Homemade Baby Wipes

              When I told my son's pediatrician that he had developed a rash, she suggested that I not use the baby wipes I had been using because they were a possible cause for the blotchy redness on his skin. I shared this advice with my friend, whose daughter had similarly experienced some type of allergic reaction which turned out to be due to baby wipes. In fact, baby wipes contain chemicals (including alcohol) that your baby's skin can react to. Of course, you never mean harm to your child and each child is different, but with a little extra time and research there is often a cheaper and organic solution to many baby-problems-including this one!

              My friend shared with me an easy recipe for homemade baby wipes, which have worked just as well as store-bought ones and fortunately, my son's skin has cleared up.


 Here are the items you will need:

 -1 roll of Bounty towels (this brand is the best quality for our purposes)
 - A knife - baby wash

-100% pure coconut (you can purchase in any health food store, grocery store, or online)

 -warm water

 -A container to keep your finished product in!

 Steps to follow:

 -Remove the Bounty towels from the roll (you can cut them in half to get more uses out of them)

-Combine the coconut oil, warm water (to melt it), and baby wash together

 -Add the mixture to your chosen container and soak the towels in it (let sit for about half an hour, then drain the extra liquid out)

 I hope you try this recipe- even if your baby does not have diaper rash!

 Angela

Above photos: The ingredients !

I can’t believe that one year has passed since my son was born! He has grown up so quickly. This week I have been enjoying planning his first birthday party! Invites have been sent out to family and friends, which I created using Fotor. The party will take place in our home, and I have been making decorations. One idea that I came up with was to make an individual postcard-style picture for each month of my son’s first year. I am going to string these pictures along a long piece of yarn and hang it across the wide opening to our living room, so that everyone can see just how much he has changed! Stayed tuned for pictures of these ideas and more from the little one’s big day! Angela

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A Funny Story

When there is a baby around the house, there is no shortage of funny stories to tell.

For instance, my son always has to prove mommy wrong. One day as I was bragging to Grandma about how he does not spit up after eating. Before I knew it, he threw up all of the food I had just fed him- all over her new pants!! This was an exception I assured her. 

Then there was the time he surprised me with his advanced abilities. At only 6 months old, he unscrewed his baby bottle! The milk spilled all over the carpet, and he of course smiled.

Stay tuned for more stories, I'm sure there will be some brand new ones very soon.

Baby-proofing Your Home

Since my son was born, our living room has become a makeshift play room. Of course, once he began to crawl and walk, safety considerations had to be made.

One day, I discovered a cheap and easy way to baby-proof the steps on our living room fireplace. Of course, this idea can be applied to other steps and/or sharp corners throughout the home. 
 
I simply cut a long pool noodle in half and taped it securely around the edge of the marble step. It may not be the most stylish-looking idea, but it does the job! And remember, it's only temporary. Plus, you can throw a blanket over it to hide the noodle.

DIY Craft for Baby's Room

I've always been artsy, so when it came time to setting up my son's room I couldn't wait to come up with ideas.

I did not want to the room to have empty walls so I bought 3 blank white canvasses from the Dollar Store. I then sketched a picture on 3 blank papers and traced each on a separate canvas. I outlined the pictures with permanent marker and painted them with acryllic paint.

Since my husband and I are huge sports fans, I drew 3 different cartoon animals each wearing a jersey from our favourite teams (shown below). Of course, you can make whatever pictures you want! And you do not have to be an artist to do this craft. This project is a great way to add a personal touch to your child's bedroom or playroom.

Homemade Baby Food

Once my baby moved away from consuming only milk at 7 months, I wanted him to eat only the best food. I make sure of this by making him homemade blends. 

Below are some of the fruits and vegetables that my baby loves in different combinations- and yours will too! They keep him full, happy, and healthy. For breakfast he enjoys fruit blends, and for lunch and dinner feedings I will usually mix in meat with vegetables and even fruits (i.e. chicken, steak, pork chop). 

Vegetables:

-carrots
-sweet potatoes
-spinach
-corn

Fruits:


-apples
-bananas
-blueberries
-avacado
-pear
-grapes
-mango

Now that my baby is almost 1 years old, I am introducing more textured foods to him (i.e. mashed potatoes, baby Puffs, frozen bread, baby pasta). Of course, he is always supervised when trying these new foods. A way to discover if your child has an allergy to a new food is to feed it to them for three days, and nothing else. There are also foods you should not feed a baby before 1 years old (such as eggs, peanut butter, and honey).

Homemade baby food ensures that you know exactly what is going into your baby's body, and overall is the less expensive option. It is easy to freeze and store your blends in ice cube trays, especially over the winter months when certain produce is less available.

Your baby will let you know when he or she does not like a particular mixture, which allows you to be creative and get to know their preferences.

 I have attached the following link, which demonstrates how to make a delicious sweet potato puree. The same basic steps can be followed for any mixture you choose: http://www.parents.com/recipes/baby-food/make-sweet-potato-puree/

Photo: Ziploc bags containing cubes of frozen vegetable purees.

Happy blending!

Since my blog is all about being a new mom, what better way to begin my chronicling journey than with a post about how to find time to blog!

I no longer have many free hours in the day, or evenings for that matter. However, I have found it is important to make time to do things for myself.

I am excited to start blogging. During this past year, I have taken hundreds of photos of my baby. My niece introduced me to the collage-making website Fotor (fotor.com), and now I am addicted! Blogging will give me a place to share the collages I make, with other mothers who want to display their children's photos in a creative way.

I plan to blog while my baby naps, or when he goes to sleep in the evening. The winter is on its way, and the cold season will provide even more time to blog while stuck indoors.

Until next time,
Angela