Muslin nappies tutorial !

Hiya!

Here is the nappy tutorial! Finally. I'm happy I got all the pictures done. Now you'll see my baby is slightly unconventional and a little misshaped hihihi...

Let's get started on this photo tutorial!

70 cm square muslin, flat

fold over each corner into the middle

now fold over one side towards the middle

now fold over the other side, towards the middle and over the 1st one (this forms a 3 plie rectangle)

now, open the top bit slightly; this is the back of the nappy

OK now we have the basic nappy shape and it can go 2 ways from here. Option 1, baby can wear the nappy as it is or option 2, you can make and add an insert for longer absorption (I recommend option 2, and it's no hassle I promise).

OPTION 1

For a newborn, fold the back over.

still for a newborn, fold the front bit over too

place baby

flip the front nappy flap over baby's front

Now tie it up. I used safety pins but I recommend nappi nippas

adjust edges for full coverage!

OPTION 2

Grab a 2nd piece of muslin 70 cm square

fold the corners into the middle

now fold the new corners into the middle again

Fold the square into a 3 plie rectangle and place it over the basic nappy

for a newborn, fold the back over the 2nd muslin

still for a newborn, fold the front over the 2nd muslin, and now we have our full nappy

place baby

flip the front flap over baby's front

tie edges with safety pins or nappi nippas

adjust all sides to offer full coverage and avoid spills

make sure you can't see any of the 2nd muslin

and there you go!

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and learned something here today. This style is the Jo Fold and can be made from any square fabric.

Why not give some suggestions and tips of your own in the comments? I'd love to hear from you.

Love x
J

Wet/Dry bag

Hya guys!

What's a wet/dry bag?

Today's tutorial explains how to make a wet/dry bag. What's that? It's a bag that has a normal dry side (to place clean hankies, clean menstrual pads, clean nappies etc.) and a wet side, made from PUL (this means it's waterproof and you can put your wet/dirty hankies, menstrual pads, nappies etc.)

Why do I need one?

This is very useful for when you're out and about and can't put these things straight into your machine, or hand wash them or even just throw them into the laundry bag... So let's take a look.

Tutorial

1) Get some PUL and some 'normal' dry fabric

2) Decide what size you need this bag to be. Remember it should fit in your main big bag (hand bag, nappy bag etc.) Mine is for menstrual pads and hankies, and needs to fit in my handbag so the dimensions are roughly 25cm/20cm and it's a great size.

3) Cut 4 pieces out of the cotton or 'normal' dry fabric of the correct dimension, then cut 2 pieces of the same size from the PUL. So 4x normal fabric pieces and 2x PUL fabric pieces.

4) Take 2 of the dry fabric bits and make a pouch out of them by sewing 3 edges together. Then make a hem on both sides at the top of this pouch.

5) Make another pouch now, with the 2 remaining dry fabric bits and the 2 PUL bits. Layer the 4 bits of fabric together, inside out (the pile should be this: 1 layer of PUL with waterproof side down, on top of this, lie a sheet of the dry fabric with the outside facing up, then layer the last piece of dry fabric but this time with the outside face down, then finish by layering the last piece of PUL with waterproof side up.) Then sew the 3 edges, and make a hem on both sides at the top of this pouch.

6) At the top of the wet pouch, sew some snaps over the hem.

7) Turn out the 2 pouches, place one on top of the other, with their open sides together, and sew the middle hems together. Leave the bottom of the 2 pouches unattached so that there is always enough space on both sides to put everything you need in there.

8) You now have a wet/dry bag with 2 pouches. All you need to add now is the flap. To make the flap, cut a piece of the dry fabric, slightly over sized like in the next photo.

9) Now take this new piece of fabric and make hems around each edge

10) Pin and sew it to the back of the bag, I chose the back to be the wet part so that all the dirty stuff stays even safer in the bag.

11) Now sew some more snaps for the flap, like so:

And there you go folks! You have yourself a wet/dry bag to carry those dirty, wet usefull things around :)


If you didn't understand some of these steps, I'm not surprised... Leave a comment so I can answer your questions.

Hope you liked this tutorial! <3

Love

J

Everything you need for Baby - green alternatives (list of things)

Hi again!

Fabric and breasts are all you need!

