My Frugal Baby Tips

Image: Play Mates, by Jeff Osborn on FreeImages.com

Tip #1 - Use a laundry basket for baby's toys. It will fit right under your baby's crib.

Tip #2 - Use coloured construction paper (or black, depending on baby's age) and cut shapes out.

Put on the wall around baby's change table, but out of baby's reach.

Helps to distract baby a bit.

Image: Melissa and Doug Multi-Color Construction Paper

Use putty adhesive, so you don't damage the wall. Move shapes around once in a while.

Plastic pocket mirrors work better for older babies.

Thanks to Renata for this Frugal Baby Tip!

Stock Photo credit: Play Mates, by Jeff Osborn on FreeImages.com
All rights reserved

Image: White House Apple Cider Vinegar, 64 fl oz

Thought I'd pass along a new tip... CIDER VINEGAR!

It makes the cloth diapers and baby clothing MUCH softer.

I tried it tonight in the rinse for the first time and I am thrilled!

Flannel diapers much softer, Daisies are floppy... everything was noticeably softer.

Don't know why it works better than distilled white vinegar, but it does!

Thanks to Ann for this Frugal Baby Tip!

Picture credit: Amazon
All Rights Reserved

Image: Luvable Friends 12 Washcloths In Bag with Bonus Toy

Amy: I finally decided what to do about the meconium staining my baby's diapers (baby is due in December)!

I've been planning on doing cloth from the start, but thought maybe I ought to do disposable diapers for the first few days, in order to avoid the meconium staining my beautiful cloth diapers.

However, last night the solution came to me! I am going to get a dozen or so dark washcloths, and use them as diapers (pinned) for the first few days.

Afterwards, I can just use the washcloths for wipes or doublers, or pretty much anything! Any input on this idea? Am I off my rocker to think this will work?

Kasandra: That is a great idea.... Another idea would be to cut up some old receiving blankets into liners.

Then you put those inside your regular cloth dipes and toss them out (instead of washing and reusing them like regular cloth liners) when they get meconium on them.

Thanks to Amy and Kasandra for this Frugal Baby Tip!

Photo credit: Amazon
All Rights Reserved

Image: pb+banana after toddle time yesterday!

Here's a hint: Make baby bibs out of a shower curtain that you would otherwise throw away.

Clean it well, and cut it into large squares.

Sew a hem around the edges, and cut a hole to go over the baby's head.

Use a soft fabric to sew around the inside edge of the hole.

Fold up and sew the bottom edge to make a food pocket.

Thanks to Lindsey and Justin Cannon for this Frugal Baby Tip!

Photo Credit: pb+banana after toddle time yesterday!
by mazaletel, on Flickr
Some rights reserved

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

They came out yucky.

Photo credit: Dryer_t, by Footprints, on Flickr
Some rights reserved

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 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 leeching into the water supply, etc. Plus it's a heck of a lot cuter than using disposables.

Image: Pro-Mart Wooden Knock Down Clothes Drying Rack, 27-Feet of Drying Space - Folds flat for storage

Wooden Clothes
Drying Rack
Folds flat for storage

I don't dry my Bumkins AIO's 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 with a commercial laundromat is not necessarily more expensive than using disposables. You can get some Chinese Prefolds, some Prorap seconds, 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: Anderson eating baby food, by Brian Brodeur (mightyb), on Flickr

If you are making your own baby food, and baby is still only at the tasting stage - storing your prepared food in ice-cube trays can be wasteful, since it is way more than your baby will eat in one sitting.

Look around for some cocktail ice-cube trays (I found mine at the Dollar store).

Depending on the size you find, each cube is only about 1-2 teaspoons - just the right size for a taste!

Then you can use the tray again when your child is older, to make fun ice cube shapes for their drinks!

Thanks to Suzanne for this Frugal Baby Tip!

Photo credit: Anderson eating baby food,
by Brian Brodeur (mightyb), on Flickr
Some rights reserved

Image: Better Housewares Cubette Mini Ice Cube Trays - 90 mini ice cubes per tray. Twist to release cubes.

Image: Casabella Silicone Mini Cube Ice Cube Tray, Set Of 2 - Constructed from flexible food grade silicone with no-spill reservoir for mess-free use

Shopping Suggestions:
• Better Housewares Cubette Mini Ice Cube Trays
• Casabella Silicone Mini Cube Ice Cube Tray
• Arrow Ice Cube Tray
• Mumi+Bubi Solids Starter Kit
• Juvenile Solutions Baby Food Storage Cubes

Image: knit/crochet patterns for diaper soaker

I found some of these links on several Moms' forums.
A wool soaker is a diaper cover that pulls on.

