A mattress is one item I don't believe you should buy used. I estimated the retail cost for some of the items.

Item	Paid	Retail Price	Savings
Crib	80.00	200.00	120.00
Valco Stroller (w/accessories)	265.00	565.00	300.00
Change Table	0.00	100.00	100.00
Glider/Rocker	100.00	200.00	100.00
Change Table Pad w/Cover	15.00	40.00	25.00
Lot of Clothes (3-6 months) 30 items	20.00	90.00	70.00
Soybean Mattress (purchased new)	240.00		0.00
Snowsuit (+ 2 sleepers)	35.00	100.00	65.00
	755.00	1295.00	780.00

Check out those savings! Pretty good I have to say.

CTV News Article: BPA-free bottles

CTV News ran this story yesterday: Even BPA-free bottles might leach worrisome chemicals.

"One study found that 95 percent of plastic products sold as BPA-free still leeched chemicals that mimicked estrogen, just as BPA does."

These findings do not come as a surprise to me, and just reinforce my decision to use glass bottles!

Bottles: Glass vs. Plastic

Although glass bottles are more expensive than plastic ones, I feel they are worth the price as they are completley chemical free.

"Glass is the best option for a chemical free bottle"

 The Benefits:

• Glass doesn't not contain BPA, so I don't have to worry about types of plastic and if they are safe or not
• No concern with leaching chemical compounds into the milk, water, or juice
• Produced without the use of petroleum
• Glass bottles help to keep the milk warmer for a longer time span compared to plastic ones

I have registered for Born Free Glass Bottles at Tummies to Tots. The Born Free Triple Glass Pack contains 3 of the 5oz glass bottles (with nipples) for $28.99. This is by no means a great deal. I am sure you can get glass bottles a lot cheaper at places like Walmart. However, you won't ever find me shopping there.

After doing some research online, it appears that glass is the best option for a chemical free bottle.

Baby Clothes: Cheap & Green

When you hear someone mention"eco-friendly" baby clothes, you probably immediately think of over-priced organic baby clothes. Buying used is actually the greenest way to clothe your baby. You will reduce the pollutants that are emitted producing, packing, and shipping that product across the country.

"Lower your standards a little. You can save yourself a lot of money!"

The average Canadian family spends $500 a year on clothing. I plan on spending a whole lot less than that.
Useful link: Baby Cost Calculator

 

Yesterday I purchased a lot of gently used clothes off Kijiji. No, there were no barf or poop stains, and most of these items are in great condition. For $20, I received 29 items of clothing. Included in this lot was a variety of sleepers, jeans, pants, bodysuits, and sweaters.

Lower your standards a little. You can save yourself a lot of money!

Make A Baby Budget!

The Good: In Canada, we are lucky enough to be able to take up to 52 weeks off for maternity leave.
The Bad: Many people do not receive a full paycheque during leave, although some companies do offer additional top-up pay.

It's sort of a scary thought....more expenses and less income! How are you going to manage?

"be smart and make a budget that balances!"

One of my favourite shows is 'Till Debt Do Us Part. Sadly, I get really excited when there is an episode on that I have never seen before. I have been using Gail Vaz-Oxlade's budget for awhile now. I am baffled by the number of people that spend far more money then they make and then look stunned when they are thousands of dollars in debt. I remember one episode where a couple failed to do a maternity budget before their baby was born. They were spending over 90% of their income on housing and transportation!

Budget Breakdown
(how it should break down according to Gail)

• Housing - 35% (mortgage, utilities, house insurance, etc.)
• Transportation - 15% (car payment, car insurance, gas, repairs, etc.)
• Life - 25% (cell phone, internet, groceries, personal care, entertainment, etc.)
• Debt - 15%
• Savings - 10% (includes emergency fund)

Baby supplies fit into the "Life" category. Try to estimate how much you will spend a month on diapers, wipes, clothes, etc. Utility costs will also increase since you will most likely be home more, using more water, etc. Entertainment and meal expenses will most likely decrease.

BD (baby daddy) and I have started our maternity leave budget. Fortunately we are well under the percentages for each category. This certainly doesn't mean we will be living it up while I am on maternity leave though. I may have to think twice about buying that new book from Chapters or buying a dozen apple fritters at the farmers market.

It is very important to us to live within our means, regardless of being on a reduced income. Too many people think they need a big house and a fancy car. I am also not sure why the minute a couple has a baby, they decide their sedan isn't adequate and they have to upgrade to a gas guzzling SUV (don't even get me started on that topic).

You might also consider eliminating some expenses that aren't necessary. That 4 dollar caramel macchiato that you get every day from Starbucks might just not be happening for awhile.

Be smart and make a budget that balances!

The Nursery

It's time to start getting the nursery ready. I am sticking to my original plan of a gender neutral nursery, even though we were told that we are having a girl just last week! I am really not into the typical baby room decor where everything is "matchy matchy", the crib has a frilly skirt and the windows have a valance that matches the bedding.

I got these graphic leaf pattern curtains custom made (Etsy) and had them in the bedroom of my last house. I think they will be great for the baby's room. We are going with a bright yellow paint for the walls - either Martha Stewart "Egg Yolk" or Benjamin Moore "Yellow Highlighter". 

I am trying to purchase most baby items from Kijiji.  I am proud of the great deals I have got so far!

I plan on changing the fabric on the Glider, but other than that it's in great condition.

• Change Table - free
• Crib - $80
• Rocker/Glider - $100

I did choose to buy a new mattress for the crib (see post: Organic Baby Crib). I purchased this from a great local retailer, Tummies to Tots. The staff is very helpful and I can't say enough about supporting businesses in our community!