So lately I've been thinking of writing a blog post about what you actually need to have at home in order to be ready for your baby's arrival. The Baby industry really abuses parents and carers into thinking they need to buy so much crap and spend so much money that it really is offensive and actually stops people from having kids! I often hear people claiming that they don't have enough money to have a baby, that is not true! It's not like bringing an adult into the world or even a child. A baby is different and you might already have everything you need right where you are, if not, then you can get it for cheap or free somewhere else. You'll see that all you need is pretty much breast milk and a load of fabric!

Good quality Muslin, 100% cotton

List
I am going to do a comparative list. I will take a popular baby list and describe the alternative next to it, to show you how simple it can be to have a baby. I am not a professional baby-ist (lol) and this list might not work if the baby does not have a mother or a female carer and it might not be for everyone, of course, since each family is different and each child is different but here is a list and a guide for families who want to go green and natural. I am not listing mama's essentials, this is just a baby's essentials list.

1) Car seat. It's actually a good idea to get a car seat because even if you and you're partner are not drivers, it is likely still, that you'll be driven around somewhere or take a taxi... Even if you never usually take rides from friends, it is likely that once you have a baby, you'll be quite glad to have someone offer a ride rather than take the bus everywhere. Think about it. If you think you won't then sure, don't get a car seat, that's fine too. If you do decide to get one then make sure it's brand new and research the brand first. Otherwise, if you're a walker and bus-taker then a sling is enough for you and will be perfect. Check out the massive range of slings or use a long piece of strong fabric, lying around your house and find YouTube videos to teach you how to turn it into a sling.

2) Newborn diapers. Expensive and so harmful for the environment! You could make your own cloth nappies or just buy some cheap, good quality muslin squares. You can use these through out your child's nappy life. I made a tutorial right here for you. They can be used for newborns and up to all sizes. Awesome! You may want to use newborn store bought nappies to avoid the "hassle" at the beginning as your settling in to the rest of your changes, but really it's no hassle... up to you! (you'll need 2x 70 cm squares for a strong nappy, maybe just 1 for a newborn Changing about every 2 hours. So get 50 squares to be sure. They are on average £1 each, so it might sound like a lot but trust me this is cheaper than buying ready made cloth nappies, and it is WAY cheaper than the overall single-use diapers you would buy over the next 3 years! and what a hit you'd be saving for the earth!) You can easily make a wet bag for your nappies for at home and on the go.

3) Baby wipes. Again grab a muslin square or any fabric, cut it to the size that suits you. If it's a fraying fabric, double fold the edges and sew. I have a tutorial for these here. Just use water. Please don't start intoxicating your baby already with a load of chemicals and 'natural' creams! Nappy rash cream? Use your own breast milk! Use your breast milk to heal all your baby's ills and booboos. If that doesn't work, try coconut oil.

4) Cot/crib. Why not co-sleep? If you're bed isn't massive or you don't feel comfortable/safe to sleep as a couple with a baby then get dada to sleep on the couch or on the floor while mama and baby sleep safely together on the bed. Or better still? Leave dada on the bed and make a safe place to sleep on the floor for mama and baby.

5) Push chair. Sling. Use the sling indoors and outdoors, no transferring, heavy lifting or awkward "stuck with a push chair" situation. Easier to use, cheaper, safer, your child is happier AND you get a constant cuddle, is there anything better? You're hands-free to get on with anything you want to do and baby can still nap, and if she's awake then she can enjoy the world around her with you. Make a sling or buy a good one, and watch YouTube videos for tutorials.

6) Changing table. You can change your baby on the bed or sofa or floor, or anywhere. You do not need a designated changing space. Get a PUL sheet or even just a towel because Baby is likely to pee or poop even without a nappy on! You could also learn the signs your baby makes when she needs to go, and then just lift her over the loo. Why not? Look into it.

7) Clothes. Either get the simplest newborn clothes, 100% cotton or bamboo, white, will be the comfiest. But you might get these as gifts if you ask nicely or you could ask for hand-me-downs from friends and family or go to second hand shops. You don't need to invest in clothing that your child will only fit into for a couple of weeks. You could also just swaddle your baby, which you should do anyway. You can easily make extremely, simplistic clothing for your newborn out of fabric you already have at home or can find easily. You could make comfy baby kaftans out of sheets or pillow cases, to wear over their nappy for example.

8) Bibs and burp cloths. Again just grab any fabric or some cloth kitchen towels = very absorbent, and wrap them where you need them. Tie string to them to make bibs or simply get some bib clips to attach to your kitchen towels.

