My Frugal Baby Tips

Period Panties

Ready to give up disposable paper tampons, but not ready to give up their convenience and to switch to cloth pads?

For an inexpensive but controversial solution, here's a Frugal Mom Tip for you!

Buy 6 pair (or more) of cotton-rich white or organic baby socks.

Wash (and dry) three times with a natural, mild soap - rinsing well.

At your next period, simply roll up one baby sock into a tight roll, and insert as you would a paper tampon.

If you need more absorbency, use two baby socks rolled up.

Replace it with the next baby sock as needed. Rinse the used one out well, and store dry until washday.

Note from Clothpads.Wordpress.com: Are they safe though? The main contributing factor for TSS seems to be the rayon fibres in regular tampons (basically the bacteria multiplies readily on the rayon fibres and can cause TSS).

All-cotton tampons have not be found to breed bacteria like rayon does. So it would seem that if an all-cotton disposable tampon is safer for you than a rayon one, then an all-cotton reusable tampon might be safer for you than a rayon disposable one.

Regular disposable tampons are not sterile (just because they are white, wrapped in plastic and look sterile doesn't mean they are). Other things that go into vaginas also aren't sterile (penises, vibrators, fingers etc.)

You could boil or soak the tampons in a sterilizing solution if you wanted to.

Organic Tampons

DivaCup

If this is all too much for you, consider the Diva Cup, Lena Menstrual Cup, Venus Menstrual Cup or Natural Sea Silk Sponges - great alternatives to disposable tampons.

These menstrual cups collect the flow rather than absorbing it, so your vaginal tissues aren't dried out as they can be by disposable tampons.

These menstrual cups can last up to ten years.

Spend less time worrying about leaks and looking for bathrooms. The DivaCup can be worn for up to 12 hours, depending on your menstrual flow.

Join thousands of first-time menstruation cup users who say they will never go back to using pads and tampons. .

Beppy Tampon

Shopping Suggestions:

🧦 Beppy Tampon - a soft, flexible sponge you wear inside during your period. Beppy offers invisible protection, even up to 8 hours

🧦 Diva Cup #0 - Ideal for anyone under 19 years old, wear for 12 hours a day

🧦 Diva Cup #1 - Ideal for anyone between the ages of 19 and 34, who haven't given birth vaginally

🧦 Diva Cup #2 - Ideal for anyone over 35, that have a heavier flow or have given birth vaginally

🧦 Lena Menstrual Cup - Dance, run, swim and sleep with your Lena Cup – think of all the times your period held you back.

🧦 Venus Menstrual Cup - Choose a size based on your comfort & needs during your menstrual flow.

🧦 EcoBlossom Menstrual Cups - Made using soft silicone which is comfortable to wear, and offers up to 12 hours of reliable leak proof and odor proof protection

🧦 Natural Sea Silk Sponges - great alternatives to disposable tampons.

🧦 More Menstrual Alternatives - Period Panties, Menstrual Cup Steamer, FLEX Menstrual Disc, Carrying Case, Sea Pearls, cloth pads, and more!

Image: Somebody unrolled all the toilet paper!, by Rob, Joyce, Alex and Nova, on Flickr

Would you like to prevent your toddler or pets from unrolling the entire roll of toilet paper, and stuffing it into the toilet, or trailing it through the house?

Make your own toilet roll cover/protector by recycling a plastic 2-liter soda pop bottle.

Image: Make your own toilet roll protector by recycling a plastic 2 litre pop bottle

HOW TO MAKE:

Cut off the bottle top and bottom of the soda pop bottle, to form your toilet roll cover/protector.

Measure your wall mount toilet paper roll holder to see what size you need - mine was 4 3/4 inches (12 cm) across.

TIP: you can use the leftover bottom to make fancy flower-shaped ice cubes for punch - and the leftover top for a funnel for sand play!

Image: Cut off the bottle top and bottom of the soda pop bottle, to form your toilet roll cover/protector

Cut a slot in this toilet roll cover/protector, to allow you to pull the toilet paper through, about 1/4 inch (0.64 cm) high and 4 inches (10 cm) across.

If you are using double roll toilet paper, simply cut across completely - from one side to the other.

Image: Cut a slot in this toilet roll cover/protector, to allow you to pull the toilet paper through, about 1/4 inch

If you wish, cover all raw edges with plastic tape to match your decor - I only had black tape on hand, but you can use any color to match your decor.

If using double roll toilet paper, use a piece of plastic tape to tape across the open sides, attaching both sides, leaving an opening of about 1/4 inch (0.64 cm) or larger, for the toilet paper to hang out.