I found a great decal company located in British Columbia - Urban Walls. I am a big fan of wall decals because they are an affordable way to make a huge impact in a room. The design I am going with is "Trees" for $99.00. You can choose your own colours for the trees and the birds. I have selected Charcoal for the trees and will go with either White or Turquoise for the birds.

I will post some photos once the room is complete! 

Baby Powder & Baby Oil Alternatives

There is a whole baby care industry that is devoted to cutely packaged such as powders, lotions, and oils. Most of these options are not necessary, sometimes overpriced, and are not always the safest option for your baby.

Baby Oil
Johnson's Baby Oil contains Mineral Oil and Fragrance. Mineral oil is defined as a distillation product of petroleum. So basically every time you use baby oil, you are rubbing a petroleum byproduct on your baby. No thanks!

Olive oil and coconut oil are some alternatives to baby oil. Olive oil is great for the skin, if you don't mind your baby smelling like this all the time.

At Fresh Co, a 591mL bottle of Johnson's Baby Oil is $4.79. You can buy the same size of Compliments brand Baby Oil for $3.29. Olive Oil is a cheaper and more natural option. I recently bought a bottle of 750mL Mastro Olive Oil on sale for $4.99.
 
Here is a great site that tells you how to make your own baby oil! 


Baby Powder
If you check the ingredients in baby powder, you will find that most contain talc. Talc is a carcinogen, which means it is a substance capable of causing cancer. There are some baby products with "pure cornstarch powder" in the name. A bottle of Johnson's baby powder is anywhere from $7.49 to $4.79 for a 623g bottle. ($7.49 at Shoppers Drug Mart, and $4.79 at Fresh Co.)

Why spend that when you can just buy cornstarch? I am going to buy cornstarch in bulk and buy a spice jar with holes in the top for my nursery. I am not sure the cost of cornstarch, but buying bulk is usually cheaper and there is also less packaging this way.

Read this article for more information about the health risks and environmental costs of  talcum powder.

Buy Used.

I know some people are "above" buying used items, particularly for their baby. I can't begin to tell you how many people look disgusted when I say I plan on buying most of my baby items used! 

It's hard not to get all caught up in all of the adorable baby items available. I am trying to resist temptation. I realize I will get a lot of gifts, and anything that I need to buy myself I will try to buy used when possible. Babies grow so fast that I don't see the sense in paying $20 for pants at Baby Gap that they will wear only for a few months. Things that I need to buy new (such as a car seat), I will try to buy from a local supplier rather than supporting Babies "R" Us. 

The Benefits

• Save money! In most cases, buying used is far less expensive than buying the item brand new.
• Buying used means fewer items end up discarded in our landfills.
• No raw materials have to be used to make that item new.

Consumers Reports advises you don't buy a play yard, car seat, crib, breast pump, or soft infant carrier used. You can view more information here: http://news.consumerreports.org/baby/2008/04/used-baby-produ.html

I love a good deal, so this won't be the first blog post about items I have found at amazing prices. I plan on recording all of my purchases in a spreadsheet so I can track all baby expenses. I love doing up budgets and expenses as much as I love a bargain. 

I recently got a demonstration of baby strollers at Tummies to Tots (http://tummiestotots.ca/), which is a great store in London that carries new and gently used baby items. I was really impressed with the Valco Baby Single Tri Mode Ex stroller, which sells for $499.99. 

I found this exact stroller gently used on Kijiji. It also came with a Cup Holder (sells new for $25.00) and a UV Insect Mesh (sells new for $40.00). I would have paid $564.99 + tax if I had bought these items brand new, and I paid $265 buying used.

Cloth Diapers

It seems that the majority of new parents these days don't even consider cloth diapers. Although almost every product we purchase has some environmental impact, it is up to us as consumers to research and make the product choices that are less harmful. I only wish more people would do so.

"cloth is the way to go"

According to Environment Canada, in the first two years of life the average baby will require between 5000 to 7000 diaper changes. The thought of that many diapers going into a landfill and taking approximately 500 years to decompose...is frightening. Did you know that disposable diapers take 100,000 times longer to decompose than cloth diapers? (500 years for disposable, versus six months for cloth).

Environmental Impact Debate

Disposable Diapers

According to Environment Canada:

• Over 4,000,000 disposable diapers are discarded per day in Canada.
• Disposable diapers represent approximately 3 percent of the total quantity of residential waste for disposal in Canada.

Also, no one thinks about all of the trees that are chopped down and the amount of non-renewable gas that is used to make the plastic and packaging material. 

Cloth Diapers

There is also environmental concern with cloth diapers. The amount of water, energy, and detergent used when machine washing and drying cloth diapers contributes to water and air pollution. However, you can reduce your energy consumption by washing in cold water, line drying diapers, and washing diapers less frequently (every four days instead of every other day).

Founder of Cheeky Monkey, Krista Williamson says the cost to diaper an average baby with disposables is roughly $1,200 to $2,000 a year. The cost for cloth, during the same time period, is $720 to $1,200 if you wash your own diapers. (Source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/story/2008/05/16/f-consumer-disposablediapers.html)

Diaper Services

There is the issue of air pollution from washing machines and vehicles used to transport the diapers. However, there are environmental benefits. Diaper services generally consume less washing energy because they operate in bulk.

Cheerful Cheeks is a diaper service in London. It sounds as though they are committed to making a difference! Check out this information and other disposable diaper facts on their website - http://www.cheerfulcheeks.com/Earth

Cloth is the way to go. I will most likely start off with a diaper service and then move to washing my own cloth diapers, depending on how things go!