9) Baby creams, oils and lotions. As I mentioned before, you can squirt your breast milk on all your baby sores, and it should heal them. If not, try some coconut oil or shea butter. Either way stay completely natural and stay away from all chemicals and chemical based products. Read the labels and ingredients lists. You can also find plenty of ideas for homemade baby lotions online.

10) Baby bath tub. Use a bucket. Seriously! You'll use less water, your baby will be covered in the water better, the risk of drowning is almost impossible and it's easier for you too! Check this purposely built bucket But you can use any bucket as long as it's not broken anywhere or has sharp edges. And enjoy extra tummy time with your baby too! You can easily make a hooded towel, and a hooded poncho towel for your baby rather than buying one! Tutorial coming soon!

11) Swaddle blanket. Any cloth! that isn't too warm or too cool: Muslin.

12) Infant swings etc. Your sling will fulfill all these options already. Walking around the house with baby on front or back as you're washing up or cooking will be plenty bouncy for Baby.
It might be nice for you, every now and then, to put baby down to have a rest, so either lie next to baby in your co-sleeping arrangement, even during the day, for a nap or get a baby bouncer like this maybe without the mobile. Strap baby up and you can just sit/lie her in there and bring her next to you in the kitchen or living room (or toilet), on the floor while you do whatever it is you gotta do. I do like these, my sister has one and it's very useful when you want/need to put baby down.

13) Milk formula. If you can breast feed then please do! For your sake and your baby's sake! It's so much better than milk formula. If you can't then there's no problem, because it's better than nothing at all obviously and I wish you the best and lots of love to you for your efforts! Also do research to find the best one for you and baby. Breast milk is really the perfect food/drink for your child. As long as they're breast fed they don't even need water, that's almost magical, think about it... If you adopt then you can also breast feed! Women do not need to have gone through a pregnancy to produce breast milk! The human body is just incredible!!! So look into that too!

 
As you can see, all you really need to buy is a load of Muslin squares, like maybe 100 so there are always some lying around somewhere for you to grab and use any time you need them.

There were so many other things on the lists I found online but I didn't find it useful to list here because they were such useless things. Check out the tutorials on my Natural Kids page for more baby stuff.

If you can think of anything else, please leave a comment so I can add it to the list!
Thanks for reading and I hope you found this useful!

Lots of love to you and your wee babaz!
J



 

Sleeping Well

Hello fellow inmates! hehehe

WorldChanging

Yesterday I discovered WorldChanging. It's a website that lists quests for you to accomplish. They help inspire you to be a better person, give you something to work towards and give you purpose. You can then log in the quests that you have successfully accomplished and they give you points in return. The quests are to help the environment and ultimately to change the world for the better.

Sleeping history
I personally have trouble with my sleep. I'm the type who wakes up if a leaf falls in the woods 10 miles away (that's exaggerated) but I do wake up if the tiny red dot light goes off on Mr.Hubby's phone, which is tucked away under the desk (he sleeps on the floor and keeps his phone next to him, under the desk.) That's how thin my eyelids are. I also wake up if someone next door moves. Basically I have very light sleep so this is something I want to work towards improving.

Quest

I chose a quest about sleep to improve my health. The quest has 3 levels and this gave me the idea for this post. Check this specific quest here!

Level 1: Quit or reduce caffeine intake (at least after midday). The quest asks to reduce caffeine and to stop all caffeine after midday (coffee, tea, energy drinks, fizzy drinks etc.) Luckily for me I actually believe that intoxicants and stimulants are to be completely avoided. The reason for this is that if I was constantly or often stimulated then how would I know how I'm really feeling? Am I tired, excited, awake, up-beat, down? It seams that if I were on stimulants then I would be artificially awake even though my body might actually need to be asleep at that moment, and I find that quite freeky. For the same reason I never pain killers, because if I have a headache and feel the pain, I know there is something wrong so I can adapt my lifestyle during the pain, such as: take a nap, a hot shower, relax and be very slowly as to not shake my head too much. If I took a pain killer, I wouldn't feel the pain and therefore carry on my busy life, running after kids or doing whatever I might be doing... And I wouldn't know when the headache was actually healed because I didn't wait for it to heal itself. So when the painkiller wears off, the head ache might be even worse since I didn't wind down for it. Intoxicants are also completely off the table, I'm happy with knowing that what I'm feeling at any given time is naturally what I'm experiencing from life rather than artificially induced.
We switched to decaf tea and simply natural decaf drinks a while back now, BUT someone in my house does drink coffee and brought some in to my kitchen and before I knew it I was adding a few sprinkles of instant coffee to my pure cocoa drinks...  I am a little disappointed in myself but I'm not being too harsh. I do realise that I'm not exactly murdering anyone although I do believe in being very careful to find out where we buy our products from just incase someone was actually murdered for us to get it! Hubby's granny actually gave us this coffee so I'm not too bothered, since it was already bought there's not much we could do about it. And it's very tasty too!! So I do only have sprinkle because it also effects spirituality; intoxicants and stimulants should be avoided to develop stronger spiritual connections! That is the main reason for me (although I do get physically effected by caffeine and end up sleeping bad! eeek)