Image: Remove your toilet roll and spindle from the wall mount, slide both inside your new toilet roll protector, and reattach the roll to the wall mount

Remove your toilet roll and spindle from the wall mount, slide both inside your new toilet roll protector, and reattach the roll to the wall mount.

This should at least slow your toddler or pets down!

Thanks to Catherine for this Frugal Baby Tip!

Tutorial Photos credit: Catherine McDiarmid-Watt - All rights reserved

Shopping Suggestions:

Image: Toilet Paper Holder - Wall Mounted Waterproof Paper Holder Bathroom Paper Roll Holder,Toilet Paper Dispenser Cat Proof Wall Mounted No Drilling Waterproof Toilet Paper Holder | Visit the BICMTE Store

Cat Proof Holder

🧻 Cat Proof Toilet Paper Holder - Uses Self Adhesive Without Needing To Drill Holes Into Your Precious Tiles Or Wall And Risk Damaging Them. Easy to stick on most surfaces like Wood Surfaces, Glass Surfaces, Metal Surfaces, Tiles Surfaces. Plus the top of the toilet roll holder can hold your mobile phone, tablet, watch, wet wipes, glasses and other little gadgets while you use the toilet or have a shower, very convenient.

Image: Paws-Free Toilet Paper Cover | Stops children and pets from unraveling toilet paper

Paws-Free Cover

🧻 Paws-Free Toilet Paper Cover - Stops children and pets from unraveling toilet paper. Out of site, out of mind! Variety of patterns to pick from.

Pet Proof Holder

🧻 Pet Proof Toilet Paper Holder - Complete closed structure can protects toilet paper from water, also stop your pet from eating and shredding the toilet paper roll. Your days of picking up pet spit sodden toilet paper are over! Can also be a shelf to cellphones and other small items.

Self-Adhesive Holder

🧻 Self-Adhesive Toilet Paper Holder - Perfect for kids and pets. Easy to install, uses self adhesive sticker to keep the box on the wall, with a serrated edge, easy to tear toilet paper down. Also includes a storage box, to store garbage bags and privacy items such as sanitary napkins. Plus, the top of the toilet roll holder can hold your mobile phone, tablet, watch, wet wipes, glasses and other little gadgets while you use the toilet or have a shower, very convenient and practical!

Image: Baby Splashing the the Tub, by StockSnap on Pixabay

Honeysticks Beeswax
Bath Tub Crayons

Here's how to make soap crayons for bath-time fun and easy quick clean-up!

I am wondering if we could use cookie cutters or somehow get them into better shapes than just the ice cube tray, but I haven't tried it myself yet.

Ingredients:
🖍️ 1 3/4 cups Ivory Snow (powder or soap flakes)
🖍️ 50 drops food coloring
🖍️ 1/4 cup water

Directions:
🖍️ Mix water and soap flakes together.
🖍️ Add food coloring.
🖍️ Put mixture into an bottle stick ice cube tray.
🖍️ Allow to harden.
🖍️ Break or cut into pieces.
🖍️ Fun to write with on the tub when bathing as well as your face and hands!

Image: The best second hand shop in Oxford, by Iona McNab, on PhotoBucket

I had a blast today! There's a small second-hand children's store just down the street from me.

I decided to stop in and ask about cloth diapers/covers, and they showed me at least three bins of diapers and a basket full of covers.

At the second-hand store, the prices ranged from $1.29 for three liners, to $3.99 for a Kooshies...

I spent about fifteen dollars and came home with a bag full enough to make a full load for my washer.

I managed to pick up a couple of Dappi Contoured diapers, and a nice (unnamed) prefold.

I mostly got All-in-ones though for nighttime, and when my covers are in the wash.

Thanks to Ramona for this Frugal Baby Tip!

Image: Natural One Size All in One Cloth Diaper, Snap Closure | Mountain Twilight | by Thirsties

Shopping Suggestions:

• All-In-One One-Size Diaper

• Kushies/Kooshies Reusable Ultra Diapers

• Dappi Brand--Pinless Contoured Cloth Diapers

• OsoCozy Prefold Cloth Diapers

Image: Painted pails, by Monica Arellano-Ongpin on Flickr

Just thought I would add to this tip...

Behrens Locking Lid Can

I too use this type of bucket, but being an artist, I can't stand to have things around that just aren't aesthetically pleasing.

Using regular acrylic paints that are non-toxic, I paint the entire bucket and lid to match the painting I did on the dresser and crib.

