Category: Littles

$6 per week, or less than $150 total?

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The cheapest disposable diapers I can find online run $6 for a pack that a family might (might!) be able to stretch to last a week. At that insanely low price, two years of diapering a baby looks like $624 — which is pretty much the lowest quote I’ve ever heard.

Except …

I can diaper for two years for under $150.

How? Meet the stash I’m using this week:

$6 per week -- or $150 total?

If you purchased all of the above new, you’d spend right around $140. Comb resale shops and groups, and you’ll save more.

I chose this stash to highlight a few principles:

  1. It doesn’t have to be a diaper to, you know, be a diaper. Gifted a glut of receiving blankets at your shower? Repurpose them for baby’s bum. As diapers themselves, or cut into wipes, they’ll serve quite well without costing an added dime.
  2. Super absorbency (especially for nights!) is totally possible. Fruit of the Womb Diapers are my go-to for nighttime. They are still flats, with the supreme washability and quick dry time. But these are outrageously thirsty, and never let me down.
  3. Wool is your friend. A nice wool cover is a splurge, yes … but good wool (like the Disana above) will earn its keep by keeping your bed dry, and baby happy. I think it’s worth the money spent.
  4. Bamboo flats are an upgrade, but they also hold more. If you’re bare bones on your stash in terms of numbers, think bamboo. My one yea-old can last two hours in a single bamboo flat. That’s just six changes per day. With the stash above, you could manage laundry every other day.
  5. One-size covers stretch pennies. The largest single investment above is in covers. (Flips and a Rumparooz, not a blueberry!) However, those covers above have literally been in use for my son’s entire first year, and will, with care, make it through to potty training. In the long run, that’s a pretty handy return!
  6. Flannel wipes save even more money! You’re washing diapers anyhow —throw wipes into the bucket, too! Every bit counts.

Join me tomorrow as we talk about fathers and flats… and why your husband can totally diaper your baby!

Flats Challenge

Food, rent … or diapers?

As I write, there’s a plastic bucket sitting next to my toilet holding the day’s dirty diapers. My first act tomorrow morning? Washing those diapers in my tub and hanging them out to dry.

Not because I have to. Because I choose to.

Unlike so many families around the globe, I have a washer, and a dryer. I have electricity around the clock. My house is fully plumbed.

I have diapers.

This isn’t the reality of many mothers the world over. It certainly isn’t the situation many mothers here in America face; concern has been growing over the so-called “diaper gap.” A new awareness has finally dawned as those who have pause and consider that those who have not are pressured, daily, to provide everything … right down to what’s covering their baby’s bottom.

In March, The White House revealed a new initiative designed to meet the needs of the nearly 1 in 3 families confronted with either keeping the lights on or buying diapers. The problem? The focus was solely on disposables– which must be purchased over and over again. No mention of the frugality and freedom of cloth!

Cloth is impractical, critics contend. Without a washer or dryer, you can’t do cloth. Daycares won’t deal with it. And who can afford the start-up costs?

As someone who has faced the same challenges being addressed by those trying to cross the diapering divide, I know that the arguments don’t actually hold water. Handwashing is a viable option. Cloth-friendly daycares exist; even if they won’t accept cloth, using it at home takes the pressure off somewhat. And cost? Folks, you can cloth diaper on the cheap. Trust me.

With this in mind, I’m participating in the Flats and Handwashing Challenge for a second year. Using a one-time investment of inexpensive flats, receiving blankets, and covers, I’m hoping to convince at least one person that cloth can work for a family forced to choose between food and diapers.

Check back throughout the week to follow my journey.

Flats Challenge

Quick-play Games for Littles

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Let’s be totally honest: sometimes, the absolute last way you want to spend an evening is coaching your 7 year-old through Tokaido. Yes, it’s mostly fun to tag-team through a game meant for older players. But what about when you really, truthfully, just want something simple … and oh, please, let it not be Candyland again.

No worries. We’ve got you covered with some quick-play, fun games that you won’t mind playing. You might even lure in a teen or two!

Eye Found It! The whole family of Eye Found It! games are worth a look, but this Disney-themed card game is colorful, doesn’t leave littles waiting for their turn to roll the dice, and clips along at a crisp pace. No reading is required, either, so even older toddlers can play.

Caterpillar Connect Manhattan Toy has a whole line of Imagine I Can games: the most straight-forward, fun littles games on the market, in my opinion. In this title, kids as young as 2 can roll the die, match the color, and build a caterpillar. Other tins have you constructing a castle, stacking colorful shapes, and much, much more. Bonus: these all-wood games come in pocket-sized tins that fit beautifully in your purse, so keep one handy for waiting rooms.

Spot It! Alphabet and Spot It! Numbers and Shapes An educational, little-friendly version of the popular find it game. All you need are the cards and your own two eyes. Perfect entertainment, and easy-to-follow rules!

