Clean your tub with baking soda - Martha Stewart said so. I tried it because we didn't have any Bon Ami, and I have to agree. Just approximate (because the measurements aren't that important) one cup of baking soda, one teaspoon of liquid dish soap, and enough water to form a paste. Martha Stewart includes a few drops of essential oil (for smell) but you don't need it. It works, and it means I don't have to buy a special product for my porcelain fixtures.
Other benefits: It's safe for the kids, it doesn't bleach my towels, it's cheap, and it doesn't leave a weird film that shows up in my next bath. Someone complained in the comments that most essential oils are toxic to cats. I didn't put any in my mixture, even though I don't have cats. It didn't need any because it doesn't really have a smell on its own. It just smelled slightly like my dish soap, which is nice.
Foam floor tiles - My mom recommended this site to get foam floor tiles for the baby to lay on. My house is almost entirely hard wood or tile, so I was planning to get some floor tiles for the cub to crawl on, but I figured I'd end up with primary color tiles from Toys 'R' Us, and I'd have to buy several packs. The rubber flooring site has a lot of options with different thicknesses and color combinations.
I ordered 24, 1/2" thick, 2' x 2', reversible, green and brown, interlocking tiles and covered my whole front room with them. I had to teach our 50lb and 100lb dogs to stay off of them because their claws will probably ruin them, but all of the kids love the tiles. In fact, when family visited, we all wound up hanging out on the floor in the family room with the kids most of the time.
At the time that I'm writing this, they're running a promotion. You can get a code to receive 28% off of your entire order if you like them on Facebook. (I did it. I know it works.) This is their official facebook page. I could just give you the code, but I think that would make me kind of a jerk.
Diapers.com - I love this site and all of the sister sites (soap.com, wag.com, yoyo.com etc.). I ordered all of my cloth diapers from them. They have two-day delivery, free on orders of $35 or more. Their listed prices include tax, so I'm never surprised by the total. Their return policy is lenient and using it is easy.
I recently ordered training pants there and had to return them because they were too big. You fill out a quick form to detail what you're returning and why, then they use that to populate a return label for you. You print it and tape it to the same box they sent the items in (or a different one if you choose) and drop it off at a UPS store or drop off location to send it back, free of charge. You have the option of having the funds returned to your bank or having it saved to your store account as credit on the site.
The nice thing about credits on the site is they can be used at any of the sister sites, where you can buy books, household items, pet supplies, toys, makeup, detergent, and even tents and sports gear. I decided to buy a cheaper version of training pants and I'm still trying to figure out what to do with the rest of my store credit: Curtains for the front room? A backpack for hiking with my dog? A toy for the cub? The next Winnie The Pooh book? A new soccer ball for S?
Washing Cloth Diapers - Speaking of the cloth diapers, I've seen a lot of concern and confusion about how to wash them. The first time I used them was for M, when she was first starting to potty train. I just washed those the same as I washed everything else and they were fine. They didn't stain or give her a rash. But that's a toddler on grown-up food; a breastfed infant is a whole different animal.
Cub is a breastfed, cloth diaper baby. If you breastfeed, you're aware of the crazy, yellow, liquid poop... and how unfortunately well it stains. If you have an infant, you're probably aware of how easily they get rashes. So, let me share with you what works for me (your experience may be different).
I wash my diapers, disassembled, in hot water with my regular detergent. To be honest, I'm not that careful to make sure that it is dye or fragrance free. I use some arm and hammer stuff for sensitive skin. C used to be allergic to Tide, so I switched to A&H and it didn't give her a rash, so I stuck with it.
Problem: cub kept getting rashes. Once, when he spent most of the day in his Moby wrap while we were out and about, he got a rash so bad it took days to get rid of. When we're out, we put him in a disposable for ease of changing him in public restrooms, so it wasn't the cloth diapers that caused it. But the cloth diapers certainly weren't fixing it either.
Solution: I added an extra rinse with nothing but cold water and vinegar. The rash cleared up pretty quickly and hasn't come back. I get to continue using the detergent that I know works for my daughters, and I don't have to buy a separate one for the diapers. I have gallons of vinegar around my house anyway.
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