Once it's done and dry, you just put on a few coats of water-based polyurethane which is also non-toxic and it keeps it from chipping or peeling off.

Now you have a nice, one-of-a-kind, decorative diaper pail!!

Thanks to Karylann Love for this Frugal Baby Tip!

Photo credit: Painted pails, by Monica Arellano-Ongpin

When I first started to cloth diaper I tried the frugal tip at Born to Love, washing them in the tub using old bathwater, and it didn't work for me.

They came out yucky.

I have two children in cloth, my daughter is finally starting to potty train but still wears cloth half the time, and I have to use a laundromat for the washing and drying.

Right now it costs me $2.00 to wash and $1.50 to dry (.25 = 8 minutes, and I usually dry for 48 minutes), and I wash two loads a week, so that's $7.00 per week.

Using Walmart's brand disposables would cost me $15 per week, so I'm still saving money.

When my daughter potty trains I'll be even, but there are so many more benefits to using cloth over saving money: not putting chemicals on your baby, better for the landfills, no human waste in landfills leaching into the water supply, etc.

Plus it's a heck of a lot cuter than using disposables.

Image: Household Essentials 6524 Tall Indoor Folding Wooden Clothes Drying Rack | Dry Laundry and Hang Clothes | Bamboo

Wooden Clothes
Drying Rack
Folds flat for storage

I don't dry my Bumkins diapers or my covers. I use a wooden drying rack for these.

You don't HAVE to use a dryer, it will just take longer for stuff to dry if you hang dry.

If I am short on funds, I dry however long I can and then hang them up to finish drying.

If I delay washing for a day or so, I use the huge washing machine for $3.00, which is cheaper than using two $2.00 machines, and I still dry for $1.50.

So, using cloth diapers with a commercial laundromat is not necessarily more expensive than using disposables.

You can get some Chinese Prefolds, some Thirsties diaper covers, some hemp doublers, make your own fleece liners, make your own wipes, and come out ahead (like me!).

Thanks to Melanie for this Frugal Baby Tip!

Image: uncut fruit, by Ugly Duckling's (im_an_ugly_duckling) on Photobucket

You can make pureed fruit on the go, with just a spoon or fork for babies eight months old and up.

Cut an apple, or pear in half.

Simply scrape across the surface of the fruit several times with a spoon, and feed the resulting puree to your baby.

You could also mash an avocado, melon, papaya, kiwi or banana with a fork - instant baby food!

Thanks to Susan for this Frugal Baby Tip!

Image: Look ma - diaper pin! by Devon, on Flickr

My mom always said to help diaper pins go through the cloth easier I should keep them pushed in a bar of soap - it sort of greases the metal.

But I have a better tip!

Image: Terrycloth Sponges by Evelots | Terrycloth bath sponges turn any bar of soap or soap slivers into an easy-grip soap on a rope

Terrycloth Soap Cover

I used a terrycloth soap cover, but, after the bar of soap kept crumbling, I got smart.

I had been putting small pieces of sponges in the bottom of my soap dishes for years to make them a breeze to clean.

They sop up the soap which normally falls to the bottom of the soap dish. I decided to combine the two ideas.

For a month I put a Scrunge Scrub Sponge in the soap dish, rough side down. Then, once it had lots of soap I moved it to my diaper station and put the pins in!

Image: RTZAT Multi-Use Natural Fabric Non Scratch Kitchen Bathroom Heavy Duty Cleaning Scrunge Scrub Dish Sponge

Scrunge Scrub Sponge

The rough bottom kept the soap from getting the underside all yucky and also stops the pin from going through to the table.

The soap in the sponge keeps the pins nicely greased and easy to use, and it hasn't yet shown any signs of wear and tear the way the bar of soap did!

Thanks to Camille Mittermeier for this Frugal Baby Tip!

Image: Child in the Washer, by Sharron on Flickr

Image: Rockin Green Cloth Diaper and Laundry Detergent (Funk Rock Ammonia Bouncer), 16oz | gets rid of stinky smells while keeping you green | Suitable for both cloth diaper and general household laundry

Rockin Green Cloth Diaper Detergent

I do not use a diaper pail, I just put my used cloth diapers straight into the washing machine with no water (I have a front loading).

Then every two days I do a rinse and short spin the diapers with cold water (and a bit of vinegar).

Then do a hot wash with an organic detergent (only a TBSP).

Hang the diapers to dry, and start all over again.

Any smell is trapped in the washing machine, and I never usually need to do laundry more often than every two days, so it works out perfectly.

Thanks to Mandy for this Frugal Baby Tip!