My First Orchard A sturdy cooperative board game for the younger set! Working together rather than competing, this color-matching, beat the crow game prepares your kids for the fun of teamwork games like Snowstorm. The rules are über-easy, and the pace is fast enough to keep even 6 and 7 year-olds interested.

Wacky World This one does require some reading, but trust me, it’s worth helping your youngest ones. A game of collecting cards and making sets, this one is slightly longer in play, but long on fun.

5 Quick-play Games for Littles

 

What are YOUR family’s favorite games for the younger set?

A {tech} tool for your toolbox

This is a sponsored post. We received a product for the purpose of writing this review. Our family only reviews items that we actually find valuable and are able to be 100% honest about regarding our experience. Links contained in this post may direct to affiliate sites. 

Jude is six months old. It’s a beautiful thing, that six month milestone. As much as part of me gasps at the realization that the first half of the first year has already flown right by me, another piece of my heart just glows with the joy of anticipating the unfolding of the second six months.

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4 Things Kids Can Do Together

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One of the biggest challenges in straddle parenting is what business folks refer to as “team building”: those all-in exercises that build memories, make you drop your guard, and establish connections between players. But when your oldest is filling out college applications and your youngest is pretending to be a Bubble Guppie, where’s the common ground? Don’t lose hope — it can be done! In addition to strong family traditions (which require planning ahead!), these quickly tossed together activities bring everyone to the table to share their gifts, their conversation, and their laughter.

  1. Color. It probably won’t take much persuading for your littles to take their seats if you announce that a family coloring session is starting in ten minutes. But believe it or not, even older kids more interested in earbuds than flower buds will have their interested piqued if you have the right tools. Creative supplies like fine line colored pens,  woodless colored pencils, or Russian Sauce chalks make the process more fun by reaching beyond crayon-level exploration. Nothing that elaborate on hand?  Zentangle is a fascinating art. Books are available for bigs and littles, or you can just as easily print off some pages at home. Adult coloring books on various themes are also all the rage. No time to stock your shelves? Google your teen’s favorite topic and add the term “coloring pages” or “line drawing.”
  2. Make a movie. Who doesn’t want to see themselves on screen — or take a turn behind the camera? Using a smart phone, you can film anything. Inspire your kids with retellings of some pratfall-prone comedy skits, or let them conspire to bring you a dramatic documentary of their best bike stunts. Request a reenactment of a hilarious family event. If your older kids are already into story-telling, have them pull together a quick script that gives everyone a role and create an original short. If they want to polish it, have them tinker with iMovie or other editing software. Screen the final project together, and enjoy seeing what your whole family can produce.
  3. Play a board game. No, your toddler is not interested in a Settlers marathon. Neither is your middle schooler all that keen on being roped into Pretty, Pretty Princess. But games that inspire cooperative, team play can be a hit with multiple ages. Spontuneous, Caves and Claws, and Family Challenge are great additions to your game library. Sweeten the pot by popping popcorn or providing fun, fizzy drinks for everyone who joins in.
  4. Decorate cookies. Sugar cookies aren’t just for Christmas; as a matter of fact, they’re actually more fun for the older set when you suspend the rules of Holiday Shapes Only and open the doors to Anything Goes. Using a sturdier dough, just about any freeform design is possible. Yes, you might end up with an electric guitar dusted in blue sparkles alongside a lumpy rainbow, but all of your kids will be in one spot, working on the same thing. Plus … cookies. Win!

25 ways to make it feel like Christmas

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The days of December are long, my friend. Long and sometimes not exactly as falalalala-filled as one would hope. Whether it’s a too-tight bottom line, the absence of a loved one, or just a bummer of a day, sometimes it’s hard to grab on to the Christmas spirit. Never fear. With this handy list, you can conjure up enough cheer to keep the bah-humbug at bay for kids of all ages.

  1. Feed the birds. (There’s an easy craft here!)
  2. Make hot chocolate.
  3. Take a tour of the memories represented on your Christmas tree.
  4. Have a Christmas music dance marathon.
  5. Make paper snowflakes. (Pinterest has a gazillion templates!)
  6. Bake cookies.
  7. Read the nativity story in Luke.
  8. Whip up some peppermint-scented playdough.
  9. Watch a Christmas movie. (If you haven’t watched “It’s a Wonderful Life,” with your kids, you should!)
  10. Listen to a Christmas story.
  11. Read “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.”
  12. Sing carols.
  13. Make some homemade cards.
  14. Make a paper chain for your tree.
  15. Donate money to a cause.
  16. Decorate your driveway. (Sidewalk chalk in areas without snow, homemade Snow Paint if you’re blessed to have the white stuff!)
  17. Plan a tour of lights.
  18. String a popcorn garland.
  19. Find something to give away.
  20. Light candles.
  21. Make fudge.
  22. Look at old Christmas photos.
  23. Simmer a Christmasy potpourri or diffuse a seasonal oil blend. (This list of suggested blends is great!)
  24. Tie bells to your doorknobs.
  25. Eat a candy cane.

What are YOUR favorite ways to welcome the spirit of Christmas into your home?