Have child, will work (or sew).

So now I have a child, and one of the hardest things is finding childcare at a rate that I can afford. It seems I need child care to work, but I need to work to have childcare. It's an unavoidable catch 22. On a happier note, I now fit into my pre-pregnancy clothes, aside from my rather large, child-nourishing bosom. Back to my dilemna... I now find that I have a little more time to complete tasks like making diaper pail liners to avoid buying the over-priced ones from the local eco-friendly baby boutique. (not pictured) For less than the price of one of their liners, I made two myself in about 4 hours.

Cloth wipe edge

Cloth wipe

My first  baby project was to make my own wipes. I made a couple with double thickness, but that was before I got the serger. I thought it took too long, so I decided to make them single thickness with finished edges so they didn't fray. So far, they are holding up despite being washed every other day.

Small Wetbag I made for a friend

Wetbag inside

After that, I decided to teach a friend how to use her sewing machine so that she could make her own wipes. Her daughter is sensitive to the commercial wipes, and since I have very few problems with my method, I decided to share. I ended up making this wetbag for her out of a cheap shower curtain, plastic, velcro, duct tape, and staples. Not bad, probably not the most sturdy thing, but not bad.

Homemade soaker back

Homemade soaker front

Finally, I use pre-folds a lot because they are a cheaper option than the pocket diapers and fancy AIOs that I would really like to have. However, they are limited in their ability to soak and soak and soak. I decided to double the soaking power with some soakers that I made. I took a microfiber cloth (think window cleaning), cut it in thirds, and sandwiched it between flannel (printed) on the top and fleece on the bottom. 

After realizing that I really have no extra money to afford things like cutesy diaper pail liners, I am reminded why I decided to go uber eco-friendly myself and cloth diaper my little bundle of joy. At first, I thought that I would enjoy the diaper service experience, but it turns out that they were not as helpful as I thought. I am now laundering the diapers myself. In addition, I decided to just make my own cloth wipes, soakers, etc. It really does save money, and I know exactly what goes into the skin-friendly liquid that gets sprayed on them. So, I have managed to save at least $72 , so far, by not buying the Earth's Best disposable wipes I was buying. I even still have one package shy of a 480 count box sitting in my baby's closet since I decided to make and wash my own. People think that it is so much work, but they don't realize that it just boils down to laundry.

My point is that by going eco friendly in the diapering department, I have managed to avoid the need to purchase overpriced baby products simply for the sake of convenience, which is especially helpful since I can barely afford to pay someone to babysit my child so that I can work.