preggo projects

One of the things I was worried about for this pregnancy was the fact that we were COMPLETELY NEWBORN READY before we even conceived.  I mean, there are things we could do to improve the nursery (ie. hang pictures on the walls), but anything a person would worry about getting in place before baby comes, we’ve already got. 

And of course the second I found out we were having another boy I took all of the boy baby clothes out of their storage bags in the (nursery) closet and reorganized them.  I’ll still have to wash them come month nine so that they are fresh and clean for the new baby, but otherwise, clothing prep is done.  If I’m being completely honest, I never took any of the newborn clothes out of the dresser after Griffin died.  The bigger clothes were easier than looking at and touching all of those cute little things we’d bought for him and that he was supposed to be wearing then.  Going through it all again a couple weeks ago brought back another big cry fest.  It’s still not fair. 

But regardless, I am so excited to be expecting another baby, and I want to have projects to complete each week to help pass the time this pregnancy.  So here is my list of 20 things to complete in the next 20 weeks!  Not all of them are baby related, but a lot will make life easier for both while pregnant and with a newborn.

1.  Cloth Diapers (DIY some new fitted covers and pocket diapers)
2. Reupholster Glider
3. Nursery closet shelving system
4. Nursery brag wall (newborn photos, birth details, shadow frames of all kiddos)
5. Curtains and valance
6. Artsy mobile
7. Name art
8. Baby brother/big sister shirts
9. Big sister nook in nursery
10.  New baby carrier for me & play mei tai for Emily
11. Upholster master bed and headboard
12. Foam cushions for foyer bench
13. Toy storage in basement
14. Install fence and garden beds in backyard (Supervising!)
15. Cutesy camping trailer (new curtains, possibly new cushion covers)
16. Remove pond & sod hill
17. Arrange outdoor patio
18. Find plaque or stone for Griffins tree or garden.
19. Repaint/decorate guest/kids bathroom
20.  Get really good at doing laundry in a timely manner.

A couple of these are up to the hubby to complete, with my assistance/guidance, especially the fence and pond removal.  I’ve been digging up all of the plants around the pond myself, but all of the levelling and sodding will have to be up to him.

They also probably won’t be completed in this order. Outdoor/trailer stuff will likely all happen this month or the next, with a lot of the sewing projects happening as I need to slow it down a bit.

diy diaper pail hack

When we made the decision to start cloth diapering, we found out that in addition to the cost of all of those diapers (totalling $340) we would need to have a diaper pail and wet bags to make laundering and diapering out and about easy and odour free.

So I decided to create my own diaper pail.  Why?  I’m cheap and paying $69 for something I could create myself for less than $20 seemed silly.  Plus most of the components I can repurpose in the future. 

For a DIY diaper pail to work though, it had to have a few necessary functions:

1) a washable, removable liner
2) odour blocking
3) easy to open (while holding a poopy diaper)

so I set out looking at available diaper pails and came up with a list of a few cheap products at Wal-mart that would fulfill everything on our list and start off our cloth diapering journey.

Materials (linked to similar products):

- 30L(6.5 gallon) Step Can
- activated carbon
- pantyhose (I bought knee highs)
- PUL (waterproof fabric) or Wet Bag

Steps:

1. Double up the pantyhose then fill with 1/2 cup of activated carbon.  Tie off the top end.

2. Measure inner dimensions of step can and create open ended wet bag (with elastic around top hem).  Instructions here.  Alternatively you could use a ready-made wet bag that is an appropriate size.

3. Place DIY carbon filter in bottom of inner can then line with wet bag, pulling elasticized edge over top.

4. Your diaper pail is ready to use! 

My favourite thing about this diaper pail is that it has a foot lever to open the top, so I don’t have to try and open any clasps or lift off a lid while holding a diaper and keeping a squirmy baby on her change pad.  The bin is not airtight so that there isn’t any risk of mildew forming and I was worried this would mean that odours would still escape but we have been using the original filter I made in October and still have no odours in her room.

Notes:
- Another possibility for a liner bag is a mesh laundry bag, which can then be tossed directly into the wash. If using this method, find a way to attach carbon filter to inside the top lid of step can.
- Activated carbon is used as a filter in aquariums, but it has all of the same properties as charcoal.
- To wash: remove wet bag from bin and push diapers out into washer while turning wet bag inside out (meaning no touching dirty diapers!)

For washing diapers, we use soapnuts.  They are low sudsing and can be used in high efficiency washers, but contain no chemicals so they will not irritate sensitive baby skin.  They work by releasing naturally occurring saponin when the shells are softened by hot water.  For diapers (washed in hot water following a cold pre-rinse) we use 4-5 soapnuts in a muslin bag and for cold water washes (Emily’s clothing) I made a liquid detergent by boiling 6 cups of water with 12 soapnuts until reduced to 4 cups.  At $47.25 including shipping for a 1kg bag, it works out to around $.12-.15 per load!