So I'm following this quest and going to (try to) avoid caffeine, at the very best only have it before midday.

Yumchaa's chilli chilli bang bang is so delicious!!!

Level 2: Make sure the bedroom is dark and unwired. This one I find very important too, the little lights that remain and the faint buzzing and hummings from our electrics are things that keep me from having a good night sleep. And even if you can't hear or see them, they're probably effecting your sleep too! So unplug your stuff and shut your curtains! Everything in our bedroom goes back to one plug central, so we just shut that plug off and done, easy.

Level 3: Do all the bathroom stuff at least half an hour before you want to sleep (or keep the light levels low). Good point! Bathroom lights are usually so bright and can easily take you out of your sleepy mood. But not only that, if you leave your bedtime, bathroom routine to the last minute you can easily be too tired to go through with it and go to bed dirty or force yourself to go through with it and risk waking yourself up or delaying your bedtime. Either is a no-no. So stop what your doing ON TIME and get ready for bed. I would say do it 1 hour before bed, like that you can finish whatever you have to do and know that you are already ready for bed, with no pressure to hurry and get in to bed nice and relaxed.

These 3 things are not the only things you can do for better sleep but they are simple and a good start. And I'm gonna try to stick to them!

Other helpful things include:
 -drink enough water during the day (so you don't suddenly realise your thirsty at bed time, drink a liter and pee all night!)
-drink a small cup of pure chamomile tea before bed to relax your body.
-turn the radiator off in your room (I get a bit cold in the night and use a hot water bottle.)

Other things? What do you do to have a good night sleep?? let us know!

Take it easy folks!
Peace and good zZ night Zz
J

Make the most of your Hankie!

Hiya!

I'm going to show you how to make the most of your hankie, and use it as much as possible before taking out a clean one! with photos...

1) Blow your nose at the top of the hankie

2) Fold over the top area where you blew your nose. Now blow your nose on the new top section.

3) Fold the hankie in half length ways and blow your nose on this new area.

4) Fold over again, now this space and it's corners can be used to wipe your nose rather than blow because it's a little small.

Here is how to use your little hankie to blow 3 times + a few nose wipes. Wash, dry and re-use over and over and over and over.....

Peace Out

xx

The super easy Hankie-Pouch

Hey again!




Let's make a hankie-pouch so you can carry your hankies and wipes in your bag without them getting dirty, to keep them clean for your lovely little nose or your lovely baby's bottom! :)



TURORIAL!

step 1) grab some squares! I had these 2 bits of scrap fabric which are the same size as my hankies! I advise making your squares the same size as your hankies if it's not already the case 'cos it worked perfectly for me.

1

step 2) put them together inside out and sew 3 edges.

2 a

2 b

Then turn back the right way

2 c

step 3) Now take another piece of scrap fabric, this time cut the size of it, so as to have the diagonal just a little bit longer than the top of the pouch, like in photo 3b:

3 a

3 b

step 4) Sew the triangle up, inside out. Make sure to leave 1 cm gap to turn it back out, then turn it out and sew the remaining 1 cm up

4 a

4 b

step 5) Sew the triangle onto the back of the pouch, chose which is the back and sew it on. DO NOT SEW IT ON THE WHOLE TOP of there will be no pouch left... be careful to only sew it on one side.

5 a

This is what you have now, viewed from the back

5 b

step 6) Now make a seam/hem on the front of the pouch

6 a

6 b

step 7) Grab your snaps and sew them on. I sew them on by hand but I've heard there are other ways, so which ever way you prefer, just make sure you line them up correctly and that they are well and strongly attached to the fabric.

7 a

7 b

AND THERE YOU HAVE IT ! Now go and get your super hankies or super wipes! and put them in there!

empty

full

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial or learnt something new!

Peace x
J