A great place to start...
BorntoLove.com: Make Your Own Baby Bum Sweaters Patterns

Complete instructions to knit, crochet or stitch your own hand-made soakers!

Plus lots of options, ideas and easy diapering hints . . .

INDEX OF PATTERNS:

• Down Under Diaper Cover Pattern
• Crochet Soaker
• Nise's Crocheted Soaker Pattern
• Knicker Soakers
• Make Your Own Baby Bum Sweaters!
• Woollen Nursing Pads
• Make Your Own Diapers and Covers

More free patterns, for knitting, crochet and sewing...

FREE SEWING PATTERNS:

• Sew a Wool Diaper Cover

• Katrina's Sew Quick Soaker Pattern

• Katrina's Wool Diaper Cover Soaker Sewing Pattern

• DIY wool diaper cover – choosing wool sweaters

• Tutorial: Upcycled Wool Diaper Cover

• Up-cycled Wool Diaper Cover Tutorial

• How to Make a Diaper Cover from a Wool Sweater {Video}

• DIY Wool Diaper Soakers

• Free Cloth Diaper Patterns - Over 60 designs!

FREE KNIT PATTERNS:

• Down Under Diaper Cover Pattern

• Free Tiny Birds Soaker Pattern

• Baby Bloomers pattern

• Ravelry.com: Curly Purly Soaker Pattern, by Marnie Ann Joyce

• Gabey Baby Diaper Cover pattern

• Newborn Soaker pattern on Flat needles

• Wool Diaper Cover pattern

• My soaker pattern: Wool Diaper Cover (Soaker) to knit and crochet

• Li'l Aries Longies

• Aubrey DoodlePants Knitting Pattern V3.0

• Longies pattern – knit in the round, includes gusset

• Arfy's Freebie Longies/Shorties Pattern

FREE CROCHET PATTERNS:

• Wooly Britches

• Spring Baby Crochet Outfit - has a soaker included.

• Crochet Wrap pattern

• Mammy Made Crochet Longies

• Dandelion Daydreamers

Image: Baby Cheeks by Dolan Halbrook (dolanh), on Flickr

Rub some waxed paper over the metal runners of your baby's high-chair tray a few times, and the tray will slide on and off much easier.

Rub the metal runners on your baby's crib with wax paper as well, and you will be able to raise and lower the crib sides noiselessly.

Rub zippers on baby's clothing with wax paper for easier zipping.

Thanks to Charlene for this Frugal Baby Tip!

Photo credit: Baby Cheeks, by Dolan Halbrook (dolanh), on Flickr
Some rights reserved

Image: Waxtex Wax Paper Roll - Wrap sandwiches, desserts, popcorn balls and caramels

Image: Simms Max Wax - Water-resistant lubricant. Great on snaps and zippers on awnings, straps

Shopping Suggestions:
• Waxtex Wax Paper Roll
• Shurhold Snap-Stick Tube
• McNett Zip Tech Semi-Solid Zipper Lubricant
• Star brite Snap and Zipper Lubricant with PTEF

Image: Feeding Baby E by Rocket Ship, on Flickr

When I had my my first baby I used these tips - they work like a charm!

Little Boy Mommy
Coffee Mug

Baby Meals:

I used an ordinary-sized coffee mug to keep the baby's cereal warm.

Plus, it has a handle, so you can feed baby with ease.

After you are done, rinse out and fill with a cup of coffee.

Pick Your Nose Animal
Paper Cups

Toy blocks:

Why not use paper cups?

Stack them, sort them, pile them up, build a castle!

When baby is finished playing, the cups are cheap to replace too.

Image: Levolor A7004213353 48-86 Oval Tension Rod - Baked white enamel finish and gripper tread rubber ends - Perfect where brackets won't fit or where using nails or screws is undesirable

Levolor Oval Tension Rod

Laundry Drying:

If you're low on cash and do your own laundry, a extra shower rod placed in middle of shower stall works awesome for drying clothes.

Just make sure a piece of cheap bath mat (rubber) is placed between wall and rod, so it won't mess up the paint (something I wish I had done ahead of time.)

Thanks to Sarah Corinne for these Frugal Baby Tips!

Photo credit: Feeding Baby E, by Rocket Ship, on Flickr
Some rights reserved